Metabolism of human apolipoproteins A-I and A-II: compartmental models.

The metabolism of radioiodinated apolipoproteins (apo) A-I and A-II have been examined using the techniques of compartmental modeling. The model for apoA-I contains two plasma compartments decaying at different rates. One component of apoA-I has a residence time of 3.8 days and the second has a residence time of 6.1 days. In contrast, the apoA-II model has only one plasma component, with a residence time of 5.5 days, which decays through two distinct pathways. Twenty-seven percent of apoA-II decays through a pathway that takes 1.1 days longer to reach the urine than the remaining 73% which decays through the more direct path. These differences in the metabolism exist in both male and female populations. Comparison of fasting and nonfasting concentrations of apoA-I revealed that apoA-I concentration was elevated 0.5 standard deviations in the nonfasting samples while there was no significant difference in the apoA-II concentrations. The fasting apoA-I concentrations were found to be less stable over the study period when compared to fasting apoA-II concentrations. These findings are interpreted as indicating that apoA-I and apoA-II each have a separate metabolism which overlaps when they are present on the same lipoprotein particle. Furthermore, these findings are consistent with the concept that apoA-I metabolism is influenced more by perturbations such as dietary modulation.

Characterization of insulin regulation of lipid synthesis in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

Stimulation of lipid synthesis by insulin in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells is characterized by an increase in acetate incorporation into long-chain fatty acids. The effects occurs in the absence of an increase in glucose uptake by the cells, and cannot be explained by a decrease in turnover of cellular fatty acids. Differential substrate experiments as well as direct measurement of enzyme activities indicate that insulin stimulates increases in activity of the first enzyme of the de novo pathway, acetyl CoA carboxylase. [32Pi] incorporation into phospholipids is also stimulated by insulin. Thin layer chromatography reveals five peaks of [32Pi]-labeled phospholipids corresponding in mobility to the following standards: lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine. [32Pi] incorporation into each of these peaks is stimulated, although the degree of stimulation varies.

Human apolipoprotein A-I and A-II metabolism.

The kinetics of the major apolipoproteins (apo) of plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL), apoA-I and apoA-II, were examined in a total of 44 individual tracer studies in 22 normal male and female subjects. Following the intravenous injection of radioiodinated HDL, the specific radioactivity decay of apoA-I within HDL (residence time, 5.07 +/- 1.53 days), as determined by column chromatography, was significantly (P < 0.01) faster than that of apoA-II (residence time, 5.96 +/- 1.84 days). The specific radioactivity decay of apoA-I within HDL when labeled on HDL or as apoA-I was found to be almost identical. Similar results were obtained for apoA-II. Analysis of simultaneous paired radiolabeled apoA-I and apoA-II studies revealed that the mean apoA-I plasma residence time (4.46 +/- 1.04 days) was significantly (P < 0.01) shorter than that for apoA-II (4.97 +/- 1.06 days). Females had significantly (P < 0.01) higher apoA-I plasma concentrations (124 +/- 24 mg/dl) and apoA-I synthesis rates (13.58 +/- 2.23 mg/kg. day) than did males (108 +/- 16 mg/dl, and 11.12 +/- 1.92 mg/kg. day, respectively). Plasma apoA-I levels were correlated with plasma apoA-I residence times, but not synthesis rates; and apoA-II concentrations were correlated only with apoA-II whole body residence times. ApoA-I and apoA-II plasma residence times were inversely correlated with plasma triglyceride levels. These data are consistent with the following concepts: 1) labeling of apoA-I and apoA-II as apolipoproteins or on HDL does not affect their specific radioactivity decay within HDL; 2) the mean residence time of apoA-I both in plasma and in HDL is significantly shorter than that of apoA-II; 3) the increased apoA-I levels seen in female subjects are due to increased apoA-I synthesis; and 4) the plasma apoA-I residence time, which is inversely correlated with plasma triglyceride levels, is an important determinant of apoA-I concentration in both males and females.-Schaefer, E. J., L. A. Zech, L. L. Jenkins, T. J. Bronzert, E. A. Rubalcaba, F. T. Lindgren, R. L. Aamodt, and H. B. Brewer, Jr. Human apolipoprotein A-I and A-II metabolism.

