Apolipoprotein A-1 binding protein promotes macrophage cholesterol efflux by facilitating apolipoprotein A-1 binding to ABCA1 and preventing ABCA1 degradation
Authors: Xiao-Dan Xia
Hai-Peng Cheng
Chao-Ke Tang
Jian-Feng Wu
Min Zhang
Wei Xie
Zhen-Wang Zhao
Dan Liu
Feng Yao
Meng-Ya Zeng
Yu-Lin Tan
Chong Huang
Liang Li
Gang Lan
Xiao-Yan Liu
Xi-Long Zheng
Duo Gong
Journal: Atherosclerosis (2016)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: ABCA1; AIBP; ApoA-1; Atherosclerosis; CSN2
Affiliations: Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China., Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, The University of Calgary, Health Sciences Center, 3330 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada., Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China. Electronic address: .

Abstract:  Rationale: Previous studies have shown that apolipoprotein-1 (apoA-1) binding protein (AIBP) is highly associated with the regulation of apoA-1 metabolism, suggesting its role in the treatment of atherosclerosis. However, how AIBP regulates foam cell formation remains largely unexplored. Objective: To investigate the mechanisms underlying AIBP inhibition of foam cell formation from macrophages. Methods and results: THP-1-derived macrophages were incubated without or with apoA-1 and AIBP, followed by assessing the formation of foam cells and the potential mechanisms. Our results showed that AIBP and apoA-1 enhanced cholesterol efflux, altered the levels of cellular free cholesterol and cholesterol ester and prevented lipid accumulation so as to reduce the formation of foam cells. Meanwhile, lack of AIBP 115-123 amino acids resulted in the loss of AIBP binding to apoA-1. Moreover, our chemiluminescent analysis showed that AIBP promoted biotin-labeled apoA-1 binding to macrophages. Besides with AIBP, more apoA-1 bound to ABCA1, a key transporter responsible for cholesterol efflux to apoA-1, as indicated by our co-immunoprecipitation assay. Our results also showed that AIBP did not regulate ABCA1 mRNA expression, but stabilized its protein from CSN2-mediated degradation. Conclusions: AIBP promotes apoA-1 binding to ABCA1 on the cell membrane of macrophages and prevents ABCA1 protein from CSN2-mediated degradation so as to prevent foam cell formation. AIBP 115-123 amino acids is at least partially responsible for its binding to apoA-1. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 **1 Forged authorship, _i.e._ usurped or theft of authorsu2019 names and affiliations**: The names of Bertrand Chapron and Alexander Babanin were unduly used by the 2 main authors Tim Chen and C.Y.J. Chen; so were their respective affiliations to _Laboratoire d Ocu00e9anographie Physique et Spatiale, IFREMER (Plouzanu00e9, France)_ and to _Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Melbourne (Melbourne, Australia)_. Neither Bertrand Chapron nor Alexander Babanin took part in this publication, which is totally outside their scientific fields of expertise; neither did they give their consent to be the co-authors. They had no prior contact with Tim Chen and CYJ Chen in any shape or form, until they became aware that their names were being unduly cited by the two above-cited authors. **2 Unethical practice of the journal**: The editor of the journal _Energy and Earth Science_ was contacted four times by emails between May and August 2021 for this paper and for companion papers published in the same journal: http: web.archive.org web 20220109103611 http: www.scholink.org ojs index.php ees article view 1701 http: web.archive.org web 20220129134152 http: www.scholink.org ojs index.php ees article view 1816 http: web.archive.org web 20220129134402 http: www.scholink.org ojs index.php ees article view 1800 The editor of _Energy and Earth Science_ has never answered these emails and the requests of retracting the paper; and he did nothing so far. **3 Affiliations and email address(es) of the corresponding author(s)**: **3.1.** The academic affiliations of the author Tim Chen are: _School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham_, Birmingham, UK; _Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Maryland_ USA; _Faculty of Information Technology, Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU)_ Vietnam; _Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University_ Saudi Arabia. Ifremer contacted TDTU in January 2021 to report the usurpation of Bertrand Chapronu2019s and Alexander Babaninu2019s identities. TDTU led its own investigation into Tim Chenu2019s activities. However, Ifremer is not in a legal position to disclose the outcome of TDTUu2019s investigation. **3.2.** The affiliations of the author C.Y.J. Chen (jc343965@gmail.com) are: _Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan_ and _Department of Computer Science and Engineering, BRAC University_, Bangladesh. C.Y.J Chenu2019s affiliation to BRAC University is erroneous. The author C.Y.J. alias John Chen exhibited 29 different academic affiliations in different institutes and or universities in 15 different countries (_i.e._ Bangladesh, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United States, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Brasilia, Australia, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Spain, Egypt) for the 66 articles (at least) published between 2018 and 2021 in which he is a co-author with Tim Chen (timchen@tdtu.edu.vn). **4 Similarities with any other studies (by using Compilatio software)**: u00b0 Compilatio software allowed to detect a similarity of 49% (SI) matching with [another article](http: web.archive.org web 20220109112640 https: www.sumerianz.com ?ic=journal-home journal=29 info=archive-detail month=01-2019 issue=1 volume=2) by the two same authors Tim Chen and John CY Chen. u00b0 Compilatio showed that these 2 papers are two u201cgenuine duplicatesu201d articles, _i.e._ i) with the two main authors Tim Chen and C.Y. Chen, though their co-authors differ among the 2 articles; ii) the titles of the two articles are identical, as is their text, although [Chen, Daleanu, Chen (2019)](http: web.archive.org web 20220129142816 https: www.sumerianz.com ?ic=journal-home journal=29 info=archive-detail month=01-2019 issue=1 volume=2) looks to be an abridged version of [Chen, Muhammad, Chapron, Chen, Babanin (2018)](http: web.archive.org web 20220109110517 http: www.scholink.org ojs index.php ees article view 1738). **5 Related papers by the same two authors Tim Chen and CYJ alias John Chen**: Questionable practices in some other papers written by Tim Chen and C.Y.J. alias John Chen, including a withdrawn paper, are addressed in several posts that are part of the [IFREMER_2021_CC] scientific integrity case handled by [Ifremer] ; contact email address: [ddis@ifremer.fr](mailto:ddis@ifremer.fr). , 
 _Retraction Watch_ has reported on February 3rd, 2022: u201c[French ocean institute goes public about authors who forged their researchersu2019 names] .u201d , 
 #1  Compilatio software allowed to detect a similarity of 49% (SI) matching with another article by the two same authors Tim Chen and John CY Chen. As noted, the authors republished a shorter version of the present text as  A New Tool Preliminary Assessment on Temporal-Comorbidity Adjusted Risk of Emergency Readmission (T-CARER) ([Chen, Daleanu Chen, 2018] 1-4.pdf)). There is also considerable overlap between the present text and figures, and those of  Temporal Comorbidity-Adjusted Risk of Emergency Readmission (T-CARER): A tool for comorbidity risk assessment ([Mesgarpour, Chaussalet Chahed, 2019] ).   Mesgarpour et al was  Received 29 July 2018; Received in revised form 6 January 2019; Accepted 7 March 2019 . That is, it was still undergoing peer review when the present paper was submitted for publication ( November 6, 2018 ). I leave it to the readers to speculate how material from Mesgarpour et al found its way into the present paper. ,