Supernatant protein factor stimulates HMG-CoA reductase in cell culture and in vitro

Supernatant protein factor (SPF) is a 46-kDa cytosolic protein that stimulates squalene monooxygenase in vitro and, unexpectedly, cholesterol synthesis in cell culture. Because squalene monooxygenase is not thought to be rate-limiting with regard to cholesterol synthesis, we investigated the possibility that SPF might stimulate other enzymes in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. Substitution of [(14)C]mevalonate for [(14)C]acetate in McARH7777 hepatoma cells expressing SPF reduced the 1.8-fold increase in cholesterol synthesis by half, suggesting that SPF acted on or prior to mevalonate synthesis. This conclusion was supported by the finding that substitution with [(14)C]mevalonate completely blocked an SPF-induced increase in squalene synthesis. Evaluation of 2,3-oxidosqualene synthesis from [(14)C]mevalonate demonstrated that SPF also stimulated squalene monooxygenase (1.3-fold) in hepatoma cells. Immunoblot analysis showed that SPF did not increase HMG-CoA reductase or squalene monooxygenase enzyme levels, indicating a direct effect on enzyme activity. Addition of purified recombinant SPF to rat liver microsomes stimulated HMG-CoA reductase by about 1.5-fold, and the SPF-concentration/activation curve paralleled that for the SPF-mediated stimulation of squalene monooxygenase. These results reveal that SPF directly stimulates HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting step of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, as well as squalene monooxygenase, and suggest a new means by which cholesterol synthesis can be rapidly modulated in response to hormonal and environmental signals.     

Role of supernatant protein factor and anionic phospholipid in squalene uptake and conversion by microsomes

Supernatant protein factor (SPF), a cytosolic protein (Mr = 47,000) stimulates microsomal squalene epoxidase activity 4- to 10-fold in the presence of anionic phospholipid such as phosphatidylglycerol (PG) (Saat, Y., and Bloch, K. (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 5155-5160). This effect has been ascribed to substrate translocation from inactive to active pools within the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (Friedlander, E. J., Caras, I. W., Lin, L. F. H., and Bloch, K. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 8042-8045). Here we show that SPF and PG also stimulate squalene uptake per se by microsomes as well as stimulate squalene epoxidase. Microsomes preloaded with substrate in the presence of SPF and PG show full epoxidase activity. They do not require further addition of these factors during enzyme assay. Addition of SPF and PG to assay mixtures containing microsomes preloaded with substrate in the presence of SPF and PG did not further increase epoxidase activity. We also show that PG tightly binds to microsomes. This binding of PG is essential for the response of microsomal epoxidase to SPF. Solubilized microsomal enzymes have been reconstituted and show high epoxidase activity. In this system, SPF and PG do not stimulate the conversion of squalene into products.     

Supernatant protein factor requires phosphorylation and interaction with Golgi to stimulate cholesterol synthesis in hepatoma cells

Supernatant protein factor (SPF) is a poorly characterized cytosolic protein that stimulates HMG-CoA reductase and squalene monooxygenase in vitro and cholesterol synthesis when expressed in hepatoma cells. The activation of SPF by protein kinases A (PKA) and Cdelta enhances its ability to stimulate these cholesterolgenic enzymes in microsomal preparations. The present studies demonstrate that the ability of SPF to stimulate cholesterol synthesis in cell culture is also modulated by phosphorylation. Addition of dibutyryl-cAMP, a PKA activator, to hepatoma cells expressing SPF increased cholesterol synthesis by 62%, whereas addition of a cell-permeable PKA inhibitor blocked the SPF-mediated increase in cholesterol synthesis. To confirm a role for PKA in the regulation of SPF, substitution of alanine for serine-289 (a putative PKA recognition site) blocked the stimulation of cholesterol synthesis by SPF. Serine-289 is located at the junction of the proposed lipid-binding domain and the carboxyl-terminal Golgi dynamics domain, suggesting that phosphorylation may alter the interaction of these two domains. In a test of this hypothesis, deletion of the Golgi dynamics domain blocked the ability of SPF to stimulate cholesterol synthesis, supporting a role for Golgi in SPF function; this finding was buttressed by the observation that addition of brefeldin A, which disrupts Golgi formation, also abolished the ability of SPF to stimulate cholesterol synthesis. The activation of SPF by PKA suggests that cholesterol synthesis can be rapidly modulated in response to external stimuli by changes in cAMP levels, and that this regulation is dependent on an as yet undefined interaction with Golgi.     

