Expression of heterologous human apolipoprotein E by J774 macrophages enhances cholesterol efflux to HDL3

Apolipoprotein E produced by human monocyte-derived macrophages mediates cholesterol efflux that occurs in the absence of added cholesterol acceptors

Human monocyte-derived macrophages can efflux accumulated cholesterol without exogenously added cholesterol acceptors (Kruth, H. S., Skarlatos, S. I., Gaynor, P. M., and Gamble, W. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 24511-24518). Most of the effluxed cholesterol accumulates in the medium as apolipoprotein E-discoidal lipid particles. In the current study, we determined whether and to what degree cholesterol efflux from human monocyte-macrophages depended on apolipoprotein E secretion. Unexpectedly, 2-week-old differentiated monocyte-macrophages secreted similar amounts of apolipoprotein E without or with cholesterol enrichment. Apolipoprotein E mRNA levels in these macrophages were not increased by cholesterol enrichment and were comparable with levels in HepG2 cells. Without cholesterol enrichment, monocyte-macrophages secreted lipid-poor apolipoprotein E with a density >1.21 g/ml. By contrast, cholesterol enrichment of monocyte-macrophages induced the association of apoE with phospholipid and cholesterol to form discoidal particles that floated at densities of 1.08-1.10 g/ml. An anti-apolipoprotein E monoclonal antibody added to the culture medium significantly inhibited cholesterol and phospholipid efflux from the monocyte-macrophages. This showed that apolipoprotein E was required for most of the cholesterol efflux, and that apolipoprotein E did not leave macrophages with lipid but rather associated with lipid after it was secreted. Thus, 1) apolipoprotein E was constitutively secreted by differentiated human monocyte-macrophages, 2) apolipoprotein E only formed discoidal particles following macrophage cholesterol enrichment, 3) apolipoprotein E was necessary for cholesterol efflux to occur in the absence of added cholesterol acceptors and, in addition 4) the level of macrophage unesterified cholesterol was not rate-limiting for this cholesterol efflux, and 5) net phospholipid synthesis occurred in macrophages secondary to apoE-mediated loss of macrophage phospholipid. In conclusion, apolipoprotein E functions in an autocrine pathway that mediates cholesterol efflux from human monocyte-derived macrophages.

Cell surface proteoglycans modulate net synthesis and secretion of macrophage apolipoprotein E

Using a macrophage cell line that constitutively expresses a human apolipoprotein E (apoE) cDNA, we have investigated the post-translational metabolism of endogenously produced apoE. Inhibition of lysosomal or cysteine proteases led to significant inhibition of apoE degradation but did not increase apoE secretion, indicating that cellular degradation is not limiting for apoE secretion in macrophages. Treatment of macrophages with inhibitors of proteoglycan synthesis (4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-xyloside) or sulfation (sodium chlorate) enhanced the release of apoE from cells and significantly attenuated the increase in secretion produced by incubation with phosphatidylcholine vesicles (PV). These observations suggested that a significant fraction of the apoE retained by cells (and released by incubation with PV) was associated with proteoglycans. Treatment of cells with exogenous heparinase led to a greater than 4-fold increase in apoE secretion and similarly attenuated the response to PV, suggesting that apoE was trapped in an extracellular proteoglycan matrix. This conclusion was confirmed in studies showing that PV could enhance the release of apoE from cells during an incubation at 4 degrees C, but this enhanced release was abolished in proteoglycan-depleted cells. Incubation with lactoferrin at 4 or 37 degrees C produced a similar decrement in cellular apoE, again indicating the existence of a cell surface pool of apoE. Pulse-chase studies showed that the apoE trapped in the proteoglycan matrix was susceptible to rapid cellular degradation such that net synthesis of apoE (secreted plus cell-associated) was increased significantly in proteoglycan-depleted cells compared with control cells as early as 45 min during a chase period.

Apolipoproteins B, (a), and E accumulate in the morphologically early lesion of 'degenerative' valvular aortic stenosis

Nonrheumatic aortic stenosis of trileaflet aortic valves has been considered to be a "degenerative" process, but the early lesion of aortic stenosis contains the chronic inflammatory cells, macrophages and T lymphocytes. Because lipoprotein deposition is prominent in atherosclerosis, another chronic inflammatory process, this study examined whether lipoproteins accumulate in aortic valve lesions. Immunohistochemical studies were performed to detect apolipoprotein (apo) B, apo(a), apoE, macrophages, and alpha-actin-expressing cells on 18 trileaflet aortic valves that ranged from normal to stenotic. All three apolipoproteins were detected in early through end-stage lesions of aortic stenosis but not in histologically normal regions. Comparison with oil red O staining suggested that most of the extracellular neutral lipid in these valves was associated with either plasma-derived or locally produced apolipoproteins. Thus, in early through end-stage aortic valve lesions, apolipoproteins accumulate and are associated with the majority of extracellular valve lipid. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that lipoprotein accumulation in the aortic valve contributes to pathogenesis of aortic stenosis.

Characterization of an upstream regulatory sequence and its binding protein in the mouse apolipoprotein E gene

The mouse apolipoprotein (apo) E gene from strain C57BL/6 was isolated from a genomic DNA library and its complete nucleotide sequence, together with 1.3 kilobase of 5' flanking DNA and 300 base pairs of the 3' flanking DNA, was determined. Regulatory sequences in the proximal 5' flanking region of the gene were identified. Using a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase transient assay system, positive and negative cis-acting sequences were mapped within 380 base pairs of the 5' flanking region of the mouse apoE gene. Two nuclear protein binding sites were identified within this region by DNase I footprinting. We have characterized one of these regions, termed mouse apoE regulatory sequence (MARS-2), which spans nucleotides -151 to -133. Gel mobility shift assays using oligonucleotides of the MARS-2 sequence having specific deletions or substitutions as probes or competitors showed that the essential sequence of MARS-2 required for nuclear protein binding consists of 16 nucleotides encompassing -151 to -136. When nuclear extracts from different cells were examined, L cells and mouse liver nuclear protein contained the highest levels of binding protein for the MARS-2 probe. This protein, termed MARS-2 binding protein, was purified from mouse liver nuclear extracts to homogeneity using gel filtration and MARS-2 oligonucleotide-specific column chromatographic procedures. The Mr = 66,000 binding protein showed a gel mobility shift band that was identical to that of crude nuclear extracts.