Estimating the Cholesterol Affinity of Integral Membrane Proteins from Experimental Data

The cholesterol affinities of many integral plasma membrane proteins have been estimated by molecular computation. However, these values lack experimental confirmation. We therefore developed a simple mathematical model to extract sterol affinity constants and stoichiometries from published isotherms for the dependence of the activity of such proteins on the membrane cholesterol concentration. The binding curves for these proteins are sigmoidal, with strongly lagged thresholds attributable to competition for the cholesterol by bilayer phospholipids. The model provided isotherms that matched the experimental data using published values for the sterol association constants and stoichiometries of the phospholipids. Three oligomeric transporters were found to bind cholesterol without cooperativity, with dimensionless association constants of 35 for Kir3.4* and 100 for both Kir2 and a GAT transporter. (The corresponding ΔG° values were -8.8, -11.4, and -11.4 kJ/mol, respectively). These association constants are significantly lower than those for the phospholipids, which range from ∼100 to 6000. The BK channel, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and the M192I mutant of Kir3.4* appear to bind multiple cholesterol molecules cooperatively (n = 2 or 4), with subunit affinities of 563, 950, and 700, respectively. The model predicts that the three less avid transporters are approximately half-saturated in their native plasma membranes; hence, they are sensitive to variations in cholesterol in vivo. The more avid proteins would be nearly saturated in vivo. The method can be applied to any integral protein or other ligands in any bilayer for which there are reasonable estimates of the sterol affinities and stoichiometries of the phospholipids.

Is reverse cholesterol transport regulated by active cholesterol?

This review considers the hypothesis that a small portion of plasma membrane cholesterol regulates reverse cholesterol transport in coordination with overall cellular homeostasis. It appears that almost all of the plasma membrane cholesterol is held in stoichiometric complexes with bilayer phospholipids. The minor fraction of cholesterol that exceeds the complexation capacity of the phospholipids is called active cholesterol. It has an elevated chemical activity and circulates among the organelles. It also moves down its chemical activity gradient to plasma HDL, facilitated by the activity of ABCA1, ABCG1, and SR-BI. ABCA1 initiates this process by perturbing the organization of the plasma membrane bilayer, thereby priming its phospholipids for translocation to apoA-I to form nascent HDL. The active excess sterol and that activated by ABCA1 itself follow the phospholipids to the nascent HDL. ABCG1 similarly rearranges the bilayer and sends additional active cholesterol to nascent HDL, while SR-BI simply facilitates the equilibration of the active sterol between plasma membranes and plasma proteins. Active cholesterol also flows downhill to cytoplasmic membranes where it serves both as a feedback signal to homeostatic ER proteins and as the substrate for the synthesis of mitochondrial 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC). 27HC binds the LXR and promotes the expression of the aforementioned transport proteins. 27HC-LXR also activates ABCA1 by competitively displacing its inhibitor, unliganded LXR. § Considerable indirect evidence suggests that active cholesterol serves as both a substrate and a feedback signal for reverse cholesterol transport. Direct tests of this novel hypothesis are proposed.

A basic model for the association of ligands with membrane cholesterol: application to cytolysin binding

Almost all the cholesterol in cellular membranes is associated with phospholipids in simple stoichiometric complexes. This limits the binding of sterol ligands such as filipin and Perfringolysin O (PFO) to a small fraction of the total. We offer a simple mathematical model that characterizes this complexity. It posits that the cholesterol accessible to ligands has two forms: active cholesterol, which is that not complexed with phospholipids; and extractable cholesterol, that which ligands can capture competitively from the phospholipid complexes. Simulations based on the model match published data for the association of PFO oligomers with liposomes, plasma membranes and the isolated endoplasmic reticulum. The model shows how the binding of a probe greatly underestimates cholesterol abundance when its affinity for the sterol is so weak that it competes poorly with the membrane phospholipids. Two examples are the under-staining of plasma membranes by filipin and the failure of domain D4 of PFO to label their cytoplasmic leaflets. Conversely, the exaggerated staining of endolysosomes suggests that their cholesterol, being uncomplexed, is readily available. The model is also applicable to the association of cholesterol with intrinsic membrane proteins. For example, it supports the hypothesis that the sharp threshold in the regulation of homeostatic ER proteins by cholesterol derives from the cooperativity of their binding to the sterol weakly held by the phospholipid. § Thus, the model explicates the complexity inherent in the binding of ligands like PFO and filipin to the small accessible fraction of membrane cholesterol.

How Tim proteins differentially exploit membrane features to attain robust target sensitivity

Immune surveillance cells such as T cells and phagocytes utilize integral plasma membrane receptors to recognize surface signatures on triggered and activated cells such as those in apoptosis. One such family of plasma membrane sensors, the transmembrane immunoglobulin and mucin domain (Tim) proteins, specifically recognize phosphatidylserine (PS) but elicit distinct immunological responses. The molecular basis for the recognition of lipid signals on target cell surfaces is not well understood. Previous results suggest that basic side chains present at the membrane interface on the Tim proteins might facilitate association with additional anionic lipids including but not necessarily limited to PS. We, therefore, performed a comparative quantitative analysis of the binding of the murine Tim1, Tim3, and Tim4, to synthetic anionic phospholipid membranes under physiologically relevant conditions. X-ray reflectivity and vesicle binding studies were used to compare the water-soluble domain of Tim3 with results previously obtained for Tim1 and Tim4. Although a calcium link was essential for all three proteins, the three homologs differed in how they balance the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions driving membrane association. The proteins also varied in their sensing of phospholipid chain unsaturation and showed different degrees of cooperativity in their dependence on bilayer PS concentration. Surprisingly, trace amounts of anionic phosphatidic acid greatly strengthened the bilayer association of Tim3 and Tim4, but not Tim1. A novel mathematical model provided values for the binding parameters and illuminated the complex interplay among ligands. In conclusion, our results provide a quantitative description of the contrasting selectivity used by three Tim proteins in the recognition of phospholipids presented on target cell surfaces. This paradigm is generally applicable to the analysis of the binding of peripheral proteins to target membranes through the heterotropic cooperative interactions of multiple ligands.

A basic model for cell cholesterol homeostasis

Cells manage their cholesterol by negative feedback using a battery of sterol-responsive proteins. How these activities are coordinated so as to specify the abundance and distribution of the sterol is unclear. We present a simple mathematical model that addresses this question. It assumes that almost all of the cholesterol is associated with phospholipids in stoichiometric complexes. A small fraction of the sterol is uncomplexed and thermodynamically active. It equilibrates among the organelles, setting their sterol level according to the affinity of their phospholipids. The activity of the homeostatic proteins in the cytoplasmic membranes is then set by their fractional saturation with uncomplexed cholesterol in competition with the phospholipids. The high-affinity phospholipids in the plasma membrane (PM) are filled to near stoichiometric equivalence, giving it most of the cell sterol. Notably, the affinity of the phospholipids in the endomembranes (EMs) is lower by orders of magnitude than that of the phospholipids in the PM. Thus, the small amount of sterol in the EMs rests far below stoichiometric capacity. Simulations match a variety of experimental data. The model captures the essence of cell cholesterol homeostasis, makes coherent a diverse set of experimental findings, provides a surprising prediction and suggests new experiments.

