Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha deficiency modifies glucose handling by isolated mouse adipocytes.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is a transcription factor that regulates enzymes involved in fatty acid (FA) utilisation. PPARalpha null mice have recently been demonstrated to have increased whole-body glucose turnover in vivo. This has been attributed to increased glucose uptake by adipose tissue, but the impact of PPARalpha deficiency on the characteristics of glucose handling by isolated adipocytes ex vivo is unknown. To determine directly the impact of PPARalpha deficiency on adipocyte glucose handling, thereby excluding any influence of humoral/neuronal factors, we examined total glucose metabolism as well as glucose disposition towards alternative fates in epididymal adipocytes isolated from wild-type and PPARalphanull mice. Total glucose metabolism (oxidation, incorporation into FA and glycerol moieties of triglyceride (TAG) and conversion to lactate) was measured under basal conditions (low glucose) and 'stimulated lipogenic' conditions (high glucose + insulin). Adipocytes from PPARalpha null mice had higher rates of glucose metabolism under both basal and stimulated lipogenic conditions, with increased glucose utilisation both for oxidation and entry into the synthesis of the FA and glycerol components of lipid. In particular, the capacity of adipocytes from PPARalpha-deficient mice to utilise glucose for synthesis of the glycerol backbone of TAG was greatly enhanced under stimulated (high glucose + insulin) conditions. The increased use of glucose for the glycerol moiety of adipocyte TAG may therefore contribute to, and provide explanation for, enhanced glucose turnover in PPARalpha null mice.

Deficiency of PPARalpha disturbs the response of lipogenic flux and of lipogenic and cholesterogenic gene expression to dietary cholesterol in mouse white adipose tissue.

PPARalpha-deficiency in mice fed a high-carbohydrate, low-cholesterol diet was associated with a decreased weight of epididymal adipose tissue and an increased concentration of adipose tissue cholesterol. Consumption of a high (2% w/w) cholesterol diet resulted in a further increase in the concentration of cholesterol and a further decrease in epididymal fat pad weight in PPARalpha-null mice, but had no effect in the wild-type. These reductions in fat pad weight were associated with an increase in hepatic triacylglycerol content, indicating that both PPARalpha-deficiency and cholesterol altered the distribution of triacylglycerol in the body. Adipose tissue de novo lipogenesis was increased in PPARalpha-null mice and was further enhanced when they were fed a cholesterol-rich diet; no such effect was observed in the wild-type mice. The increased lipogenesis in the chow-fed PPARalpha-null mice was accompanied paradoxically by lower mRNA expression of SREBP-1c and its target genes, acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase. Consumption of a high-cholesterol diet increased the mRNA expression of these genes in the PPARalpha-deficient mice but not in the wild-type. De novo cholesterol synthesis was not detectable in the adipose tissue of either genotype despite a relatively high expression of the mRNA's encoding SREBP-2 and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase. The mRNA expression of these genes and of the LDL-receptor in adipose tissue of the PPARalpha-deficient mice was lower than that of the wild-type and was not downregulated by cholesterol feeding. The results suggest that PPARalpha plays a role in adipose tissue cholesterol and triacylglycerol homeostasis and prevents cholesterol-mediated changes in de novo lipogenesis.

Effects of hormones and pyruvate on the rates of secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein triacylglycerol and cholesterol by rat hepatocytes.

The secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) triacylglycerol and cholesterol was determined under various conditions in hepatocytes prepared from rats maintained on a controlled lighting and feeding schedule. The rate of lipogenesis in hepatocytes prepared from rats during the feeding period was 2-3-fold higher than that in cells prepared immediately before the animals had access to food. However, there were no corresponding changes in the rates of secretion of triacylglycerol and cholesterol. Pyruvate alone stimulated triacylglycerol secretion but had no effect on the secretion of cholesterol. Despite its stimulation of lipogenesis, insulin suppressed the secretion of both triacylglycerol and cholesterol. This effect on triacylglycerol secretion was more pronounced when lipogenesis was enhanced in the presence of pyruvate. Thus, insulin may act to alleviate hypertriglyceridaemia, which may arise during periods of increased hepatic lipogenesis. The inhibitory effect of glucagon on cholesterol secretion was much less pronounced than that on the secretion of triacylglycerol. The inhibitory effects of glucagon were reversed by pyruvate on cholesterol secretion differed according to whether glucagon was present or absent. These results suggest that the rate of hepatic VLDL triacylglycerol secretion is not necessarily coupled to the rate of lipogenesis in the liver; nor is there any obligatory coupling between the output of triacylglycerol and cholesterol associated with VLDL.

Inactivation of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein impairs the normal redistribution but not the turnover of newly synthesized glycerolipid in the cytosol, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi of primary rat hepatocytes.

The requirements for microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) during the turnover and transfer of glycerolipids from intracellular compartments into secretory very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) were studied by pre-labelling lipids with [(3)H]glycerol and [(14)C]oleate in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. The intracellular redistribution of pre-labelled glycerolipids was then compared at the end of subsequent chase periods during which the MTP inhibitor BMS-200150 was either present or absent in the medium. Inhibition of MTP resulted in a decreased output of VLDL triacylglycerol (TAG) and a delayed removal of labelled TAG from the cytosol and from the membranes of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), the cis- and the trans-Golgi. Inactivation of MTP did not decrease the bulk lipolytic turnover of cellular TAG as reflected by changes in its [(3)H]glycerol:[(14)C]oleate ratios. However, a larger proportion of the resultant TAG fatty acids was re-esterified and remained with the membranes of the various subcellular fractions rather than emerging as VLDL. The effects of BMS-200150 on the pattern of phospholipid (PL) mechanism and redistribution suggested that inhibition of MTP prevented the normal lipolytic transfer of PL-derived fatty acids out of the SER, cis- and trans-Golgi membrane pools. Finally, changes in the (14)C specific radioactivities of the cytosolic and membrane pools of TAG suggested that inhibition of MTP prevented a normal influx of relatively unlabelled fatty acids into these pools during the chase period.

Effects of oleate and compactin on the metabolism and secretion of cholesterol and cholesteryl ester by rat hepatocytes.

Incubation of rat hepatocytes with oleate for a period of 1 h gave rise to a decrease in the total (esterified plus unesterified) cholesterol associated with very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). This effect was no longer apparent after longer incubation periods. The rate of cholesterol biosynthesis decreased during the first hour of incubation in the presence of oleate. After longer incubation periods, however, more cholesterol was synthesised in the presence of oleate than in its absence. The extracellular presence of oleate gave rise to a 2-fold increase in the concentration of cellular cholesteryl ester. Under these conditions cholesteryl ester contributed a larger proportion of the total cholesterol secreted with the VLDL. The cholesteryl ester associated with VLDL was derived predominantly from cholesteryl ester synthesised intracellularly. Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis with compactin did not significantly alter the rate of secretion of VLDL-cholesterol. Newly synthesised non-esterified cholesterol equilibrated with the bulk of pre-existing cellular cholesterol before secretion with the VLDL. This was true irrespective of the rate of endogenous cholesterol synthesis.

Effect of trans-1,4-bis(2-chlorobenzylaminomethyl) cyclohexane dihydrochloride and carbon monoxide on hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis from 4,4,-dimethyl sterols in vitro.

