The inhibition of the human cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase gene (CYP7A1) promoter by fibrates in cultured cells is mediated via the liver x receptor alpha and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha heterodimer

In previous work, we showed that the binding of the liver x receptor α:peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (LXRα:PPARα) heterodimer to the murine Cyp7a1 gene promoter antagonizes the stimulatory effect of their respective ligands. In this study, we determined if LXRα:PPARα can also regulate human CYP7A1 gene promoter activity. Co-expression of LXRα and PPARα in McArdle RH7777 hepatoma cells decreased the activity of the human CYP7A1 gene promoter in response to fibrates and 25-hydroxycholesterol. In vitro, the human CYP7A1 Site I bound LXRα:PPARα, although with substantially less affinity compared with the murine Cyp7a1 Site I. The binding of LXRα:PPARα to human CYP7A1 Site I was increased in the presence of either LXRα or PPARα ligands. In HepG2 hepatoblastoma cells, fibrates and 25-hydroxycholesterol inhibited the expression of the endogenous CYP7A1 gene as well as the human CYP7A1 gene promoter when co-transfected with plasmids encoding LXRα and PPARα. However, a derivative of the human CYP7A1 gene promoter that contains a mutant form of Site I that does not bind LXRα:PPARα was not inhibited by WY 14,643 or 25-hydroxycholesterol in both McArdle RH7777 and HepG2 cells. The ligand-dependent recruitment of LXRα:PPARα heterodimer onto the human CYP7A1 Site I can explain the inhibition of the human CYP7A1 gene promoter in response to fibrates and 25-hydroxycholesterol.     

Altered Expression of Small Heterodimer Partner Governs Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 Induction during Pregnancy in CYP2D6-humanized Mice

Substrates of a major drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP2D6 display increased elimination during pregnancy, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown in part due to a lack of experimental models. Here, we introduce CYP2D6-humanized (Tg-CYP2D6) mice as an animal model where hepatic CYP2D6 expression is increased during pregnancy. In the mouse livers, expression of a known positive regulator of CYP2D6, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α), did not change during pregnancy. However, HNF4α recruitment to CYP2D6 promoter increased at term pregnancy, accompanied by repressed expression of small heterodimer partner (SHP). In HepG2 cells, SHP repressed HNF4α transactivation of CYP2D6 promoter. In transgenic (Tg)-CYP2D6 mice, SHP knockdown led to a significant increase in CYP2D6 expression. Retinoic acid, an endogenous compound that induces SHP, exhibited decreased hepatic levels during pregnancy in Tg-CYP2D6 mice. Administration of all-trans-retinoic acid led to a significant decrease in the expression and activity of hepatic CYP2D6 in Tg-CYP2D6 mice. This study provides key insights into mechanisms underlying altered CYP2D6-mediated drug metabolism during pregnancy, laying a foundation for improved drug therapy in pregnant women.     

Identification of the Flavonoid Luteolin as a Repressor of the Transcription Factor Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4α

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) is a nuclear receptor that regulates the expression of genes involved in the secretion of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins and in glucose metabolism. In the present study, we identified a naturally occurring flavonoid, luteolin, as a repressor of HNF4α by screening for effectors of the human microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) promoter. Luciferase reporter gene assays revealed that the activity of the MTP gene promoter was suppressed by luteolin and that the mutation of HNF4α-binding element abolished luteolin responsiveness. Luteolin treatment caused a significant decrease in the mRNA levels of HNF4α target genes in HepG2 cells and inhibited apoB-containing lipoprotein secretion in HepG2 and differentiated Caco2 cells. The interaction between luteolin and HNF4α was demonstrated using absorption spectrum analysis and luteolin-immobilized beads. Luteolin did not affect the DNA binding of HNF4α to the promoter region of its target genes but suppressed the acetylation level of histone H3 in the promoter region of certain HNF4α target genes. Short term treatment of mice with luteolin significantly suppressed the expression of HNF4α target genes in the liver. In addition, long term treatment of mice with luteolin significantly suppressed their diet-induced obesity and improved their serum glucose and lipid parameters. Importantly, long term luteolin treatment lowered serum VLDL and LDL cholesterol and serum apoB protein levels, which was not accompanied by fat accumulation in the liver. These results suggest that the flavonoid luteolin ameliorates an atherogenic lipid profile in vivo that is likely to be mediated through the inactivation of HNF4α.     

Retinoic acid represses CYP7A1 expression in human hepatocytes and HepG2 cells by FXR/RXR-dependent and independent mechanisms

Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) plays a key role in maintaining lipid and bile salt homeostasis as it is the rate-limiting enzyme converting cholesterol to bile acids. Deficiency of CYP7A1 leads to hyperlipidemia in man and mouse. Hyperlipidemia is often seen in patients when treated with high-dose retinoic acid (RA), but the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Our present study revealed that CYP7A1 mRNA expression is greatly repressed by RA in both human hepatocytes and HepG2 cells where increased fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) and small heterodimer partner (SHP) expressions were also observed, suggesting farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) were activated. Promoter reporter assays demonstrate that all-trans RA (atRA) specifically activated FXR/RXR. However, detailed molecular analyses indicate that this activation is through RXR, whose ligand is 9-cis RA. Knocking down of FXR or RXRα by small interference RNA (siRNA) in human hepatocytes increased CYP7A1 basal expression, but the repressive effect of atRA persisted, suggesting there are also FXR/RXR-independent mechanisms mediating atRA repression of CYP7A1 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay and cell transfection results indicate that PGC-1α plays a role in the FXR/RXR-independent mechanism. Our findings may provide a potential explanation for hyperlipidemic side effects observed in some patients treated with high-dose RA.