Diurnal changes in the fraction of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase in the active form in rat liver microsomal fractions.

'Initial' and 'total' activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) were measured in cold-clamped samples of liver from rats at 2h intervals throughout the 24h light/dark cycle. Initial activities were obtained in microsomes (microsomal fractions) isolated and assayed in the presence of 100mM-KF, whereas 'total' activities were measured in microsomes prepared from the same homogenates but washed free of KF and incubated with exogenous partially purified rat liver protein phosphatase. The initial/total-activity ratio for HMG-CoA reductase underwent a diurnal cycle, which had a nadir 4h into the light phase (when initial activity was 28% of total activity) and a peak 12h later, i.e. 4h into the dark phase (when initial activity was 80% of total activity). These low and high points of the cycle were separated by gradual steady changes in the ratio. The characteristics of this diurnal cycle were different from those of the cycle observed for total activity, which had a plateau of high activity between 2 and 10h into the dark cycle preceded and succeeded by a very rapid increase and decrease, respectively, in the total activity of HMG-CoA reductase. The combination of the two cycles resulted in the dampening of the resultant cycle for the initial or effective activity of HMG-CoA reductase, such that the changes in initial activity around the beginning and and end of the dark phase were more gradual than would otherwise have been the case if the initial/total-activity ratio for HMG-CoA reductase were constant throughout the diurnal cycle. The physiological implications of the observed diurnal variation in the fraction of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase in the active form are discussed.     

Characterization of active and inactive forms of rat hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase

Rat hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase was purified to homogeneity using agarose-HMG-CoA affinity chromatography. Additional protein was isolated from the affinity column with 0.5 M KCl that demonstrated no HMG-CoA reductase activity, yet comigrated with purified HMG-CoA reductase on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. This protein was determined to be an inactive form of HMG-CoA reductase by tryptic peptide mapping, reaction with anti-HMG-CoA reductase antibody, and coelution with purified HMG-CoA reductase from a molecular-sieving high-performance liquid chromatography column. This inactive protein was present in at least fourfold greater concentration than active HMG-CoA reductase, and could not be activated by rat liver cytosolic phosphoprotein phosphatases. Immunotitration studies with microsomal and solubilized HMG-CoA reductase isolated in the presence and absence of proteinase inhibitors suggested that the inactive protein was not generated from active enzyme during isolation of microsomes or freeze-thaw solubilization of HMG CoA reductase.     

Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA reductase and the modulation of microsomal cholesterol content by the nonspecific lipid transfer protein

The influence of membrane cholesterol content on 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase, EC 1.1.1.34) in rat liver microsomes was investigated. Microsomes were enriched in cholesterol by incubation with egg phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol vesicles and the nonspecific lipid transfer protein from rat liver. By this method, the microsomal cholesterol content was 2.5-fold enhanced up to final concentrations of 140 nmol cholesterol per mg microsomal protein. In another experiment, microsomes isolated from rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet were depleted of cholesterol by incubation with egg phosphatidylcholine vesicles and the transfer protein. Both cholesterol enrichment and depletion had virtually no effect on the microsomal HMG-CoA reductase activity. In another set of experiments, normal rat liver microsomes were incubated with human serum, resulting in a rise of microsomal cholesterol content. This was reflected in an increase of acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase activity but failed to have an effect on HMG-CoA reductase.     

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in human liver microsomes: active and inactive forms and cross-reactivity with antibody against rat liver enzyme