The drug trans-1,4-bis(2-chlorobenzylaminomethyl)cyclohexane dihydrochloride (AY-9944) almost completely inhibited the conversion of [2-14C] mevalonic acid, dihydro[14C]lanosterol, 4,4-dimethyl-5alpha-[2-3H2]cholesta-8,14-dien-3beta-ol and 4,4-dimethyl-5alpha-[2-3H2]cholest-8(14)-en-3beta-ol to 5alpha-cholest-7-en-3beta-ol and cholesterol by cell-free systems of rat liver. With the first three precursors, the inhibition was accompanied by an accumulation of radioactive 5alpha-cholesta-8,14-dien-3beta-ol, but this material could not be detected during inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis from 4,4-dimethyl-5alpha-[2-3H2] cholest-8(14)-en-3beta-ol. Regardless of the nature of the precursor, trans-1,4-bis(2-chlorobenzylaminomethyl)cyclohexane dihydrochloride did not result in the accumulation of any delta5,7 sterols. Non-radioactive 5alpha-cholest-8(14)-en-3beta-ol inhibited the conversion of dihydro[14C]lanosterol to 4,4-dimethyl-5alpha-cholesta-8,14-dien-3beta-ol. Carbon monoxide resulted in a decrease in the rate of conversion of dihydro[14C]lanosterol to 4,4-dimethyl-5alpha-cholesta-8,14-dien-3beta-ol but had no effect on the rate of conversion of 4,4-dimethyl-5alpha-[2-3H2]cholesta-8,14-dien-3beta-ol to 5alpha-cholest-7-en-3beta-ol and cholesterol suggesting that cytochrome P-450 is involved neither in the oxidative removal of the 4-methyl groups nor in the oxidative introduction of the delta5 bond during cholesterol biosynthesis. In addition, the process of cholesterol and 5alpha-cholest-7-en-3beta-ol biosynthesis from 4,4-dimethyl-5alpha-[2-3H2]cholest-8(14)-en-3beta-ol was inhibited by carbon monoxide at a stage after the formation of 5alpha-cholest-8(14)-en-3beta-ol.

Mobilisation of triacylglycerol stores.

Triacylglycerol (TAG) is an energy dense substance which is stored by several body tissues, principally adipose tissue and the liver. Utilisation of stored TAG as an energy source requires its mobilisation from these depots and transfer into the blood plasma. The means by which TAG is mobilised differs in adipose tissue and liver although the regulation of lipid metabolism in each of these organs is interdependent and synchronised in an integrated manner. This review deals principally with the mechanism of hepatic TAG mobilisation since this is a rapidly expanding area of research and may have important implications for the regulation of plasma very-low-density lipoprotein metabolism. TAG mobilisation plays an important role in fuel selection in non-hepatic tissues such as cardiac muscle and pancreatic islets and these aspects are also reviewed briefly. Finally, studies of certain rare inherited disorders of neutral lipid storage and mobilisation may provide useful information about the normal enzymology of TAG mobilisation in healthy tissues.

Manipulation of cholesterol and cholesteryl ester synthesis has multiple effects on the metabolism of apolipoprotein B and the secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein by primary hepatocyte cultures.

Inhibition of esterified and non-esterified cholesterol synthesis by lovastatin in primary rat hepatocytes suppressed the net synthesis and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-48 and apoB-100. Lovastatin did not alter the rates of apoB-48 and apoB-100 post-translational degradation. 25-Hydroxycholesterol, which inhibited non-esterified cholesterol synthesis but increased the synthesis of cholesteryl ester, showed differential effects on the metabolism of apoB-48 and apoB-100. Whereas the secretion of apoB-48 VLDL was suppressed there was no effect on the secretion of apoB-100 VLDL. The post-translational degradation of apoB-48, but not of apoB-100, was enhanced by 25-hydroxycholesterol. The net synthesis rates of apoB-48 and apoB-100 were unaffected by 25-hydroxycholesterol. The inhibitory effect of lovastatin alone on the net synthesis of apoB-48 and apoB-100 was reversed by the simultaneous presence of 25-hydroxycholesterol, suggesting a role for newly synthesised cholesteryl ester. Prevention of the reversal effect by the acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor YM 17E supported this interpretation. In the presence of lovastatin, restoration of the net synthesis of apoB by 25-hydroxycholesterol was not accompanied by an increased VLDL output of apoB-48 and apoB-100. However, under these conditions there was an increased post-translational degradation of apoB-48 and apoB-100. These results suggest that interference with intracellular cholesterol and cholesteryl ester metabolism interrupts VLDL assembly at sites of both apoB net synthesis and post-translational degradation.

