Impaired Bile Acid Metabolism and Gut Dysbiosis in Mice Lacking Lysosomal Acid Lipase.

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) is the sole enzyme known to be responsible for the hydrolysis of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides at an acidic pH in lysosomes, resulting in the release of unesterified cholesterol and free fatty acids. However, the role of LAL in diet-induced adaptations is largely unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate that feeding a Western-type diet to Lal-deficient (LAL-KO) mice triggers metabolic reprogramming that modulates gut-liver cholesterol homeostasis. Induction of ileal fibroblast growth factor 15 (three-fold), absence of hepatic cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase expression, and activation of the ERK phosphorylation cascade results in altered bile acid composition, substantial changes in the gut microbiome, reduced nutrient absorption by 40%, and two-fold increased fecal lipid excretion in LAL-KO mice. These metabolic adaptations lead to impaired bile acid synthesis, lipoprotein uptake, and cholesterol absorption and ultimately to the resistance of LAL-KO mice to diet-induced obesity. Our results indicate that LAL-derived lipolytic products might be important metabolic effectors in the maintenance of whole-body lipid homeostasis.

Loss of ACAT1 Attenuates Atherosclerosis Aggravated by Loss of NCEH1 in Bone Marrow-Derived Cells.

AIM: Acyl-CoA cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) esterifies free cholesterol to cholesteryl esters (CE), which are subsequently hydrolyzed by neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase 1 (NCEH1). The elimination of ACAT1 in vitro reduces the amounts of CE accumulated in Nceh1-deficient macrophages. The present study aimed at examining whether the loss of ACAT1 attenuates atherosclerosis which is aggravated by the loss of NCEH1 in vivo. METHODS: Low density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr)-deficient mice were transplanted with bone marrow from wild-type mice and mice lacking ACAT1, NCEH1, or both. The four types of mice were fed a high-cholesterol diet and, then, were examined for atherosclerosis. RESULTS: The cross-sectional lesion size of the recipients of Nceh1-deficient bone marrow was 1.6-fold larger than that of the wild-type bone marrow. The lesions of the recipients of Nceh1-deficient bone marrow were enriched with MOMA2-positive macrophages compared with the lesions of the recipients of the wild-type bone marrow. The size and the macrophage content of the lesions of the recipients of bone marrow lacking both ACAT1 and NCEH1 were significantly smaller than the recipients of the Nceh1-deficient bone marrow, indicating that the loss of ACAT1 decreases the excess CE in the Nceh1-deficient lesions. The collagen-rich and/or mucin-rich areas and en face lesion size were enlarged in the recipients of the Acat1－/－ bone marrow compared with those of the recipients of the WT bone marrow. CONCLUSION: The loss of ACAT1 in bone marrow-derived cells attenuates atherosclerosis, which is aggravated by the loss of NCEH1, corroborating the in vitro functions of ACAT1 (formation of CE) and NCEH1 (hydrolysis of CE).

Endothelial Rab7 GTPase mediates tumor growth and metastasis in lysosomal acid lipase-deficient mice.

Tumors depend on their microenvironment for sustained growth, invasion, and metastasis. In this environment, endothelial cells (ECs) are an important stromal cell type interacting with malignant cells to facilitate tumor angiogenesis and cancer cell extravasation. Of note, lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) deficiency facilitates melanoma growth and metastasis. ECs from LAL-deficient (lal-/-) mice possess enhanced proliferation, migration, and permeability of inflammatory cells by activating the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Here we report that lal-/- ECs facilitated in vivo tumor angiogenesis, growth, and metastasis, largely by stimulating tumor cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, and transendothelial migration via increased expression of IL-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). This prompted us to look for lysosomal proteins that are involved in lal-/- EC dysfunctions. We found that lal-/- ECs displayed increased expression of Rab7, a late endosome/lysosome-associated small GTPase. Moreover, Rab7 and mTOR were co-increased and co-localized to lysosomes and physically interacted in lal-/- ECs. Rab7 inhibition reversed lal-/- EC dysfunctions, including decreasing their enhanced migration and permeability of tumor-stimulatory myeloid cells, and suppressed EC-mediated stimulation of in vitro tumor cell transmigration, proliferation, and migration and in vivo tumor growth and metastasis. Finally, Rab7 inhibition reduced overproduction of reactive oxygen species and increased IL-6 and MCP-1 secretion in lal-/- ECs. Our results indicate that metabolic reprogramming resulting from LAL deficiency enhances the ability of ECs to stimulate tumor cell proliferation and metastasis through stimulation of lysosome-anchored Rab7 activity.

