Efficient glycosylation site utilization by intracellular apolipoprotein B: implications for proteasomal degradation

Role of the gut in lipid homeostasis

Intestinal lipid transport plays a central role in fat homeostasis. Here we review the pathways regulating intestinal absorption and delivery of dietary and biliary lipid substrates, principally long-chain fatty acid, cholesterol, and other sterols. We discuss the regulation and functions of CD36 in fatty acid absorption, NPC1L1 in cholesterol absorption, as well as other lipid transporters including FATP4 and SRB1. We discuss the pathways of intestinal sterol efflux via ABCG5/G8 and ABCA1 as well as the role of the small intestine in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) biogenesis and reverse cholesterol transport. We review the pathways and genetic regulation of chylomicron assembly, the role of dominant restriction points such as microsomal triglyceride transfer protein and apolipoprotein B, and the role of CD36, l-FABP, and other proteins in formation of the prechylomicron complex. We will summarize current concepts of regulated lipoprotein secretion (including HDL and chylomicron pathways) and include lessons learned from families with genetic mutations in dominant pathways (i.e., abetalipoproteinemia, chylomicron retention disease, and familial hypobetalipoproteinemia). Finally, we will provide an integrative view of intestinal lipid homeostasis through recent findings on the role of lipid flux and fatty acid signaling via diverse receptor pathways in regulating absorption and production of satiety factors.

The ever-expanding role of degradation in the regulation of apolipoprotein B metabolism

Apolipoprotein B (apoB) is the essential protein required for the assembly and secretion of chylomicrons from the small intestine and VLDLs from the liver. These lipoproteins, as well as their remnants and LDL, play key roles in the transport of dietary and endogenously synthesized lipids throughout the body. However, they can be involved in the initiation of atherosclerotic lesions in the vessel wall. Therefore, it is not surprising that the assembly of apoB-containing lipoproteins in the small intestine and liver is a highly regulated process. In particular, cotranslational and posttranslational targeting of apoB for degradation, regulated largely by the availability of the core lipids carried in the lipoprotein, by the types of dietary fatty acids consumed, and by the hormonal milieu, determines the number of chylomicrons or VLDL that are secreted. In this review, we summarize both older and more recent findings on the pathways of apoB degradation, focusing on events in the liver.

Amino acid sequences within the β1 domain of human apolipoprotein B can mediate rapid intracellular degradation

Apolipoprotein B (apoB)-48 contains a region termed the beta1 domain that is predicted to be composed of extensive amphipathic beta-strands. Analysis of truncated apoB variants revealed that sequences between the carboxyl termini of apoB-37 and apoB-42 governed the secretion efficiency and intracellular stability of apoB. Although apoB-37, apoB-34, and apoB-29 were stable and secreted efficiently, apoB-42 and apoB-100 were secreted poorly and were degraded by an acetyl-leucyl-leucyl-norleucinal (ALLN)-sensitive pathway. Amino acid sequence analysis suggested that a segment between the carboxyl termini of apoB-38 and apoB-42 was 63% homologous to fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs), which contain orthogonal beta-sheets. To test the hypothesis that sequences from the beta1 domain are involved in apoB degradation, fusion proteins were created that contained apoB-29 linked to fragments derived from the beta1 domain of apoB or to liver FABP. Fusion proteins containing the beta1 domain segments apoB-34-42 or apoB-37-42 were degraded rapidly, whereas other fusion proteins were stable and secreted efficiently. Degradation was ALLN-sensitive, and the apoB-34-42 segment increased the association of the apoB protein with the cytosolic surface of the microsomal membrane. Our data suggest that the presence of specific sequences in the beta1 domain of human apoB increases degradation by promoting the cytosolic exposure of the protein, although not all regions of the beta1 domain are functionally equivalent.

Regulation of human apolipoprotein B gene expression at multiple levels

Apolipoprotein B is a large, amphipathic protein that plays a central role in lipoprotein metabolism. Because its overproduction and deficiency leads to metabolic and pathologic disorders, much effort has been paid to investigate the mechanisms of how its homeostasis is achieved. Earlier and recent studies have showed that apoB gene locus might reside in different chromatin domains in the hepatic and intestinal cells, and two sets of very distinct regulatory elements operate to control its transcription. Posttranscriptional modification of apoB mRNA is performed by a multicomponent enzyme complex, several possible pathways regulate the editing efficiency. Understanding of the mechanism responsible for apoB mRNA editing will provide the basis for C-to-U editing in gene therapy. In addition to apoB mRNA abundance and stability, its translation can be also regulated at the steps of elongation. The translocation of apoB into the ER is an important and complicated process that is less understood. Successful transport and correct folding of apoB may lead to its final secretion, otherwise subject to intracellular degradation, which is accomplished by proteasomal and nonproteasomal pathways at multiple levels and may differ among cell types.