Effects of various oxygenated sterols on cellular sterol biosynthesis in Chinese hamster lung cells resistant to 25-hydroxycholesterol.

The effects of a wide variety of oxygenated sterols upon sterol biosynthesis and hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase (mevalonate: NADP+ oxidoreductase (CoA-acylating), EC 1.1.1.34) activity in a wild-type clone and in a 25-hydroxycholesterol-resistant clone of Chinese hamster lung (Dede) cells are described. Derivatives of cholesterol which were oxygenated in the 6, 7 or 15 positions of the sterol nucleus or in the 20, 22, 24 or 25 positions of the sterol side chain were shown to be potent inhibitors of sterol synthesis and reductase activity in the wild-type cells but none of these substitutions had any effect on the 25-hydroxycholesterol-resistant A2 clone. A 32-hydroxylated derivative of lanosterol also suppressed sterol synthesis and reductase activity in wild-type cells but had no significant effect upon the A2 line. It was also appraent that a complete sterol side chain was necessary for inhibitory activity. Studies of a wide range of inhibitory sterols indicated that there was a close correlation between their effects upon sterol synthesis and reductase activity and that their inhibitory action was specific for sterol biosynthesis since little effect was observed upon fatty acid or CO2 synthesis. Previous studies had shown that the uptake of 25-hydroxycholesterol by the resistant A2 line was unimpaired and the present results indicate that metabolism of this oxygenated sterol is also unaltered. These results, in conjunction with previous studies, suggest that the resistant A2 line is defective in feedback regulation of cholesterol synthesis and that all of the oxygenated sterols tested suppress the biosynthetic pathway through at least one common step.

Metabolism of hydroxy sterols by rat liver.

5 alpha-[16-3H]lanost-8-ene-3 beta,15 alpha-diol and 5 alpha-[16-3H]lanost-8-ene-3 beta,15 beta-diol were both extensively metabolised by rat liver enzymes in vitro. Quantitatively, the most important product in both cases was a more polar compound, tentatively identified as a 5 alpha-lanost-8-enetriol. In addition, 5 alpha-[16-3H]lanost-8-ene-3 beta,15 beta-diol gave rise to the corresponding 3 beta,15beta-diol diester, whilst with 5 alpha-[16-3H]lanost-8-ene-3 beta,15 alpha-diol only the 3 beta-hydroxyl group was esterified. The enzymes involved may normally be responsible for metabolising spontaneously produced non-enzymic oxidation products of dietary or cellular cholesterol. High concentrations of 5 alpha-[16-3H]lanost-8-ene-3 beta,15 beta-diol stimulated ester formation. With both substrates, carbon monoxide inhibited formation of the polar sterol metabolite but stimulated ester formation. Under all conditions, cholesterol was a relatively minor metabolic product of either of the 5 alpha-lanost-8-ene-3 beta,15-diols.

A dominant negative human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR){alpha} is a constitutive transcriptional corepressor and inhibits signaling through all PPAR isoforms.

Several missense mutations in the ligand-binding domain of human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma have been described in subjects with dominantly inherited severe insulin resistance associated with partial lipodystrophy, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. These mutant receptors behave as dominant-negative inhibitors of PPARgamma signaling when studied in transfected cells. The extent to which such dominant-negative effects extend to signaling through other coexpressed PPAR isoforms has not been evaluated. To examine these issues further, we have created a PPARalpha mutant harboring twin substitutions, Leu459Ala and Glu462Ala, within the ligand binding domain (PPARalpha(mut)), examined its signaling properties, and compared the effects of dominant-negative PPARalpha and PPARgamma mutants on basal and ligand-induced gene transcription in adipocytes and hepatocytes. PPARalpha(mut) was transcriptionally inactive, repressed basal activity from a PPAR response element-containing promoter, inhibited the coactivator function of cotransfected PPAR-gamma coactivator 1alpha, and strongly inhibited the transcriptional response to cotransfected wild-type receptor. In contrast to PPARgamma, wild-type PPARalpha failed to recruit the transcriptional corepressors NCoR and SMRT. However, PPARalpha(mut) avidly recruited these corepressors in a ligand-dissociable manner. In hepatocytes and adipocytes, both PPARalpha(mut) and the corresponding PPARgamma mutant were capable of inhibiting the expression of genes primarily regulated by PPARalpha, -gamma, or -delta ligands, albeit with some differences in potency. Thus, dominant-negative forms of PPARalpha and PPARgamma are capable of interfering with PPAR signaling in a manner that is not wholly restricted to their cognate target genes. These findings may have implications for the pathogenesis of human syndromes resulting from mutations in this family of transcription factors.

