Metabolism of iodinated high density lipoproteins in the rat. II. Autoradiographic localization in the liver

Modifications and degradation of high density lipoproteins

It is evident that lipoprotein modifications, degradation and clearance from plasma and interstitial compartments involves both cellular and extracellular processing. Cellular uptake of the intact particle as a whole and/or selective removal of constituent apoproteins and lipids by various parenchymal cells goes on continuously. Regulation of these processes undoubtedly varies tissue to tissue and much remains to be clarified in human tissues in vivo. The metabolic effects of chemical, proteolytic, and lipolytic modification of lipoproteins secondary to transient cellular encounters (e.g. during transit through endothelial barriers, or reversible binding to cells) on apolipoprotein clearance remains to be defined. It is likely that multiple post-secretory modifications occur and together represent subtle regulatory events that modulate lipid shuttle functions and cellular targetting properties of HDL particles.

Discrepancies in the catabolic pathways of human and rat high-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein A-I in the rat

The in vivo metabolism in the rat of radioiodinated human and rat high-density lipoprotein was compared with a double-label procedure using 125I and 131I. While rat high-density lipoprotein showed a biphasic serum decay, human high-density lipoprotein was characterized by a monoexponential serum decay. No differences were observed between the serum decay of human high-density lipoprotein-2 and -3 subfractions, isolated by rate zonal ultracentrifugation. The catabolic sites of human and rat high-density lipoprotein were analysed using the lysosomal cathepsin inhibitor leupeptin. Radioiodinated rat high-density lipoprotein was catabolized by the kidneys and by the liver. In contrast, radioiodinated human high-density lipoprotein was catabolized almost exclusively in the liver. No difference in the catabolic sites of human high-density lipoprotein-2 and -3 subfractions was observed. The catabolic sites of human high-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein A-I in the rat were further analysed using the O-(4-diazo-3-[125I]iodobenzoyl) sucrose label. Compared with rat high-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein A-I, the kidneys played a minor role in the catabolism of human high-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein A-I. It is concluded that in the rat the catabolic pathways of the apolipoprotein A-I moieties of rat and human high-density lipoproteins are different, indicating that homologous high-density lipoproteins should be used for the investigation of in vivo metabolism.

Characterization of a human hepatic receptor for high density lipoproteins

Characterization of the membrane receptor for the low density lipoproteins (LDL) has led to insights into cellular receptor physiology as well as mammalian lipid transport. Result with LDL have stimulated the search for specific receptors for other plasma lipoproteins. Receptors for high density lipoproteins (HDL) have been identified in human fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. Specificity for this receptor has been difficult to define since normal HDL contains several apolipoproteins, and particles containing apolipoproteins B and E have been shown to compete for HDL binding. In the present study, we demonstrate that HDL isolated from a patient devoid of apolipoprotein E was bound specifically by human hepatic membranes. This binding reached saturation within 2 hours and was EDTA-resistant. Assuming a single receptor model, we found that 2.9 x 10(15) receptors/mg membrane protein bound with an affinity KD = 3.5 x 10(-7) M at 0 to 4 degrees C and KD = 1.9 x 10(-7) M at 37 degrees C. The binding was effectively competed with intact HDL3, with HDL3 that had undergone selective arginine and lysine residue modification, and with antibodies to apolipoproteins A-I and A-II. However, LDL, asialofetuin, and HDL3 which had undergone tyrosine modification by nitration, and anti-apolipoprotein B did not compete with apo A-I HDL binding. In contrast to LDL binding, the human hepatoma cell line, HEPG2, increased HDL binding with cholesterol loading that was specific for HDL3. Thus, hepatic tissue can modulate its recognition of HDL. Finally, hepatic membranes from a patient lacking normal hepatic LDL receptors bound apo A-I HDL normally. These data indicate that a saturable, specific regulatable receptor for apo E-free HDL is present in human liver.

Reversible high affinity uptake of apo E-free high density lipoproteins in cultured pig hepatocytes