Regulation of rat liver microsomal squalene epoxidase: inactivation of the supernatant protein factor by nucleotides

Modulation of squalene epoxidase activity by nucleotides was studied in rat liver microsomal preparations. Supernatant protein factor (SPF) stimulates hepatic microsome-associated squalene epoxidase. The stimulatory effect of this activator was abolished by some nucleotides, and the effect of ATP on SPF was examined in detail. The inhibition by ATP was time- and concentration-dependent and was increased remarkably by the addition of Mg2+. Binding studies employing Sephadex column chromatography showed that ATP and SPF formed a complex (molar ratio, 1:1). These results suggest that nucleotides may regulate cholesterol metabolism through inactivation of the supernatant protein activator in the presence of bivalent metal ions.     

Characterization of a human Sec14-like protein cDNA SEC14L3 highly homologous to human SPF/TAP

Supernatant protein factor (SPF) and alpha-tocopherol-associated protein (TAP) both belong to a widespread lipid-binding Sec 14-like protein family. All the members of the family have the lipid-binding motif called CRAL_TRIO. SPF is showed to stimulate the conversion of squalene to lanosterol and enhance cholesterol biosynthesis. TAP is identified to be involved in the intracellular distribution of alpha-tocopherol. Recently TAP is identified as SPF though they have very different functions. Here we report a human SPF/TAP homology SEC14L3 with 2082 base pairs in length and contains an open reading frame encoding a 400 amino acids protein. Analysis shows that SEC14L3 is mapped to 22q12 and expresses only in the liver among the used sixteen tissues in the test.     

Regulation of phosphoinositide breakdown by guanine nucleotides

Phosphoinositide hydrolysis is coupled to receptor systems involved in the elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ and activation of protein kinase C. In cell-free systems, guanine nucleotides are required to transduce the effects of receptor activation to phosphoinositide breakdown. Non-hydrolyzable guanine nucleotides stimulate phosphoinositide breakdown in permeabilized cells as well as membranes prepared from salivary glands, GH3 cells, neutrophils, hepatocytes and cerebral cortical tissue. In blowfly salivary gland membranes, 5-hydroxytryptamine stimulates a guanine-nucleotide dependent breakdown of both endogenous and exogenous phosphoinositide substrate through activation of phospholipase C. These data suggest that a GTP-binding protein modulates phospholipase C activity. The identity of this GTP-binding protein has not been established but may resemble other regulatory GTP-binding proteins which have been identified as transducing proteins in a variety of receptor systems.     

Supernatant protein factor in complex with RRR-alpha-tocopherylquinone: a link between oxidized Vitamin E and cholesterol biosynthesis

The vast majority of monomeric lipid transport in nature is performed by lipid-specific protein carriers. This class of proteins can enclose cognate lipid molecules in a hydrophobic cavity and transport them across the aqueous environment. Supernatant protein factor (SPF) is an enigmatic representative of monomeric lipid transporters belonging to the SEC14 family. SPF stimulates squalene epoxidation, a downstream step of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, by an unknown mechanism. Here, we present the three-dimensional crystal structure of human SPF in complex with RRR-alpha-tocopherylquinone, the major physiological oxidation product of RRR-alpha-tocopherol, at a resolution of 1.95A. The structure of the complex reveals how SPF sequesters RRR-alpha-tocopherylquinone (RRR-alpha-TQ) in its protein body and permits a comparison with the recently solved structure of human alpha-tocopherol transfer protein (alpha-TTP) in complex with RRR-alpha-tocopherol. Recent findings have shown that RRR-alpha-TQ is reduced in vivo to RRR-alpha-TQH(2), the latter has been suggested to protect low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles from oxidation. Hence, the antioxidant function of the redox couple RRR-alpha-TQ/RRR-alpha-TQH(2) in blocking LDL oxidation may reduce cellular cholesterol uptake and thus explain how SPF upregulates cholesterol synthesis.     