Insulin inhibits the maturation phase of VLDL assembly via a phosphoinositide 3-kinase-mediated event.

LY 294002 (80 micromol/L), an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, was used to investigate the involvement of this enzyme in the insulin-mediated regulation of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) apolipoprotein B (apoB) output from cultured rat hepatocytes. Newly synthesized apoB was pulse-labeled with [(35)S]methionine and was then allowed to assemble, via an intermediate precursor stage, into mature VLDL during subsequent chase periods. Brefeldin A (BFA, 0.2 microgram/mL) was used to discriminate between the role of insulin in the regulation of the early, compared with the later, events of VLDL assembly, including apoB degradation. Insulin (78 nmol/L), when present during the pulse-labeling and subsequent chase periods, inhibited the secretion of apoB-100 and apoB-48 as VLDL by 53% and 56%, respectively. Degradation of both was concomitantly increased. Secretion of high density lipoprotein apoB, derived from VLDL precursors, was relatively unaffected under these conditions, as was the net synthesis of apoB-100 and apoB-48. The presence of BFA during the pulse-labeling period and subsequent chase period prevented the maturation of VLDL in the insulin-treated and the non-insulin-treated cells. BFA was then removed, allowing the maturation of VLDL to proceed. Removal of insulin at this stage reversed the overall inhibitory effect of insulin. Furthermore, when insulin remained present during this period, the simultaneous presence of LY 294002 also reversed the inhibitory effect of insulin on VLDL apoB output and abolished the increase in apoB degradation. The results suggest that insulin signaling via phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibited the maturation phase of VLDL assembly by preventing bulk lipid transfer to a VLDL precursor, thus enhancing the degradation of apoB. There was no inhibition of the conversion of newly synthesized apoB into the VLDL precursor form.

Effect of drugs, peptide hormones and lipogenic precursors on the relative incorporation of [3H]H2O and carbon into hepatic cholesterol.

Measurement of the weight of desmosterol produced during its biosynthesis in the presence of tritiated water and triparanol has permitted a direct determination of the relative flux of carbon and tritium (the H/C ratio) into sterol in hepatocytes. The H/C ratio increased with time of incubation irrespective of the nutritional state of the donor animals. This increase was more marked in hepatocytes from starved animals. Pyruvate and lactate increased, and glucagon decreased, the sterol H/C ratio. Addition of pyruvate to incubations containing glucagon resulted in a 32-67% increase in the H/C ratio depending upon nutritional status. Insulin had no effect whilst (-)-hydroxycitrate decreased the ratio by 25%.

Decreased hepatic expression of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor and LDL receptor-related protein in aging rats is associated with delayed clearance of chylomicrons from the circulation.

Aging in both humans and rats is associated with the development of insulin resistance and the ensuing alterations in the plasma lipoprotein profile. In this study, young (2 months) and old (15 months) Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to investigate age-related alterations in the chylomicron clearance pathway. Clearance from the blood of an intravenously injected bolus of 14C-labeled cholesterol ester (CE) and 3H-labeled triacylglycerol (TAG) lymph chylomicrons was markedly delayed in the old rats (P < .05). Hepatic expression of the two principal receptors of chylomicron remnant removal, the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor and LDL receptor-related protein (LRP), was determined by ligand blotting and immunoblotting. The old rats expressed 43%+/-7% of the level of LDL receptor in the young animals (P < .05) and 45%+/-16% of the corresponding level of LRP (P < .05). The results suggest that the delayed clearance of chylomicron remnants in this animal model of aging and insulin resistance is due, at least in part, to a decrease in the hepatic expression of LDL receptor and LRP.