Active cholesterol 20 years on

This review considers the following hypotheses, some well-supported and some speculative. Almost all of the sterol molecules in plasma membranes are associated with bilayer phospholipids in complexes of varied strength and stoichiometry. These complexes underlie many of the material properties of the bilayer. The small fraction of cholesterol molecules exceeding the binding capacity of the phospholipids is thermodynamically active and serves diverse functions. It circulates briskly among the cell membranes, particularly through contact sites linking the organelles. Active cholesterol provides the upstream feedback signal to multiple mechanisms governing plasma membrane homeostasis, pegging the sterol level to a threshold set by its phospholipids. Active cholesterol could also be the cargo for various inter-organelle transporters and the form excreted from cells by reverse transport. Furthermore, it is integral to the function of caveolae; a mediator of Hedgehog regulation; and a ligand for the binding of cytolytic toxins to membranes. Active cholesterol modulates a variety of plasma membrane proteins-receptors, channels and transporters-at least in vitro.

Transverse distribution of plasma membrane bilayer cholesterol: Picking sides

The transverse asymmetry (sidedness) of phospholipids in plasma membrane bilayers is well characterized, distinctive, actively maintained and functionally important. In contrast, numerous studies using a variety of techniques have concluded that plasma membrane bilayer cholesterol is either mostly in the outer leaflet or the inner leaflet or is fairly evenly distributed. Sterols might simply partition according to their differing affinities for the asymmetrically disposed phospholipids, but some studies have proposed that it is actively transported to the outer leaflet. Other work suggests that the sterol is enriched in the inner leaflet, driven by either positive interactions with the phosphatidylethanolamine on that side or by its exclusion from the outer leaflet by the long chain sphingomyelin molecules therein. This uncertainty raises three questions: is plasma membrane cholesterol sidedness fixed in a given cell or cell type; is it generally the same among mammalian species; and does it serve specific physiological functions? This review grapples with these issues.

Pathway of Maternal Serotonin to the Human Embryo and Fetus

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] is essential to intrauterine development, but its source is debated. We used immunocytochemistry to gauge 5-HT, its biosynthetic enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1); an importer (serotonin transporter, 5-HTT/SERT/SLC6A); other transporters [P-glycoprotein 1 (P-gp/ABCB1), OCT3/SLC22A3, and gap junction connexin-43]; and the 5-HT degradative enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) in sections of placentas. In humans, 5-HT was faintly stained only in first-trimester trophoblasts, whereas TPH1 was not seen at any stage. SERT was expressed in syncytiotrophoblasts and, more strongly, in cytotrophoblasts. MAOA was prominent in syncytiotrophoblasts, OCT3 and gap junctions were stained in cytotrophoblasts, and P-gp was present at the apical surfaces of both epithelia. 5-HT added to cultured placental explants accumulated in the trophoblast epithelium and reached the villus core vessels. Trophoblast uptake was blocked by the SERT inhibitor escitalopram. Inhibition of gap junctions with heptanol prevented the accumulation of 5-HT in cytotrophoblasts, whereas blocking OCT3 with decynium-22 and P-gp with mitotane led to its accumulation in cytotrophoblasts. Reducing 5-HT destruction by inhibiting MAOA with clorgyline increased the accumulation of 5-HT throughout the villus. In the mouse fetus, intravascular platelets stained prominently for 5-HT at day 13.5, whereas the placenta and yolk sac endoderm were both negative. TPH1 was not detected, but SERT was prominent in these mouse tissues. We conclude that serotonin is conveyed from the maternal blood stream through syncytiotrophoblasts, cytotrophoblasts and the villus core to the fetus through a physiological pathway that involves at least SERT, gap junctions, P-gp, OCT3, and MAOA.

Active membrane cholesterol as a physiological effector

Sterols associate preferentially with plasma membrane sphingolipids and saturated phospholipids to form stoichiometric complexes. Cholesterol in molar excess of the capacity of these polar bilayer lipids has a high accessibility and fugacity; we call this fraction active cholesterol. This review first considers how active cholesterol serves as an upstream regulator of cellular sterol homeostasis. The mechanism appears to utilize the redistribution of active cholesterol down its diffusional gradient to the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, where it binds multiple effectors and directs their feedback activity. We have also reviewed a broad literature in search of a role for active cholesterol (as opposed to bulk cholesterol or lipid domains such as rafts) in the activity of diverse membrane proteins. Several systems provide such evidence, implicating, in particular, caveolin-1, various kinds of ABC-type cholesterol transporters, solute transporters, receptors and ion channels. We suggest that this larger role for active cholesterol warrants close attention and can be tested easily.

Stability and stoichiometry of bilayer phospholipid-cholesterol complexes: relationship to cellular sterol distribution and homeostasis

Is cholesterol distributed among intracellular compartments by passive equilibration down its chemical gradient? If so, its distribution should reflect the relative cholesterol affinity of the constituent membrane phospholipids as well as their capacity for association with the sterol. We examined this issue by analyzing the reactivity to cholesterol oxidase of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) containing phospholipids and varied levels of cholesterol. The rates of cholesterol oxidation differed among the various phospholipid environments by roughly 4 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, accessibility to the enzyme increased by orders of magnitude at cholesterol thresholds that suggested cholesterol:phospholipid association ratios of 1:1, 2:3, or 1:2 (moles:moles). The accessibility of cholesterol above these thresholds was still constrained by its particular phospholipid environment. One phospholipid, 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylserine, exhibited no threshold. The analysis suggested values for the stoichiometries of the putative cholesterol-phospholipid complexes, their relative stabilities, and the fractions of bilayer cholesterol not in complexes at the threshold equivalence points. Predictably, the saturated phosphorylcholine species had the lowest apparent stoichiometric ratios and the strongest associations with cholesterol. These results are in general agreement with the equilibrium distribution of cholesterol between the various LUVs and methyl-β-cyclodextrin. In addition, the behavior of the cholesterol in intact human red blood cells matched predictions made from LUVs of the corresponding composition. These results support a passive mechanism for the intracellular distribution of cholesterol that can provide a signal for its homeostatic regulation.

Activation mobilizes the cholesterol in the late endosomes-lysosomes of Niemann Pick type C cells

A variety of intercalating amphipaths increase the chemical activity of plasma membrane cholesterol. To test whether intracellular cholesterol can be similarly activated, we examined NPC1 and NPC2 fibroblasts, since they accumulate large amounts of cholesterol in their late endosomes and lysosomes (LE/L). We gauged the mobility of intracellular sterol from its appearance at the surface of the intact cells, as determined by its susceptibility to cholesterol oxidase and its isotope exchange with extracellular 2-(hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin-cholesterol. The entire cytoplasmic cholesterol pool in these cells was mobile, exchanging with the plasma membrane with an apparent half-time of ∼3–4 hours, ∼4–5 times slower than that for wild type human fibroblasts (half-time ∼0.75 hours). The mobility of the intracellular cholesterol was increased by the membrane-intercalating amphipaths chlorpromazine and 1-octanol. Chlorpromazine also promoted the net transfer of LE/L cholesterol to serum and cyclodextrin. Surprisingly, the mobility of LE/L cholesterol was greatly stimulated by treating intact NPC cells with glutaraldehyde or formaldehyde. Similar effects were seen with wild type fibroblasts in which the LE/L cholesterol pool had been expanded using U18666A. We also showed that the cholesterol in the intracellular membranes of fixed wild-type fibroblasts was mobile; it was rapidly oxidized by cholesterol oxidase and was rapidly replenished by exogenous sterol. We conclude that a) the cholesterol in NPC cells can exit the LE/L (and the extensive membranous inclusions therein) over a few hours; b) this mobility is stimulated by the activation of the cholesterol with intercalating amphipaths; c) intracellular cholesterol is even more mobile in fixed cells; and d) amphipaths that activate cholesterol might be useful in treating NPC disease.

