Sex and age alter plasma membranes of cultured fibroblasts

Human skin fibroblasts were taken from age-matched male and female subjects. The cells were then cultured under identical conditions and passage-number matched. Plasma membranes were isolated and membrane enzyme activities, lipid composition, and structure of isolated plasma membranes were measured in order to determine the presence of significant sex differences in human fibroblast membrane properties. The results indicated that plasma membranes from normal female subjects had a 1.6-fold and 3.6-fold higher cholesterol/phospholipid ratio and oleic acid (18:2) content than normal male subjects. The limiting anisotropy and the rotational relaxation time of fluorescence probe molecules such as trans-parinaric acid and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene in the plasma membranes was not significantly different from fibroblasts of male versus female normal subjects. The total activity of plasma membrane (Na+, K+)-ATPase was significantly higher in female than male normal subjects. A potential 'membrane structural disorder', Huntington's disease, was confirmed in fibroblast membranes from male but not from female Huntington's disease subjects. The possibility that Huntington's disease was a 'premature membrane aging' phenomenon was considered. A comparison of plasma membrane enzymes, lipids, and structure from old and young Huntington's disease subjects did not show differences consistent with accelerated membrane aging as explaining the molecular basis for the disease. The age-dependent differences noted in aged Huntington's disease subjects: increased phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine ratio and sphingomyelin + lysophosphatidylcholine content of fibroblast plasma membranes were not significantly altered when compared to normal age-matched controls. However, (Na+, K+)-ATPase activity was significantly enhanced in fibroblast plasma membranes of older Huntington's disease subjects unlike those of control subjects. In conclusion, sex and age differences in membrane properties of cultured cells represent important potential variables in the elucidation of human genetic disorders that may be membrane-related.     

Electron spin resonance, hematological, and deformability studies of erythrocytes from patients with Huntington's disease.

Electron spin resonance, hematologic, and deformability studies of erythrocytes from patients with Huntington's disease have been performed A decreased deformability of Huntington's disease erythrocytes compared to normal controls was demonstrated. No difference in erythrocyte hematologic indices, osmotic fragility, reticulocyte counts, or intracellular Na+ concentration was found. Huntington's disease serum had no demonstrable effect on electron spin resonance parameters of a protein-specific spin label attached to membrane proteins in control erythrocytes compared to the effect of control serum. This finding suggests that under the conditions employed no serum component or circulating factor is responsible for the changes in the physical state of membrane proteins in Huntington's disease erythrocytes (Butterfield, D.A., Oeswein, J.Q. and Markesbery, W.R. (1977) Nature 267, 453--455). No alteration in lipid fluidity of Huntington's disease erythrocyte membranes could be discerned suggesting that the underlying molecular defect in Huntington's disease involves a membrane protein. The results of the present studies on erythrocytes strongly support the concept that Huntington's disease is associated with a generalized membrane abnormality.     

Reduction in apolipoprotein-mediated removal of cellular lipids by immortalization of human fibroblasts and its reversion by cAMP: lack of effect with Tangier disease cells.

High density lipoprotein (HDL) phospholipids and apolipoproteins remove cellular lipids by two distinct mechanisms, but their relative contribution to reverse cholesterol transport is unknown. Whereas phospholipid-mediated cholesterol efflux from cultured cells reflects the activity of the HDL receptor SR-BI, apolipoprotein-mediated lipid removal is regulated in response to changes in cellular cholesterol content (positive) and cell proliferation rates (negative). Here we show that immortalization of human skin fibroblast lines with the papillomavirus E6/E7 oncogenes increased their proliferation rates and selectively reduced the activity of the apolipoprotein-mediated lipid removal pathway. This reduction was accompanied by a decrease in cellular cAMP levels and was reversed by treatment with a cAMP analog. The stimulatory effect of cAMP was independent of changes in cellular phenotype or activities of cholesteryl ester cycle enzymes. The severely impaired apolipoprotein-mediated lipid removal pathway in Tangier disease fibroblasts, which persisted after immortalization, was not improved by treatment with a cAMP analog, implying that the cellular defect in Tangier disease is upstream from this cAMP-dependent signaling pathway.These results indicate that papillomavirus-induced immortalization of fibroblasts selectively reduces the activity of the apolipoprotein-mediated lipid removal pathway by a cAMP-dependent process, perhaps to prevent loss of cellular lipids needed for continual membrane synthesis.     

cAMP induces ABCA1 phosphorylation activity and promotes cholesterol efflux from fibroblasts

ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) plays a crucial role in apoA-I lipidation, a key step in reverse cholesterol transport. cAMP induces apoA-I binding activity and promotes cellular cholesterol efflux. We investigated the role of the cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) dependent pathway in the regulation of cellular cholesterol efflux. Treatment of normal fibroblasts with 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP) increased significantly apoA-I-mediated cholesterol efflux, with specificity for apoA-I, but not for cyclodextrin. Concomitantly, 8-Br-cAMP increased ABCA1 phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner. Maximum phosphorylation was reached in <10 min, representing a 260% increase compared to basal ABCA1 phosphorylation level. Forskolin, a known cAMP regulator, increased both cellular cholesterol efflux and ABCA1 phosphorylation. In contrast, H-89 PKA inhibitor reduced cellular cholesterol efflux by 70% in a dose-dependent manner and inhibited almost completely ABCA1 phosphorylation. To determine whether naturally occurring mutants of ABCA1 may affect its phosphorylation activity, fibroblasts from subjects with familial HDL deficiency (FHD, heterozygous ABCA1 defect) and Tangier disease (TD, homozygous/compound heterozygous ABCA1 defect) were treated with 8-Br-cAMP or forskolin. Cellular cholesterol efflux and ABCA1 phosphorylation were increased in FHD but not in TD cells. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for a link between the cAMP/PKA-dependent pathway, ABCA1 phosphorylation, and apoA-I mediated cellular cholesterol efflux.     

Sterol depletion reduces receptor-mediated low-density lipoprotein binding in NS-1 mouse myeloma cells

NS-1 mouse myeloma cells, a cholesterol auxotrophic cell line with a lesion in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway at the demethylation of lanosterol to C-29 sterol, were depleted of cholesterol by incubation in cholesterol-free medium for 24 to 48 h. The low-density lipoprotein receptor activities in untreated and in cholesterol-depleted cells were then compared. The cholesterol-depleted NS-1 cells consistently exhibited a 75 to 90% reduction in receptor-mediated low-density lipoprotein binding compared to untreated cells. The decline of the low-density lipoprotein binding of cholesterol-free medium-incubated NS-1 cells was prevented by addition of free cholesterol or its biosynthetic intermediate, demosterol, to the medium. The addition of lanosterol, an intermediate upstream to the lesion site in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, was completely ineffective. The results indicate that proper membrane cholesterol content is necessary for the maintenance of normal low-density lipoprotein receptor function in NS-1 cells.     

Changes in the biosynthesis, esterification and efflux of cholesterol in fibroblasts in culture from patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C

Cholesterol synthesis, esterification and efflux have been comparatively studied in control fibroblasts and in fibroblasts from patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC). Sterol synthesis was markedly increased in NPC cells as compared to controls, either in whole medium or in medium devoid of lipoproteins. 14C-oleic acid incorporation into cholesteryl-esters was 2 to 3 fold reduced in NPC cells, and esterification of 14C-exogenous cholesterol was dramatically (15-30 fold) decreased. ACAT activity, measured in vitro, was not significantly altered in NPC cells. Finally, cholesterol efflux appeared to be decreased in NPC fibroblasts as compared to controls. The hypothesis of a defect in exogenous cholesterol access to intracellular regulatory pools is proposed.     

Impaired cholesterol esterification in cultured skin fibroblasts from patients with I-cell disease and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy

Cholesterol esterification was examined in cultured skin fibroblasts from patients with I-cell disease and pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy by incubating cells pretreated without fetal calf serum for 48h, with (14C) cholesterol for 24h. Impaired cholesterol esterification was found in these cells and free cholesterol was accumulated in plasma membrane and Golgi fractions. This impairment was also induced in control cells by adding leupeptin (20 micrograms/ml) or monensin (2 micrograms/ml). These findings suggest the importance of the role of lysosomes for esterification of cholesterol and give a hint as to the basic defect in type C Niemann-Pick disease.     