Decreased sensitivity to the inhibitory effect of insulin on the secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein in cultured hepatocytes from fructose-fed rats.

Hepatocytes were prepared from rats fed a chow diet (control-fed) and from rats fed a similar diet in which the drinking water contained 10% (wt/vol) fructose (fructose-fed). Both types of hepatocyte preparations were cultured for < or = 48 hours in supplemented Waymouth's medium containing increasing concentrations of bovine insulin (0 to 780 nmol/L). During the first 24 hours of culture, hepatocytes from fructose-fed rats secreted more very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) triacylglycerol (TAG) than hepatocytes from control-fed rats. This difference persisted at all concentrations of insulin. There was no difference in the rate of secretion of apolipoprotein B (apo B). In both control-fed and fructose-fed animals, the inhibitory effect of insulin on the secretion of VLDL was greater on the second versus the first day of culture. Under these conditions, hepatocytes from fructose-fed groups were less sensitive to insulin inhibition as compared with those from the control-fed group. This was evidenced by the following: (1) the decreased inhibitory effect of insulin on the secretion of both total and newly synthesized VLDL TAG, (2) the attenuated inhibitory effect of insulin on the secretion of VLDL apo B, (3) the decreased potency of insulin in suppressing the secretion of VLDL TAG in TAG-depleted hepatocytes from fructose-fed as compared with control-fed animals, and (4) the larger proportion of newly synthesized TAG secreted as VLDL in hepatocytes from fructose-fed rats as compared with controls. This difference was exacerbated at higher concentrations of insulin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adipose tissue metabolism in obesity: lipase action in vivo before and after a mixed meal.

Physiological actions of insulin include suppression of fat mobilization from adipose tissue and activation of adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase. Here, we report measurements of adipose tissue hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) action in vivo in 10 normal and eight obese subjects, with the latter group having varying degrees of glucose intolerance. HSL and LPL actions (per gram of adipose tissue) were similar in the two groups, after an overnight fast. In the normal subjects, HSL action was suppressed after a meal (by 75% +/- 6% between 60 to 300 minutes, P less than .01), and the action of LPL was increased (clearance of circulating triacylglycerol [TAG] increased by 140% +/- 57% at 300 minutes, P less than .05). Despite hyperinsulinemia, these responses were blunted in the obese subjects (P less than .05 for each change being less than in normal group). The adipose tissue of the obese subjects showed continued nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) release at a time when NEFA mobilization was completely suppressed in the normal group. Both impaired suppression of HSL and low fractional retention of fatty acids for reesterification within the adipose tissue contributed to this abnormal NEFA release. Impaired activation of LPL was associated with a greater absolute increase in plasma TAG concentration postprandially in the obese. In obese subjects, adipose tissue HSL and LPL fail to respond to immunoreactive insulin postprandially, which may be an important maladaptation in terms of lipoprotein metabolism and risk of coronary heart disease.

Intracellular triacylglycerol lipase: its role in the assembly of hepatic very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL).