Cell cholesterol homeostasis: mediation by active cholesterol

Recent evidence suggests that the major pathways mediating cell cholesterol homeostasis respond to a common signal: active membrane cholesterol. Active cholesterol is the fraction that exceeds the complexing capacity of the polar bilayer lipids. Increments in plasma membrane cholesterol exceeding this threshold have an elevated chemical activity (escape tendency) and redistribute via diverse transport proteins to both circulating plasma lipoproteins and intracellular organelles. Active cholesterol thereby prompts several feedback responses. It is the substrate for its own esterification and for the synthesis of regulatory side-chain oxysterols. It also stimulates manifold pathways that down-regulate the biosynthesis, curtail the ingestion and increase the export of cholesterol. Thus, the abundance of cell cholesterol is tightly coupled to that of its polar lipid partners through active cholesterol.

Activation of membrane cholesterol by 63 amphipaths

A few membrane-intercalating amphipaths have been observed to stimulate the interaction of cholesterol with cholesterol oxidase, saponin and cyclodextrin, presumably by displacing cholesterol laterally from its phospholipid complexes. We now report that this effect, referred to as cholesterol activation, occurs with dozens of other amphipaths, including alkanols, saturated and cis- and trans-unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid methyl esters, sphingosine derivatives, terpenes, alkyl ethers, ketones, aromatics and cyclic alkyl derivatives. The apparent potency of the agents tested ranged from 3 microM to 7 mM and generally paralleled their octanol/water partition coefficients, except that relative potency declined for compounds with >10 carbons. Some small amphipaths activated cholesterol at a membrane concentration of approximately 3 mol per 100 mol of bilayer lipids, about equimolar with the cholesterol they displaced. Lysophosphatidylserine countered the effects of all these agents, consistent with its ability to reduce the pool of active membrane cholesterol. Various amphipaths stabilized red cells against the hemolysis elicited by cholesterol depletion, presumably by substituting for the extracted sterol. The number and location of cis and trans fatty acid unsaturations and the absolute stereochemistry of enantiomer pairs had only small effects on amphipath potency. Nevertheless, potency varied approximately 7-fold within a group of diverse agents with similar partition coefficients. We infer that a wide variety of amphipaths can displace membrane cholesterol by competing stoichiometrically but with only limited specificity for weak association with phospholipids. Any number of other drugs and experimental agents might do the same.

Regulation of fibroblast mitochondrial 27-hydroxycholesterol production by active plasma membrane cholesterol

Side chain oxysterols are cholesterol derivatives thought to signal the abundance of cell cholesterol to homeostatic effector proteins. Here, we investigated how plasma membrane (PM) cholesterol might regulate 27-hydroxycholesterol (HC) biosynthesis in cultured fibroblasts. We showed that PM cholesterol was a major substrate for 27-HC production. Biosynthesis commenced within minutes of loading depleted cells with cholesterol, concurrent with the rapid inactivation of hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR). 27-HC production rose approximately 30-fold in normal and Niemann-Pick C1 fibroblasts when PM cholesterol was increased by approximately 60%. 27-HC production was also stimulated by 1-octanol, which displaces PM cholesterol from its phospholipid complexes and thereby increases its activity (escape tendency) and elevates its intracellular abundance. Conversely, lysophosphatidylserine and U18666A inhibited 27-HC biosynthesis and the inactivation of HMGR, presumably by reducing the activity of PM cholesterol and, therefore, its circulation to mitochondria. We conclude that, in this in vitro system, excess (active) PM cholesterol rapidly reaches mitochondria where, as the rate-limiting substrate, it stimulates 27-HC biosynthesis. The oxysterol product then promotes the rapid degradation of HMGR, along with other homeostatic effects. The regulation of 27-HC production by the active excess of PM cholesterol can thus provide a feedback mechanism in the homeostasis of PM cholesterol.

Effectors of rapid homeostatic responses of endoplasmic reticulum cholesterol and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase

The cholesterol content of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) imbedded therein respond homeostatically within minutes to changes in the level of plasma membrane cholesterol. We have now examined the roles of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-dependent gene expression, side chain oxysterol biosynthesis, and cholesterol precursors in the short term regulation of ER cholesterol levels and HMGR activity. We found that SREBP-dependent gene expression is not required for the response to changes in cell cholesterol of either the pool of ER cholesterol or the rate of cholesterol esterification. It was also found that the acute proteolytic inactivation of HMGR triggered by cholesterol loading required the conversion of cholesterol to 27-hydroxycholesterol. High levels of exogenous 24,25-dihydrolanosterol drove the inactivation of HMGR; lanosterol did not. However, purging endogenous 24,25-dihydrolanosterol, lanosterol, and other biosynthetic sterol intermediates by treating cells with NB-598 did not greatly affect either the setting of their ER cholesterol pool or the inactivation of their HMGR. In summary, neither SREBP-regulated genes nor 27-hydroxycholesterol is involved in setting the ER cholesterol pool. On the other hand, 27-hydroxycholesterol, rather than cholesterol itself or biosynthetic precursors of cholesterol, stimulates the rapid inactivation of HMGR in response to high levels of cholesterol.

Cholesterol displacement from membrane phospholipids by hexadecanol

Adding cholesterol to monolayers of certain phospholipids drives the separation of liquid-ordered from liquid-disordered domains. The ordered phases appear to contain stoichiometric complexes of cholesterol and phospholipid. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the cholesterol in these complexes has a low chemical activity compared to that of the free sterol; i.e., that in excess of the phospholipid binding capacity. We have now tested the hypothesis that the membrane intercalator 1-hexadecanol (HD) similarly associates with phospholipids and thereby displaces the complexed cholesterol. HD introduced into monolayers of pure dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine generated highly condensed (stable and solid) domains. In contrast, the phase behavior of mixed monolayers of the phospholipid, sterol, and alcohol suggested that HD could substitute for cholesterol mole for mole in promoting liquid-ordered domains. We also found that the transfer of cholesterol from mixed monolayers to aqueous cyclodextrin was greatly stimulated by the presence of HD, but only at levels sufficient to competitively displace the sterol from the phospholipid. This enhanced efflux was interpreted to reflect an increase in uncomplexed cholesterol. We conclude that HD forms complexes with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine that are surprisingly similar to those of cholesterol. HD competitively displaces cholesterol from the phospholipid and thereby increases its chemical activity.

Scrambling of phospholipids activates red cell membrane cholesterol

Cholesterol is predicted to associate more strongly with the outer than the inner leaflet of plasma membrane bilayers based on the relative in vitro affinities of their phospholipids. Complex formation with the high-affinity species (especially saturated sphingomyelins) is said to reduce the chemical activity (escape potential or fugacity) of the sterol. We therefore tested the hypothesis that scrambling the sidedness of plasma membrane phospholipids of intact cells will increase the chemical activity of outer surface cholesterol. Upon activating the plasma membrane scramblase in intact human red cells by introducing ionomycin to raise cytoplasmic Ca++, phosphatidylserine became exposed and, concomitantly, the chemical activity of exofacial cholesterol was increased. (This was gauged by its susceptibility to cholesterol oxidase and its rate of transfer to cyclodextrin.) Similar behavior was observed in human fibroblasts. Two other treatments known to activate cell surface cholesterol (namely, exposure to glutaraldehyde and to low-ionic-strength buffer) also brought phosphatidylserine to the cell surface but by a Ca++-independent mechanism. Given that phospholipid scrambling is important in blood coagulation and apoptosis, the concomitant activation of cell surface cholesterol could contribute to these and other pathophysiological signaling processes.