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis, exists in one active (dephosphorylated) and one inactive (phosphorylated) form in liver microsomes obtained from several animal species. The present study was undertaken in order to determine a) whether the human enzyme also exists in active and inactive readily interconvertible forms; b) whether the large inter-individual variation in HMG-CoA reductase activity observed in normal man can be explained by variations in the activation state of the enzyme; and c) to characterize the reactivity of antibodies raised against rat liver HMG-CoA reductase with the intact human microsomal enzyme. HMG-CoA reductase activity, assayed in microsomes prepared in the presence of 50 mM NaF, was only 17 +/- 3% of the activity observed in microsomes prepared from the same liver in the absence of fluoride. Preincubation of microsomes prepared in NaF with alkaline phosphatase resulted in a tenfold increase of enzyme activity, while the activity of microsomes prepared without fluoride was increased also (by about 45%) with this treatment. On the other hand, the activated enzyme could be inactivated by incubation of microsomes with Mg-ATP. In eleven normal weight, normolipidemic gallstone patients, the HMG-CoA reductase activity determined in microsomes prepared without NaF ("standard procedure") reflected well both the "expressed" activity (in microsomes prepared with NaF) and the "total" (fully activated) enzyme activity; correlation coefficients were +0.80 and +0.84, respectively. Preincubation of human liver microsomes with rabbit antiserum against partially purified HMG-CoA reductase from rat liver resulted in a 72 +/- 6% inhibition of enzyme activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Regulation of human leukocyte microsomal hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity by a phosphorylation and dephosphorylation mechanism

The activity of microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (EC 1.1.1.34), obtained from cultured human IM-9 lymphoid cells or freshly isolated human peripheral blood leukocytes, is modulated by a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation mechanism. Addition of MgATP + ADP to IM-9 cell microsomal reductase leads to a time-dependent loss of enzyme activity. Inactivated reductase is reactivated by rat liver reductase phosphatase. Kinase-dependent IM-9 cell microsomal reductase, prepared by heating IM-9 microsomes for 15 min at 50°C, is inactivated in the presence of MgATP and ADP only after addition of cytosolic reductase kinase from either IM-9 cells, freshly isolated leukocytes or rat liver. Inactivation is time-dependent and dependent on the cytosolic protein concentration. Inactivated reductase is reactivated by rat liver reductase phosphatase. For cultured IM-9 cells and freshly isolated leukocytes incubated with culture medium for 2 h, the ratios of active (unphosphorylated) to total (phosphorylated + unphosphorylated) reductase activity are 0.22 and 0.43, respectively. Thus, in addition to its regulation by changes in the amount of total enzyme protein, human leukocyte reductase activity is also modulated by a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation mechanism.     

Activation of HMG-CoA reductase by microsomal phosphatase

HMG-CoA reductase activity can be modulated by a reversible phosphorylation-dephosphorylation with the phosphorylated form of the enzyme being inactive and the dephosphorylated form, active. Phosphatases from diverse sources, including cytosol, have been shown to dephosphorylate and activate HMG-CoA reductase. The present study demonstrates phosphatase activity capable of activating HMG-CoA reductase that is associated with purified microsomes. The incubation of microsomes at 37 degrees C for 40 min results in a twofold stimulation of HMG-CoA reductase activity, and this stimulation is blocked by sodium fluoride or phosphate. The ability of microsomes to increase HMG-CoA reductase activity occurs regardless of whether microsomes are prepared by ultracentrifugation or calcium precipitation. Additionally, phosphatases capable of activating HMG-CoA reductase are present in both the smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum. Freeze-thawing does not prevent microsomes from activating HMG-CoA reductase but preincubation results in a significant decrease in the ability of microsomes to increase HMG-CoA reductase activity. Thus, the present study demonstrates that purified liver microsomes contain phosphatase activity capable of activating HMG-CoA reductase.     

Solubilization of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase from rat and chicken liver microsomes

A simple, efficient, freeze-thaw procedure for the solubilization of liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase has been developed. Microsomes of chicken or rat liver were prepared by homogenization in buffer containing 100 mm sucrose, 50 mm KCl, 40 mm KH₂PO₄, 30 mm EDTA, and 2 mm DTT, pH 7.2 (buffer A). The homogenate was centrifuged at 12,000g (15 min), and the microsomes were separated from the supernatant by centrifugation at 100,000g (60 min). The isolated microsomes were frozen, either by dry ice-acetone or by storage in a freezer at ?20°C. The frozen microsomes were permitted to thaw at room temperature, homogenized in buffer A, and centrifuged at 100,000g (60 min). The extraction was repeated and the combined supernatants contained 70 to 90% of the microsomal HMG-CoA reductase activity. The yield of enzyme activity by the freeze-thaw technique is equal to or greater than previously reported methodologies and is significantly easier to perform. This procedure is particularly suited to the preparation of large quantities of solubilized enzyme for isolation and characterization of HMG-CoA reductase. In addition, this method does not require the use of detergents, sonification, or other procedures which might partially inactivate or alter the molecular properties of the enzyme.     

