Changes in soluble LDL receptor and lipoprotein fractions in response to diet in the DIETFITS weight loss study

Circulating levels of the soluble ligand binding ectodomain of the LDL receptor (sLDLR) that is proteolytically cleaved from the cell surface have been shown to correlate with plasma triglycerides, but the lipid and lipoprotein effects of longitudinal changes in sLDLR have not been examined. We sought to assess associations between changes in sLDLR and detailed lipoprotein measurements between baseline and six months in participants in the DIETFITS weight loss trial who were randomly assigned to the low-fat (n=225) or low-carbohydrate (n=236) diet arms. sLDLR was assayed using a proteomic procedure, lipids and apoprotein (apo) B and apoAI were measured by standard assays, and lipoprotein particle subfractions were quantified by ion mobility methodology.

Changes in sLDLR were significantly positively associated with changes in plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, apoB, large and medium size very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), and small and very small LDL, and inversely with changes in large LDL and HDL. The lipoprotein subfraction associations with sLDLR were independent of age, sex, diet, and BMI, but all except for large LDL were reduced to insignificance when adjusted for triglyceride change. Principal component (PC) analysis identified three independent clusters of changes in lipoprotein subfractions that accounted for 78% of their total variance. Change in sLDLR was most strongly correlated with change in the PC that was loaded positively with large VLDL and small and very small LDL, and negatively with large LDL and HDL.

In conclusion, sLDLR is a component of a cluster of lipids and lipoproteins that are characteristic of atherogenic dyslipidemia.