Véronique Clavey

Modulation of Lipoprotein B Binding to the LDL Receptor by Exogenous Lipids and Apolipoproteins CI, CII, CIII, and E

We have recently shown that apo B-containing lipoproteins isolated by immunoaffinity chromatography bind to the LDL receptor with an affinity dependent on their apo E or apo CIII content. However, these lipoproteins--LpB:E, LpB:CIII, and LpB:CIII:E--isolated from whole plasma have variable lipid and apolipoprotein contents, and it is difficult to consider each parameter separately, particularly because an increase in the apo CIII content is always associated with an increase in the content of other C apolipoproteins. Therefore, we used affinity-purified LpB free of other apolipoproteins. Lipid content of LpB was increased by incubation with a lipid emulsion, and this triglyceride-enriched LpB was named TG-LpB. Free apo CI, apo CII, apo CIII, and apo E were added to LpB and TG-LpB and their associations to the lipoprotein were assessed by gel filtration, nondenaturing electrophoresis, and immunoblotting. Molar ratios of 6 (apo E), 30 (apo CII), 20 (apo CIII), and 30 (apo CI) for 1 apo B were obtained. The association of apo CII to LpB and TG-LpB induced modifications to the LpB structure and a redistribution of lipids and apolipoproteins on the lipoprotein particles. The binding of these LpBs and TG-LpBs with and without added apo CI, CII, CIII, and E was tested at 4 degrees C on the LDL receptors of HeLa cells. The increased content of lipids reduced TG-LpB binding to the LDL receptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Liver X Receptor Activation Controls Intracellular Cholesterol Trafficking and Esterification in Human Macrophages

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are nuclear receptors that regulate macrophage cholesterol efflux by inducing ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and ABCG1/ABCG4 gene expression. The Niemann-Pick C (NPC) proteins NPC1 and NPC2 are located in the late endosome, where they control cholesterol trafficking to the plasma membrane. The mobilization of cholesterol from intracellular pools to the plasma membrane is a determinant governing its availability for efflux to extracellular acceptors. Here we investigated the influence of LXR activation on intracellular cholesterol trafficking in primary human macrophages. Synthetic LXR activators increase the amount of free cholesterol in the plasma membrane by inducing NPC1 and NPC2 gene expression. Moreover, ABCA1-dependent cholesterol efflux induced by LXR activators was drastically decreased in the presence of progesterone, which blocks postlysosomal cholesterol trafficking, and reduced when NPC1 and NPC2 mRNA expression was depleted using small interfering RNA. The stimulation of cholesterol mobilization to the plasma membrane by LXRs led to a decrease in cholesteryl ester formation and Acyl–coenzyme A cholesterol acyltransferase-1 activity. These data indicate that LXR activation enhances cholesterol trafficking to the plasma membrane, where it becomes available for efflux, at the expense of esterification, thus contributing to the overall effects of LXR agonists in the control of macrophage cholesterol homeostasis.

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α Reduces Cholesterol Esterification in Macrophages

Abstract— Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor &agr; (PPAR&agr;) is a nuclear receptor activated by fatty acid derivatives and hypolipidemic drugs of the fibrate class. PPAR&agr; is expressed in monocytes, macrophages, and foam cells, suggesting a role for this receptor in macrophage lipid homeostasis with consequences for atherosclerosis development. Recently, it was shown that PPAR&agr; activation promotes cholesterol efflux from macrophages via induction of the ABCA1 pathway. In the present study, the influence of PPAR&agr; activators on intracellular cholesterol homeostasis was investigated. In human macrophages and foam cells, treatment with fibrates, synthetic PPAR&agr; activators, led to a decrease in the cholesteryl ester (CE):free cholesterol (FC) ratio. In these cells, PPAR&agr; activation reduced cholesterol esterification rates and Acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase-1 (ACAT1) activity. However, PPAR&agr; activation did not alter ACAT1 gene expression, whereas mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase type 1 (CPT-1), a key enzyme in mitochondrial fatty acid catabolism, were induced. Finally, PPAR&agr; activation blocked CE formation induced by TNF-&agr;, possibly due to the inhibition of neutral sphingomyelinase activation by TNF-&agr;. In conclusion, our results identify a role for PPAR&agr; in the control of cholesterol esterification in macrophages, resulting in an enhanced availability of FC for efflux through the ABCA1 pathway.

Interaction of LpB, LpB:E, LpB:C-III, and LpB:C-III:E lipoproteins with the low density lipoprotein receptor of HeLa cells.