Phosphorylation of native 97-kDa 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase from rat liver. Impact on activity and degradation of the enzyme

Immunoprecipitation of native rat liver microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, phosphorylated by [gamma-32P]ATP in the presence of reductase kinase, revealed a major 97-kDa 32P band which disappeared upon competition with pure unlabeled 53-kDa HMG-CoA reductase. A linear correlation between the expressed/total HMG-CoA reductase activity ratio (E/T) and the fraction of 32P released from the 97-kDa enzyme established the validity of the E/T ratio as an index of HMG-CoA reductase phosphorylation state in isolated microsomes. Incubation of rat hepatocytes with mevalonolactone resulted in a rapid increase in phosphorylation of microsomal reductase (decrease in E/T) followed by an enhanced rate of decay of total reductase activity which was proportional to the loss of 97-kDa enzyme mass determined by immunoblots. Inhibitors of lysosome function dampened both basal and mevalonate-induced reductase degradation in hepatocytes. In an in vitro system using the calcium-dependent protease calpain-2, up to 5-fold greater yields of soluble 52-56-kDa fragments of reductase (immunoblot and total activity) were obtained when the substrate 97-kDa reductase was phosphorylated before proteolysis. Immunoblots of unlabeled phosphorylated reductase compared with gels of immunoprecipitated 32P-labeled reductase resolved a 52-56-kDa doublet which contained 32P solely in the upper band. These data suggest that a major phosphorylation site of HMG-CoA reductase lies within the "linker" segment joining the membrane spanning and cytoplasmic domains of the native 97-kDa protein.     

Modulation in vitro of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in brain microsomes: Evidence for the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation associated with inactivation and activation of the enzyme

The activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase in brain microsomes was modified in vitro. The inactivation of the enzyme required Mg²⁺ and ATP or ADP, and an inactivator present both in S₁₀₅ and microsomes. Inactivation was dependent on inactivator concentration and time of preincubation. The inactive reductase in brain microsomes could be completely reactivated by a factor present in brain S₁₀₅. Reactivation of the enzyme also depended on incubation time and the activator concentration. Activator activity was inhibited by NaF, a phosphatase inhibitor. Both the inactivator and the activator appear to be proteins. Our data thus suggest that the inactivation and the reactivation of the reductase in brain microsomes occurs via protein-mediated interconversion to phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of the enzyme with differing catalytic activity. The HMG-CoA reductase activity increases almost two-fold during isolation of the brain microsomes. This increase in activity is blocked when brain tissue is homogenized in the medium containing NaF. In rat brain about 50% of the reductase exists in an inactive form in both young and adult rats. The low reductase activity in brain of adult animals does not appear to be related to an increase in the proportion of an inactive phosphorylated form of the enzyme. This suggests that developmental change in the reductase activity is not associated with the change in the proportion of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of the enzyme.     

Diurnal variation in the fraction of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase in the active form in the mammary gland of the lactating rat.

