Characteristics and Functional Relevance of Apolipoprotein-A1 and Cholesterol Binding in Mammary Gland Tissues and Epithelial Cells

Cholesterol in milk is derived from the circulating blood through a complex transport process involving the mammary alveolar epithelium. Details of the mechanisms involved in this transfer are unclear. Apolipoprotein-AI (apoA-I) is an acceptor of cellular cholesterol effluxed by the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter A1 (ABCA1). We aimed to 1) determine the binding characteristics of 125I-apoA-I and 3H-cholesterol to enriched plasma membrane vesicles (EPM) isolated from lactating and non-lactating bovine mammary glands (MG), 2) optimize the components of an in vitro model describing cellular 3H-cholesterol efflux in primary bovine mammary epithelial cells (MeBo), and 3) assess the vectorial cholesterol transport in MeBo using Transwell® plates. The amounts of isolated EPM and the maximal binding capacity of 125I-apoA-I to EPM differed depending on the MG’s physiological state, while the kinetics of 3H-cholesterol and 125I-apoA-I binding were similar. 3H-cholesterol incorporated maximally to EPM after 25±9 min. The time to achieve the half-maximum binding of 125I-apoA-I at equilibrium was 3.3±0.6 min. The dissociation constant (KD) of 125I-apoA-I ranged between 40–74 nmol/L. Cholesterol loading to EPM increased both cholesterol content and 125I-apoA-I binding. The ABCA1 inhibitor Probucol displaced 125I-apoA-I binding to EPM and reduced 3H-cholesterol efflux in MeBo. Time-dependent 3H-cholesterol uptake and efflux showed inverse patterns. The defined binding characteristics of cholesterol and apoA-I served to establish an efficient and significantly shorter cholesterol efflux protocol that had been used in MeBo. The application of this protocol in Transwell® plates with the upper chamber mimicking the apical (milk-facing) and the bottom chamber corresponding to the basolateral (blood-facing) side of cells showed that the degree of 3H-cholesterol efflux in MeBo differed significantly between the apical and basolateral aspects. Our findings support the importance of the apoA-I/ABCA1 pathway in MG cholesterol transport and suggest its role in influencing milk composition and directing cholesterol back into the bloodstream.