Pioglitazone, a hypoglycemic agent, has been shown to increase plasma HDL cholesterol, but the mechanism is incompletely understood. We further investigated effects of pioglitazone on transcriptional regulation of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I gene and functional properties of pioglitazone- induced apoA-I-containing particles. Pioglitazone dose-dependently stimulated apoA-I promoter activities in HepG2 cells. A peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-response element located in site A (-214 to -192 bp, upstream of the transcription start site) of the promoter is required for pioglitazone-induced apoA-I gene transcription. Deletion of site A (-214 to -192 bp), B (-169 to -146 bp), or C (-134 to -119 bp), which clusters a number of cis-acting elements for binding of different transcription factors, reduced the basal apoA-I promoter activities, and no additional pioglitazone-sensitive elements were found within this region. Overexpression or knock-down of liver receptor homolog-1, a newly identified nuclear factor with strong stimulatory effect on apoA-I transcription, did not alter pioglitazone-induced apoA-I transcription. Pioglitazone- induced apoA-I transcription is mainly mediated through PPAR alpha but not PPAR gamma in hepatocytes. Pioglitazone induced production of HDL enriched in its subfraction containing apoA-I without apoA-II, which inhibited monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells in vitro.jlr In conclusion, pioglitazone increases apoA-I production by directly enhancing PPAR-response element-dependent transcription, resulting in generation of apoA-I-containing HDL particles with increased anti-inflammatory property.-Zhang, L-H., V. S. Kamanna, S. H. Ganji, X-M. Xiong, and M. L. Kashyap. Pioglitazone increases apolipoprotein A-I production by directly enhancing PPRE-dependent transcription in HepG2 cells. J. Lipid Res. 2010. 51: 2211-2222.
