RESUMO
Pancreatic cholesterol esterase (CEase) regulates dietary cholesterol absorption and is activated in the presence of trihydroxy bile salts while remaining inactive monohydroxy bile salts. CEase from rat pancreas has been purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydroxylapatite chromatography, and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200/S-300 columns connected in series, and its homogeneity and Mr (55,418 +/- 288) have been determined by sedimentation equilibrium centrifugation. The effects of tri-, di-, and monohydroxy bile salts on the conformation of the purified enzyme in buffer solution and in an in vitro assay system were studied by circular dichroism spectropolarimetry. The CD spectrum of the enzyme in solution shows a curve shape suggestive of an alpha-helicity, but low mean residue ellipticity (MRE) values may indicate an important beta-turn contribution. Sodium cholate, a trihydroxy bile salt, induces a decrease in the negative MRE values of the enzyme in solution at bile salt concentrations of 70-100 nM, with no further spectral changes at concentrations as high as 1 mM. Sodium cholate concentrations higher than 1 microM also induce an increase in the enzyme's negative MRE values under activity assay conditions, which reverts toward its original value once the reaction reaches equilibrium. These latter changes are interpreted as induced by substrate binding to the enzyme followed by partial substrate depletion after the reaction reaches equilibrium. Sodium deoxycholate, a dihydroxy bile salt, induces unstable transient increases and decreases in the MRE values of CEase in buffer solution and under activity assay conditions. These changes are bile salt concentration-dependent and may reflect self-association of the protein. Sodium taurolithocholate, a monohydroxy bile salt, does not affect the CD spectrum of CEase, and neither the di- or the monohydroxy bile salt activates the enzyme.