We examined the high affinity binding, uptake, and degradation of apo E-free 125I-high density lipoprotein (HDL) in cultured pig hepatocytes. At steady state, the cells degraded 9.4% of cell-associated 125I-HDL/hour, compared with 41.7%/hour for 125I-LDL. Pulse-chase experiments at 4 degrees C revealed that high affinity 125I-HDL binding was reversible. Similar experiments at 37 degrees C revealed that about 70% of the cell-associated 125I-HDL was released as a macromolecule; the remainder was degraded to acid-soluble products. In contrast, over 75% of the 125I-LDL that was released had been degraded to acid soluble products. The amount of macromolecular 125I-HDL released at 37 degrees C was similar to the amount that was bound to the cell surface, as estimated from measurements of trypsin-releasable radioactivity. Density gradient ultracentrifugation and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis of macromolecular 125I-HDL released to the medium revealed an increase in density, and the apparent partial proteolysis of apo A-I (Mr 25,000) to products of apparent Mr 12,000-14,000. The findings suggest that high affinity 125I-HDL uptake had a reversible component in which HDL was concentrated temporarily at the cell surface, modified, and then released as a somewhat denser lipoprotein particle. Measurement of 125I-HDL and 125I-LDL degradation in cell homogenates revealed no difference in the inherent susceptibility of the two lipoproteins to proteolysis by lysosomal enzymes. The overall slower rate of degradation of 125I-HDL compared to 125I-LDL was therefore due in part to the smaller fraction of HDL that was committed to irreversible catabolism. The rate of catabolism of this fraction, however, was considerable. Cells pulsed at 4 degrees C and subsequently warmed to 37 degrees C released one-half the acid-soluble products from 125I-HDL within about 4 hours, compared with 2 hours for cells pulsed with 125I-LDL. These findings indicate that HDL was internalized, transported to lysosomes, and degraded at about one-half the rate of LDL.

Binding and degradation of human high-density lipoproteins by human hepatoma cell line HepG2

The catabolism of human HDL was studied in human hepatoma cell line HepG2. The binding of 125I-labeled HDL at 4 degrees C was time-dependent and reached completion within 2 h. The observed rates of binding of 125I-labeled HDL at 4 degrees C and uptake and degradation at 37 degrees C indicated the presence of both high-affinity and low-affinity binding sites for this lipoprotein density class. The specific binding of 125I-labeled HDL accounted for 55% of the total binding capacity. The lysosomal degradation of 125I-labeled HDL was inhibited 25 and 60% by chloroquine at 50 and 100 microM, respectively. Depolymerization of microtubules by colchicine (1 microM) inhibited the degradation of 125I-labeled HDL by 36%. Incubation of cells with HDL caused no significant change in the cellular cholesterol content or in the de novo sterol synthesis and cholesterol esterification. Binding and degradation of 125I-labeled HDL was not affected by prior incubation of cells with HDL. When added at the same protein concentration, unlabeled VLDL, LDL and HDL had similar inhibitory effects on the degradation of 125I-labeled HDL, irrespective of a short or prolonged incubation time. Reductive methylation of unlabeled HDL had no significant effect on its capacity to inhibit the 125I-labeled HDL degradation. The competition study indicated no correlation between the concentrations of apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, E and F in VLDL, LDL and HDL and the inhibitory effect of these lipoprotein density classes on the degradation of 125I-labeled HDL. There was, however, some association between the inhibitory effect and the levels of apolipoprotein D and C-I.

Catabolism of human low density lipoproteins by human hepatoma cell line HepG2

The mechanism of hepatic catabolism of human low density lipoproteins (LDL) by human-derived hepatoma cell line HepG2 was studied. The binding of 125I-labeled LDL to HepG2 cells at 4 degrees C was time dependent and inhibited by excess unlabeled LDL. The specific binding was predominant at low concentrations of 125I-labeled LDL (less than 50 micrograms protein/ml), whereas the nonsaturable binding prevailed at higher concentrations of substrate. The cellular uptake and degradation of 125I-labeled LDL were curvilinear functions of substrate concentration. Preincubation of HepG2 cells with unlabeled LDL caused a 56% inhibition in the degradation of 125I-labeled LDL. Reductive methylation of unlabeled LDL abolished its ability to compete with 125I-labeled LDL for uptake and degradation. Chloroquine (50 microM) and colchicine (1 microM) inhibited the degradation of 125I-labeled LDL by 64% and 30%, respectively. The LDL catabolism by HepG2 cells suppressed de novo synthesis of cholesterol and enhanced cholesterol esterification; this stimulation was abolished by chloroquine. When tested at a similar content of apolipoprotein B, very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), LDL and high density lipoproteins (HDL) inhibited the catabolism of 125I-labeled LDL to the same degree, indicating that in HepG2 cells normal LDL are most probably recognized by the receptor via apolipoprotein B. The current study thus demonstrates that the catabolism of human LDL by HepG2 cells proceeds in part through a receptor-mediated mechanism.

