Expression of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase restores bile acid synthesis in McArdle RH7777 cells

Suppression of cytochrome P450 reductase (POR) expression in hepatoma cells replicates the hepatic lipidosis observed in hepatic POR-null mice

Cytochrome P450 reductase (POR) is a microsomal electron transport protein essential to cytochrome P450-mediated drug metabolism and sterol and bile acid synthesis. The conditional deletion of hepatic POR gene expression in mice results in a marked decrease in plasma cholesterol levels counterbalanced by the accumulation of triglycerides in lipid droplets in hepatocytes. To evaluate the role of cholesterol and bile acid synthesis in this hepatic lipidosis, as well as the possible role of lipid transport from peripheral tissues, we developed a stable, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated cell culture model for the suppression of POR. POR mRNA and protein expression were decreased by greater than 50% in McArdle-RH7777 rat hepatoma cells 10 days after transfection with a POR-siRNA expression plasmid, and POR expression was nearly completely extinguished by day 20. Immunofluorescent analysis revealed a marked accumulation of lipid droplets in cells by day 15, accompanied by a nearly 2-fold increase in cellular triglyceride content, replicating the lipidosis seen in hepatic POR-null mouse liver. In contrast, suppression of CYP51A1 (lanosterol demethylase) did not result in lipid accumulation, indicating that loss of cholesterol synthesis is not the basis for this lipidosis. Indeed, addition of cholesterol to the medium appeared to augment the lipidosis in POR-suppressed cells, whereas removal of lipids from the medium reversed the lipidosis. Oxysterols did not accumulate in POR-suppressed cells, discounting a role for liver X receptor in stimulating triglyceride synthesis, but addition of chenodeoxycholate significantly repressed lipid accumulation, suggesting that the absence of bile acids and loss of farnesoid X receptor stimulation lead to excessive triglyceride synthesis.

Inhibition of acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase stimulates cholesterol efflux from macrophages and stimulates farnesoid X receptor in hepatocytes

We investigated the mechanism of spontaneous cholesterol efflux induced by acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibition, and how an alteration of cholesterol metabolism in macrophages impacts on that in HepG2 cells. Oleic acid anilide (OAA), a known ACAT inhibitor reduced lipid storage substantially by promotion of cholesterol catabolism and repression of cholesteryl ester accumulation without further increase of cytotoxicity in acetylated low-density lipoprotein-loaded THP-1 macrophages. Analysis of expressed mRNA and protein revealed that cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), oxysterol 7alpha- hydroxylase (CYP7B1), and cholesterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27) were highly induced by ACAT inhibition. The presence of a functional cytochrome P450 pathway was confirmed by quantification of the biliary cholesterol mass in cell monolayers and extracelluar medium. Notably, massively secreted biliary cholesterol from macrophages suppressed the expression of CYP7 proteins in a farnesoid X receptor (FXR)-dependent manner in HepG2 cells. The findings reported here provide new insight into mechanisms of spontaneous cholesterol efflux, and suggest that ACAT inhibition may stimulate cholesterol-catabolic (cytochrome P450) pathway in lesion-macrophages, in contrast, suppress it in hepatocyte via FXR induced by biliary cholesterol (BC).

The inhibition of the human cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase gene (CYP7A1) promoter by fibrates in cultured cells is mediated via the liver x receptor alpha and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha heterodimer