Activation of Membrane Cholesterol by Displacement from Phospholipids

We tested the hypothesis that certain membrane-intercalating agents increase the chemical activity of cholesterol by displacing it from its low activity association with phospholipids. Octanol, 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (a diglyceride), and N-hexanoyl-D-erythrosphingosine (a ceramide) were shown to increase both the rate of transfer and the extent of equilibrium partition of human red blood cell cholesterol to methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. These agents also promoted the interaction of the sterol with two cholesterol-specific probes, cholesterol oxidase and saponin. Expanding the pool of bilayer phospholipids with lysophosphatides countered these effects. The three intercalators also protected the red cells against lysis by cholesterol depletion as if substituting for the extracted sterol. As is the case for excess plasma membrane cholesterol, treating human fibroblasts with octanol, diglyceride, or ceramide stimulated the rapid inactivation of their hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase, presumably through an increase in the pool of endoplasmic reticulum cholesterol. These data supported the stated hypothesis and point to competition between cholesterol and endogenous and exogenous intercalators for association with membrane phospholipids. We also describe simple screens using red cells in a microtiter well format to identify intercalating agents that increase or decrease the activity of membrane cholesterol.

How cholesterol homeostasis is regulated by plasma membrane cholesterol in excess of phospholipids

How do cells sense and control their cholesterol levels? Whereas most of the cell cholesterol is located in the plasma membrane, the effectors of its abundance are regulated by a small pool of cholesterol in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The size of the ER compartment responds rapidly and dramatically to small changes in plasma membrane cholesterol around the normal level. Consequently, increasing plasma membrane cholesterol in vivo from just below to just above the basal level evoked an acute (<2 h) and profound ( approximately 20-fold) decrease in ER 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity in vitro. We tested the hypothesis that the sharply inflected ER response to cholesterol is governed by the thermodynamic activity (fugacity) of plasma membrane cholesterol. The following two independent measures of plasma membrane cholesterol activity in human red cells and fibroblasts were used: susceptibility to cholesterol oxidase and cholesterol transfer to cyclodextrin. Both indicators revealed a threshold at the physiologic set point of plasma membrane cholesterol. Incrementing the phospholipid compartment in the plasma membrane with lysophosphatidylcholine, previously shown to decrease cholesterol oxidase susceptibility, reduced the transfer of plasma membrane cholesterol to cyclodextrin and to the ER. Conversely, the membrane intercalator, n-octanol, increased cholesterol oxidation, transfer, and ER pool size, perhaps by displacing cholesterol from plasma membrane phospholipids. We conclude that the activity of the fraction of cholesterol in excess of other plasma membrane lipids sets the cholesterol level in the ER. Cholesterol-sensitive elements therein respond by nulling the active plasma membrane pool, thereby keeping the cholesterol matched to the other plasma membrane lipids.

Probing red cell membrane cholesterol movement with cyclodextrin

We probed the kinetics with which cholesterol moves across the human red cell bilayer and exits the membrane using methyl-beta-cyclodextrin as an acceptor. The fractional rate of cholesterol transfer (% s(-1)) was unprecedented, the half-time at 37 degrees C being ~1 s. The kinetics observed under typical conditions were independent of donor concentration and directly proportional to acceptor concentration. The rate of exit of membrane cholesterol fell hyperbolically to zero with increasing dilution. The energy of activation for cholesterol transfer was the same at high and low dilution; namely, 27-28 Kcal/mol. This behavior is not consistent with an exit pathway involving desorption followed by aqueous diffusion to acceptors nor with a simple one-step collision mechanism. Rather, it is that predicted for an activation-collision mechanism in which the reversible partial projection of cholesterol molecules out of the bilayer precedes their collisional capture by cyclodextrin. Because the entire membrane pool was transferred in a single first-order process under all conditions, we infer that the transbilayer diffusion (flip-flop) of cholesterol must have proceeded faster than its exit, i.e., with a half-time of <1 s at 37 degrees C.

SCAP, an ER sensor that regulates cell cholesterol

Cells keep their cholesterol in balance by sensing its level in the endoplasmic reticulum and transducing this information into the expression of multiple homeostatic genes. Two recent papers from the Brown and Goldstein laboratory provide important new insights into how an integral ER protein, SCAP, mediates this process.

Dynamics of lysosomal cholesterol in Niemann-Pick type C and normal human fibroblasts

The dynamics of endolysosomal cholesterol were investigated in Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) cells and in human fibroblasts treated with class 2 amphiphiles to mimic NPC cells. We showed through new approaches that the massive pools of endolysosomal cholesterol in these cells are not trapped but, rather, circulate to the cell surface at about the normal rate. This flux spared NPC and amphiphile-treated cells from disruption by the extraction of their plasma membrane cholesterol with cyclodextrin. Nocodazole, a microtubule-depolymerizing agent, reversed the resistance of NPC and U18666A-treated cells to cholesterol depletion, apparently by reducing the flux of endolysosomal cholesterol to the plasma membrane. Neither nocodazole nor bafilomycin A1 (an inhibitor of the vacuolar proton pump) acted in the same way as the NPC mutation or class 2 amphiphiles: both agents decreased plasma membrane cholesterol at the expense of the endolysosomal pool and both blocked the actions of the amphiphile, U18666A. Finally, the resistance of NPC cells to lysis by amphotericin B was shown not to reflect a reduction in plasma membrane cholesterol arising from a block in lysosomal cholesterol export but rather the diversion of the amphotericin B to cholesterol-rich endolysosomes. We conclude that the large pool of endolysosomal cholesterol in NPC and amphiphile-treated fibroblasts is dynamic and that its turnover, as in normal cells, is dependent on microtubules.

RNAi in Dictyostelium: the role of RNA-directed RNA polymerases and double-stranded RNase

We show that in Dictyostelium discoideum an endogenous gene as well as a transgene can be silenced by introduction of a gene construct that is transcribed into a hairpin RNA. Gene silencing was accompanied by the appearance of sequence-specific RNA about 23mers and seemed to have a limited capacity. The three Dictyostelium homologues of the RNA-directed RNA polymerase (RrpA, RrpB, and DosA) all contain an N-terminal helicase domain homologous to the one in the dicer nuclease, suggesting exon shuffling between RNA-directed RNA polymerase and the dicer homologue. Only the knock-out of rrpA resulted in a loss of the hairpin RNA effect and simultaneously in a loss of detectable about 23mers. However, about 23mers were still generated by the Dictyostelium dsRNase in vitro with extracts from rrpA(-), rrpB(-), and DosA(-) cells. Both RrpA and a target gene were required for production of detectable amounts of about 23mers, suggesting that target sequences are involved in about 23mer amplification.