In this study we measured the binding parameters of different apolipoprotein (apo) B-containing lipoproteins to the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor of HeLa cells. Our goal was to determine the respective roles of the different apolipoproteins of these particles, with particular emphasis on apos B, E, and C-III. Very low density lipoprotein from hypertriglyceridemic subjects (B to E molar ratio = 1:16) bound to HeLa cells with an affinity higher than that of LDL, but the apparent number of binding sites per cell was lower. Because of the heterogeneity of these lipoproteins, which were isolated by ultracentrifugation, we used immunoaffinity chromatography to define these particles on the basis of their apolipoprotein content. Lipoprotein B (LpB) particles that contained apo B as their sole apolipoprotein had lower affinity for the LDL receptor than did total LDL but had an apparently higher number of binding sites. The presence of apo E of phenotype E3/E3 or E4/E4 on one particle increased the affinity of the apo B-containing lipoprotein for the LDL receptor. The apparent number of binding sites decreased, probably due to the fact that a lipoprotein particle containing multiple copies of apo E bound to more than one molecule of LDL receptor. Interaction with several LDL receptors would also explain the higher binding affinity that we observed. The calculated number of binding sites expressed for each apo E molecule is close to the number of binding sites for lipoproteins containing only apo B (LpB or LDL), indicating that each apo E can interact with one LDL receptor. When the apo E phenotype was E2/E2, the LpB:E lipoproteins did not bind to the LDL receptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Apolipoprotein AII Enrichment of HDL Enhances Their Affinity for Class B Type I Scavenger Receptor but Inhibits Specific Cholesteryl Ester Uptake

Apolipoproteins of high density lipoprotein (HDL) and especially apolipoprotein (apo)AI and apoAII have been demonstrated as binding directly to the class B type I scavenger receptor (SR-BI), the HDL receptor that mediates selective cholesteryl ester uptake. However, the functional relevance of the binding capacity of each apolipoprotein is still unknown. The human adrenal cell line, NCI-H295R, spontaneously expresses a high level of SR-BI, the major apoAI binding protein in these cells. As previously described for murine SR-BI, free apoAI, palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC)-AI, and HDL are good ligands for human SR-BI. In vitro displacement of apoAI by apoAII in HDLs or in Lp AI purified from HDL by immunoaffinity enhances their ability to compete with POPC-AI to bind to SR-BI and also enhances their direct binding capacity. The next step was to determine whether the higher affinity of apoAII for SR-BI correlated with the specific uptake of cholesteryl esters from these HDLs. Free apoAII and, to a lesser extent, free apoAI that were added to the cell medium during uptake experiments inhibited the specific uptake of [(3)H]cholesteryl esters from HDL, indicating that binding sites on cells were the same as cholesteryl ester uptake sites. In direct experiments, the uptake of [(3)H]cholesteryl esters from apoAII-enriched HDL was highly reduced compared with the uptake from native HDL. These results demonstrate that in the human adrenal cell line expressing SR-BI as the major HDL binding protein, efficient apoAII binding has an inhibitory effect on the delivery of cholesteryl esters to cells.

Reconstitution of Hepatitis C Virus Envelope Glycoproteins into Liposomes as a Surrogate Model to Study Virus Attachment

The envelope glycoproteins, E1 and E2, of hepatitis C virus (HCV) assemble intracellularly to form a noncovalent heterodimer that is expected to be essential for viral assembly and entry. However, due to the lack of a cell culture system supporting efficient HCV replication, it is very difficult to obtain relevant information on the functions of this glycoprotein oligomer. To get better insights into its biological and biochemical properties, HCV envelope glycoprotein heterodimer expressed by a vaccinia virus recombinant was purified by immunoaffinity. Purified E1E2 heterodimer was recognized by conformation-dependent monoclonal antibodies, showing that the proteins were properly folded. In addition, it interacted with human CD81, a putative HCV receptor, as well as with human low and very low density lipoproteins, which have been shown to be associated with infectious HCV particles isolated from patients. Purified E1E2 heterodimer was also reconstituted into liposomes. E1E2-liposomes were recognized by a conformation-dependent monoclonal antibody as well as by human CD81. Together, these data indicate that E1E2-liposomes are a valuable tool to study the molecular requirements for HCV binding to target cells.

Structural domain of apolipoprotein A-I involved in its interaction with cells

Apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) is the major protein constituent of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the lipoprotein fraction which mediates the reverse cholesterol transport. This apolipoprotein plays an important role in the binding of HDL to cells and participates in the efflux of cellular cholesterol. We have recently compared six different genetic variants of apo A-I and found that the apo A-I (Pro 165-->Arg) mutant is defective in promoting cellular cholesterol efflux from murine adipocytes and peritoneal macrophages and we have proposed that this region of apo A-I may be involved in their interaction with cells. To confirm this hypothesis, four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for apo A-I were used to study the inhibition of the interaction of palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC): apoA-I complexes with HeLa cells and adipocytes. Among these antibodies, the apo A-I epitope recognized by the A44 mAb lies in the COOH terminal region (amino acid residues 149-186) including the proposed region. The antibodies A05, and A03 react with residues 25-82, 135-140, respectively and the A11 mAb corresponds to a discontinuous epitope at residues 99-105 and 126-132. Our results show clearly that the A44 and A05 mAbs reduce both the binding to HeLa cells and the cholesterol efflux from adipocytes. The inhibition of POPC: apoA-I complexes binding to both cell types is more strictly observed with the Fab fragments of monoclonal antibodies A44 and A05. Partial cotitration curves of these mAbs in a solid phase assay (RIA), indicated partial competition between these two antibodies. We propose a structural model for the POPC: apoA-I complexes where the N-terminal domain of one apo A-I molecule is in close spatial relationship with the C-terminal domain of the adjacent apo A-I molecule. We therefore suggest that the domain around amino acid 165 of apo A-I and which is recognized by mAb A44 (149-186) forms or contains some specific regions which mediate selectively the interaction with the binding site of cells and is involved in the efflux of cellular cholesterol.