Metabolism of HDL-cholesteryl ester in the rat, studied with a nonhydrolyzable analog, cholesteryl linoleyl ether

Intralipid was sonicated with [3H]cholesteryl linoleyl ether (a nonhydrolyzable analog of cholesteryl linoleate) and incubated with rat HDL and d greater than 1.21 fraction of rabbit serum at a ratio of 0.012 mg triacylglycerol to 1 mg HDL protein. 25% of [3H]cholesteryl linoleyl ether was transferred to HDL. The labeled HDL was injected into donor rats and was screened for 4 h. [125I]HDL was subjected to the same protocol as the 3H-labeled HDL, including screening. The screened, labeled sera were injected into acceptor rats and the disappearance of radioactivity from the circulation was compared. The t1/2 in the circulation of [125I]HDL was about 10.5 h, while that of [3H]cholesteryl linoleyl ether-HDL was about 8 h. The liver and carcass were the major sites of uptake of [3H]cholesteryl linoleyl ether-HDL and accounted for 29-41% (liver) and 30% (carcass) of the injected label. Maximal recovery of [3H]cholesteryl linoleyl ether in the liver was seen 48 h after injection, and thereafter there was a progressive decline of radioactivity, which reached 7.8% after 28 days. The maximal recovery of [125I]HDL in the liver was about 9%. Pretreatment of the acceptor rats with estradiol for 5 days resulted in a 20% increase in the hepatic uptake of [3H]cholesteryl linoleyl ether-HDL and a 5-fold increase in adrenal uptake. The present findings indicate that in the rat the liver is the major site of uptake of HDL cholesteryl ester and that part of the HDL cholesteryl ester may be cleared from the circulation separately from the protein moiety. On the basis of our previous findings (Stein, Y., Kleinman Y, Halperin, G., and Stein, O. (1983) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 750, 300-305) the loss of the [3H]cholesteryl linoleyl ether from the liver after 14-28 days was interpreted to indicate that the labeled [3H]cholesteryl linoleyl ether had been taken up by hepatocytes.

The intracellular distribution of high density lipoproteins taken up by isolated rat hepatocytes

The subcellular distribution of 125I-labelled HDL taken up by rat hepatocytes in vivo and in vitro has been studied with subcellular fractionation techniques: differential centrifugation and isopycnic centrifugation in sucrose gradients. 125I-labelled HDL bind to plasma membranes both in vivo and in vitro and part of the membrane-bound 125I-labelled HDL can be dissociated by the addition of unlabelled HDL. The hepatocytes also internalize 125I-labelled HDL. The 125I-labelled HDL accumulate, however, at different intracellular sites in the in vivo and in vitro situation. The subcellular distribution pattern of 125I-labelled HDL taken up by the cells in vivo is similar to that of the lysosomal marker enzyme acid phosphatase. Peak activity was found at a density of 1.20 g/ml. In vitro 125I-labelled HDL accumulate in an organelle with a medium density of about 1.13 g/ml. This distribution was similar to that of the plasma membrane marker 5'-nucleotidase. The subcellular distribution of radioactivity taken up in vivo was changed to lower density by incubating the cells with chloroquine, a drug known to render the lysosomes more boyant. Chloroquine had no effect on the distribution of 125I-labelled HDL taken up by hepatocytes in vitro.

[HDL cholesterol: biochemical aspects (author's transl)]

High density lipoproteins are a heterogeneous mixture of spherical macromolecules which differ in size (80-120 A), chemical composition (apolipoprotein A-I: 30-35%; apolipoprotein A-II: 10-15%; apolipoprotein C: 3-5%; phospholipids 25-30%; cholesterol/cholesterol esters: 15-20%; triglycerides: 3-5%) and physico-chemical properties. They can be isolated through selective precipitation of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins (very low density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins, lipoprotein (a)) and, under routine conditions, quantitation can be performed by the determination of their cholesterol or apolipoprotein content. A considerable portion of high density lipoproteins originates in plasma from discoidal phospholipid-apolipoprotein bilayers (thickness: 46 A; diameter: 190 A). These bilayers are in part synthesized by the liver and in part derived from the surface of chylomicrons during lipolysis. The role of discoidal precursors of high density lipoproteins in cholesterol-uptake from peripheral cells will be discussed.

Inhibition of rat hepatic sterol formation from squalene by plasma lipoproteins

The conversion of 3H-squalene to sterols by rat liver microsomes and cytosol was inhibited by individual rat and human plasma lipoproteins at various concentrations. This inhibition was also observed with added human high density apolipoprotein, but triglycerides, cholesterol, or cholesteryl esters had no inhibitory effects. Lipoproteins and apo high density lipoprotein (HDL) were demonstrated to bind 3H-squalene in vitro. The binding of 3H-squalene by apo HDL could be reversed by increasing concentration of liver cytosol containing sterol carrier protein.

Stimulation of cholesterol esterification in hepatic microsomes by lipoproteins from normal and hypercholesterolemic rabbit serum

Incubation of plasma lipoproteins with rabbit hepatic microsomes enriched the microsomes with free cholesterol and stimulated cholesterol esterification. The rate of cholesterol esterification correlated well (r = 0.96) with the concentration of microsomal free cholesterol. Lipoproteins from normal and hypercholesterolemic serum varied in their propensity to stimulate cholesterol esterification. Among the normal lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins was more stimulatory than either high density lipoproteins or intermediate density lipoproteins. However, the intermediate density lipoproteins fraction from hypercholesterolemic serum was consistently more stimulatory than any of the normal lipoproteins. The augmentation of cholesterol content, when microsomes were exposed to mixed hyperlipidemic lipoproteins, was proportionately much greater than augementation of phospholipid or protein concentration.