In previous work, we showed that the binding of the liver x receptor alpha:peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (LXRalpha:PPARalpha) heterodimer to the murine Cyp7a1 gene promoter antagonizes the stimulatory effect of their respective ligands. In this study, we determined if LXRalpha:PPARalpha can also regulate human CYP7A1 gene promoter activity. Co-expression of LXRalpha and PPARalpha in McArdle RH7777 hepatoma cells decreased the activity of the human CYP7A1 gene promoter in response to fibrates and 25-hydroxycholesterol. In vitro, the human CYP7A1 Site I bound LXRalpha:PPARalpha, although with substantially less affinity compared with the murine Cyp7a1 Site I. The binding of LXRalpha:PPARalpha to human CYP7A1 Site I was increased in the presence of either LXRalpha or PPARalpha ligands. In HepG2 hepatoblastoma cells, fibrates and 25-hydroxycholesterol inhibited the expression of the endogenous CYP7A1 gene as well as the human CYP7A1 gene promoter when co-transfected with plasmids encoding LXRalpha and PPARalpha. However, a derivative of the human CYP7A1 gene promoter that contains a mutant form of Site I that does not bind LXRalpha:PPARalpha was not inhibited by WY 14,643 or 25-hydroxycholesterol in both McArdle RH7777 and HepG2 cells. The ligand-dependent recruitment of LXRalpha:PPARalpha heterodimer onto the human CYP7A1 Site I can explain the inhibition of the human CYP7A1 gene promoter in response to fibrates and 25-hydroxycholesterol.

Active taurocholic acid flux through hepatoma cells increases the cellular pool of unesterified cholesterol derived from lipoproteins

The effect of bile acid flux on the fate of lipoprotein-derived cholesterol was studied in bile acid-transporting McNtcp.18 hepatoma cells. The intracellular unesterified cholesterol (UC) concentration rose when McNtcp.18 cells grown in the presence of either high density lipoproteins (HDL) or low density lipoproteins (LDL) were incubated with taurocholic acid (TCA). This effect was more pronounced when the exogenous source of cholesterol was HDL. The presence of TCA in the culture medium of McNtcp.18 cells had no discernible effect on the uptake of cholesteryl esters (CE) from either lipoprotein. TCA treatment of cells preincubated with either lipoprotein did not affect cholesterol synthesis but antagonized the stimulation of cholesterol esterification in cells that were incubated with LDL. The CE concentration in cells treated with TCA was decreased, relative to cells not incubated with TCA, suggesting that cellular CE stores were also hydrolyzed. The TCA treatment reduced the amount of total cholesterol released into the medium by the lipoprotein-treated cells, which was coincident with the reduction in the amount of apolipoprotein B in the culture medium. However, the proportion of UC released into the medium by the lipoprotein-treated cells was increased in cells capable of active bile acid transport. The results indicate that active bile acid flux through hepatoma cells increases the cellular pool of UC derived from lipoproteins. The UC released by the cells into the culture medium under this condition may represent cholesterol destined for direct biliary secretion.

Differential modulation of cellular death and survival pathways by conjugated bile acids

BACKGROUND

The liver-derived McNtcp.24 cells transport bile acids and show distinctive responses to the two classes of conjugated bile acids. Whereas taurine-conjugated bile acids are non-toxic, glycine-conjugated bile acids efficiently induce apoptosis. The aim of this study was to determine if the differential sensitivity is limited to cells that normally transport bile acids and if bile acid binding proteins could reduce bile acid-mediated apoptosis. The apical sodium/bile acid co-transporter (asbt) was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to establish active bile acid transport in a non-liver-derived cell model (CHO.asbt). A high-affinity bile acid binder was expressed in McNtcp.24 cells.

RESULTS

The tolerance of McNtcp.24 cells to taurine-conjugated bile acids was associated with the stimulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity. Treatment of CHO.asbt cells with taurine- and glycine-conjugated bile acids resulted in apoptosis. Unlike in McNtcp.24 cells, PI3K activity was not increased in CHO.asbt cells treated with taurine-conjugated bile acids. High level expression of a bile acid binder did not attenuate bile acid-induced cytotoxicity in McNtcp.24 cells.

CONCLUSION

The data suggest that McNtcp.24 cells possess a mechanism that can elaborate distinctive responses to the different classes of bile acids. Additionally, activation of a signaling pathway involving PI3K appears to be the dominant mechanism responsible for the tolerance of McNtcp.24 cells to taurine-conjugated bile acids.