Cardiac overexpression of perilipin 2 induces dynamic steatosis: prevention by hormone-sensitive lipase.

Cardiac intracellular lipid accumulation (steatosis) is a pathophysiological phenomenon observed in starvation and diabetes mellitus. Perilipin 2 (PLIN2) is a lipid droplet (LD)-associated protein expressed in nonadipose tissues, including the heart. To explore the pathophysiological function of myocardial PLIN2, we generated transgenic (Tg) mice by cardiac-specific overexpression of PLIN2. Tg hearts showed accumulation of numerous small LDs associated with mitochondrial chains and high cardiac triacylglycerol (TAG) content [8-fold greater than wild-type (WT) mice]. Despite massive steatosis, cardiac uptake of glucose, fatty acids and VLDL, systolic function, and expression of metabolic genes were comparable in the two genotypes, and no morphological changes were observed by electron microscopy in the Tg hearts. Twenty-four hours of fasting markedly reduced steatosis in Tg hearts, whereas WT mice showed accumulation of LDs. Although activity of adipose triglyceride lipase in heart homogenate was comparable between WT and Tg mice, activity of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) was 40-50% less in Tg than WT mice under both feeding and fasting conditions, suggesting interference of PLIN2 with HSL. Mice generated through crossing of PLIN2-Tg mice and HSL-Tg mice showed cardiac-specific HSL overexpression and complete lack of steatosis. The results suggest that cardiac PLIN2 plays an important pathophysiological role in the development of dynamic steatosis and that the latter was prevented by upregulation of intracellular lipases, including HSL.

Role of Hormone-sensitive Lipase in Leptin-Promoted Fat Loss and Glucose Lowering.

AIM: Myriad biological effects of leptin may lead to broad therapeutic applications for various metabolic diseases, including diabetes and its complications; however, in contrast to its anorexic effect, the molecular mechanisms underlying adipopenic and glucose-lowering effects of leptin have not been fully understood. Here we aim to clarify the role of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) in leptin's action. METHODS: Wild-type (WT) and HSL-deficient (HSLKO) mice were made hyperleptinemic by two commonly-used methods: adenovirus-mediated overexpression of leptin and continuous subcutaneous infusion of leptin by osmotic pumps. The amount of food intake, body weights, organ weights, and parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism were measured. RESULTS: Hyperleptinemia equally suppressed the food intake in WT and HSLKO mice. On the other hand, leptin-mediated fat loss and glucose-lowering were significantly blunted in the absence of HSL when leptin was overexpressed by recombinant adenovirus carrying leptin. By osmotic pumps, the fat-losing and glucose-lowering effects of leptin were milder due to lower levels of hyperleptinemia; although the difference between WT and HSLKO mice did not reach statistical significance, HSLKO mice had a tendency to retain more fat than WT mice in the face of hyperleptinemia. CONCLUSIONS: We clarify for the first time the role of HSL in leptin's effect using a genetic model: leptin-promoted fat loss and glucose-lowering are at least in part mediated via HSL-mediated lipolysis. Further studies to define the pathophysiological role of adipocyte lipases in leptin action may lead to a new therapeutic approach to circumvent leptin resistance.

Hormone-sensitive lipase deficiency alters gene expression and cholesterol content of mouse testis.

Hormone-sensitive lipase-knockout (HSL-/-) mice exhibit azoospermia for unclear reasons. To explore the basis of sterility, we performed the following three experiments. First, HSL protein distribution in the testis was determined. Next, transcriptome analyses were performed on the testes of three experimental groups. Finally, the fatty acid and cholesterol levels in the testes with three different genotypes studied were determined. We found that the HSL protein was present from spermatocyte cells to mature sperm acrosomes in wild-type (HSL+/+) testes. Spermiogenesis ceased at the elongation phase of HSL-/- testes. Transcriptome analysis indicated that genes involved in lipid metabolism, cell membrane, reproduction and inflammation-related processes were disordered in HSL-/- testes. The cholesterol content was significantly higher in HSL-/- than that in HSL+/+ testis. Therefore, gene expression and cholesterol ester content differed in HSL-/- testes compared to other testes, which may explain the sterility of male HSL-/- mice.

