Hsp110 proteins are shown herein to stabilize nascent ApoB protein.
Methods of down-regulating expression of ApoB, and thus down-regulating
serum cholesterol levels, are therefore, provided, including, without
limitation, inhibition of Hsp110 expression by any method, for example
and without limitation, by RNA interference (RNAi). It also has been
found that ApoB gene-containing cells are useful in identifying compounds
and genes that affect the expression of longer forms of ApoB. Lastly, a
firefly luciferase-derived polypeptide is shown herein to bind the
peptide binding site of Hsp110, thus serving as a powerful analytical
reagent for identifying compounds, such as small molecule compounds, that
would interfere with Hsp110-moderated stabilization of ApoB.