Surface expression of low density lipoprotein receptor in EBV-transformed lymphocytes: characterization and use for studying familial hypercholesterolemia

The objectives of the present study were to characterize the surface expression of low density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) in Epstein-Barr virus transformed lymphocytes (EBV-L) and to determine the applicability of the cellular system for the study of familial hypercholesterolemia. The EBV-L subsets and LDL-R expression were determined by immuno-cytofluorimetry. The LDL-R expression in EBV-L which consisted of mostly B cells was no different among antigenic subsets. EBV-L cultured in lipoprotein deficient serum demonstrated a 9.3-fold higher LDL-R expression than primary lymphocytes. Lovastatin caused an additional l.9-and 1.4-fold increase in EBV-L and primary lymphocytes respectively. This difference in lovastatin response is statistically significant (paired t-test, P