Effects of a supernatant protein activator on microsomal squalene-2,3-oxide-lanosterol cyclase.

A soluble protein termed "supernatant protein factor" (SPF) that stimulates microsomal squalene epoxidase has been isolated in this laboratory (Ferguson, J.B., and Bloch, K. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 5381-5385). We now show that the purified protein also stimulates microsomal squalene-2,3-oxide leads to lanosterol cyclase but has no effect on the subsequent conversion of lanosterol to cholesterol. Phospholipid, specifically phosphatidylglycerol or phosphatidylethanolamine, is required for maximal stimulation of the cyclase by purified SPF. The response of microsomal squalene epoxide-lanosterol cyclase to SPF was abolished by pretreatment of the membranes with phospholipase A2 or by low concentrations of deoxycholate, indicating that an intact membrane system is required. Digestion of intact microsomes with trypsin had no effect on the SPF-stimulated cyclase activity. However, in the presence of 0.4% deoxycholate, trypsin completely inhibited microsomal squalene epoxide-lanosterol cyclase. We conclude that the cyclase is located on the luminal side of the microsomal membrane. SPF also significantly enhances the formation of lanosterol from squalene-2,3-oxide already bound to microsomes. This finding is constant with the proposal that SPF influences intramembrane events.     

Stimulation by unsaturated fatty acid of squalene uptake in rat liver microsomes

Supernatant protein factor (SPF) and anionic phospholipids such as phosphatidylglycerol (PG) stimulate squalene epoxidase activity in rat liver microsomes by promoting [3H]squalene uptake as well as substrate translocation (Chin, J., and K. Bloch. 1984. J. Biol. Chem. 259: 11735-11738). This process is postulated to be membrane-mediated and not carrier-mediated. Here we show that treatment of PG with phospholipase A2 in the presence of bovine serum albumin abolishes the stimulatory effect of SPF on epoxidase activity. Disaturated fatty acyl-PGs are not as effective as egg yolk lecithin PG in the SPF effect. These findings suggest an important role for the unsaturated fatty acid moiety of PG. We also show that at submicellar concentrations, cis-unsaturated fatty acids stimulate microsomal epoxidase activity whereas saturated fatty acids do not. This effect is due to an increase in substrate uptake which in turn may facilitate substrate availability to the enzyme.     

Intermembrane transfer of squalene promoted by supernatant protein factor

Supernatant protein factor (SPF), a protein that stimulates squalene epoxidation, mediates the transfer of squalene between two separable microsomal populations (Kojima, Y., E. J. Friedlander, and K. Bloch, 1981. J. Biol Chem. 256: 7235-7239). We now show that SPF also promotes the transfer of squalene associated with mitochondria or with plasma membranes to total microsomes or rough or smooth microsomal subfractions. Both rough and smooth microsomes have squalene epoxidase activity that is stimulated by SPF.     

Phosphorylation of supernatant protein factor enhances its ability to stimulate microsomal squalene monooxygenase

