Preparation of a Functional Rat LDL Receptor Minigene

The majority of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors present in the body are expressed in the liver. Therefore, plasma LDL levels significantly correlate with changes in the activity of the hepatic LDL receptor. Based on this, there is a need to understand the regulatory mechanisms that control the hepatic expression of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor. Herein, we have prepared a functional rat LDL receptor minigene construct that can produce mRNA after splicing. Sequence analysis suggests that this construct has the potential to code for a truncated version of LDL receptor protein. This minigene could be used as a research tool to identify small molecules, natural products, and regulators of the LDL receptor gene that could be developed into LDL receptor-specific activators for therapeutic use.