Glycosphingolipid accumulation inhibits cholesterol efflux via the ABCA1/apolipoprotein A-I pathway: 1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol is a novel cholesterol efflux accelerator

Cellular glycosphingolipid (GSL) storage is known to promote cholesterol accumulation. Although physical interactions between GSLs and cholesterol are thought to cause intracellular cholesterol "trapping," it is not known whether cholesterol homeostatic mechanisms are also impaired under these conditions. ApoA-I-mediated cholesterol efflux via ABCA1 (ATP-binding cassette transporter A1) is a key regulator of cellular cholesterol balance. Here, we show that apoA-I-mediated cholesterol efflux was inhibited (by up to 53% over 8 h) when fibroblasts were treated with lactosylceramide or the glucocerebrosidase inhibitor conduritol B epoxide. Furthermore, apoA-I-mediated cholesterol efflux from fibroblasts derived from patients with genetic GSL storage diseases (Fabry disease, Sandhoff disease, and GM1 gangliosidosis) was impaired compared with control cells. Conversely, apoA-I-mediated cholesterol efflux from fibroblasts and cholesterol-loaded macrophage foam cells was dose-dependently stimulated (by up to 6-fold over 8 h) by the GSL synthesis inhibitor 1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP). Unexpectedly, a structurally unrelated GSL synthesis inhibitor, N-butyldeoxynojirimycin, was unable to stimulate apoA-I-mediated cholesterol efflux despite achieving similar GSL depletion. PDMP was found to up-regulate ABCA1 mRNA and protein expression, thereby identifying a contributing mechanism for the observed acceleration of cholesterol efflux to apoA-I. This study reveals a novel defect in cellular cholesterol homeostasis induced by GSL storage and identifies PDMP as a new agent for enhancing cholesterol efflux via the ABCA1/apoA-I pathway.     

Zymosterol is located in the plasma membrane of cultured human fibroblasts

Zymosterol (5 alpha-cholesta-8(9),24-dien-3 beta-ol) comprised a negligible fraction of the mass of sterol in cultured human fibroblasts but was well labeled biosynthetically with radioactive acetate. Treatment of cells with triparanol, a potent inhibitor of sterol delta 24-reductase, led to a marked increase in labeled zymosterol while its mass rose to 1 mol% of total sterol. All of this sterol could be chased into cholesterol. Furthermore, cell homogenates converted exogenous radiolabeled zymosterol to cholesterol. Three lines of evidence suggested that biosynthetically labeled zymosterol was associated with the plasma membrane. 1) About 80% of radiolabeled zymosterol was oxidized by the impermeant enzyme, cholesterol oxidase, in glutaraldehyde-fixed intact cells. 2) Sucrose density gradient analysis of homogenates showed that the equilibrium buoyant density profile of newly synthesized zymosterol was identical with that of the plasma membrane. 3) Newly synthesized zymosterol was transferred as readily from fixed intact fibroblasts to exogenous acceptors as was cholesterol. Given that cholesterol is synthesized within the cell, it is unclear why most of the zymosterol is in the plasma membrane. The pathway of cholesterol biosynthesis may compel zymosterol to flux through the plasma membrane. Alternatively, plasma membrane zymosterol may represent a separate pool, in equilibrium with the zymosterol in the intracellular biosynthetic pool.     

Decreased Cholesterol Biosynthesis in Fibroblasts from Patients with Parkinson Disease

The underlying cause of cellular degeneration in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson disease has not been clearly established. With the objective of investigating whether metabolic abnormalities would be detected in peripheral non-neuronal cells, we began assessing key metabolic parameters in skin fibroblasts of these patients. The present report focuses on the finding of a remarkably reduced cholesterol biosynthetic capability of fibroblasts from patients with Parkinson disease. ¹⁴C-Acetate incorporation into cholesterol of these fibroblasts was 27.8 ± 9.4% that observed in normal fibroblasts, and the reduced cholesterol synthesis was confirmed by measuring the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme HMGCoA reductase which averaged 6.64 ± 2.50 nmol/h/mg protein in the patient′s fibroblasts compared to 14.70 ± 0.69 nmol/h/mg protein in the control fibroblasts. Cholesterol esterifying activity, as cholesteryl oleate formed from ¹⁴C-oleate, of the fibroblasts from Parkinson patients, was reduced by an average 43%. Two hypotheses are put forward to link these findings with the current experimental evidences for both increased lipid per-oxidation and defective mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I activity in a number of cell types from Parkinson patients. Considering that decreased cholesterol biosynthesis has been detected in all the Parkinson cell lines thus far investigated, it is suggested that this may be a hallmark of the disease.     

