Expression data from liver of Retnla transgenic (Tg) and non-transgenic (non-Tg) mice.

We found that Retnla-Tg mice had significantly lower serum cholesterol levels than non-Tg mice on a high-fat diet (HFD). To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-lowering effects of Retnla under hyperlipidemic conditions, we subjected age- and sex-matched Retnla-Tg and non-Tg mice to a HFD for 4 weeks. Using a microarray approach, we analyzed the hepatic gene expression profiles related to cholesterol metabolism, including catabolism, biosynthesis, and transport. Total RNA was extracted from livers of Retnla-Tg and non-Tg mice after feeding with a HFD for four weeks, and transcriptional profiling was performed on individual samples using Affymetrix Mouse Genome chips (MG 430 2.0 array).