Supernatant protein factor is a 46-kDa cytosolic protein that stimulates squalene monooxygenase, a downstream enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. The mechanism of stimulation is poorly understood, although supernatant protein factor belongs to a family of lipid-binding proteins that includes Sec14p and alpha-tocopherol transfer protein. Because recombinant human supernatant protein factor purified from Escherichia coli exhibited a relatively weak ability to activate microsomal squalene monooxygenase, we investigated the possibility that cofactors or post-translational modifications were necessary for full activity. Addition of ATP to rat liver cytosol increased supernatant protein factor activity by more than 2-fold and could be prevented by the addition of inhibitors of protein kinases A and C. Incubation of purified recombinant supernatant protein factor with ATP and protein kinases A or C delta similarly increased activity by more than 2-fold. Addition of protein phosphatase 1 gamma, a serine/threonine phosphatase, to rat liver cytosol reduced activity by 50%, suggesting that supernatant protein factor is partially phosphorylated in vivo. To determine whether dietary cholesterol influenced the phosphorylation state, cytosols were prepared from livers of rats fed a high fat diet. Although supernatant protein factor activity was reduced by more than one-half, it could not be restored by the addition of ATP or protein kinase C delta with ATP, suggesting that dietary cholesterol reduced the expression of this protein. Supernatant protein factor thus appears to be regulated both post-translationally through phosphorylation and at the level of expression. Phosphorylation may provide a means for the rapid short term modulation of cholesterol synthesis.     

G protein regulation of phospholipase C activity in a membrane-solubilized system occurs through a Mg2(+)- and time-dependent mechanism

GTP-binding proteins have been implicated to function as key transducing elements in the mechanism underlying receptor activation of a membrane-associated phospholipase C activity. In the present study, the regulation of phospholipase C activity by GTP-binding proteins has been characterized in a detergent-solubilized system derived from bovine brain membranes. Guanosine-5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate (GTP-gamma-S) and guanyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p) stimulated a dose-dependent increase in phospholipase C activity with half-maximal activation at 0.6 microM and 10 microM, respectively. The maximal degree of stimulation due to Gpp(NH)p or GTP-gamma-S was comparable. 100 microM GTP had only a slight stimulatory effect on phospholipase C activity. Adenine nucleotides, 100 microM adenylyl-imidodiphosphate and ATP, did not stimulate phospholipase C activity, indicating that specific guanine nucleotide-dependent regulation of phospholipase C activity was preserved in the solubilized state. Gpp(NH)p or GTP-gamma-S stimulation of phospholipase C activity was time-dependent and required Mg2+.Mg2+ regulated the time course for activation of phospholipase C by guanine nucleotides and the ability of guanine nucleotides to promote an increase in the Ca2+ sensitivity of phospholipase C. 200 microM GDP-beta-S or 5 mM EDTA rapidly reversed the activation due to GTP-gamma-S or Gpp(NH)p. These findings demonstrate that G protein regulation of phospholipase C activity in a bovine brain membrane- solubilized system occurs through a Mg2+ and time-dependent mechanism. Activation is readily reversible upon addition of excess GDP-beta-S or removal of Mg2+.     

Lanosterol biosynthesis in the prokaryote Methylococcus capsulatus: insight into the evolution of sterol biosynthesis

A putative operon containing homologues of essential eukaryotic sterol biosynthetic enzymes, squalene monooxygenase and oxidosqualene cyclase, has been identified in the genome of the prokaryote Methylococcus capsulatus. Expression of the squalene monooxygenase yielded a protein associated with the membrane fraction, while expression of oxidosqualene cyclase yielded a soluble protein, contrasting with the eukaryotic enzyme forms. Activity studies with purified squalene monooxygenase revealed a catalytic activity in epoxidation of 0.35 nmol oxidosqualene produced/min/nmol squalene monooxygenase, while oxidosqualene cyclase catalytic activity revealed cyclization of oxidosqualene to lanosterol with 0.6 nmol lanosterol produced/min/nmol oxidosqualene cyclase and no other products observed. The presence of prokaryotic sterol biosynthesis is still regarded as rare, and these are the first representatives of such prokaryotic enzymes to be studied, providing new insight into the evolution of sterol biosynthesis in general.     