Deficiency in ethanolamine plasmalogen leads to altered cholesterol transport

Plasmalogens are a major sub-class of ethanolamine and choline phospholipids in which the sn-1 position has a long chain fatty alcohol attached through a vinyl ether bond. These phospholipids are proposed to play a role in membrane fusion-mediated events. In this study, we investigated the role of the ethanolamine plasmalogen plasmenylethanolamine (PlsEtn) in intracellular cholesterol transport in Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants NRel-4 and NZel-1, which have single gene defects in PlsEtn biosynthesis. We found that PlsEtn was essential for specific cholesterol transport pathways, those from the cell surface or endocytic compartments to acyl-CoA/cholesterol acyltransferase in the endoplasmic reticulum. The movement of cholesterol from the endoplasmic reticulum or endocytic compartments to the cell surface was normal in PlsEtn-deficient cells. Also, vesicle trafficking was normal in PlsEtn-deficient cells, as measured by fluid phase endocytosis and exocytosis, as was the movement of newly-synthesized proteins to the cell surface. The mutant cholesterol transport phenotype was due to the lack of PlsEtn, since it was corrected when NRel-4 cells were transfected with a cDNA encoding the missing enzyme or supplied with a metabolic intermediate that enters the PlsEtn biosynthetic pathway downstream of the defect. Future work must determine the precise role that plasmalogens have on cholesterol transport to the endoplasmic reticulum.     

Improvement of dolichol-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis by the squalene synthase inhibitor zaragozic acid

The majority of congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are caused by defects of dolichol (Dol)-linked oligosaccharide assembly, which lead to under-occupancy of N-glycosylation sites. Most mutations encountered in CDG are hypomorphic, thus leaving residual activity to the affected biosynthetic enzymes. We hypothesized that increased cellular levels of Dol-linked substrates might compensate for the low biosynthetic activity and thereby improve the output of protein N-glycosylation in CDG. To this end, we investigated the potential of the squalene synthase inhibitor zaragozic acid A to redirect the flow of the polyisoprene pathway toward Dol by lowering cholesterol biosynthesis. The addition of zaragozic acid A to CDG fibroblasts with a Dol-P-Man synthase defect led to the formation of longer Dol-P species and to increased Dol-P-Man levels. This treatment was shown to decrease the pathologic accumulation of incomplete Dol pyrophosphate-GlcNAc(2)Man(5) in Dol-P-Man synthase-deficient fibroblasts. Zaragozic acid A treatment also decreased the amount of truncated protein N-linked oligosaccharides in these CDG fibroblasts. The increased cellular levels of Dol-P-Man and possibly the decreased cholesterol levels in zaragozic acid A-treated cells also led to increased availability of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor as shown by the elevated cell-surface expression of the CD59 protein. This study shows that manipulation of the cellular Dol pool, as achieved by zaragozic acid A addition, may represent a valuable approach to improve N-linked glycosylation in CDG cells.     

Differential effects of cholesterol and its immediate biosynthetic precursors on membrane organization

Cholesterol is the most representative sterol present in vertebrate membranes and is the end product of the long and multistep sterol biosynthetic pathway. 7-Dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) and desmosterol are the immediate biosynthetic precursors of cholesterol in the Kandutsch-Russell and Bloch pathway. In this article, we have monitored the effect of cholesterol and its two immediate biosynthetic precursors on biophysical and dynamic properties of fluid and gel phase membranes. Toward this goal, we have used fluorescent membrane probes, DPH and TMA-DPH, and the hydrophobic probe, pyrene. Our results using these probes show that although both 7-DHC and desmosterol differ with cholesterol in one double bond, they exhibit differential effects on membrane organization and dynamics. Importantly, we show that the effect of cholesterol and desmosterol on membrane organization and dynamics is similar in most cases, while 7-DHC has a considerably different effect. This demonstrates that the position of the double bond in sterols is an important determinant in maintaining membrane order and dynamics. These results assume relevance since the accumulation of cholesterol precursors have been reported to result in severe pathological conditions.     

The Physical and Genetic Organization of A Viral Genom

Membrane proteins that bind and transport lipids face special challenges. Since lipids typically have low water solubility, both accessibility of the substrate to the protein and delivery to the desired destination are problematical. The amphipathic nature of membrane lipids, and their relatively large molecular size, also means that these proteins must possess substrate-binding sites of a different nature than those designed to handle small polar molecules. This review considers two integral proteins whose function is to bind and transfer membrane lipids within or across a membrane. The first protein, MsbA, is a putative lipid flippase that is a member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily. The protein is found in the inner (cytoplasmic) membrane (IM) of Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli, where it is proposed to move lipid A from the inner to the outer membrane (OM) leaflet, an important step in the lipopolysaccharide biosynthetic pathway. Cholesterol is a major component of the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells, where it regulates bilayer fluidity. The other lipid-binding protein discussed here, mammalian NPC1 (Niemann-Pick disease, Type C1), binds cholesterol inside late endosomes/lysosomes (LE/LY) and is involved in its transfer to the cytosol as part of a key intracellular sterol-trafficking pathway. Mutations in NPC1 lead to a devastating neurodegenerative condition, Niemann-Pick Type C disease, which is characterized by massive cholesterol accumulation in LE/LY. The accelerating pace of membrane protein structure determination over the past decade has allowed us a glimpse of how lipid binding and transfer by membrane proteins such as MsbA and NPC1 might be achieved.     