High density lipoprotein catabolism before and after partial hepatectomy

The serum decay and tissue distribution of iodine-labeled high density lipoprotein (HDL)-apoproteins were measured in rats 2--8 h after partial hepatectomy or sham-operation. A method was developed allowing continuous bloodsampling without using anticoagulantia or anaesthetics. The serum decay of HDL-apoproteins was biexponential. Neither the initial rapid phase (t 1/2 0.3 +/- 0.1 h), nor the slow phase (t 1/2 6.2 +/- 0.3 h) were influenced by the removal of 2/3 of the liver and consequently there was no effect on the fractional catabolic rate (F.C.R.: 2.9 +/- 0.2/day). The level of circulating HDL was decreased by partial hepatectomy but the chemical composition of HDL was unchanged. Total tissue HDL radioactivity in the control rats was 5.7, 2.8, 2.7, 1.0, 0.7, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.1% of the injected dose for skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, liver, jejunum, kidneys, spleen, lungs and heart, respectively. Only the value for liver was affected significantly by partial hepatectomy (0.6%). It is concluded that the in vivo degradation rate of HDL-apoproteins is not influenced by the removal of 2/3 of the liver and that the decrease in serum HDL concentration is due to an impaired rate of hepatic synthesis. These results indicate the possiblity of extrahepatic HDL-apoprotein catabolism or a stimulation of HDL-apoprotein degradation, induced by partial hepatectomy, in the remaining liver lobes.

Pre- and post-natal development of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic triglyceride hydrolase activity in rat tissues

The ontogenic development of lipoprotein lipase and liver triglyceride hydrolase was studied in the rat. The enzyme activity measured in extrahepatic tissues fulfilled the criteria of lipoprotein lipase from the onset of measurable activity, i.e. it was inhibited by protamine and 1 M NaCl and showed requirement for serum and heparin for optimal activity. In the liver, measurable amounts of triglyceride hydrolase, active at pH 8.6 were detected 6 days prior to birth. However, till the fourth postnatal day about 50% of this activity was inhibited by NaCl and its sensitivity towards protamine was also higher than that of the enzyme in adult liver. Three patterns of development of enzymic activity were observed in extrahepatic tissues. In the lung, the lipoprotein activity reached the adult values one day prior to birth, while in the kidney only 30% of adult activity were found at birth. A linear increase of enzyme activity was observed in the heart; only 25% of adult activity were detected at birth and 100% were reached only 20 days after birth. The increase in lipoprotein lipase activity in the heart was accompanied by morphological differentiation of cardiocytes and by a progressive development of the capillary bed, which might be related to the pattern of development of enzyme activity in this organ. Adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase activity in inguinal fat fell from values 15 times than adult values between the 4th and 40th postnatal days. The enzyme activity in epididymal fat increased steeply between day 10 and 40, at which time it exceeded the adult values very considerably. These findings indicate that the regulation of the development of lipoprotein lipase activity in extrahepatic tissues is governed by local factors, which can differ even in the same type of tissue, as exemplified by the difference between inguinal and epididymal fat.

High density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein catabolism by human liver and parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells from rat liver

The capacity of the homogenates from human liver, rat parenchymal cells, rat non-parenchymal cells and total rat liver for the breakdown of human and rat high density lipoprotein (HDL) and human low density lipoprotein (LDL) was determined. Human HDL was catabolized by human liver, in contrast to human LDL, the protein degradation of which was low or absent. Human and rat HDL were catabolized by both the rat parenchymal and non-parenchymal cell homogenates with, on protein base, a 10-times higher activity in the non-parenchymal liver cells. This implies that more than 50% of the total liver capacity for HDL protein degradation is localized in these cell types. Human LDL degradation in the rat could only be detected in the non-parenchymal cell homogenates. These findings are discussed in view of the function of HDL and LDL as carriers for cholesterol.

Chloroquine-induced interference with degradation of serum lipoproteins in rat liver, studied in vivo and in vitro