Role of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein in health and disease.

Steroid hormones are an important class of regulatory molecules that are synthesized in steroidogenic cells of the adrenal, ovary, testis, placenta, brain, and skin, and influence a spectrum of developmental and physiological processes. The steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) predominantly mediates the rate-limiting step in steroid biosynthesis, i.e., the transport of the substrate of all steroid hormones, cholesterol, from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane. At the inner membrane, cytochrome P450 cholesterol side chain cleavage enzyme cleaves the cholesterol side chain to form the first steroid, pregnenolone, which is converted by a series of enzymes to various steroid hormones in specific tissues. Both basic and clinical evidence have demonstrated the crucial involvement of the STAR protein in the regulation of steroid biosynthesis. Multiple levels of regulation impinge on STAR action. Recent findings demonstrate that hormone-sensitive lipase, through its action on the hydrolysis of cholesteryl esters, plays an important role in regulating STAR expression and steroidogenesis which involve the liver X receptor pathway. Activation of the latter influences macrophage cholesterol efflux that is a key process in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Appropriate regulation of steroid hormones is vital for proper functioning of many important biological activities, which are also paramount for geriatric populations to live longer and healthier. This review summarizes the current level of understanding on tissue-specific and hormone-induced regulation of STAR expression and steroidogenesis, and provides insights into a number of cholesterol and/or steroid coupled physiological and pathophysiological consequences.

Factors affecting intestinal absorption of cholesterol and plant sterols and stanols.

Various factors affect intestinal absorption of cholesterol and plant sterols and stanols. Plant sterols and stanols are generally less absorptive than cholesterol. Differential absorption rates among various plant sterols and stanols have been also reported. Although it was suggested that differential absorption among cholesterol and various plant sterols was determined by difference in excretion rates of sterols and stanols through ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABC) G5/ABCG8 of intestinal cells, our study suggests that affinity for and solubility in bile salt micelles can be important determinants for differential absorption of plant sterols and stanols. It was also suggested that plant sterols were transiently incorporated into intestinal cells and then excreted to intestinal lumen through ABCG5/ABCG8. However, in a rat study, transient incorporation of sitosterol into intestinal cells was not observed, suggesting that sitosterol is differentiated from cholesterol at the incorporation site of intestinal cells. It is well established that plant sterols inhibit intestinal absorption of cholesterol and exert a hypocholesterolemic activity. Plant sterols are solubilized in bile salt micelles as cholesterol. Our study clearly showed that because the sterol-solubilizing capacity of bile salt micelles was limited, plant sterols solubilized in micelles reduced the solubility of cholesterol. This can be the major cause of inhibition of cholesterol absorption by plant sterols. Pancreatic cholesterol esterase accelerates intestinal absorption of unesterified cholesterol. Although it was suggested that cholesterol esterase accelerated esterification of cholesterol incorporated into intestinal cells and acted as a transporter at the surface of intestinal cells, our research revealed that the accelerated cholesterol absorption was caused by hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine in bile salt micelles. It is thought that hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine reduces the affinity of cholesterol for the micelles and accelerates the incorporation of cholesterol released from the micelles into intestinal cells.

Structural and functional analyses of a bacterial homologue of hormone-sensitive lipase from a metagenomic library.

Intracellular mobilization of fatty acids from triacylglycerols in mammalian adipose tissues proceeds through a series of lipolytic reactions. Among the enzymes involved, hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is noteworthy for its central role in energy homeostasis and the pathogenic role played by its dysregulation. By virtue of its broad substrate specificity, HSL may also serve as an industrial biocatalyst. In a previous report, Est25, a bacterial homologue of HSL, was identified from a metagenomic library by functional screening. Here, the crystal structure of Est25 is reported at 1.49 Šresolution; it exhibits an α/ß-hydrolase fold consisting of a central ß-sheet enclosed by α-helices on both sides. The structural features of the cap domain, the substrate-binding pocket and the dimeric interface of Est25, together with biochemical and biophysical studies including native PAGE, mass spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, gel filtration and enzyme assays, could provide a basis for understanding the properties and regulation of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL). The increased stability of cross-linked Est25 aggregates (CLEA-Est25) and their potential for extensive reuse support the application of this preparation as a biocatalyst in biotransformation processes.