Effect of protein kinase C on endoplasmic reticulum cholesterol

Plasma membrane cholesterol both regulates and is regulated by effector proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through a feedback system that is poorly understood. We now show that ER cholesterol varies over a fivefold range in response to experimental agents that act upon protein kinase C (PKC). Agents that activate Ca(2+)-dependent PKC [phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and bryostatin 1] increased the level of ER cholesterol; inhibitors such as staurosporine and calphostin C decreased it. Rottlerin, a selective inhibitor of the PKC-delta isoform, also increased ER cholesterol. The esterification of plasma membrane cholesterol was altered by protein kinase C-directed agents in a corresponding fashion. Furthermore, the regulatory effect of plasma membrane cholesterol on the esterification of ER cholesterol was blocked by PKC-directed agents. These findings suggest that multiple protein kinase C isoforms participate in the regulation of ER cholesterol and therefore in cholesterol homeostasis.

Regulation of endoplasmic reticulum cholesterol by plasma membrane cholesterol

The abundance of cell cholesterol is governed by multiple regulatory proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) which, in turn, are under the control of the cholesterol in that organelle. But how does ER cholesterol reflect cell (mostly plasma membrane) cholesterol? We have systematically quantitated this relationship for the first time. We found that ER cholesterol in resting human fibroblasts comprised approximately 0.5% of the cell total. The ER pool rose by more than 10-fold in less than 1 h as cell cholesterol was increased by approximately 50% from below to above its physiological value. The curve describing the dependence of ER on plasma membrane cholesterol had a J shape. Its vertex was at the ambient level of cell cholesterol and thus could correspond to a threshold. A variety of class 2 amphiphiles (e.g., U18666A) rapidly reduced ER cholesterol but caused only minor alterations in the J-curve. In contrast, brief exposure of cells to the oxysterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, elevated and linearized the J-curve, increasing ER cholesterol at all values of cell cholesterol. This finding can explain the rapid action of oxysterols on cholesterol homeostasis. Other functions have also been observed to depend acutely on the level of plasma membrane cholesterol near its physiological level, perhaps reflecting a cholesterol-dependent structural or organizational transition in the bilayer. Such a physical transition could serve as a set-point above which excess plasma membrane cholesterol is transported to the ER where it would signal regulatory proteins to down-regulate its further accumulation.

Four cholesterol-sensing proteins

What is the connection among the following three medical conditions: Niemann-Pick type C disease (a cause of mental retardation and early death), systemic lipidosis (in which an obscure side effect of numerous drugs transforms lysosomes into lamellar bodies), and holoprosencephaly (a catastrophe in embryonic development)? Recent evidence suggests that the pathogenesis in each use involves impaired sensing of cellular cholesterol.

Circulation of cholesterol between lysosomes and the plasma membrane

The cholesterol in the lysosomes of cultured human fibroblasts was determined to constitute approximately 6% of the cell total. This pool was enlarged by as much as 10-fold in Niemann-Pick type C cells. Certain amphiphiles (e.g. U18666A, progesterone, and imipramine) caused lysosomal cholesterol to increase to similarly high levels at a rate of approximately 0.8% of cell cholesterol/h. Lysosomal cholesterol accumulated even in the absence of exogenous lipoproteins. Furthermore, nearly all of the lysosomal cholesterol in both of the two perturbed systems was shown to be derived from the plasma membrane. Oxysterols known to alter cholesterol movement and homeostasis blocked lysosomal cholesterol accretion in amphiphile-treated cells, suggesting that this process is regulated physiologically. Treating cells with amphiphiles slightly reduced the efflux of cholesterol from lysosomes and slightly increased the influx from the plasma membrane, causing the lysosomal cholesterol compartment to double in size in approximately 15 h. After more prolonged amphiphile treatments, a population of buoyant lysosomes appeared that exchanged cholesterol with the plasma membrane completely but slowly. Niemann-Pick type C lysosomes were similarly buoyant and sluggish. We conclude that cholesterol circulates bidirectionally between the plasma membrane and lysosomes. The massive accumulation of lysosomal cholesterol in the perturbed cells does not appear to reflect disabled lysosomal transport but rather the formation of lysosomes modified for lipid storage, i.e. lamellar bodies.

Skipper, an LTR retrotransposon of Dictyostelium

The complete sequence of a retrotransposon from Dictyostelium discoideum , named skipper , was obtained from cDNA and genomic clones. The sequence of a nearly full-length skipper cDNA was similar to that of three other partially sequenced cDNAs. The corresponding retrotransposon is represented in approximately 15-20 copies and is abundantly transcribed. Skipper contains three open reading frames (ORFs) with an unusual sequence organization, aspects of which resemble certain mammalian retroviruses. ORFs 1 and 3 correspond to gag and pol genes; the second ORF, pro, corresponding to protease, was separated from gag by a single stop codon followed shortly thereafter by a potential pseudoknot. ORF3 (pol) was separated from pro by a +1 frameshift. ORFs 2 and 3 overlapped by 32 bp. The computed amino acid sequences of the skipper ORFs contain regions resembling retrotransposon polyprotein domains, including a nucleic acid binding protein, aspartyl protease, reverse transcriptase and integrase. Skipper is the first example of a retrotransposon with a separate pro gene. Skipper is also novel in that it appears to use stop codon suppression rather than frameshifting to modulate pro expression. Finally, skipper and its components may provide useful tools for the genetic characterization of Dictyostelium.

Osmotic homeostasis in Dictyostelium discoideum: excretion of amino acids and ingested solutes

The response to osmotic stress in axenically cultured Dictyostelium discoideum was examined. Hypoosmotic buffers elicited two changes in the large (approximately 50 mM) cytosolic pool of amino acids: a) the total size of the pool diminished, while b) about half of the initial pool was excreted. Hyperosmotic stress had the opposite effect. Among the predominant amino acids in the pool were glycine, alanine and proline. Putrescine, the major diamine, was neither excreted nor modulated. Recently ingested radioactive amino acids were excreted in preference to those in the cytoplasm, suggesting that the endocytic pathway might be involved in water excretion. Furthermore, hypoosmotic stress stimulated the selective excretion of small, membrane-impermeable fluorescent dyes which had been ingested into endocytic vacuoles. Caffeine inhibited the excretion of the fluorophores but not the amino acids. We conclude that the response of Dictyostelium to osmotic stress is complex and includes both modulation of the cytoplasmic amino acid pool and the excretion of amino acids and other small solutes from the endocytic pathway.

Late events in the intracellular sorting of major histocompatibility complex class II molecules are regulated by the 80-82 segment of the class II beta chain

The molecular mechanisms that regulate sorting of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules into the endocytic pathway are poorly understood. For many proteins, access to endosomal compartments is regulated by cytosolically expressed sequences. We present evidence that a sequence in the lumenal domain of the MHC class II molecule regulates a very late event in class II biogenesis. Class II molecules containing single amino acid changes in the highly conserved 80-82 region of the beta chain were introduced into invariant chain (Ii)-negative fibroblasts with wild-type alpha chain, and the derived transfectants were analyzed biochemically. Using an endosomal isolation technique, we have quantified the level of class II molecules expressed in endocytic compartments and found that in the absence of Ii, approximately 15% of total cellular class II molecules can be isolated from endosomal compartments. Mutation at position 80 enhances this localization, while changes at positions 81 and 82 ablate class II expression in endosomal compartments. In addition, we have evaluated whether the induced changes in intracellular distribution of class II molecules were due to alterations in early biosynthetic events, indicative of misfolding of the molecules, or to modulation of later trafficking events more likely to be a consequence of the modulation of a specific transport event. Despite the dramatic effects on endosomal localization induced by the mutations, early biosynthetic events and maturation of class II were unaffected by the mutations. Collectively, our data argue that late trafficking events that control the ability of the class II molecule to access antigens is regulated by the 80-82 segment of the MHC class II beta chains.