Transport of apolipoproteins A-I and A-II by human thoracic duct lymph.

The daily transport of human plasma apolipoproteins A-I and A-II, triglyceride, and total cholesterol from the thoracic duct lymph into plasma was measured in two subjects before and three subjects after renal transplantation. Lymph triglyceride transport was approximately 83% of the daily ingested fat loads, whereas lymph cholesterol transport was consistently greater than the amount of daily ingested cholesterol. Lymph apolipoprotein transport significantly (P < 0.05) exceeded the predicted apolipoprotein synthesis rate by an average of 659+/-578 mg/d for apolipoprotein A-I and 109+/-59 mg/d for apolipoprotein A-II among the five subjects. It is estimated that 22-77% (apolipoprotein A-I) and 28-82% (apolipoprotein A-II) of daily total body apolipoprotein synthesis takes place in the intestine. Lymph high density lipoprotein particles are mostly high density lipoprotein(2b) and high density lipoprotein(2a) and have a greater overall relative triglyceride content and a smaller relative cholesteryl ester content when compared with homologous plasma high density lipoproteins. The major quantity of both lymph apolipoprotein A-I (81+/-8%) and apolipoprotein A-II (90+/-11%) was found within high density lipoproteins with almost all of the remainder found in chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins. The combined results are consistent with a major contribution of the intestine to total body synthesis of apolipoprotein A-I and apolipoprotein A-II. An important role of lymph in returning filtered apolipoprotein to plasma in association with high density lipoproteins is proposed. Accompanying the return of filtered apolipoprotein to the plasma is a probable transformation, both in size and composition, of at least some of the lymph high density lipoprotein(2b) and high density lipoprotein(2a) particles into high density lipoprotein(3).

New micromethod for measuring cholesterol in plasma lipoprotein fractions.

A method is described for the reliable, fast, and relatively inexpensive fractionation of plasma lipoproteins and quantitation of their cholesterol content. This procedure requires 350 microliter of plasma and can be completed within 3 h. Plasma lipoproteins (175 microliter of plasma) were prestained with Fat Red 7B and centrifuged (Beckman Airfuge) at plasma density (d = 1.006 kg/liter) and at a solvent density of 1.060 kg/liter, adjusted by adding solid KBr. Prestained centrifuged samples demonstrated the characteristic elevation of chylomicrons in phenotypes I and V, low-density lipoproteins of phenotype II, very-low-density lipoproteins in phenotype IV and V, and continuum of pink color throughout the centrifuge tube, diagnostic of the floating beta lipoprotein of type III. Centrifuged samples were separated into top and bottom fractions by aspiration. Cholesterol was quantitated with an enzymic oxygen-electrode analyzer (Beckman Cholesterol Analyzer). Correlation coefficients between cholesterol values for plasma from normal hyperlipidemic individuals obtained with the Beckman Analyzer vs. the Technicon AutoAnalyzer II and SMAC systems were 0.977 and 0.973, respectively.

Self-association of apo-C-I from the human high density lipoprotein complex.

The molecular properties of apo-C-I, isolated from the human high density lipoprotein complex, have been evaluated as a function of pH, solvent composition, and protein concentration by sedimentation equilibrium and circular dichroic measurements. This protein self-associates in aqueous solution at neutral pH with concomitant changes in secondary structure. In contrast, in the acid pH range, apo-C-I is monomeric and its ellipticity is independent of protein concentration. The results are discussed in terms of the interpretation of experiments where changes in the physical properties of apolipoproteins have been used to monitor ligand binding and lipid-apolipoprotein recombination.