The effect of chloroquine, an inhibitor of certain lysosomal enzymes including cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1), on the degradation of serum lipoproteins in rat liver was studied in vivo and in liver homogenates. Chloroquine had no effect on the clearance from the circulation of 125I-labeled rat or human very low density lipoproteins or human low density lipoproteins. Pretreatment with chloroquine for 3 h, resulted in a 2-2.5 fold increase in 125i-labeled very low density lipoprotein recovered in the liver 45 min after injection of the homologous and heterologous lipoproteins. This effect was evident on both the 125I-labeled protein and 125I-labeled lipid moiety. 30 min after the injection of [3H]-cholesterol linoleate-labeled very low density lipoproteins, 70% of the injected label was recovered in the liver, both in control and chloroquine-treated rats. Since the perl and 20% in the experimental group, it was concluded that chloroquine interferes with the hydrolysis of [3H]cholesterol linoleate. Following injection of 125I-labeled human low density lipoproteins only 4% of the injected lipoprotein was recovered in the liver of control rats and not more than 10% after chloroquine treatment, when about 50% had been cleared from the circulation. Hence, while very low density lipoprotein protein and cholesterol ester are catabolized in the liver, the catabolism of low density lipoproteins occurs mainly in extra-hepatic tissues. Using post-nuclear liver suprnatant, optimal degradation of various serum lipoproteins was found at pH 4.4, and chloroquine inhibited their degradation. Degradation of very low density and low density lipoproteins was completely inhibited at 0.05 M chloroquine, while less pronounced inhibition was seen with high density lipoproteins, apolipoproteins and apolipoprotein AI. These results indicate that liver acid hydrolases in vivo participate in the degradation of serum lipoproteins. Cathepsin B is apparently responsible for the degradation of aplipoprotein B, while other cathepsins might also be active in the degradation of this and the other apolipoproteins.

In vivo study of free and esterified cholesterol turnover in various tissues of the rat

Rats were infused for 3.5 to 10 hrs with either red cells or plasma previously labelled in vivo by [3H]-cholesterol. Cholesterol specific radioactivities were measured in plasma, HDL, LDL and VLDL, and various tissues. Red cell infusions led to a higher labelling of free than of esterified cholesterol in the plasma of infused rats. The opposite situation was observed following plasma infusion. Comparison of free and esterified cholesterol specific radioactivities in each tissue showed that esterified cholesterol was transferred from plasma to all the tissues, except the adrenals. Study of the ratios of cholesterol specific radioactivities from one experimental group to the other in each tissue, made it possible to demonstrate clearly the occurence of hydrolysis within all the studied tissues except 5 of them where its existence remains uncertain (lung, heart, kidney, tendon, muscle) and of esterification in 3 tissues (adrenal, liver lung). In addition, ratios of cholesterol radioactivities (free/ester) were found to be identical in plasma and in 4 tissues, where neither hydrolysis nor esterification were detected (heart, muscle, kidney, tendon). This finding is an argument in favor of a simultaneous transport of free and esterified cholesterol from plasma into these 4 tissues and suggests that the entire lipoprotein particles can penetrate these tissues, with no specificity of one special class. In adrenal, unlike all other tissues: 1) the turnover of esterified cholesterol was achieved mostly by hydrolysis and esterification in situ; 2) a preferential lipoprotein class (LDL) was responsible for the transport of free cholesterol from the plasma.

Interaction of concanavalin A with membrane-bound and solubilized lipoprotein lipase of rat heart

Concanavalin A was used to study the configuration of lipoprotein lipase at the surface of capillary endothelium. Incubation of heart homogenates with increasing concentrations of concanavalin A for 5-60 min resulted in inhibition of up to 50% of enzyme activity. The inhibition was related to the concentration of lectin and the time of incubation and was fully reversible by postincubation with alpha-methyl-D-mannoside. Rat hearts were perfused for 5-60 min and lipoprotein lipase activity determined in postheparin perfusates and in the perfused heart. When the lectin was introduced into the perfusate a significant reduction of heparin-releasable enzyme was found after 30 min of perfusion. The missing enzyme could be recovered by postperfusion with alpha-methyl-D-mannoside, but not by addition of the sugar to the perfusate withdrawn from the apparatus. These results suggested binding of lectin to the surface-located enzyme and support for such a binding was obtained by the finding of release of labeled lectin into the perfusate by heparin. Perfusion of hearts with concanavalin A for 60 min resulted also in a fall in nonreleasable lipoprotein lipase. The mechanism of this fall is not due to impairment of enzyme synthesis, as leucine incorporation into protein was not reduced. Since neither perfusion nor postincubation with alpha-methyl-D-mannoside restored enzyme activity, the fall was most probably due to irreversible inhibition. It is concluded that mannose residues of lipoprotein lipase in heart homogenates and at the endothelial surface of heart capillaries are available to interact with a specific lectin. Such an interaction renders the enzyme less releasable by heparin during perfusion and causes a significant inhibition of enzyme activity in homogenates.

