Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase, a rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid synthesis, has been
implicated in genetic susceptibility to atherosclerosis. The gene, CYP7A1, encoding a
protein with this activity, is expressed normally only in hepatocytes and is highly regulated.
Our cyp7A1 gene knockout mouse colony, as young adults on a chow diet, is
hypercholesterolemic. These mice were characterized extensively to understand how
cyp7A1 affects lipid and bile acid homeostasis in different tissue compartments and whether …