Differential Regulation of Phosphoinositide Phosphodiesterase Activity in Brain Membranes by Guanine Nucleotides and Calcium

We have shown previously that calcium and guanine nucleotides stimulate the activity of a phosphoinositide (PI) phosphodiesterase in membranes from rat cerebral cortex and that their effects are additive. To understand further guanine nucleotide- and calcium-stimulated PI phosphodiesterase activity, we have investigated the pH sensitivity and effects of inhibitors on the two modes of stimulation. NaF stimulates PI hydrolysis in brain membranes with an EC50 of 2 mM and a maximal effect at 10 mM, suggesting that a guanine nucleotide binding protein can regulate PI phosphodiesterase. Neomycin inhibited guanylylimidodiphosphate (GppNHp)-stimulated PI phosphodiesterase activity in a concentration-dependent manner, with 90% inhibition at 0.3 mM. Neomycin was not as effective at inhibiting calcium-dependent PI hydrolysis (32% inhibition at 0.3 mM). Chloroquine also had a greater inhibitory effect against GppNHp-stimulated PI phosphodiesterase activity compared to calcium-dependent activity. Guanine nucleotide- and NaF-dependent activations of PI phosphodiesterase were strongly pH-dependent, with greatest stimulation observed at pH 5-6 and inhibition at more alkaline pH. Calcium-stimulated PI hydrolysis was not as sensitive to changes in pH and had a peak of activity at pH 9. Our findings of different pH optima and differential sensitivity to inhibitors suggest that calcium and guanine nucleotides may regulate PI phosphodiesterase in rat cortical membranes through independent mechanisms.     

Cloning, heterologous expression, and enzymological characterization of human squalene monooxygenase

The cDNA for human squalene monooxygenase, a key enzyme in the committed pathway for cholesterol biosynthesis, was amplified from a human liver cDNA library and cloned, and the protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Kinetic analysis of the purified enzyme revealed an apparent K(m) for squalene of 7.7 microM and an apparent k(cat) of 1.1 min(-1). For FAD the apparent K(m) is 0.3 microM, consistent with a loosely bound flavin. The apparent K(m) for NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, the requisite electron transfer partner, is 14 nM. The amount of reductase needed for maximal activity is about threefold less than the amount of squalene monooxygenase present in the assay; thus, electron transfer to the monooxygenase is not likely to be rate limiting. Previous reports have implicated inhibition of this enzyme as the cause of a peripheral demyelination seen in weanling rats fed a diet containing tellurium. As no data were available for humans, the ability of a number of tellurium and related elemental compounds to inhibit the recombinant human enzyme was examined. Tellurite, tellurium dioxide, selenite, and selenium dioxide were inhibitory; the tellurium compounds were more potent than the selenium compounds, as indicated by their IC(50) values (17 and 37 microM, respectively). Kinetic analysis of the inhibition by tellurite suggests multiple sites of interaction with the enzyme in a noncompetitive manner with respect to squalene.     

Cloning and characterization of human guanine deaminase. Purification and partial amino acid sequence of the mouse protein

Mouse erythrocyte guanine deaminase has been purified to homogeneity. The native enzyme was dimeric, being comprised of two identical subunits of approximately 50,000 Da. The protein sequence was obtained from five cyanogen bromide cleavage products giving sequences ranging from 12 to 25 amino acids in length and corresponding to 99 residues. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis of expressed sequence databases enabled the retrieval of a human expressed sequence tag cDNA clone highly homologous to one of the mouse peptide sequences. The presumed coding region of this clone was used to screen a human kidney cDNA library and secondarily to polymerase chain reaction-amplify the full-length coding sequence of the human brain cDNA corresponding to an open reading frame of 1365 nucleotides and encoding a protein of 51,040 Da. Comparison of the mouse peptide sequences with the inferred human protein sequence revealed 88 of 99 residues to be identical. The human coding sequence of the putative enzyme was subcloned into the bacterial expression vector pMAL-c2, expressed, purified, and characterized as having guanine deaminase activity with a Km for guanine of 9.5 +/- 1.7 microM. The protein shares a 9-residue motif with other aminohydrolases and amidohydrolases (PGX[VI]DXH[TVI]H) that has been shown to be ligated with heavy metal ions, commonly zinc. The purified recombinant guanine deaminase was found to contain approximately 1 atom of zinc per 51-kDa monomer.     

