Removal of cellular cholesterol by pre-beta-HDL involves plasma membrane microsolubilization

High density lipoprotein (HDL) is able to remove unesterified cholesterol from peripheral cells in the process of reverse cholesterol transport by an aqueous diffusion mechanism as well as by an apolipoprotein (apo)-mediated process. The aqueous diffusion mechanism is understood but the molecular mechanism of lipid-poor pre-beta-HDL-(apo-) mediated cholesterol removal is not known. Measurements of the initial rates of efflux of unesterified cholesterol and phospholipid from human fibroblasts to lipid-free, human apoA-I showed that both lipids are released from the cells during a 10-min incubation with apoA-I. The concentration-dependence of efflux of the lipids is the same (Km = 0.4 and 0.6 microg apoA-I/ml for cholesterol and phospholipid flux, respectively), suggesting a membrane microsolubilization process. A finite pool of about 1% of the plasma membrane cholesterol is accessible for release by solubilization; the limited size of this cholesterol pool is not due to a lack of availability of apoA-I, but rather to the restricted amount of phospholipid that is removed from the plasma membrane. Plasma membrane domains may be involved in membrane microsolubilization, but caveolar cholesterol seems not to be specifically accessed in this process. Membrane microsolubilization is the process by which pre-beta1-HDL removes cell cholesterol in the first step of reverse cholesterol transport. When apoA-I is present in the extracellular space, the relative contributions of cholesterol efflux by membrane microsolubilization and by aqueous diffusion are determined by the degree of lipidation of the apoA-I molecules.