Proteins that bind and move lipids: MsbA and NPC1

Membrane proteins that bind and transport lipids face special challenges. Since lipids typically have low water solubility, both accessibility of the substrate to the protein and delivery to the desired destination are problematical. The amphipathic nature of membrane lipids, and their relatively large molecular size, also means that these proteins must possess substrate-binding sites of a different nature than those designed to handle small polar molecules. This review considers two integral proteins whose function is to bind and transfer membrane lipids within or across a membrane. The first protein, MsbA, is a putative lipid flippase that is a member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily. The protein is found in the inner (cytoplasmic) membrane (IM) of Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli, where it is proposed to move lipid A from the inner to the outer membrane (OM) leaflet, an important step in the lipopolysaccharide biosynthetic pathway. Cholesterol is a major component of the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells, where it regulates bilayer fluidity. The other lipid-binding protein discussed here, mammalian NPC1 (Niemann-Pick disease, Type C1), binds cholesterol inside late endosomes/lysosomes (LE/LY) and is involved in its transfer to the cytosol as part of a key intracellular sterol-trafficking pathway. Mutations in NPC1 lead to a devastating neurodegenerative condition, Niemann-Pick Type C disease, which is characterized by massive cholesterol accumulation in LE/LY. The accelerating pace of membrane protein structure determination over the past decade has allowed us a glimpse of how lipid binding and transfer by membrane proteins such as MsbA and NPC1 might be achieved.     

Annexin A6 is recruited into lipid rafts of Niemann-Pick type C disease fibroblasts in a Ca2+-dependent manner

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease is characterized by excessive accumulation of cholesterol in the late endosome/lysosome compartment. Some members of the annexin family of proteins such as annexin A2 (AnxA2) and annexin A6 (AnxA6) follow the same route as cholesterol during the endocytic pathway and are found, as AnxA6, attached to the membranes of the cholesterol storage compartment in NPC disease fibroblasts. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to test the hypothesis that AnxA6 participates in the NPC-induced changes in the organization of membrane microdomains resistant to solubilization by a nonionic detergent, Triton X-100, i.e., detergent-resistant microdomains (DRMs). Using cellular fractionation, fluorescence microscopy and specific antibodies we observed that in the absence of calcium AnxA6 was found in the DRM-depleted membrane fractions isolated from NPC and control fibroblasts. In the presence of calcium, AnxA6 re-located to the fractions enriched in DRMs only in the NPC cells, suggestive of AnxA6 participation in organization of these microdomains.     

Annexin A6 is recruited into lipid rafts of Niemann–Pick type C disease fibroblasts in a Ca-dependent manner

Niemann–Pick type C (NPC) disease is characterized by excessive accumulation of cholesterol in the late endosome/lysosome compartment. Some members of the annexin family of proteins such as annexin A2 (AnxA2) and annexin A6 (AnxA6) follow the same route as cholesterol during the endocytic pathway and are found, as AnxA6, attached to the membranes of the cholesterol storage compartment in NPC disease fibroblasts. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to test the hypothesis that AnxA6 participates in the NPC-induced changes in the organization of membrane microdomains resistant to solubilization by a nonionic detergent, Triton X-100, i.e., detergent-resistant microdomains (DRMs). Using cellular fractionation, fluorescence microscopy and specific antibodies we observed that in the absence of calcium AnxA6 was found in the DRM-depleted membrane fractions isolated from NPC and control fibroblasts. In the presence of calcium, AnxA6 re-located to the fractions enriched in DRMs only in the NPC cells, suggestive of AnxA6 participation in organization of these microdomains.     