An NADH-dependent disulfide reductase activity in the endoplasmic reticulum of Dictyostelium discoideum

A novel disulfide reductase activity was observed in the amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum. Both 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitro-benzoate) (DTNB) and insulin were substrates for reduction. NADH was utilized in preference to NADPH. The activity comigrated with NADPH-dependent cytochrome c reductase on sucrose gradients, suggesting localization in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The buoyant density of the disulfide reductase was not shifted when ribosomes were released from the ER nor was the activity solubilized when membranes were shocked with low osmotic buffer. It therefore appears that the reductase was membrane-bound in the lumen of the smooth ER.

Quantitation of the pool of cholesterol associated with acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase in human fibroblasts

The esterification of cholesterol in homogenates of human fibroblasts was explored as a means of estimating the size of the pool of cholesterol associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in vivo. The rationale was that the acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) in homogenates should have access only to cholesterol associated with the (rough) ER membrane fragments in which it resides. Reacting whole homogenates to completion with an excess of [14C]oleoyl-CoA converted approximately 0.1-2% of total cell-free cholesterol to [14C]cholesteryl esters. Control studies indicated that membranes not associated with ACAT did not contribute cholesterol to this reaction. The extent of in vitro cholesterol esterification varied with pretreatment of the cells. Exposing intact cells to serum lipoproteins, oxysterols, or sphingomyelinase increased cholesterol esterification in homogenates severalfold; exposing the cells to mevinolin or cholesterol oxidase had the opposite effect. The variation in cholesterol esterification did not correlate with either the total cellular cholesterol or the intrinsic activity of ACAT, neither of which was changed significantly by the pretreatments. Rather, the total amount of cholesterol esterified in homogenates paralleled the rate of cholesterol esterification in the corresponding intact cells. The pool of cholesterol esterified in vitro therefore appears to reflect that associated with the ER in vivo. Since several of the mechanisms keeping cell cholesterol under tight feedback control are themselves located in the ER, this pool might not only be regulated physiologically, but could, in turn, help to regulate homeostatic effector pathways.

The role of intracellular cholesterol transport in cholesterol homeostasis

How cholesterol is transported among the membranes of the cell is obscure. Similarly, the mechanisms governing the abundance of cell cholesterol are not entirely understood. It may be, however, that a link exists between the intracellular transport of cholesterol and its homeostasis. We propose that cholesterol circulates between the plasma membrane, which contains the bulk of the sterol, and organelle membranes, which contain only traces. A putative sensor translates small fluctuations in plasma membrane cholesterol into relatively large changes in this flux, thereby setting the magnitude of the intracellular pools. The cholesterol concentration in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial membranes then governs the activities of proteins embedded therein that mediate cholesterol transformations. This arrangement creates a feedback loop through which the intracellular effectors regulate the abundance of plasma membrane cholesterol.

Remodeling the shape of the skeleton in the intact red cell

The role of the membrane skeleton in determining the shape of the human red cell was probed by weakening it in situ with urea, a membrane-permeable perturbant of spectrin. Urea by itself did not alter the biconcave disk shape of the red cell; however, above threshold conditions (1.5 M, 37 degrees C, 10 min), it caused an 18% reduction in the membrane elastic shear modulus. It also potentiated the spiculation of cells by lysophosphatidylcholine. These findings suggest that the contour of the resting cell is not normally dependent on the elasticity of or tension in the membrane skeleton. Rather, the elasticity of the skeleton stabilizes membranes against deformation. Urea treatment also caused the projections induced both by micropipette aspiration and by lysophosphatidylcholine to become irreversible. Furthermore, urea converted the axisymmetric conical spicules induced by lysophosphatidylcholine into irregular, curved and knobby spicules; i.e., echinocytosis became acanthocytosis. Unlike controls, the ghosts and membrane skeletons obtained from urea-generated acanthocytes were imprinted with spicules. These data suggest that perturbing interprotein associations with urea in situ allowed the skeleton to evolve plastically to accommodate the contours imposed upon it by the overlying membrane.

The pegs on the decorated tubules of the contractile vacuole complex of Paramecium are proton pumps

Our previous study has shown that the decorated tubules (collectively known as the decorated spongiome) of the contractile vacuole complex (CVC) in Paramecium are the site of fluid segregation, as the binding of microinjected monoclonal antibody (mAb) DS-1 to the tubules reduced the CVC's fluid output. In this study, we showed by immunogold labeling on cryosections that the antigenic sites for mAb DS-1 were located on the 15 nm ‘pegs’ protruding from the cytosolic surface of the decorated tubules. In immunofluorescence studies, both polyclonal antibodies against the subunits of the V-ATPase of Dictyostelium discoideum and against the 57 kDa B-subunit of the V-ATPase of chromaffin granules gave identical labeling patterns to that produced by mAb DS-1. On cryosections, all three antigens were located most consistently near or on the pegs of the decorated tubules. These data support the notion that the pegs on the membrane of the decorated tubules represent the V1 complex of a proton pump. Concanamycin B, a potent inhibitor of V-ATPase activity and of acidification of lysosomes and endosomes, strongly and reversibly inhibited fluid output from the CVC but had minimal effect on the integrity of the decorated spongiome as observed by immunofluorescence. Such inhibition suggests that a V-ATPase is intimately involved in fluid segregation. Exposing Paramecium to 12 degrees C or 1 degrees C for 30 minutes resulted in the dissociation of the decorated tubules from the smooth spongiome that borders the collecting canals; thus the DS-1-reactive A4 antigen, the 75 kDa and 66 kDa antigens were all found dispersed in the cytosol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cholesterol homeostasis. Modulation by amphiphiles

Diverse amphiphiles act on cellular cholesterol metabolism as if signaling regulatory sites. One class (oxysterols) mimics the homeostatic effects of excess cell cholesterol, inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis and stimulating plasma membrane cholesterol esterification. A second class of amphiphiles has effects precisely opposite to the oxysterols, i.e. they immediately inhibit plasma membrane cholesterol esterification and progressively induce 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase activity and cholesterol biosynthesis. This second class of agents includes steroids, hydrophobic amines, phenothiazines, ionophores, colchicine, cytochalasins, and lysophosphatides, most of which interact with P-glycoproteins. These data support a general hypothesis describing cellular cholesterol homeostasis. (a) Proteins regulating sterol metabolism are embedded in intracellular membranes where their activities are governed by the local level of cholesterol. (b) Excess plasma membrane and lysosomal cholesterol circulates through those intracellular membranes and sets the homeostatic activities therein. (c) The two classes of agents mentioned above affect cholesterol homeostasis by increasing or decreasing, respectively, the ambient level of cholesterol at the sites of regulation.

