Lipid transfer inhibitor protein defines the participation of high density lipoprotein subfractions in lipid transfer reactions mediated by cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP).

Cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) moves triglyceride (TG) and cholesteryl ester (CE) between lipoproteins. CETP has no apparent preference for high (HDL) or low (LDL) density lipoprotein as lipid donor to very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), and the preference for HDL observed in plasma is due to suppression of LDL transfers by lipid transfer inhibitor protein (LTIP). Given the heterogeneity of HDL, and a demonstrated ability of HDL subfractions to bind LTIP, we examined whether LTIP might also control CETP-facilitated lipid flux among HDL subfractions. CETP-mediated CE transfers from [3H]CE VLDL to various lipoproteins, combined on an equal phospholipid basis, ranged 2-fold and followed the order: HDL3 > LDL > HDL2. LTIP inhibited VLDL to HDL2 transfer at one-half the rate of VLDL to LDL. In contrast, VLDL to HDL3 transfer was stimulated, resulting in a CETP preference for HDL3 that was 3-fold greater than that for LDL or HDL2. Long-term mass transfer experiments confirmed these findings and further established that the previously observed stimulation of CETP activity on HDL by LTIP is due solely to its stimulation of transfer activity on HDL3. TG enrichment of HDL2, which occurs during the HDL cycle, inhibited CETP activity by approximately 2-fold and LTIP activity was blocked almost completely. This suggests that LTIP keeps lipid transfer activity on HDL2 low and constant regardless of its TG enrichment status. Overall, these results show that LTIP tailors CETP-mediated remodeling of HDL3 and HDL2 particles in subclass-specific ways, strongly implicating LTIP as a regulator of HDL metabolism.