Mechanisms of action of hormone-sensitive lipase in mouse Leydig cells: its role in the regulation of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein.

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) catalyzes the hydrolysis of cholesteryl esters in steroidogenic tissues and, thus, facilitates cholesterol availability for steroidogenesis. The steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) controls the rate-limiting step in steroid biosynthesis. However, the modes of action of HSL in the regulation of StAR expression remain obscure. We demonstrate in MA-10 mouse Leydig cells that activation of the protein kinase A (PKA) pathway, by a cAMP analog Bt2cAMP, enhanced expression of HSL and its phosphorylation (P) at Ser-660 and Ser-563, but not at Ser-565, concomitant with increased HSL activity. Phosphorylation and activation of HSL coincided with increases in StAR, P-StAR (Ser-194), and progesterone levels. Inhibition of HSL activity by CAY10499 effectively suppressed Bt2cAMP-induced StAR expression and progesterone synthesis. Targeted silencing of endogenous HSL, with siRNAs, resulted in increased cholesteryl ester levels and decreased cholesterol content in MA-10 cells. Depletion of HSL affected lipoprotein-derived cellular cholesterol influx, diminished the supply of cholesterol to the mitochondria, and resulted in the repression of StAR and P-StAR levels. Cells overexpressing HSL increased the efficacy of liver X receptor (LXR) ligands on StAR expression and steroid synthesis, suggesting HSL-mediated steroidogenesis entails enhanced oxysterol production. Conversely, cells deficient in LXRs exhibited decreased HSL responsiveness. Furthermore, an increase in HSL was correlated with the LXR target genes, steroid receptor element-binding protein 1c and ATP binding cassette transporter A1, demonstrating HSL-dependent regulation of steroidogenesis predominantly involves LXR signaling. LXRs interact/cooperate with RXRs and result in the activation of StAR gene transcription. These findings provide novel insight and demonstrate the molecular events by which HSL acts to drive cAMP/PKA-mediated regulation of StAR expression and steroidogenesis in mouse Leydig cells.

Ablation of TRIP-Br2, a regulator of fat lipolysis, thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism, prevents diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance.

Obesity develops as a result of altered energy homeostasis favoring fat storage. Here we describe a new transcription co-regulator for adiposity and energy metabolism, SERTA domain containing 2 (TRIP-Br2, also called SERTAD2). TRIP-Br2-null mice are resistant to obesity and obesity-related insulin resistance. Adipocytes of these knockout mice showed greater stimulated lipolysis secondary to enhanced expression of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and ß3-adrenergic (Adrb3) receptors. The knockout mice also have higher energy expenditure because of increased adipocyte thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism caused by upregulating key enzymes in their respective processes. Our data show that a cell-cycle transcriptional co-regulator, TRIP-Br2, modulates fat storage through simultaneous regulation of lipolysis, thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism. These data, together with the observation that TRIP-Br2 expression is selectively elevated in visceral fat in obese humans, suggests that this transcriptional co-regulator is a new therapeutic target for counteracting the development of obesity, insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia.

Cholesteryl ester accumulation and accelerated cholesterol absorption in intestine-specific hormone sensitive lipase-null mice.

Hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) regulates the hydrolysis of acylglycerols and cholesteryl esters (CE) in various cells and organs, including enterocytes of the small intestine. The physiological role of this enzyme in enterocytes, however, stayed elusive. In the present study we generated mice lacking HSL exclusively in the small intestine (HSLiKO) to investigate the impact of HSL deficiency on intestinal lipid metabolism and the consequences on whole body lipid homeostasis. Chow diet-fed HSLiKO mice showed unchanged plasma lipid concentrations. In addition, feeding with high fat/high cholesterol (HF/HC) diet led to unaltered triglyceride but increased plasma cholesterol concentrations and CE accumulation in the small intestine. The same effect was observed after an acute cholesterol load. Gavaging of radioactively labeled cholesterol resulted in increased abundance of radioactivity in plasma, liver and small intestine of HSLiKO mice 4h post-gavaging. However, cholesterol absorption determined by the fecal dual-isotope ratio method revealed no significant difference, suggesting that HSLiKO mice take up the same amount of cholesterol but in an accelerated manner. mRNA expression levels of genes involved in intestinal cholesterol transport and esterification were unchanged but we observed downregulation of HMG-CoA reductase and synthase and consequently less intestinal cholesterol biosynthesis. Taken together our study demonstrates that the lack of intestinal HSL leads to CE accumulation in the small intestine, accelerated cholesterol absorption and decreased cholesterol biosynthesis, indicating that HSL plays an important role in intestinal cholesterol homeostasis.