A general method for plasma membrane isolation by colloidal gold density shift

A general method for isolating plasma membranes is described. Vegetative amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum were allowed to directly adsorb raw colloidal gold of particle diameter 10-20 nm. After quenching the gold surface, the cells were lysed and the lysates were diluted in 60% sucrose and centrifuged through a 65% sucrose cushion to selectively pellet the gold-laden membranes. Three generally applicable exogenous cell surface markers were used to follow the plasma membranes: intercalated [3H]cholesterol, octadecylrhodamine, and the adsorbed gold colloid itself. The isolates routinely contained approximately 60% of these tags, enriched approximately 15-fold with respect to protein. The recovery and degree of enrichment of contaminating markers in the plasma membrane fraction were lysosomes (3% and 1-fold); mitochondria (11% and 3-fold); rough endoplasmic reticulum, as reflected by RNA (3% and 0.7-fold); and DNA (9% and 4-fold). Membrane proteins and lipids were quantitatively solubilized from the gold by detergents. We conclude that this methodology provides an approach to the isolation of plasma membranes which compares favorably to existing techniques with respect to yield, purity, and ease.

Analysis of successive endocytic compartments isolated from Dictyostelium discoideum by magnetic fractionation

A colloidal iron probe was fed to the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and chased for different intervals. Successive segments of the endocytic pathway were then isolated magnetically at high yield and purity. There were approx. 500 endocytic vacuoles per cell; their diameters increased from approx. 0.1-0.2 microns after 3 min of feeding to approx. 2 microns after 15 min of feeding and 60 min of chase. The wave-like progression of ingested probes along the endocytic pathway suggested that the transfer of cargo involved a maturation mechanism rather than the shuttling of cargo between stable compartments. The lifetime of primary pinosomes was calculated to be approx. 1 s. Multivesicular bodies were common in the 3 min fraction and abundant in 15 min lysosomes. alpha- and beta-adaptins of molecular masses of approx. 89 and 83 kDa were richer in the 3 min vesicles than in plasma membranes and later endocytic vacuoles. Acid phosphatase, intrinsic vacuole acidity, the vacuolar proton pump protein and pump activity were present at all endocytic stages but rose between the 3 min and 15 min vacuoles and declined thereafter. Bis(monoacyglycero)phosphate or BMP, a lipid characteristic of lysosomes, followed a similar time course; it contributed up to half of the total lipid in lysosomal vacuoles. We conclude that there is both continuity and differentiation along this endocytic pathway.

Characterization of lysosomal membrane proteins of Dictyostelium discoideum. A complex population of acidic integral membrane glycoproteins, Rab GTP-binding proteins and vacuolar ATPase subunits

Highly purified lysosomes, prepared by magnetic fractionation of homogenates from Dictyostelium discoideum cells fed colloidal iron, were lysed under hypoosmotic conditions, and the membrane-associated proteins were subjected to gel electrophoresis. Thirteen major membrane polypeptides, ranging in molecular weight from 25,000 to 100,000 were identified. The isoelectric points of these proteins ranged from below 3.8 to greater than 7.0. Most of these proteins were stripped from membranes exposed to a chaotropic agent, 3,5-diodo-2-hydroxybenzoic acid lithium salt, and were therefore classified as peripheral membrane proteins. Twenty five glycoprotein species were detected by lectin blot analysis; 19 were classified as integral membrane proteins, and were, in general, larger than 45 kDa and negatively charged due in part to the presence of mannose 6-sulfate. Western blot analysis also demonstrated that a Rab 4-like GTPase, a Rab 7-like GTPase, and at least three subunits of the vacuolar ATPase were associated with the lysosomal membrane; the ATPase subunits appeared to be major proteins in lysosomal membranes. Finally, based on N-terminal sequence analysis of a major 41-kDa lysosome-associated membrane protein, we cloned a cDNA that encodes a protein (DVA41) highly homologous to a yeast and a bovine vacuolar ATPase subunit of approximately 41 kDa. The D. discoideum DVA41 gene was apparently a single copy gene, expressed at constant levels during growth and development.

Isolation and initial characterization of the bipartite contractile vacuole complex from Dictyostelium discoideum

The contractile vacuole complex serves to excrete excess cytosolic water from protists. In the amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum, the organelle had a bipartite morphology: a large main vacuole (bladder) marked by lumenal alkaline phosphatase was surrounded by numerous satellite vacuoles (spongiomes). Bladders and spongiomes have now been purified for the first time. The spongiome membranes had a high density of surface projections identified as catalytically-active vacuolar proton pumps (V-H(+)-ATPase). Spongiomes were resolved from the pump-poor bladders by immunogold buoyant density shift with antibodies to the V-H(+)-ATPase; they contained little protein other than this pump. It appears that, following homogenization, most of the spongiome dissociated from bladders and populated the proton pump-rich membrane fraction called acidosomes. Isolated bladders were enriched > 40-fold in alkaline phosphatase and phosphodiesterase, the activities of which were > 85% latent. Bladders depleted of spongiomes bore several distinctive polypeptides; they also had an excess of the basepieces of the proton pump over the catalytic heads. Bladder membranes were also lipid-rich and had a distinctive lipid composition. We conclude that the contractile vacuole system in Dictyostelium is a complex of discrete, separable bladder and spongiome membranes. The V-H(+)-ATPase in the spongiome may catalyze the primary energy transduction step for pumping water out of the cytoplasm.

Role of the plasma membrane in cholesterol esterification in rat hepatoma cells

The source of the cholesterol used for ester synthesis by cultured rat hepatoma cells was examined. The activities synthesizing and esterifying cholesterol co-distributed with RNA at a high buoyant density, presumably in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). Cholesterol mass was undetectable in the RER, and the transfer of cholesterol synthesized in the RER to the cell surface was more than 100 times greater than was its esterification. Similarly, essentially all of the cholesterol liberated from ingested intracellular lipoproteins was recovered at the cell surface. The plasma membranes, which contained approximately 87% of cell cholesterol, provided > 100 times more cholesterol for esterification in the RER than did nascent cholesterol. The supply of cholesterol was rate-limiting for esterification in cell homogenates. Prior oxidation of plasma membrane cholesterol in intact cells reduced the acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase activity in isolates proportionately. Finally, cholesterol in hepatoma plasma membranes was a far better substrate for in vitro esterification than was that in fibroblast plasma membranes, red blood cell ghosts, or liposomes. We conclude that the level of saturation of acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase, controlled principally through the bidirectional movement of the substrate between plasma membranes and RER, plays a major role in the regulation of cholesterol esterification.

An immunocytochemical analysis of the vacuolar proton pump in Dictyostelium discoideum

Antisera were generated in rabbits against the vacuolar proton pump (V-H(+)-ATPase) purified from Dictyostelium discoideum. The antisera inhibited V-H(+)-ATPase but not F1-ATPase activity and immunoprecipitated and immunoblotted only the polypeptide subunits of the V-H(+)-ATPase from cell homogenates. Immunocytochemical analysis of intact cells and subcellular fractions showed that the predominant immunoreactive organelles were clusters of empty, irregular vacuoles of various sizes and shapes, which corresponded to the acidosomes. The cytoplasmic surfaces of lysosomes, phagosomes and the tubular spongiome of the contractile vacuole also bore the pump antigen. The lumina of multivesicular bodies were often stained intensely; the internalized antigen may have been derived from acidosomes by autophagy. Antibodies against V-H(+)-ATPases from plant and animal cells cross-reacted with the proton pumps of Dictyostelium. Antisera directed against the V-H(+)-ATPase of Dictyostelium decorated a profusion of small vacuoles scattered throughout the cytoplasm of hepatocytes, epithelial cells, macrophages and fibroblasts. The pattern paralleled that of the endocytic and acidic spaces; there was no clear indication of discrete acidosomes in these mammalian cells. We conclude that the V-H(+)-ATPase in Dictyostelium is distributed among diverse endomembrane organelles and is immunologically cross-reactive with the proton pumps on endocytic vacuoles in mammalian cells.

