Conversion of human plasma high density lipoprotein-2 to high density lipoprotein-3. Roles of neutral lipid exchange and triglyceride lipases.

Cholesterol esters accumulating in human plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) are important in conversion of HDL3 to larger HDL2. We studied whether mechanisms of removal of cholesterol esters from HDL might be important in a reverse direction, i.e. conversion of HDL2 to HDL3. Native HDL2 or HDL3 is incubated with very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and lipoprotein-poor plasma (d greater than 1.21 g/ml) at 37 degrees C. After incubation, "modified" (M) VLDL, and HDL2 or HDL3 are reisolated by ultracentrifugation. In modified M-HDL2 or M-HDL3, triglyceride becomes the major core lipid as the triglyceride/cholesterol ester weight ratio increases 8-10-fold relative to native HDL. With only small changes in protein/phospholipid ratios in M-HDLs, the large decrease in cholesterol ester/protein ratios suggest net cholesterol ester loss from HDL. Quantitative recovery analyses prove that the cholesterol esters lost from HDL are transferred to M-VLDL, which is now richer in cholesterol ester and poorer in triglyceride. These substantial exchanges of HDL lipids are not associated by significant transfer of HDL apoproteins but are dependent on neutral lipid transfer factors present in human lipoprotein-poor plasma (d greater than 1.21 g/ml). Similar results are obtained when purified core lipid transfer protein replaces d greater than 1.21 g/ml plasma in these incubations. After depletion of cholesterol ester from HDL, most but not all, exchanged triglyceride can be removed by lipolysis with either hepatic or lipoprotein lipase, resulting in a post-lipolysis HDL2 with an increased triglyceride content relative to normal HDL. With successive incubations with VLDL, and core lipid transfer factors, HDL2 loses more than two-thirds of its cholesterol esters. After lipolysis of acquired triglyceride, HDL2 is remodeled, in both composition and flotation parameters, toward HDL3.