Resistance of SHP-null mice to bile acid-induced liver damage

The orphan nuclear hormone receptor SHP (gene designation NROB2) is an important component of a negative regulatory cascade by which high levels of bile acids repress bile acid biosynthesis. Short term studies in SHP null animals confirm this function and also reveal the existence of additional pathways for bile acid negative feedback regulation. We have used long term dietary treatments to test the role of SHP in response to chronic elevation of bile acids, cholesterol, or both. In contrast to the increased sensitivity predicted from the loss of negative feedback regulation, the SHP null mice were relatively resistant to the hepatotoxicity associated with a diet containing 0.5% cholic acid and the much more severe effects of a diet containing both 0.5% cholic acid and 2% cholesterol. This was associated with decreased hepatic accumulation of cholesterol and triglycerides in the SHP null mice. There were also alterations in the expression of a number of genes involved in cholesterol and bile acid homeostasis, notably cholesterol 12alpha-hydroxylase (CYP8B1), which was strongly reexpressed in the SHP null mice, but not the wild type mice fed either bile acid containing diet. This contrasts with the strong repression of CYP8B1 observed with short term bile acid feeding, as well as the effects of long term feeding on other bile acid biosynthetic enzymes such as cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1). CYP8B1 expression could contribute to the decreased toxicity of the chronic bile acid treatment by increasing the hydrophilicity of the bile acid pool. These results identify an unexpected role for SHP in hepatotoxicity and suggest new approaches to modulating effects of chronically elevated bile acids in cholestasis.     

Redundant pathways for negative feedback regulation of bile acid production

The orphan nuclear hormone receptor SHP has been proposed to have a key role in the negative feedback regulation of bile acid production. Consistent with this, mice lacking the SHP gene exhibit mild defects in bile acid homeostasis and fail to repress cholesterol 7-alpha-hydroxylase expression in response to a specific agonist for the bile acid receptor FXR. However, this repression is retained in SHP null mice fed bile acids, demonstrating the existence of compensatory repression pathways of bile acid signaling. We provide evidence for two such pathways, based on activation of the xenobiotic receptor PXR or the c-Jun N-terminal kinase JNK. We conclude that redundant mechanisms regulate this critical aspect of cholesterol homeostasis.     

The small heterodimer partner interacts with the pregnane X receptor and represses its transcriptional activity

SHP (small heterodimer partner, NR1I0) is an atypical orphan member of the nuclear receptor subfamily in that it lacks a DNA-binding domain. It is mostly expressed in the liver, where it binds to and inhibits the function of nuclear receptors. SHP is up-regulated by primary bile acids, through the activation of their receptor farnesoid X receptor, leading to the repression of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7alpha) expression, the rate-limiting enzyme in bile acid production from cholesterol. PXR (pregnane X receptor, NR1I2) is a broad-specificity sensor that recognizes a wide variety of synthetic drugs as well as endogenous compounds such as bile acid precursors. Upon activation, PXR induces CYP3A and inhibits CYP7alpha, suggesting that PXR can act on both bile acid synthesis and elimination. Indeed, CYP7alpha and CYP3A are involved in biochemical pathways leading to cholesterol conversion into primary bile acids, whereas CYP3A is also involved in the detoxification of toxic secondary bile acid derivatives. Here, we show that PXR is a target for SHP. Using pull-down assays, we show that SHP interacts with both murine and human PXR in a ligand-dependent manner. From transient transfection assays, SHP is shown to be a potent repressor of PXR transactivation. Furthermore, we report that chenodeoxycholic acid and cholic acid, two farnesoid X receptor ligands, induce up-regulation of SHP and provoke a repression of PXR-mediated CYP3A induction in human hepatocytes as well as in vivo in mice. These results reveal an elaborate regulatory cascade, tightly controlled by SHP, for both the maintenance of bile acid production and detoxification in the liver.     

