Health Observance

Cholesterol Education Month 2021

Research highlights: genes, bears and bugs (of the viral variety)
Courtney Chandler
Sept. 1, 2021

While cholesterol may have a bad rep, it is necessary for human health — it gives your body the building blocks it needs to make cells, hormones and vitamins. Cholesterol becomes a problem when there's too much of it circulating in your bloodstream. As cholesterol levels increase, so does the risk for developing diseases such as heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death in the U.S.

Around 10% of adults in the U.S. have high total cholesterol levels. Much research has focused on better understanding how cholesterol is made and trafficked in our body, oftentimes with the goal of developing better diagnostic tools and treatments to prevent disease. Here, I’ve rounded up some of the most recent research on cholesterol in honor of Cholesterol Education Month.

Gene variants that impair cholesterol clearance

High density lipoprotein and its primary receptor, called scavenger receptor class B type I, or SR-BI, work together to clear excess cholesterol from the bloodstream, thus protecting against fatty plaque buildup in the arteries. Humans have different genetic variants of SR-BI, some of which have been identified in patients with high levels of HDL and cholesterol. Researchers from Medical College of Wisconsin recently published their work on a specific SR-BI variant associated with cardiovascular disease in the Journal of Lipid Research. They found that this variant, which has a cysteine residue at amino acid position 174 instead of an arginine and is thus called R174C-SR-BI, had impaired cholesterol transport in monkey cells. If these results translate to humans, this variant could be a risk factor for impaired cholesterol clearance and cardiovascular disease. Genetic screening may help physicians better identify patients with this variant and develop better treatment plans.

What bears can tell us about cholesterol

Recent insights into cholesterol research focused on an unexpected group of fuzzy animals — bears. Specifically, Swedish brown bears. Earlier this year, ASBMB Today's Arti Dumbrepatil wrote about how a team of researchers compared human and bear lipoproteins to try to understand why hibernating bears can withstand elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides without developing clogged arteries, whereas humans can’t. Their research, also published in the Journal of Lipid Research, found that bear lipoproteins differ in structure and function, which results in less binding to the walls of arteries and thus less fatty plaque buildup. To learn more, read Dumbrepatil's article.

Reducing cholesterol to block viruses

While cholesterol may be important for our health, it’s also important for the life cycle of other, more nefarious entities. Some types of viruses, called enveloped viruses, emerge from infected human cells in cholesterol-rich lipid rafts. (SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus.) Lowering the levels of cellular cholesterol can impede this process, reducing the ability of these viruses to spread and survive. Researchers from the University of Michigan recently described how an enzyme located to the endoplasmic reticulum, called viperin, exerts its antiviral effects by downregulating cholesterol biosynthesis. After expression, viperin forms a complex with key cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes lanosterol synthetase and squalene monooxygenase. Formation of this complex correlates with a reduction in total cellular cholesterol, possibly through inhibition of those key enzymes, thus preventing of viral budding. This research, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, points to control of cholesterol biosynthesis as a means for cells to protect themselves against enveloped viruses. 

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
Courtney Chandler

Courtney Chandler is a biochemist and microbiologist in Baltimore, Md., and a careers columnist for ASBMB Today.

Related articles

From genes to hope
Nipuna Weerasinghe
Hope for a cure hangs on research
Elisabeth Adkins Marnik
From the journals: JLR
Swarnali Roy

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in Science

Science highlights or most popular articles

AI-designed biomarker improves malaria diagnostics
Journal News

AI-designed biomarker improves malaria diagnostics

Oct. 8, 2025

Researchers from the University of Melbourne engineered Plasmodium vivax diagnostic protein with enhanced yield and stability while preserving antibody-binding, paving the way for more reliable malaria testing.

Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor reduces cancer invasion
Journal News

Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor reduces cancer invasion

Oct. 8, 2025

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic engineered a TIMP-1 protein variant that selectively inhibits MMP-9 and reduces invasion of triple-negative breast cancer cells, offering a promising tool for targeted cancer research.

Antibiotic sensor directly binds drug in resistant bacteria
Journal News

Antibiotic sensor directly binds drug in resistant bacteria

Oct. 8, 2025

Researchers at Drexel University uncover how the vancomycin-resistant bacterial sensor binds to the antibiotic, offering insights to guide inhibitor design that restores antibiotic effectiveness against hospital-acquired infections.

ApoA1 reduce atherosclerotic plaques via cell death pathway
Journal News

ApoA1 reduce atherosclerotic plaques via cell death pathway

Oct. 1, 2025

Researchers show that ApoA1, a key HDL protein, helps reduce plaque and necrotic core formation in atherosclerosis by modulating Bim-driven macrophage death. The findings reveal new insights into how ApoA1 protects against heart disease.

Omega-3 lowers inflammation, blood pressure in obese adults
Journal News

Omega-3 lowers inflammation, blood pressure in obese adults

Oct. 1, 2025

A randomized study shows omega-3 supplements reduce proinflammatory chemokines and lower blood pressure in obese adults, furthering the understanding of how to modulate cardiovascular disease risk.

AI unlocks the hidden grammar of gene regulation
Feature

AI unlocks the hidden grammar of gene regulation

Sept. 30, 2025

Using fruit flies and artificial intelligence, Julia Zeitlinger’s lab is decoding genome patterns — revealing how transcription factors and nucleosomes control gene expression, pushing biology toward faster, more precise discoveries.