UC San Diego

Despite being discovered nearly two decades ago, little is known about the in vivo function of Apolipoprotein A-I Binding Protein (AIBP). The aim of our studies was to determine this function through the use of loss-of-function knockout models and gain-of-function overexpression models. We found that AIBP plays a protective role against atherosclerosis and inflammation, by enhancing cholesterol efflux from the vessel wall and preventing inflammatory macrophage signaling. It also appears to regulate whole-body metabolism, possibly via a different mechanism. Intriguingly, while AIBP is protective against certain conditions, it may actually be detrimental to cancer survival. Tumors express AIBP, and mice lacking AIBP expression had slower sarcoma growth than wildtype mice. Taken together, these data show that AIBP has important in vivo functions in a variety of pathologies.