Atherosclerotic lesion progression is attenuated by reconstitution with bone marrow from macrophage-specific cholesteryl ester hydrolase transgenic mice.

Accumulation of cholesteryl ester (CE)-enriched macrophage foam cells is central to the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Intracellular CE hydrolysis is the rate-limiting step in the removal of free cholesterol from macrophage foam cells. Enhancing this process by transgenic overexpression of CE hydrolase (CEH) resulted in a significant decrease in diet-induced atherosclerosis in LDL receptor-deficient (LDLR-/-) mice. However, for development of this step as an antiatherosclerotic target it is imperative to demonstrate that increase in CE hydrolysis after initiation of lesion formation will also attenuate further lesion progression. The objective of the present study was to directly address this issue using an animal model. LDLR-/- mice were fed a high-fat high-cholesterol diet (Western Diet) for 8 wk to initiate lesion formation and were then divided into three groups. Group 1 mice were killed to determine baseline lesion development. Mice in groups 2 and 3 were irradiated and transplanted with either LDLR-/- or LDLR-/-CEH transgenic bone marrow and maintained on Western Diet. Atherosclerotic lesion progression was assessed after 12 wk. While a more than fourfold increase in total lesions (compared to group 1) was seen in group 2 receiving LDLR-/- marrow, a significantly lower increase (<2-fold) was noted in mice reconstituted with CEH transgenic marrow (group 3). Lesions in group 3 mice were also more cellular with smaller necrotic cores. Lesion progression is associated with a switch in macrophage phenotype from anti-inflammatory M2 to proinflammatory M1 phenotype and is consistent with reduced lesion progression. Aortas from group 3 mice contained a significantly higher percentage of macrophages in M2 phenotype (Ly6C(lo)). These data demonstrate for the first time that enhancing macrophage CE hydrolysis even after lesion initiation can still attenuate further lesion progression and also switches the phenotype of lesion-associated macrophages to anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype establishing intracellular CE hydrolysis as an anti-atherosclerotic as well as anti-inflammatory target.

A novel tumor-associated pancreatic glycoprotein is internalized by human dendritic cells and induces their maturation.

Aberrant glycosylation or overexpression of cell-surface glycosylated tumor-associated Ags (TAA) distinguish neoplastic from normal cells. Interactions of TAA MUC1 and HER2/neu with dendritic cells (DC) preclude efficient processing, which impairs immune responses. It is thus important to define the mechanisms of interactions between DC and glycosylated TAA and their trafficking and processing for further T cell activation. In this work, we study interactions between DC and the oncofetal fucose-rich glycovariants of bile salt-dependent lipase (BSDL), expressed in pancreatic cancer tissues and referred to as pathological BSDL carrying the fucosylated J28 glycotope (pBSDL-J28) because it is characterized by the mAb J28. The expression of pBSDL-J28 was assessed by immunohistochemistry and quantified by confocal microscopy. Nontumoral pancreatic tissues and cells do not express pBSDL-J28. Using multidisciplinary approaches and functional studies, we provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that this tumoral glycoprotein is rapidly internalized by human DC through macropinocytosis and endocytosis via mannose receptors and then transported to late endosomes for processing. Interestingly, pBSDL-J28 per se induced DC maturation with increased expression of costimulatory and CD83 molecules associated with cytokine secretion (IL-8 and IL-6). Surprisingly, DC retained their full ability to internalize Ags, making this maturation atypical. Finally, the allogeneic pBSDL-J28-treated DC stimulated lymphocyte proliferation. Besides, pulsing DC with pBSDL-J28 C-terminal glycopolypeptide and maturation with CD40L triggered CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell proliferation. Therefore, interactions of pBSDL-J28, expressed on tumoral pancreatic tissue, with DC may lead to adequate Ag trafficking and processing and result in T cell activation.