Extracellular fatty acids entering the hepatocyte are either esterified to cytosolic TAG or oxidized to ketone bodies. Very little is esterified and secreted directly in association with VLDL. Thus, even when extracellular fatty acids are available, the major, direct source of VLDL TAG is the cytosolic pool. The recruitment of cytosolic TAG for VLDL assembly involves lipolysis followed by re-esterification. At least 70% of the secreted TAG is derived via this route. Fatty acids released at this lipolytic step are utilized exclusively for VLDL TAG synthesis and are not available for ketogenesis. Substantially more cytosolic TAG undergoes lipolysis than is required to meet the needs of VLDL assembly. The remaining fatty acids are re-esterified and re-cycled to the cell cytosol. From a physiological viewpoint, the presence of this indirect route for VLDL TAG recruitment would provide a means of regulation of VLDL secretion which is independent of the plasma fatty acid concentration. In this respect, several pathophysiological conditions are known in which there is a negative association between plasma fatty acid concentration and the rate of VLDL secretion. These are: (a) insulin-dependent diabetes, (b) starvation, (c) fat-feeding. Lipolysis of cytosolic TAG and transfer of fatty acids into the ER lumen may provide a regulatory focus for the control of hepatic VLDL output.

Human triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein subfractions as substrates for lipoprotein lipase.

In order to test the hypothesis that lipoprotein lipase (LPL) acts preferentially on larger lipoprotein particles, we determined the susceptibility of triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein (TRL) subfractions to hydrolysis by LPL in vitro. Chylomicrons (Sf > 400), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL)1 (Sf 60-400) and VLDL2 (Sf 20-60) were isolated from six subjects with a range of plasma-triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations following an overnight fast and for up to 6 h after the consumption of a mixed meal (41% fat). The percent of TRL-TAG hydrolysed by LPL in subfractions isolated following overnight fast was VLDL1 > VLDL2 (46.8 +/- 10.2 vs. 25.9 +/- 7.4%, P = 0.006) and 3 h after the meal it was chylomicrons > VLDL1 > VLDL2 (81.0 +/- 12.6 vs. 52.8 +/- 10.2 vs. 27.7 +/- 6.2%, chylomicrons vs. VLDL1 and VLDL1 vs. VLDL2, both P < or = 0.005). The percent of VLDL1-TAG hydrolysed increased both within and between subjects as VLDL1-TAG concentrations increased. This relationship could be explained by the positive correlation observed between VLDL1-TAG and VLDL1-TAG:apolipoprotein B. In conclusion, increasing the size and TAG content of a lipoprotein particle increases its susceptibility to hydrolysis by LPL.

Oxidative metabolism of cholesterol precursors: sensitivity to ketoconazole, an inhibitor of cytochrome P-450.

The effects of ketoconazole, an inhibitor of cytochrome P-450, on the metabolism of the cholesterol precursors lanosterol, dihydrolanosterol, lanost-8-en-3 beta,32-diol, and 3 beta-hydroxylanost-8-en-32-al were investigated in subcellular fractions of rat liver and in rat hepatocytes in culture. At low (1-2 microM) concentrations of the drug, the oxidative demethylation of lanosterol was inhibited by about 70% in the subcellular fractions but there was no effect on the metabolism of the 3 beta, 32-diol or the 32-aldehyde. Higher drug concentrations (10-20 microM) were required to inhibit the oxidative metabolism of these cholesterol precursors. Similar results were obtained during longer-term incubations using hepatocytes in culture medium, but higher concentrations of ketoconazole were required to effect the same degree of inhibition of each precursor. In the subcellular fractions, dihydrolanosterol, the 3 beta,32-diol and the 32-aldehyde were each metabolized to more polar sterols, in addition to cholesterol. Ketoconazole also inhibited the formation of these polar substances.

Lanosterol 14alpha-demethylase. Similarity of the enzyme system from yeast and rat liver.

The chemical synthesis of 24,25-dihydro[32-14C]lanosterol is described. The incubation of this material with a cell-free system from Saccharomyces cerevisiae or with a microsomal preparation from rat liver resulted in both cases in the release of [14C]formic acid. This result suggests that in the biosynthesis of ergosterol in yeast, as well as in that of cholesterol in higher animals, the 14alpha-methyl group of lanosterol is removed as formic acid. In both systems, the measurement of the rate of release of [14C]formic acid from 24,25-dihydro[32-14C]lanosterol provides a simple and direct assay of lanosterol 14alpha-demethylase. Carbon monoxide inhibited both yeast and liver 14alpha-demethylase.