Proteolysis of canine apolipoprotein by acid proteases in canine liver lysosomes

Canine liver lysosomes were purified by sucrose discontinuous density gradient centrifugation and then ruptured by sonication to obtain the soluble fraction. This soluble lysosomal fraction, which contained a 25-fold increase in acid phosphatase activity per mg of total protein when compared with the original homogenate, was incubated with a subfraction (1.110 less than d less than 1.210 g/cm3, HDL3) of canine high density lipoproteins (HDL) at pH 3.8. HDL3 proteolysis by lysosomal proteases, measured as the release of peptides and amino acids by the ninhydrin reaction, followed hyperbolic curves with straight lines (r = 0.99) obtained on Lineweaver-Burk plots. Km calculated from the Lineweaver-Burk plot was 635 mug of HDL3 protein per 0.5 ml of incubation mixture. Optimum HDL3 proteolysis was observed from pH 3.8 to 4.5. Incubation with the other subcellular organelle fractions did not result in HDL3 proteolysis. To evaluate the effects of enzyme inhibitors, iodoacetate, p-chloromercuribenzoate (both specific for the endopeptidase, cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1)) and pepstatin (specific for the endopeptidase, cathepsin D (EC 3.4.23.5) were tested. Iodoacetate and p-chloromercuribenzoate inhibited HDL3 proteolysis 100% and bovine serum albumin proteolysis 65%. Pepstatin inhibited HDL3 proteolysis 45% and bovine serum albumin proteolysis 70%. The in vitro data presented support the hypothesis that hepatic lysosomes play an important role in HDL3 catabolism in the dog. Furthermore, results obtained from enzyme inhibition studies suggest that a specific lysosomal endopeptidase, cathepsin B, may play the key role in HDL3 proteolysis.

Apoprotein B in fasting and postprandial human jejunal mucosa

We tested whether apoprotein B is present in fasting and postprandial human duodenojejunal mucosa because lipoprotein-like particles are visualized by electron microscopy within the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi cisternae of these absorptive cells. Duodenojejunal biopsies from normal volunteers were incubated in citrate buffer and were shaken in 1% EDTA so that absorptive cells could be freed from underlying tissue. Apoprotein B was determined by double-antibody radioimmunoassay in homogenates of absorptive cells. The preparations of absorptive cells were shown to be uncontaminated by plasma lipoproteins; they did not contain any albumin by immunodiffusion able to detect 2 mug/ml. They adsorbed less than 0.1% of 125I-low density lipoprotein which was added to the citrate buffer. Cell preparations from suction biopsies of human rectum contained no detectable apoprotein B. Duodenojejunal absorptive cells from 22 fasting subjects contained 3.2 +/- 0.5 mug of apoprotein B per 100 mg (wet wt) of biopsies or 1.3 mug of apoprotein B per mg of total cell protein. The amount of apoprotein B per milligram of cell protein fell to 0.3 mug in 14 of these individuals whose mucosa was also sampled 45 min after instilling fat intraduodenally. These experiments provide immunochemical evidence that human duodenojejunal absorptive cells contain apoprotein B. This technique should be valuable for studying the physiology of intestinal lipoproteins in absorption and in patients with hyperlipidemia.

The plasma and tissue turnover and distribution of two radio-iodine-labelled pig plasma low density lipoproteins

Two classes of pig plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL1 and LDL2) with different densities and molecular sizes were isolated by zonal ultracentrifugation and were further purified by flotation. The peptide component was iodinated with 125I, and the labelled lipoprotein was injected intravenously. 125I-LDL1 turnover studies were performed on 22 3-4 month old female Large White pigs, and 125I-LDL2 turnover studies on 4 similar pigs. A biological screening experiment confirmed that the shape of the plasma activity curve was not a function of protein denaturation. The pattern of radioactivity decline in plasma was not affected by the degree of LDL iodination. 125I-LDL1 turnover: The curve of plasma radioactivity plotted against time over the first 5 days after injection could be resolved into two exponentials. The plasma biological half-life (T 1/2) was calculated from the slower exponential predominant from the second day. The mean T 1/2 over 2-5 days was 22.9 hr (range 17.2-28.5 hr). Multicompartmental analysis of the plasma decay curve using an open mammillary model gave a mean fractional catabolic rate per day for LDL1 of 1.4 (range 0.9-1.9). The mean T 1/2 was 0.26-0.31 times and the fractional catabolic rate 3.0-3.9 times those values found in two studies on adult humans. The tissue distribution of 125I was analysed in a series of 20 animals killed from 1.0 to 33.8 days after 125I-LDL1 injection. Most tissue 125I (86-89%) was protein bound. An appropriate correction was made to the 125I counts for retained plasma in liver and spleen (using 131I-albumin); retained plasma in other tissues was negligible. Highest 125I tissue levels were found in the liver, supporting other evidence that the liver may be the major site of LDL1 catabolism. After 2.06 and 4.06 days the livers in two animals contained 1.6% and 0.7% respectively of the total injected 125I, equal to 33% and 54% of the total plasma 125I at those times. The skin contained about one-third to one-ninth the 125I in the liver at various times. Distribution in other organs was quantitatively minimal. Higher levels of radioactivity were found in the intima and inner media of the aorta than in the outer media. These results suggest that plasma LDL in the pig diffuses through the endothelial surface into the arterial wall. These findings are confirmed by autoradiography. 125I-LDL2 turnover: Parallel studies of plasma 125I-LDL2 turnover and tissue distribution were performed. The plasma biological decay curve was multi-exponential, suggesting that LDL2 metabolism is complex, and possibly more rapid than that of LDL1 (LDL2 is smaller and denser than LDL1). The tissue distribution of 125I-LDL2 in these pigs was very similar to that of 125I-LDL1. As LDL1 and LDL2 differ in the amount of lipid they contain, they may have different roles to play in lipid transport, and there may be interconversion of one into the other at different sites. This hypothesis remains conjectural.