Apolipoprotein B48 glycosylation in abetalipoproteinemia and Anderson's disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Abetalipoproteinemia and Anderson's disease are hereditary lipid malabsorption syndromes. In abetalipoproteinemia, lipoprotein assembly is defective because of mutations in the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein. Here, we evaluated the intracellular transport of apolipoprotein B48 to localize the defect in Anderson's disease.

METHODS

Asparagine-linked oligosaccharide processing of apolipoprotein B48 in normal and affected individuals was determined by the endoglycosidase H and F sensitivities of the protein after metabolic labeling of intestinal explants in organ culture. Cell ultrastructure was evaluated with electron microscopy.

RESULTS

In Anderson's disease as in normal individuals, there was a time-dependent transformation of high mannose endoglycosidase H-sensitive oligosaccharides, of endoplasmic reticulum origin, to complex endoglycosidase H-resistant oligosaccharides, added in the Golgi network. In contrast, despite the translocation of apolipoprotein B48 into the endoplasmic reticulum in patients with abetalipoproteinemia and in biopsies treated with Brefeldin A, which blocks anterograde transport between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi network, there was no transformation of endoglycosidase H-sensitive oligosaccharides.

CONCLUSIONS

In abetalipoproteinemia and Anderson's disease, apolipoprotein B48 is completely translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum, but only in Anderson's disease is the protein transported to the Golgi apparatus. This suggests that Anderson's disease is caused by a post-Golgi cargo-specific secretion defect.

2000 George Lyman Duff Memorial Lecture: atherosclerosis is a liver disease of the heart

The production of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins by the liver is regulated by a complex series of processes involving apoB being cotranslationally translocated across the endoplasmic reticulum and assembled into a lipoprotein particle. The translocation of apoB across the endoplasmic reticulum is facilitated by the intraluminal chaperone, microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP). MTP facilitates the translocation and folding of apoB, as well as the addition of lipid to lipid-binding domains (which consist of amphipathic beta sheets and alpha helices). In the absence of MTP or sufficient lipid, apoB exhibits translocation arrest. Thus, apoB translation, translocation, and assembly with lipids to form a core-containing lipoprotein particle occur as concerted processes. Abrogation of >/=1 of these processes diverts apoB into a degradation pathway that is dependent on conjugation with ubiquitin and proteolysis by the proteasome. The nascent core-containing lipoprotein particle that forms within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum can be "enlarged" to form a mature very low density lipoprotein particle. Additional studies show that the assembly and secretion of apoB-containing lipoproteins are linked to the cholesterol/bile acid synthetic pathway controlled by cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase. Studies in cultured cells and transgenic mice indicate that the expression of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase indirectly regulates the expression of lipogenic enzymes through changes in the cellular content of mature sterol response element binding proteins. Oxysterols and bile acids may also act via the ligand-activated nuclear receptors LXR and FXR to link the metabolic pathways controlling energy balance and lipid metabolism to nutritional state.

Very-low-density lipoprotein assembly and secretion

The assembly of apolipoprotein B (apoB) into VLDL is broadly divided into two steps. The first involves transfer of lipid by the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) to apoB during translation. The second involves fusion of apoB-containing precursor particles with triglyceride droplets to form mature VLDL. ApoB and MTP are homologs of the egg yolk storage protein, lipovitellin. Homodimerization surfaces in lipovitellin are reutilized in apoB and MTP to achieve apoB-MTP interactions necessary for first step assembly. Structural modeling predicts a small lipovitellin-like lipid binding cavity in MTP and a transient lipovitellin-like cavity in apoB important for nucleation of lipid sequestration. The formation of triglyceride droplets in the endoplasmic reticulum requires MTP however, their fusion with apoB may be MTP-independent. Second step assembly is modulated by phospholipase D and A2. Phospholipases may prime membrane transport steps required for second step fusion and/or channel phospholipids into a pathway for VLDL triglyceride production. The enzymology of VLDL triglyceride synthesis is still poorly understood; however, it appears that ACAT2 is the sole source of cholesterol esters for VLDL and chylomicron assembly. VLDL production is controlled primarily at the level of presecretory degradation. Recently, it was discovered that the LDL receptor modulates VLDL production through its interactions with nascent VLDL in the secretory pathway.

