ApoB secretion and intracellular lipid content are modulated by ANGPTL3 and PCSK9 in HEPG2 cells

Background and Aims: ANGPTL3 and PCSK9 are known regulators of lipoprotein metabolism. Patients harboring homozygous loss of function mutations in the ANGPTL3 gene show reduced levels of circulating PCSK9 and ApoB, indicating a possible coordinate regulation of these two proteins. In addition, HepG2 cells KO for ANGPTL3 shows intracellular accumulation of ApoB, and when knocked down for PCSK9, they show an increased lipid content. Therefore, this study aims to establish whether the two proteins modulate the secretion of ApoB and lipid droplets accumulation in HepG2 cells.