'Expressed' and 'total' activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) were measured in freeze-clamped samples of mammary glands from lactating rats at intervals throughout the 24 h light/dark cycle. 'Expressed' activities were measured in microsomal fractions isolated and assayed in the presence of 100 mM-KF. 'Total' activities were determined in microsomal preparations from the same homogenates but washed free of KF and incubated with exogenously added sheep liver phosphoprotein phosphatase before assay. Both 'expressed' and 'total' activities of HMG-CoA reductase underwent a diurnal cycle, which had a major peak 6 h into the light phase and a nadir 15 h later, i.e. 9 h into the dark period. Both activities showed a secondary peak of activity (around 68% of the maximum activity) at the time of changeover from dark to light, with a trough in the value of the 'expressed' activity that was close to the nadir value. 'Expressed' activity was lower than 'total' at all time points, indicating the presence of enzyme molecules inactivated by covalent phosphorylation. Nevertheless the 'expressed'/'total' activity ratio was comparatively constant and varied only between 43% and 75%. Immunotitration of enzyme activity, with antiserum raised in sheep against purified rat liver HMG-CoA reductase, confirmed the presence of both active and inactive forms of the enzyme and indicated that at the peak and nadir the variation in 'expressed' HMG-CoA reductase activity resulted from changes in the total number of enzyme molecules rather than from covalent modification. The sample obtained after 3 h of the light phase exhibited an anomalously low 'total' HMG-CoA reductase activity, which could be increased when Cl- replaced F- in the homogenization medium. The result suggests that at that time the activity of the enzyme could be regulated by mechanisms other than covalent phosphorylation or degradation.     

AM1, a glycoprotein from the submandibular glands of the mouse, has esterolytic and amidolytic activities

The activity of microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (EC 1.1.1.34), obtained from cultured human IM-9 lymphoid cells or freshly isolated human peripheral blood leukocytes, is modulated by a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation mechanism. Addition of MgATP + ADP to IM-9 cell microsomal reductase leads to a time-dependent loss of enzyme activity. Inactivated reductase is reactivated by rat liver reductase phosphatase. Kinase-dependent IM-9 cell microsomal reductase, prepared by heating IM-9 microsomes for 15 min at 50 degrees C, is inactivated in the presence of MgATP and ADP only after addition of cytosolic reductase kinase from either IM-9 cells, freshly isolated leukocytes or rat liver. Inactivation is time-dependent and dependent on the cytosolic protein concentration. Inactivated reductase is reactivated by rat liver reductase phosphatase. For cultured IM-9 cells and freshly isolated leukocytes incubated with culture medium for 2 h, the ratios of active (unphosphorylated) to total (phosphorylated + unphosphorylated) reductase activity are 0.22 and 0.43, respectively. Thus, in addition to its regulation by changes in the amount of total enzyme protein, human leukocyte reductase activity is also modulated by a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation mechanism.     

Properties of purified rat hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase and regulation of enzyme activity

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase from rat liver microsomes has been purified to apparent homogeneity with recoveries of approximately 50%. The enzyme obtained from rats fed a diet supplemented with cholestyramine had specific activities of approximately 21,500 nmol of NADPH oxidized/min/mg of protein. After amino acid analysis a specific activity of 31,000 nmol of NADPH oxidized/min/mg of amino acyl mass was obtained. The s20,w for HMG-CoA reductase was 6.14 S and the Stokes radius was .39 nm. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 104,000 and the enzyme subunit after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 52,000. Antibodies prepared against the homogeneous enzyme specifically precipitated HMG-CoA reductase from crude and pure fractions of the enzyme. Incubation of rat hepatocytes for 3 h in the presence of lecithin dispersions, compactin, or rat serum resulted in significant increases in the specific activity of the microsomal bound reductase. Immunotitrations indicated that in all cases these increases were associated with an activated form of the reductase. However activation of the enzyme accounted for only a small percentage of the total increase in enzyme activity; the vast majority of the increase was apparently due to an increase in the number of enzyme molecules. In contrast, when hepatocytes were incubated with mevalonolactone the lower enzyme activity which resulted was primarily due to inactivation of the enzyme with little change in the number of enzyme molecules. Immunotitrations of microsomes obtained from rats killed at the nadir or peak of the diurnal rhythm of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase indicated that the rhythm results both from enzyme activation and an increased number of reductase molecules.     