Fatty acid synthase and hormone-sensitive lipase expression in liver are involved in zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein-induced body fat loss in obese mice.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (ZAG) on body weight and body fat in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obesity in mice and the possible mechanism. METHODS: Thirty-six male mice were fed with standard food (SF) (n = 9) and HFD (n = 27), respectively. Five weeks later, 9 mice fed with HFD were subjected to ZAG expression plasmid DNA transfection by liposome transfection method, and another 9 mice to negative control plasmid transfection. Two weeks later, serum ZAG level in the mice was assayed by Western blot, and the effects of ZAG over-expression on body weight, body fat, serum biochemical indexes, and adipose tissue of obese mice were evaluated. The mRNA expressions of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) in liver tissue were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Serum ZAG level significantly lowered in simple HFD-fed mice in comparison to SF-fed mice (0.51 +/- 0.10 AU vs. 0.75 +/- 0.07 AU, P < 0.01). Further statistical analysis demonstrated that ZAG level was negatively correlated with body weight (r = -0.56, P < 0.001), epididymal fat mass (r = -0.67, P < 0.001), percentage of epididymal fat (r = -0.65, P < 0.001), and increased weight (r = -0.57, P < 0.001) in simple SF- and HFD-fed mice. ZAG over-expression in obese mice reduced body weight and the percentage of epididymal fat. Furthermore, FAS mRNA expression decreased (P < 0.01) and HSL mRNA expression increased (P < 0.001) in the liver in ZAG over-expressing mice. CONCLUSIONS: ZAG is closely related to obesity. Serum ZAG level is inversely correlated with body weight and percentage of body fat. The action of ZAG is associated with reduced FAS expression and increased HSL expression in the liver of obese mice.

The critical role of neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase 1 in cholesterol removal from human macrophages.

RATIONALE: Hydrolysis of intracellular cholesterol ester (CE) is the key step in the reverse cholesterol transport in macrophage foam cells. We have recently shown that neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase (Nceh)1 and hormone-sensitive lipase (Lipe) are key regulators of this process in mouse macrophages. However, it remains unknown which enzyme is critical in human macrophages and atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the enzyme responsible for the CE hydrolysis in human macrophages and to determine its expression in human atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared the expression of NCEH1, LIPE, and cholesterol ester hydrolase (CES1) in human monocyte-derived macrophages (HMMs) and examined the effects of inhibition or overexpression of each enzyme in the cholesterol trafficking. The pattern of expression of NCEH1 was similar to that of neutral CE hydrolase activity during the differentiation of HMMs. Overexpression of human NCEH1 increased the hydrolysis of CE, thereby stimulating cholesterol mobilization from THP-1 macrophages. Knockdown of NCEH1 specifically reduced the neutral CE hydrolase activity. Pharmacological inhibition of NCEH1 also increased the cellular CE in HMMs. In contrast, LIPE was barely detectable in HMMs, and its inhibition did not decrease neutral CE hydrolase activity. Neither overexpression nor knockdown of CES1 affected the neutral CE hydrolase activity. NCEH1 was expressed in CD68-positive macrophage foam cells of human atherosclerotic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: NCEH1 is expressed in human atheromatous lesions, where it plays a critical role in the hydrolysis of CE in human macrophage foam cells, thereby contributing to the initial part of reverse cholesterol transport in human atherosclerosis.

Critical roles of lysosomal acid lipase in myelopoiesis.

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) is a key enzyme that cleaves cholesteryl esters and triglycerides to generate free fatty acids and cholesterol in lysosomes. Genetic ablation of the lal gene (lal(-/-)) in mice has resulted in a systemic increase of macrophages and neutrophils, causing severe inflammation and pathogenesis in multiple organs. We hypothesized that aberrant growth and differentiation of myeloid cells in lal(-/-) mice arises from dysregulated production of progenitor cells in the bone marrow. Indeed, lal(-/-) mice displayed increased numbers of primitive lin(-)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(+) (LSK) cells and granulocyte-macrophage precursors (GMP). Increased high proliferative potential colony-forming cells (HPP-CFC) were enumerated from cultured lal(-/-) bone marrow cells, as were significantly more CFU-GM, CFU-G, and CFU-M colonies. As a consequence, lal(-/-) mice developed significant myeloid infiltration, particularly with CD11b+/Gr-1+ myeloid-derived suppressive cells in multiple organs. Both decreased apoptosis and increased proliferation contribute to the systemic increase of myeloid cells in lal(-/-) myeloid cells. These lal(-/-) CD11b(+)/Gr-1(+) cells displayed suppressive activity on T cell proliferation and function in vitro. Bone marrow chimeras confirmed that the myeloproliferative disorder in lal(-/-) mice was primarily attributable to autonomous defects in myeloid progenitor cells, although the hematopoietic microenvironment in the lal(-/-) mice did not support hematopoiesis normally. These results provide evidence that LAL is an important regulator of myelopoiesis during hematopoietic development, differentiation, and homeostasis.