Dynamic oral administration of uridine affects the diurnal rhythm of bile acid and cholesterol metabolism-related genes in mice

Bile acids and cholesterol metabolism exhibits distinct daily rhythms and uridine closely associated with bile acids has been well documented. However, how dynamic oral administration of uridine affects bile acid and cholesterol metabolism has not been studied. We conducted the present study to investigate effects of oral administration of uridine in the daytime and nighttime (D-UR and N-UR) on bile acid and cholesterol metabolism-related genes expression in liver and ileum of mice. The results showed that oral administration of uridine in the nighttime (N-UR) reduced serum CHOL and ALT levels at Zeitgeber time (ZT) 4, ZT22, respectively. Compared with D-UR group, the mRNA expression of FXR and SHP genes of liver decreased in N-UR group at ZT10, ZT16, respectively. In addition, oral administration of uridine in the nighttime rhythmically increased the mRNA expression of bile acid transport, cholesterol excretion and decreased the mRNA expression of cholesterol absorption in ileum. Moreover, the expression of nucleotide transport and synthesis genes were also explored in duodenum. Oral administration of uridine in the nighttime rhythmically up-regulated nucleotide transport and synthesis genes expression. In conclusion, these results indicated dynamic oral administration of uridine has effects on the rhythmic fluctuation of cholesterol, bile acid and nucleotide metabolism-related genes. These findings have important physiological and pathophysiological implications, since bile acid and cholesterol metabolism are essential for cell function and closely involved in the development of metabolic syndrome.     

Hepatic overexpression of murine Abcb11 increases hepatobiliary lipid secretion and reduces hepatic steatosis

Abcb11 encodes for the liver bile salt export pump, which is rate-limiting for hepatobiliary bile salt secretion. We employed transthyretin-Abcb11 and BAC-Abcb11 transgenes to develop mice overexpressing the bile salt export pump in the liver. The mice manifest increases in bile flow and biliary secretion of bile salts, phosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol. Hepatic gene expression of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase and ileal expression of the apical sodium bile salt transporter are markedly reduced, whereas gene expression of targets of the nuclear bile salt receptor FXR (ileal lipid-binding protein, short heterodimer partner (SHP) is increased. Because these changes in gene expression are associated with an increased overall hydrophobicity of the bile salt pool and a 4-fold increase of the FXR ligand taurodeoxycholate, they reflect bile salt-mediated regulation of FXR and SHP target genes. Despite the increased biliary secretion of bile salts, fecal bile salt excretion is unchanged, suggestive of an enhanced enterohepatic cycling of bile salts. Abcb11 transgenic mice fed a lithogenic (high cholesterol/fat/cholic acid) diet display markedly reduced hepatic steatosis compared with wild-type controls. We conclude that mice overexpressing Abcb11 display an increase in biliary bile salt secretion and taurodeoxycholate content, which is associated with FXR/SHP-mediated changes in hepatic and ileal gene expression. Because these mice are resistant to hepatic lipid accumulation, regulation of Abcb11 may be important for the pathogenesis and treatment of steatohepatitis.     

A key role for orphan nuclear receptor liver receptor homologue-1 in activation of fatty acid synthase promoter by liver X receptor

Liver X receptor (LXR) activates fatty acid synthase (FAS) gene expression through binding to a DR-4 element in the promoter. We show that a distinct nuclear receptor half-site 21 bases downstream of the DR-4 element is also critical for the response of FAS to LXR but is not involved in LXR binding to DNA. This half-site specifically binds liver receptor homologue-1 (LRH-1) in vitro and in vivo, and we show LRH-1 is required for maximal LXR responsiveness of the endogenous FAS gene as well as from promoter reporter constructs. We also demonstrate that LRH-1 stimulation of the FAS LXR response is blocked by the addition of small heterodimer partner (SHP) and that FAS mRNA is overexpressed in SHP knock-out animals, providing evidence that FAS is an in vivo target of SHP repression. Taken together, these findings identify the first direct lipogenic gene target of LRH-1/SHP repression and provide a mechanistic explanation for bile acid repression of FAS and lipogenesis recently reported by others.