Isolation and characterization of two sub-species of Lp(a), one containing apo E and one free of apo E

Lipoprotein Lp(a) was isolated by immunoaffinity chromatography using anti apolipoprotein B and anti apolipoprotein (a) immunosorbents. Besides apolipoproteins (a) and B, this fraction was shown to contain apolipoproteins C and E. Therefore, it was decided to further purify this crude Lp(a) into particles containing apolipoprotein E and particles free of apo E, using chromatography with an anti apolipoprotein E immunosorbent. Lp(a), free of apolipoprotein E was cholesterol ester rich and triacylglycerol poor and was found mainly in the LDL size range. In contrast, Lp(a) containing apolipoprotein E was triacylglycerol rich and was distributed mainly in the VLDL and IDL size range. Binding of these two fractions, one containing apo E and one free of it, to the apo B/E receptor of HeLa cells was studied. Both fractions bound to the receptor but the one containing apo E had a better affinity than the one free of apo E. Further studies are needed to identify the clinical importance of these two different entities.

Regulation of the scavenger receptor BI and the LDL receptor by activators of aldosterone production, angiotensin II and PMA, in the human NCI-H295R adrenocortical cell line.

In human adrenal cells, cholesterol for steroidogenesis is derived from both high-density lipoproteins (HDL) via the Scavenger Receptor Class B Type I (SR-BI) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) via the LDL receptor pathway. We have previously shown that, in the human adrenocortical carcinoma cell line, NCI-H295R, SR-BI and LDL receptor expression and steroidogenesis are coordinately regulated by activators of protein kinase A (PKA) leading to glucocorticoid synthesis. In the present study, we studied whether SR-BI and LDL receptor expression are regulated by activators of the protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathway, such as angiotensin II, which stimulate mineralocorticoid synthesis. First, it is shown that, in NCI-H295R cells, aldosterone synthesis is stimulated by a phorbol ester (phorbol-12-myristate-13 acetate, PMA), a potent PKC activator. Northern blot analysis indicated that both angiotensin II and PMA stimulated SR-BI expression in a time-dependent manner. LDL receptor expression is slightly stimulated by PMA. The induction of SR-BI gene expression occurs at the transcriptional level, via an activation of the human SR-BI promoter, as shown by transient transfection experiments. Finally, SR-BI protein level was increased in angiotensin II- and PMA-stimulated cells, resulting in higher lipoprotein binding and specific cholesteryl ester (CE) uptake from HDL, as well from LDL after angiotensin II and PMA stimulation.

Liver X Receptor Activation Induces the Uptake of Cholesteryl Esters From High Density Lipoproteins in Primary Human Macrophages

Objective—Liver X receptors (LXRs) are oxysterol-activated nuclear receptors regulating reverse cholesterol transport, in part by modulating cholesterol efflux from macrophages to apoAI and HDL via the ABCA1 and ABCG1/ABCG4 pathways. Moreover, LXR activation increases intracellular cholesterol trafficking via the induction of NPC1 and NPC2 expression. However, implication of LXRs in the selective uptake of cholesteryl esters from lipoproteins in human macrophages has never been reported. Methods and Results—Our results show that (1) selective CE uptake from HDL3 is highly efficient in human monocyte-derived macrophages; (2) surprisingly, HDL3-CE uptake is strongly increased by LXR activation despite antiatherogenic effects of LXRs; (3) HDL3-CE uptake increase is not linked to SR-BI expression modulation but it is dependent of proteoglycan interactions; (4) HDL3-CE uptake increase is associated with increased expression and secretion of apoE and LPL, two proteins interacting with proteoglycans; (5) HDL3-CE uptake increase depends on the integrity of raft domains and is associated with an increased caveolin-1 expression. Conclusions—Our study identifies a new role for LXRs in the control of cholesterol homeostasis in human macrophages. LXR activation results in enhanced dynamic intracellular cholesterol fluxes through an increased CE uptake from HDL and leads to an increased cholesterol availability to efflux to apoAI and HDL.