Topographic heterogeneity in cholesterol biosynthesis

We have examined the membrane topography of cholesterol biosynthesis in cultured human fibroblasts. We fed the cells with radioacetate and then interrupted the biosynthetic pathway so as to trap labeled intermediates in their subcellular locations. We analyzed homogenates of human fibroblasts labeled biosynthetically from radioacetate by centrifugation to equilibrium on sucrose gradients. The following two methods were used to interrupt cholesterol biosynthesis: incubation at 10 degrees C and treatment with 4,4,10 beta-trimethyl-trans-decal-3 beta-ol, a specific inhibitor of oxidosqualene cyclase. Incubation at 10 degrees C caused the accumulation of radiolanosterol at the expense of cholesterol. The lanosterol appeared predominantly at an unusually buoyant density (20% (w/w) sucrose; d = 1.08 g/cm3) as well as at the density normally labeled at 37 degrees C (30% sucrose; d = 1.13 g/cm3). 4,4,10 beta-Trimethyl-trans-decal-3 beta-ol treatment caused the accumulation of labeled squalene and squalene 2,3-oxide. Reversal of the block permitted the label to progress rapidly as a wave into lanosterol and ultimately into cholesterol. The profiles of the three precursors did not coincide, suggesting that they were mostly in different membranes. Squalene was uniquely confined to a density of 1.18 g/cm3 (40% sucrose) while squalene 2,3-oxide appeared in peaks of density 1.08 g/cm3 and 1.13 g/cm3 (20% and 30% sucrose). Lanosterol was in a peak of density 1.13 g/cm3. Pulse-chase experiments showed that lanosterol synthesized in the membranes at 20% sucrose moved rapidly to the membranes at 30% sucrose where it was converted to cholesterol. The density gradient profiles of the following organelle markers also were monitored: plasma membrane, cholesterol mass; Golgi apparatus, galactosyltransferase; endoplasmic reticulum, RNA, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and cytochrome c reductase; peroxisomes, catalase. None of these markers appeared at the buoyant density of 1.08 g/cm3. We conclude that 1) cholesterol biosynthesis may be topographically heterogeneous and 2) newly synthesized squalene 2,3-oxide resides in a buoyant membrane fraction distinct from markers for the major organelles.     

A cell line derived from sphingomyelinosis mouse shows alterations in intracellular cholesterol metabolism similar to those in type C Niemann-Pick disease.

Cell lines derived from the sphingomyelinosis (gene symbol, spm) mouse were established from homozygous (spm/spm) and heterozygous (spm/+) embryos according to a rigid 3T3 transfer schedule. The SPM-3T3 cells derived from a homozygous embryo showed extensive accumulation of intracellular cholesterol, attenuated esterification of exogenously added cholesterol and increased de novo cholesterol synthesis, when compared to SPMH-3T3 cells derived from a heterozygous embryo. The phenotypic abnormalities were very similar to those observed in fibroblasts from patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C), in which a defect in the intracellular transport of unesterified cholesterol is suggested. The genetic defect in SPM-3T3 cells should be closely related to that in NP-C. The SPM-3T3 cell line is useful for biochemical and genetic studies on the regulation of intracellular cholesterol metabolism.     

Impaired ABCA1-dependent lipid efflux and hypoalphalipoproteinemia in human Niemann-Pick type C disease

The cholesterol trafficking defect in Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease leads to impaired regulation of cholesterol esterification, cholesterol synthesis, and low density lipoprotein receptor activity. The ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), which mediates the rate-limiting step in high density lipoprotein (HDL) particle formation, is also regulated by cell cholesterol content. To determine whether the Niemann-Pick C1 protein alters the expression and activity of ABCA1, we determined the ability of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) to deplete pools of cellular cholesterol and phospholipids in human fibroblasts derived from NPC1+/+, NPC1+/-, and NPC1-/- subjects. Efflux of low density lipoprotein-derived, non-lipoprotein, plasma membrane, and newly synthesized pools of cell cholesterol by apoA-I was diminished in NPC1-/- cells, as was efflux of phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin. NPC1+/- cells showed intermediate levels of lipid efflux compared with NPC1+/+ and NPC1-/- cells. Binding of apoA-I to cholesterol-loaded and non-cholesterol-loaded cells was highest for NPC1+/- cells, with NPC1+/+ and NPC1-/- cells showing similar levels of binding. ABCA1 mRNA and protein levels increased in response to cholesterol loading in NPC1+/+ and NPC1+/- cells but showed low levels at base line and in response to cholesterol loading in NPC1-/- cells. Consistent with impaired ABCA1-dependent lipid mobilization to apoA-I for HDL particle formation, we demonstrate for the first time decreased plasma HDL-cholesterol levels in 17 of 21 (81%) NPC1-/- subjects studied. These results indicate that the cholesterol trafficking defect in NPC disease results in reduced activity of ABCA1, which we suggest is responsible for the low HDL-cholesterol in the majority of NPC subjects and partially responsible for the overaccumulation of cellular lipids in this disorder.