Inhibition of human leukocyte 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity by ascorbic acid. An effect mediated by the free radical monodehydroascorbate

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity in microsomes isolated from cultured lymphoid (IM-9) cells or freshly isolated human leukocytes was markedly decreased by either ascorbic acid or its oxidized derivative, dehydroascorbate. Inhibition of IM-9 leukocyte HMG-CoA reductase activity was log linear between 0.01 and 10 mM ascorbic acid (25 and 81% inhibition, respectively) and 0.1 and 10 mM dehydroascorbate (5 and 75% inhibition, respectively). Inhibition was noncompetitive with respect to HMG-CoA (Km = 10.2 microM (RS); ascorbic acid, Ki = 6.4 mM; dehydroascorbate, Ki = 15 mM) and competitive with respect to NADPH (Km = 16.3 microM; acetic acid, Ki = 6.3 mM; dehydroascorbate, Ki = 3.1 mM). Ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbate are interconverted through the free radical intermediate monodehydroascorbate. Reducing agents are required to convert dehydroascorbate to monodehydroascorbate, but prevent formation of the free radical from ascorbate. In microsomes from IM-9 cells, the reducing agent, dithiothreitol, abolished HMG-CoA reductase inhibition by ascorbate but enhanced inhibition by dehydroascorbate. In addition, the concentration of monodehydroascorbate present in ascorbate solutions was directly proportional to the degree of HMG-CoA reductase inhibition by 1.0 mM ascorbate. Fifty per cent inhibition of enzyme activity occurred at a monodehydroascorbate concentration of 14 microM. These data indicate that monodehydroascorbate mediates inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase by both ascorbate and dehydroascorbate. This effect does not appear to be due to free radical-induced membrane lipid modification, however, since both ascorbate and dehydroascorbate inhibited the protease-solubilized, partially purified human liver enzyme. Since inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase occurs at physiological concentrations of ascorbic acid in the human leukocyte (0.2-1.72 mM), this vitamin may be important in the regulation of endogenous cholesterol synthesis in man.     

A cold-clamping technique for the rapid sampling of rat liver for studies on enzymes in separate cell fractions. Suitability for the study of enzymes regulated by reversible phosphorylation-dephosphorylation.

A technique for the rapid sampling, cooling and homogenization of rat liver is described. Its effectiveness in preserving the activity status of pyruvate kinase (soluble) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) (microsomal) during sampling is assessed in comparison with that of the freeze-clamping technique and of simple excision and mincing of liver tissue before homogenization. The results suggest that cold-clamping is equally effective as freeze-clamping in preserving the activity status of pyruvate kinase in liver samples obtained in situ, but in addition allows the subsequent separation of subcellular fractions, notably microsomes (microsomal fractions) and mitochondria. It is suggested that this property makes the technique useful in studying the activity status of enzymes (e.g. HMG-CoA reductase) the assay of which is subject to interference from the activity of other enzymes which are released from damaged organelles in crude homogenates of freeze-clamped liver samples. This suggestion was tested directly; the cold-clamping technique was found to preserve a substantially higher initial/total HMG-CoA reductase activity ratio [Easom & Zammit (1984) Biochem. J. 220, 739-745] in subsequently isolated microsomes compared with that obtained in microsomes prepared from liver samples processed in the conventional manner. The integrity of mitochondria isolated from homogenates of cold-clamped liver samples was preserved, as judged by the latency of intramitochondrial enzymes and by good respiratory control of the mitochondria. Possible further areas of metabolic studies to which the cold-clamping technique could be applied are suggested.     

Hormonal regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase mRNA in the rat adrenal gland

We studied the effect of ACTH on 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase enzyme. Reductase activity and reductase mass were enhanced by 22- and 6.2-fold respectively in one series of experiments, whereas in another the levels of reductase activity, reductase mass, and reductase mRNA were increased 6.6-, 3.6- and 2.2-fold respectively, following daily administration of exogenous ACTH for 3 days. Daily injection of 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine (4-APP) to rats for 3 days increased circulating ACTH level 5.4-fold, whereas adrenal HMG-CoA reductase activity, reductase mass and reductase mRNA levels were greatly increased 36-, 10- and 16-fold, respectively. To counteract the effect of elevated plasma ACTH, dexamethasone acetate (Dex) was administered to 4-APP treated rats. At 3 h post Dex administration, plasma ACTH and corticosteroids levels were effectively decreased by 58 and 59%, respectively. The levels of adrenal HMG-CoA reductase mRNA, reductase activity and reductase mass were also diminished by 38, 31 and 40%, respectively. Our results show that rat adrenal HMG-CoA reductase can respond rapidly to hormonal changes, presumably through variations in circulating ACTH levels.     