Surface binding and interiorization of homologous and heterologous serum lipoproteins by rat aortic smooth muscle cells in culture

Rat aortic smooth muscle cells in culture were incubated with rat or human iodinated low and high density lipoprotein at 5-50 mug/ml for 3 h. With the homologous lipoproteins, 25-49% of total cellular protein radioactivity was trypsin releasable and was considered as surface-bound radioactivity, while the balance represented cellular uptake. The ratio of surface-bound to cellular label was higher when the cells were incubated with human lipoproteins and was about 9 : 1 with human high density lipoprotein. Cellular uptake of rat low density lipoprotein was about twice that of rat high density lipoprotein, while degradation of labeled protein, which had presumably followed protein uptake, was similar and ranged from 20 to 25% of protein uptake in 3 h. Experiments designed to test the effect of cell density on lipoprotein uptake have shown that the uptake was related inversely to cell density. Thus, the lower lipoprotein uptake encountered in the rat smooth muscle cells, compared to that described for human fibroblasts (Goldstein, J.L. and Brown, M.S. (1974) J. Biol. Chem. 249, 5153-5162), could be due in part to the much lower cell density used in the latter studies, as well as to cell type and species difference.

Transfer of esterified cholesterol from serum lipoproteins to the liver

The fate of cholesteryl esters of the serum lipoproteins was studied in intact rats and in isolated perfused rat livers. The lipoproteins of fasting rat serum were labeled in vitro with [3H]cholesteryl oleate. Following intravenous injection, it was found that the majority of the radioactive ester was rapidly taken up by the liver where hydrolysis of the ester bond occurred. At 5 min, 58% of the injected material was recovered in the liver, 85% of which was still in the ester form, while at 30 min only 22% of the liver radioactivity was in cholesteryl esters. There was very little difference in the rate at which radioactivity was taken up from the different lipoprotein classes. Similar phenomena were observed in the perfused liver, but it was found that although the radioactive esters were being taken up, there was no change in the concentrations of free or esterified cholesterol in the perfusing medium, indicating that the lipoprotein cholesteryl ester was gaining access to the liver through an exchange of molecules. After uptake, cell fractionation experiments showed that the plasma membranes had the greatest relative amounts of radioactivity, suggesting that this is the site of exchange. Small amounts of radioactivity were recovered in the bile, demonstrating that serum lipoproteins can serve as precursors of at least some of the bile steroids.

The effects of hyperlipidemia on lipoprotein metabolism in squirrel monkeys and rabbits

We studied the metabolism of different classes of lipoprotein in squirrel monkeys and rabbits. Lipoproteins were labeled in vivo in donor animals with (3H)leucine and (3H)cholesterol. The rate of disappearance from plasma of recipient squirrel monkeys of the protein moiety of the very low density lipoproteins was rapid, that of high density lipoproteins slow, and the rate for low density lipoproteins was intermediate. The fractional turnover of the apoprotein of low density lipoproteins was slightly reduced in hyperlipidemic monkeys, but the absolute rates of synthesis and catabolism were increased. Hyperdipidemia in rabbits resulted in a dramatic reduction in the fractional catabolic rate of low density lipoprotein apoprotein. Hyperlipidemia in the donors of biosynthetic low density lipoproteins also influenced the rates of catabolism in rabbits. We showed the cycloheximide that although there was recycling of (3H)leucine into other proteins, the reutilization of leucine from low density lipoproteins for nascent low density lipoproteins was not significant. In most tissues the ratio of cholesterol:protein radioactivity was much greater than that for plasma 24 h after administration of labeled low density lipoproteins, but the ratios for aortic intima plus inner media and for plasma low density lipoproteins were similar. The presence of atherosclerosis resulted in a large increase in the apparent uptake of low density lipoproteins by the aortas of rabbits and monkeys.