Nucleotides and divalent cations as effectors and modulators of exocytosis in permeabilized rat mast cells.

The idea that the universal trigger to exocytosis (the terminal step in the secretory process) is an elevation of the cytosol concentration of Ca2+, and that it is dependent on ATP, is no longer tenable. Working with streptolysin-O-permeabilized mast cells (and other myeloid cells) we have shown that non-hydrolysable analogues of GTP can stimulate exocytosis after depletion of Ca2+ (i.e. at concentrations below 10(-9) M) and ATP. Such Ca2+- and ATP-independent exocytosis is strongly dependent on the presence of Mg2+, and the requirement for Mg2+ declines as the concentration of Ca2+ is brought up to 10(-7) M. We argue that Ca2+ serves to regulate the binding of guanine nucleotides to GE, a GTP-binding protein that regulates exocytosis through its interaction with CE, a calcium-binding protein which serves as an intracellular pseudo-receptor. The onset of exocytosis, following provision of Ca2+ and guanine nucleotides to the permeabilized cells, is preceded by delays which are sensitive to the order of provision of the two effectors (i.e. Ca2+ and guanine nucleotides), the presence or absence of Mg2+, and the identity of the activating guanine nucleotide. In view of the similarity of these features with the activation kinetics of adenylyl cyclase, we argue that GE behaves as a member of the heterotrimeric class of signal transducing G-proteins such as GS.     

Ligand specificity in the CRAL-TRIO protein family

Intracellular trafficking of hydrophobic ligands is often mediated by specific binding proteins. The CRAL-TRIO motif is common to several lipid binding proteins including the cellular retinaldehyde binding protein (CRALBP), the alpha-tocopherol transfer protein (alpha-TTP), yeast phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (Sec14p), and supernatant protein factor (SPF). To examine the ligand specificity of these proteins, we measured their affinity toward a variety of hydrophobic ligands using a competitive [(3)H]-RRR-alpha-tocopherol binding assay. Alpha-TTP preferentially bound RRR-alpha-tocopherol over all other tocols assayed, exhibiting a K(d) of 25 nM. Binding affinities of other tocols for alphaTTP closely paralleled their ability to inhibit in vitro intermembrane transfer and their potency in biological assays. All other homologous proteins studied bound alpha-tocopherol but with pronouncedly weaker (> 10-fold) affinities than alpha-TTP. Sec14p demonstrated a K(d) of 373 nM for alpha-tocopherol, similar to that for its native ligand, phosphatidylinositol (381 nM). Human SPF had the highest affinity for phosphatidylinositol (216 nM) and gamma-tocopherol (268 nM) and significantly weaker affinity for alpha-tocopherol (K(d) 615 nM). SPF bound [(3)H]-squalene more weakly (879 nM) than the other ligands. Our data suggest that of all known CRAL-TRIO proteins, only alphaTTP is likely to serve as the physiological mediator of alpha-tocopherol's biological activity. Further, ligand promiscuity observed within this family suggests that caution should be exercised when suggesting protein function(s) from measurements utilizing a single ligand.     

The influence of guanine nucleotides and protein kinase C on Ca2+ from intracellular stores of pigs oocytes stimulated by theophylline and cyclic AMP

Effect of guanine nucleotides and protein kinase C on Ca2+ exit from intracellular stores of pig oocytes, stimulated by theophylline and dbcAMP, was investigated using fluorescent dye chlortetracycline. Effect of cAMP on Ca2+ exit from intracellular stores of pig oocytes was not associated with activation of protein kinase C. In calcium-free medium, cAMP does not stimulate Ca2+ exit from intracellular stores of pig oocytes treated with GDP. In the presence of GDP, inhibition of protein kinase C activates Ca2+ exit from intracellular stores of pig oocytes on the action of cAMP. These data suggest the existence of different effects of guanine nucleotides on Ca2+ exit from intracellular stores of pig oocytes stimulated by cAMP.