Phosphorylation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase by microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase kinase

Microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase kinase has been purified to apparent homogeneity by a process involving the following steps: solubilization from microsomes and chromatography on Affi-Gel Blue, phosphocellulose, Bio-Gel A 1.5m, and agarose-hexane-ATP. The apparent M_r of the purified enzyme as judged by gel-filtration chromatography is 205,000 and by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis is 105,000. Immunoprecipitation of homogeneous reductase phosphorylated by reductase kinase and [γ-³²P]ATP produces a unique band containing ³²P bound to protein which migrates at the same R_f as the reductase subunit. Incubation of ³²P-labeled HMG-CoA reductase with reductase phosphatase results in a time-dependent loss of protein-bound ³²P radioactivity, as well as an increase in enzymic activity. Reductase kinase, when incubated with ATP, undergoes autophosphorylation, and a simultaneous increase in its enzymatic activity is observed. Tryptic treatment of immunoprecipitated, ³²P-labeled HMG-CoA reductase phosphorylated with reductase kinase produces only one ³²P-labeled phosphopeptide with the same R_f as one of the two tryptic phosphopeptides that have been reported in a previous paper. The possible existence of a second microsomal reductase kinase is discussed.     

Some properties of purified 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase phosphatases from rat liver

Incubation of four purified rat liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase phosphatases (G. Gil, M. Sitges, and F. G. Hegardt, (1981) Biochim. Biophys. Acta663, 211–221) with HMG-CoA, CoA, NADPH, or citrate caused a concentration-dependent inactivation of the enzyme activities. HMG-CoA and CoA showed similar patterns of inactivation and at 0.5 mm of both compounds, the four reductase phosphatases were fully inhibited. Half-maximal inactivation was comprised between 0.02 and 0.1 mm of HMG-CoA and CoA. NADPH at concentration ranging between 5 and 10 mm produced complete inactivation of reductase phosphatases. Citrate at 5 mm produced full inactivation, and half-maximal inhibition ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 mm for the different phosphatases. The behavior of fluoride varied with respect to the four phosphatases: Low molecular forms were inactivated in a similar manner as described for other protein phosphatases. However, high molecular forms were slightly inactivated, and phosphatase IIa at 100 mm showed a level of activity similar to the control. The effect of KCl on the four reductase phosphatases could explain this behavior since at high concentrations, KCl (and NaCl) produced activation in both high and low molecular forms, this effect being more enhanced in high M_r reductase phosphatases. The insensitivity to fluoride of high M_r reductase phosphatases could explain the discrepancies in percentage of the active form of HMG-CoA reductase described previously in literature.     

In vitro regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarylcoenzyme a reductase and acylcoenzyme a: Cholesterol acyltransferase activities by phoshorylation-dephosphorylation in rabbit intestine

The regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarylcoenzyme A reductase and acylcoenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase activities by phosphorylation-dephosphorylation in rabbit intestine was studied in vitro. Preparing intestinal microsomes in the presence of 50 mM NaF caused a 64% decrease in the reductase activity. It had no effect on acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity. Microsomes that were prepared in NaF were incubated with intestinal cytosol, a partially purified phosphatase from cytosol, and Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase. All three preparations increased 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase by two- or three-fold suggesting dephosphorylation and ‘reactivation’ of enzyme activity. Cytosol caused a 78% increase in acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity, but neither the partially purified phosphatase nor the E. coli alkaline phosphatase affected the acyltransferase activity. Microsomes incubated with increasing concentrations of MgCl₂ and ATP decreased both the activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase and acylcoenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase in a step-wise fashion. Whereas this inhibitory effect was specific for reductase, the effect on acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity was secondary to the presence of ATP in the assay mixture. The 8500×g supernatant of intestinal whole homogenate from isolated intestinal cells or scraped mucosa was incubated with MgCl₂, ATP and NaF. In microsomes prepared from this supernatant, the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase was significantly decreased. Again, no change was observed in the acyltransferase activity. The rate of cholesterol esterification in isolated intestinal cells was not affected by 0.1 mM cAMP or 50 mM NaF. We conclude that under conditions which regulate 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity in rabbit intestine by phosphorylation-dephosphorylation, no regulation of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity is observed.     

