Electron Microscopic Characterization of Lipoproteins from Patients with Familial Type III Hyperlipoproteinaemia

The lipoproteins of very low density, low density and intermediate density were isolated by zonal ultracentrifugation from the plasma of subjects with familial type III hyperlipoproteinaemia and studied by electron microscopy. Each of these lipoproteins exhibited a spherical shape when free-standing. The very low density, low density and intermediate density lipoproteins ranged in diameter from 31 - 80, 17 - 23, and 21 - 35 nm, respectively. These results are consistent with, our previous findings that the intermediate density lipoprotein particles characteristic of plasma from type III subjects exhibit properties which are intermediate between those of very low density and low density lipoproteins.