Interference with the transport of heparin-releasable lipoprotein lipase in the perfused rat heart by colchicine and vinblastine

The effect of pretreatment with colchicine or vinblastine on the lipoprotein lipase activity of rat heart was studied. Administration of colchicine or vinblastine 4 h prior to perfusion of the heart caused a very marked reduction in lipoprotein lipase activity released into the perfusate within 1 min of heparin perfusion. At the same time an increase in residual heart lipase occurred so that total lipoprotein lipase content of the heart (heparin releasable plus residual) did not change. The colchicine effect was dose and time dependent; no decrease in heparin-releasable enzyme activity occurred after only 30 min of pretreatment or upon addition of colchicine into the perfusate. These results indicate that colchicine did not impede enzyme synthesis or its release from the cell surface, but may have interfered with the transport of lipoprotein lipase from the site of its synthesis to the endothelial cell surface.

The removal of cholesterol from aortic smooth muscle cells in culture and Landschutz ascites cells by fractions of human high-density apolipoprotein

Ascites cells were labeled by intraperitoneal injection of [3H]cholesterol and aortic smooth muscle cells by addition of [3H]cholesterol to the serum component of the culture medium. The release of cholesterol from cells into a serum-free medium supplemented with the various "acceptors" was studied using ascites cells in suspension and aortic smooth muscle cells in a multilayer culture. Unfractionated human high-density apolipoprotein was somewhat more effective in the removal of labeled cellular free cholesterol, in both cell types, than apolipoprotein derived from rat high-density lipoprotein. Following separation of human high-density apolipoprotein into four fractions by Sephadex chromatography, the effect of each fraction on the removal of cellular cholesterol from ascites cells was studied. The individual fractions had a lower capacity for cholesterol removal than the original unfractionated high-density apolipoprotein and the lowest activity was detected in Fraction II which comprised 75% of the total apolipoprotein. The effectiveness to remove cholesterol could be restored to all the fractions, as well as enhanced, by addition of sonicated suspensions of lecithin or sphingomyelin, which by themselves promoted a more limited removal of cellular cholesterol. Negatively stained preparations of mixtures of the four fractions and sonicated dispersion of lecithin were shown to consist of vesicles and discs of various sizes. Addition of the apolipoprotein fractions (especially Fractions II and IV) to sonicated dispersion of sphingomyelin resulted in a pronounced formation of discs which showed a high tendency towards stack formation. Mixtures of Fraction II and lecithin or sphingomyelin were effective in the release of cellular cholesterol from multilayers of aortic smooth muscle cells in culture. These results show the feasibility of net removal of cholesterol from cells which grow in a form resembling a tissue and thus provide a model to study the role of apolipoprotein-phospholipid mixtures in cholesterol removal from cells and tissues in vivo.

Lipoproteins and lipid transport

Continued advances in the delineation of pathways of lipid transport in lipoproteins now provide substantial information on all phases of plasma triglyceride transport. Analysis of certain genetic human disorders, together with studies in experimental animals, has begun to show how lipoproteins transport cholesterol as esters of long chain fatty acids. Both triglycerides and cholesterol are esters of long chain fatty acids. Both triglycerides and cholesteryl esters are transported in the "core" of lipoproteins, but the polar lipids and the apoproteins at the aqueous interface critically determine the interactions with enzymes and cellular receptors that control this complex transport system. Differences in pathways as well as in rates of lipid transport appear to underlie the large interspecies variations in lipoprotein concentrations.

Lipoprotein uptake and metabolism by rat aortic smooth muscle cells in tissue culture

Aortic smooth muscle cells from the rat were successfully grown in tissue culture and shown to have characteristic morphology. 125 I-labeled homologous very low density lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins were taken up by these smooth muscle cells during incubation for 48 hours at the stationary phase. Despite multiple washings, a large proportion of the lipoprotein radioactivity associated with the cells was apparently surface bound and trypsin releasable. With both lipoprotein fractions, lipid and protein uptake by the cells measured after trypsinization was related to time and to the amount of lipoprotein protein added to the medium. Compared with protein, there was a disproportionately greater entry of lipid radioactivity into the cells. Light and electron microscope autoradiography localized the label intracellularly over the cell cytoplasm, cell boundaries, and, in some cells, over lysosomes. On the basis of either protein uptake or whole particle uptake, approximately four times as much high density lipoprotein as very low density lipoprotein was taken up by the smooth muscle cells. To assess metabolism and degradation of high density lipoproteins, aortic smooth muscle cells were incubated in fresh unlabeled medium for 48 hours after exposure to 125 I-labeled high density lipoproteins. A large proportion of radioactivity released was trichloroacetic acid precipitable, suggesting some release of whole lipoprotein protein; however, these lipoproteins appeared to be modified when they were tested with anti-high density lipoprotein antiserum. Also, water-soluble radioactivity (presumably protein breakdown products) was released in amounts that averaged 3% of the protein label in the cells. These results indicate that although aortic smooth muscle cells growing in tissue culture can rapidly take up lipids and lipoproteins, catabolism of lipoprotein protein is slow. Correlative biochemical and ultrastructural analysis suggests the possibility of regurgitation of noncatabolized lipoprotein protein by reverse endocytosis.