Coordinate regulation of cholesterol synthesis and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase but not 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in C-6 glia

The effects on cholesterol biosynthesis of growth of cultured C-6 glial cells in serumfree medium ± supplementation with linoleic or linolenic acid were studied. Markedly higher activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase, EC 1.1.1.34) were observed in cells grown in linoleate- or linolenate-supplemented versus nonsupplemented medium. After 48 h HMG-CoA reductase activities were two-and four-fold higher in cells supplemented with 20 and 100 μm linoleate, respectively. The increase in activity became apparent after 24 h and was marked after 48 h. Rates of incorporation of [¹⁴C]acetate or ³H₂O into sterols did not reflect the changes in reductase activity. Thus, in cells supplemented with 50 μm linoleate for 24 and 48 h rates of incorporation of [¹⁴C]acetate were 75–80% lower than rates in nonsupplemented cells. This difference resulted because over the first 24 h of the experiment a fivefold increase in the rate of sterol synthesis occurred in the nonsupplemented cells, whereas essentially no change occurred in the linoleate-supplemented cells; little further change occurred between 24 and 48 h in the nonsupplemented and the linoleate-supplemented cells. That the difference in sterol synthesis under these experimental conditions could be mediated at the level of HMG-CoA synthase (EC 4.1.3.5) was suggested by two series of findings, i.e., first, similar quantitative and temporal changes in the activity of this enzyme, and, second, no change in the activity of acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (EC 2.3.1.9) or the incorporation of [¹⁴C]mevalonate into sterols. Thus, the data suggest that HMG-CoA synthase, and not HMG-CoA reductase, may direct the rate of cholesterol biosynthesis under these conditions of serum-free growth ± supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acid.     

Regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity in human fibroblasts by reversible phosphorylation: modulation of enzymatic activity by low density lipoprotein, sterols, and mevalonolactone

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase exists in interconvertible active and inactive forms in cultured fibroblasts from normal and familial hypercholesterolemic subjects. The inactive form can be activated by endogenous or added phosphoprotein phosphatase. Active or partially active HMG-CoA reductase in cell extracts was inactivated by a ATP-Mg-dependent reductase kinase. Incubation of phosphorylated (inactive) HMG-CoA reductase with purified phosphoprotein phosphatase was associated with dephosphorylation (reactivation) and complete restoration of HMG-CoA reductase activity. Low density lipoprotein, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 7-ketocholesterol, and mevalonolactone suppressed HMG-CoA reductase activity by a short-term mechanism involving reversible phosphorylation. 25-Hydroxycholesterol, which enters cells without the requirement of low density lipoprotein-receptor binding, inhibited the HMG-CoA reductase activity in familial hypercholesterolemic cells by reversible phosphorylation. Measurement of the short-term effects of inhibitors on the rate of cholesterol synthesis from radiolabeled acetate revealed that HMG-CoA reductase phosphorylation was responsible for rapid suppression of sterol synthesis. Reductase kinase activity of cultured fibroblasts was also affected by reversible phosphorylation. The active (phosphorylated) reductase kinase can be inactivated by dephosphorylation with phosphatase. Inactive reductase kinase can be reactivated by phosphorylation with ATP-Mg and a second protein kinase from rat liver, designated reductase kinase kinase. Reductase kinase kinase activity has been shown to be present in the extracts of cultured fibroblasts. The combined results represent the initial demonstration of a short-term regulation of HMG-CoA reductase activity and cholesterol synthesis in normal and receptor-negative cultured fibroblasts involving reversible phosphorylation of both HMG-CoA reductase and reductase kinase.