Ablation of neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase 1 accelerates atherosclerosis.

Cholesterol ester (CE)-laden macrophage foam cells are the hallmark of atherosclerosis, and the hydrolysis of intracellular CE is one of the key steps in foam cell formation. Although hormone-sensitive lipase (LIPE) and cholesterol ester hydrolase (CEH), which is identical to carboxylsterase 1 (CES1, hCE1), were proposed to mediate the neutral CE hydrolase (nCEH) activity in macrophages, recent evidences have suggested the involvement of other enzymes. We have recently reported the identification of a candidate, neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase 1(Nceh1). Here we demonstrate that genetic ablation of Nceh1 promotes foam cell formation and the development of atherosclerosis in mice. We further demonstrate that Nceh1 and Lipe mediate a comparable degree of nCEH activity in macrophages and together account for most of the activity. Mice lacking both Nceh1 and Lipe aggravated atherosclerosis in an additive manner. Thus, Nceh1 is a promising target for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Effects of hormone-sensitive lipase disruption on cardiac energy metabolism in response to fasting and refeeding.

Increased fatty acid (FA) flux and intracellular lipid accumulation (steatosis) give rise to cardiac lipotoxicity in both pathological and physiological conditions. Since hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) contributes to intracellular lipolysis in adipose tissue and heart, we investigated the impact of HSL disruption on cardiac energy metabolism in response to fasting and refeeding. HSL-knockout (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) littermates were fasted for 24 h, followed by ∼6 h of refeeding. Plasma FA concentration in WT mice was elevated twofold with fasting, whereas KO mice lacked this elevation, resulting in twofold lower cardiac FA uptake compared with WT mice. Echocardiography showed that fractional shortening was 15% decreased during fasting in WT mice and was associated with steatosis, whereas both of these changes were absent in KO mice. Compared with Langendorff-perfused hearts isolated from fasted WT mice, the isolated KO hearts also displayed higher contractile function and a blunted response to FA. Although cardiac glucose uptake in KO mice was comparable with WT mice under all conditions tested, cardiac VLDL uptake and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity were twofold higher in KO mice during fasting. The KO hearts showed undetectable activity of neutral cholesteryl esterase and 40% lower non-LPL triglyceride lipase activity compared with WT hearts in refed conditions accompanied by overt steatosis, normal cardiac function, and increased mRNA expression of adipose differentiation-related protein. Thus, the dissociation between cardiac steatosis and functional sequelae observed in HSL-KO mice suggests that excess FA influx, rather than steatosis per se, appears to play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiac lipotoxicity.

Aggregated LDL in contact with macrophages induces local increases in free cholesterol levels that regulate local actin polymerization.

OBJECTIVE: Interaction of macrophages with aggregated matrix-anchored lipoprotein deposits is an important initial step in atherogenesis. Aggregated lipoproteins require different cellular uptake processes than those used for endocytosis of monomeric lipoproteins. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that engagement of aggregated LDL (agLDL) by macrophages could lead to local increases in free cholesterol levels and that these increases in free cholesterol regulate signals that control cellular actin. METHODS AND RESULTS: AgLDL resides for prolonged periods in surface-connected compartments. Although agLDL is still extracellular, we demonstrate that an increase in free cholesterol occurs at sites of contact between agLDL and cells because of hydrolysis of agLDL-derived cholesteryl ester. This increase in free cholesterol causes enhanced actin polymerization around the agLDL. Inhibition of cholesteryl ester hydrolysis results in decreased actin polymerization. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a novel process that occurs during agLDL-macrophage interactions in which local release of free cholesterol causes local actin polymerization, promoting a pathological positive feedback loop for increased catabolism of agLDL and eventual foam cell formation.