APOLIPOPROTEIN B: mRNA editing, lipoprotein assembly, and presecretory degradation

Apolipoprotein (apo)B circulates in two distinct forms, apoB100 and apoB48. Human liver secretes apoB100, the product of a large mRNA encoding 4536 residues. The small intestine of all mammals secretes apoB48, which arises following C-to-U deamination of a single cytidine base in the nuclear apoB transcript, introducing a translational stop codon. This process, referred to as apoB RNA editing, operates through a multicomponent enzyme complex that contains a single catalytic subunit, apobec-1, in addition to other protein factors that have yet to be cloned. ApoB RNA editing also exhibits stringent cis-acting requirements that include both structural and sequence-specific elements-specifically efficiency elements that flank the minimal cassette, an AU-rich RNA context, and an 11-nucleotide mooring sequence-located in proximity to a suitably positioned (usually upstream) cytidine. C-to-U RNA editing may become unconstrained under circumstances where apobec-1 is overexpressed, in which case multiple cytidines in apoB RNA, as well as in other transcripts, undergo C-to-U editing. ApoB RNA editing is eliminated following targeting of apobec-1, establishing that there is no genetic redundancy in this function. Under physiological circumstances, apoB RNA editing exhibits developmental, hormonal, and nutritional regulation, in some cases related to transcriptional regulation of apobec-1 mRNA. ApoB and the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) are essential for the assembly and secretion of apoB-containing lipoproteins. MTP functions by transferring lipid to apoB during its translation and by transporting triglycerides into the endoplasmic reticulum to form apoB-free lipid droplets. These droplets fuse with nascent apoB-containing particles to form mature, very low-density lipoproteins or chylomicrons. In cultured hepatic cells, lipid availability dictates the rate of apoB production. Unlipidated or underlipidated forms of apoB are subjected to presecretory degradation, a process mediated by retrograde transport from the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol, coupled with multiubquitination and proteasomal degradation. Although control of lipid secretion in vivo is primarily achieved at the level of lipoprotein particle size, regulation of apoB production by presecretory degradation may be relevant in some dyslipidemic states.

Co-translational interactions of apoprotein B with the ribosome and translocon during lipoprotein assembly or targeting to the proteasome

Hepatic lipoprotein assembly and secretion can be regulated by proteasomal degradation of newly synthesized apoB, especially if lipid synthesis or lipid transfer is low. Our previous studies in HepG2 cells showed that, under these conditions, newly synthesized apoB remains stably associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane (Mitchell, D. M., Zhou, M., Pariyarath, R., Wang, H., Aitchison, J. D., Ginsberg, H. N., and Fisher, E. A. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 95, 14733-14738). We now show that independent of lipid synthesis, apoB chains that appear full-length are, in fact, incompletely translated polypeptides still engaged by the ribosome and associated with the ER translocon. In the presence of active lipid synthesis and transfer, translation and lipoprotein assembly are completed, and the complexes exit the ER. Upon omitting fatty acids from, or adding a microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor to, culture media to reduce lipid synthesis or transfer, respectively, apoB was degraded while it remained associated with the ER and complexed with cytosolic hsp70 and proteasomes. Thus, unlike other ER substrates of the proteasome, such as major histocompatibility complex class I molecules, apoB does not fully retrotranslocate to the cytosol before entering the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Although, upon immunofluorescence, apoB in proteasome-inhibited cells accumulated in punctate structures similar in appearance to aggresomes (cytosolic structures containing molecules irreversibly lost from the secretory pathway), these apoB molecules could be secreted when lipid synthesis was stimulated. The results suggest a model in which 1) apoB translation does not complete until lipoprotein assembly terminates, and 2) assembly with lipids or entry into the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway occurs while apoB polypeptides remain associated with the translocon and attached to the ribosome.

The amino-terminal domain of apolipoprotein B does not undergo retrograde translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol. Proteasomal degradation of nascent apolipoprotein B begins at the carboxyl terminus of the protein, while apolipoprotein B is still in its original translocon

We studied the sequential topology of the NH(2) and COOH termini of apoB during translocation by expressing, in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and HepG2 cells, an apoB42 construct with c-Myc and hemagglutinin (HA) tags at 2 and 41% (relative to apoB100) of its amino acid sequence. We conducted similar studies using monoclonal antibodies against the NH(2) and COOH termini of apoB100 in HepG2 cells. After radiolabeling, microsomes were immunoisolated from transfected CHO cells using anti-c-Myc or anti-HA antibodies. Throughout a 60-min chase in the presence of N-acetyl-leucyl-norleucinal, more than 90% of microsomes were isolated by anti-HA antibodies, whereas less than 10% were isolated by anti-c-Myc antibodies. Proteinase K digestion of total microsomes consistently generated two fragments ( approximately 70 and approximately 120 kDa) of apoB42 containing the NH(2) terminus throughout the chase; no fragments containing the COOH terminus were detected. Immunofluorescent studies of transfected CHO cells were consistent with results from the labeling studies. Essentially identical results were obtained from pulse-chase studies in both native and apoB42-transfected HepG2 cells. The present studies support a model in which, in the absence of adequate core lipid synthesis, there is partial translocation of apoB leading to cytosolic exposure, ubiquitination, and proteasomal degradation directly from the original translocation channel.