Characterization of lysosomes isolated from Dictyostelium discoideum by magnetic fractionation

Superparamagnetic particles were prepared with iron oxide cores of congruent to 8 nm diameter and dextran coats. After feeding the probe to the amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum, for 15 min and chasing for 15 min, a lysosome fraction was isolated magnetically. Isolates contained 76% of ingested iron, 82% of ingested fluorescent dextran, 1.3% of cell protein, 4% of the lipid, 28% of acid phosphatase, and 5% of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase. Enrichment in endocytic markers was congruent to 60-fold; markers for other organelles were < 0.5%. The lysosomes were homogeneous, round (0.4-1.1 microns in diameter), and frequently adherent to one another through zones of intimate apposition. Cells were also fed the iron probe continuously for 3 h to fill their entire endocytic pathway; in this case, isolates contained 3.3% of cell protein, 11% of lipid, and 49% of cell acid phosphatase. Bis(monoacylglycerol)phosphate (BMP), a lipid characteristic of lysosomes in animal cells, comprised congruent to 6% of biosynthetically labelled cell lipids and up to half of the lipid in the endocytic pathway. Essentially all of the cellular BMP was recovered in isolates prepared after 3 h of feeding. The specificity and abundance of BMP in the endocytic organelles of this early diverged protist suggests that this phospholipid serves a universal and essential function in endocytosis.

A post-lysosomal compartment in Dictyostelium discoideum

Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran and pyranine were fed to the social amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum. These membrane-impermeable, pH-sensitive fluorophores initially entered a approximately equal to neutral endocytic compartment. They encountered maximal acidity (pH approximately equal to 5) about 15 min after ingestion, in what appeared to be digestive vacuoles (lysosomes). The environment of the probes returned to near neutrality by 30 min. At that time, the probes accumulated in a decreasing number of vacuoles of increasing size; ultimately, there were only a small number of vacuoles per cell with diameters of up to 3 microns. The late vacuoles sedimented more rapidly than did proton pumps, acid hydrolases, and recently ingested cargo. Unlike the vacuoles harvested immediately after the cells were fed FITC-dextran, the late vacuoles were not acidified by MgATP in vitro. Egestion of ingested FITC-dextran commenced after a lag of approximately equal to 45 min. A similar lag was observed for the resurfacing of two endocytosed bilayer-intercalated fluorophores. These results suggest that, in Dictyostelium, undigested endocytic cargo accumulates in and is returned to the cell surface through a distinctive compartment of large and nearly neutral post-lysosomal vacuoles. It will be important to determine the degree to which internalized plasma membrane components follow this post-lysosomal pathway.

Movement of zymosterol, a precursor of cholesterol, among three membranes in human fibroblasts

Where examined, cholesterol is synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum; however, its precursor, zymosterol, is found mostly in the plasma membrane. The novel implication of these disparate findings is that zymosterol circulates within the cell. In tracing its movements, we have now established the following: (a) in human fibroblasts, zymosterol is converted to cholesterol solely in the rough ER. (b) Little or no zymosterol or cholesterol accumulates in the rough ER in vivo. (c) Newly synthesized zymosterol moves to the plasma membrane without a detectable lag and with a half-time of 9 min, about twice as fast as cholesterol. (d) The pool of radiolabeled zymosterol in the plasma membrane turns over rapidly, faster than does intracellular cholesterol. Thus, plasma membrane zymosterol is not stagnant. (e) [3H]Zymosterol pulsed into intact cells is initially found in the plasma membrane. It is rapidly internalized and is then converted to [3H] cholesterol. Half of the [3H]cholesterol produced returns to the plasma membrane within 30 min of the initial [3H]zymosterol pulse. (f) Nascent zymosterol accumulates in a buoyant sterol-rich intracellular membrane before it reaches the plasma membrane. This membrane also acquires nascent cholesterol, exogenous [3H]zymosterol pulsed into intact cells, and [3H]cholesterol synthesized from the exogenous [3H] zymosterol. These results suggest that at least one sterol moves rapidly and in both directions among the rough endoplasmic reticulum, a sterol-rich intracellular membrane bearing nascent cholesterol, and the plasma membrane.

Acidosomes from Dictyostelium. Initial biochemical characterization

The acidosome, a newly described organelle in Dictyostelium discoideum, is rich in vacuolar proton pumps (V-H(+)-ATPases) and is responsible for the acidification of endocytic vacuoles. Purified acidosomes were not significantly contaminated by lysosomes, endosomes, or plasma membranes but contained a small fraction of contractile vacuole markers. The specific activity of the proton pump in these acidosomes reached 30 mumol/min/mg protein, the highest yet reported for any V-H(+)-ATPase. The V-H(+)-ATPase was the predominant protein in acidosomes. Based on gel electrophoresis and densitometry, its 8 polypeptides had the following apparent molecular mass (in kDa) and stoichiometry: 90(1), 68(3), 53(3), 42(1), 37(3), 25(3), 17(6), and 15(1). These values suggested a Mr congruent to 8 x 10(5), consistent with the hydrodynamic properties and electron microscopic image of the purified pump. The 90- and 17-kDa polypeptides were integral, while the others were peripheral; only the 90-kDa subunit was biosynthetically labeled by [3H]glucosamine and 35SO4. The specific content of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine in the acidosomes was the highest of any subcellular fraction tested, while sterols and sphingolipids were the lowest. Acidosomes had congruent to 10% of the lipid biosynthetically labeled with [3H]glucosamine. This organelle contributed 5% of cellular protein and 15% of the phospholipid in stationary cultures. We conclude that the acidosome in Dictyostelium is a biochemically discrete organelle, produced by the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi apparatus but distinct from other endomembranes as well as from the plasma membrane.

Reconstitution of the association of endocytic vacuoles and acidosomes from Dictyostelium

In the amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum, endocytic vacuoles are acidified by proton pumps which reside not in their membranes but in an associated organelle which we call the acidosome. These two organelles can be dissociated in vitro, and we now describe conditions for their functional reassociation. Fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate-dextran was fed to amoebae to report on the pH of their endocytic vacuoles. Following homogenization, the endocytic vacuoles were dissociated from acidosomes by removing Mg2+ and cytosol and purged of their native acidity by transient exposure to nigericin. The endocytic vacuoles could then be reacidified by ATP if first preincubated under these optimized conditions: 30 degrees C for 30 min in the presence of acidosomes, a 4-fold excess of cytosol, and 5 mM Mg2+ at pH 7.4. Reacidification was observed with early but not late endocytic compartments. Mn2+ and Ca2+ were poor substitutes for Mg2+; albumin did not substitute for cytosol. Neither Ca2+, ATP, nor adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) affected reconstitution appreciably; guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) inhibited reacidification by 50% when present during preincubation at 0.1 mM. Warming the cytosol to 50 degrees C or exposing it to protease abolished its activity but N-ethylmaleimide did not. Molecular sieving indicated that the cytosolic factor was a macromolecule. We conclude that the specific functional association of acidosomes and endocytic vacuoles can be reconstituted in vitro with soluble proteins plus Mg2+.