Human apoC-IV: isolation, characterization, and immunochemical quantification in plasma and plasma lipoproteins.

Apolipoprotein C-IV (apoC-IV), the newest member of the low-molecular-weight apoC group, has been characterized in blood plasma of rabbits, in which it is a major proline-rich apoC component (Zhang, L-H., L. Kotite, and R. J. Havel. 1996. Identification, characterization, cloning, and expression of apoC-IV, a novel sialoglycoprotein of rabbit plasma lipoproteins. J. Biol. Chem. 271: 1776-1783). Although the decoded sequence of mouse and human apoC-IV is known, apoC-IV has not been identified in blood plasma from these or other species. Rabbit apoC-IV exists in several sialoforms, and the asialoform has an acidic isoelectric point. We show that apoC-IV is a basic protein in human, monkey, and mouse plasma, present as a minor apoC component of VLDL. Human apoC-IV, isolated from apo VLDL by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and two-dimensional electrophoresis, was identified by microsequencing four tryptic peptides. The protein exhibits two major isoforms; one is N-glycosylated, and both are variably sialylated. In normolipidemic plasma, greater than 80% of the protein is in VLDL (0.7% of total apo VLDL), with most of the remainder in HDL. The concentration of apoC-IV in the plasma and lipoproteins of rho < 1.21 g/ml is closely related to plasma triglyceride concentration up to 1,770 mg/dl, varying from 0.1-1.9 mg/dl. Neither the human nor rabbit apoC-IV gene contains a typical TATA box in the 5'-flanking region, but the 5'-untranslated region of the rabbit gene contains a unique purine-rich sequence, GGGACAG(G/A), repeated nine times in tandem, with an additional two within the 5'-flanking sequence. This sequence, functioning as a GAGA box that has been implicated in the transcription of a number of genes, may explain the higher level of expression of apoC-IV in rabbits.

Lamellar lipoproteins uniquely contribute to hyperlipidemia in mice doubly deficient in apolipoprotein E and hepatic lipase.

Remnants of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein (apo) B-48 accumulate in apo E-deficient mice, causing pronounced hypercholesterolemia. Mice doubly deficient in apo E and hepatic lipase have more pronounced hypercholesterolemia, even though remnants do not accumulate appreciably in mice deficient in hepatic lipase alone. Here we show that the doubly deficient mice manifest a unique lamellar hyperlipoproteinemia, characterized by vesicular particles 600 A-1,300 A in diameter. As seen by negative-staining electron microscopy, these lipoproteins also contain an electron-lucent region adjacent to the vesicle wall, similar to the core of typical lipoproteins. Correlative chemical analysis indicates that the vesicle wall is composed of a 1:1 molar mixture of cholesterol and phospholipids, whereas the electron-lucent region appears to be composed of cholesteryl esters (about 12% of the particle mass). Like the spherical lipoproteins of doubly deficient mice, the vesicular particles contain apo B-48, but they are particularly rich in apo A-IV. We propose that cholesteryl esters are removed from spherical lipoproteins of these mice by scavenger receptor B1, leaving behind polar lipid-rich particles that fuse to form vesicular lipoproteins. Hepatic lipase may prevent such vesicular lipoproteins from accumulating in apo E-deficient mice by hydrolyzing phosphatidyl choline as scavenger receptor B1 removes the cholesteryl esters and by gradual endocytosis of lipoproteins bound to hepatic lipase on the surface of hepatocytes.

Metabolism of lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein B in hepatic lipase-deficient mice.

Mice lacking hepatic lipase have been reported to express mild hyperlipidemia characterized by increased concentrations of large high density lipoproteins, but normal concentrations of lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein B. Whereas hepatic lipase has been implicated in the clearance and processing of chylomicron remnants in rats, no such defect was found in these mice. We have further characterized the abnormal lipoprotein phenotype in young hepatic lipase-deficient mice and have found more pronounced elevations of high density lipoproteins associated in particular with a 5-fold increase in plasma concentrations of apolipoprotein E. In addition, there was a reduction in the concentration of low density lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein B-100 and B-48 relative to precursor lipoproteins of lower density and a pronounced deficiency of apolipoprotein B-containing low density lipoproteins with density exceeding 1.029 g/mL. Conversion of radiolabeled rabbit intermediate density lipoproteins to low density lipoproteins was reduced by 6-fold as compared with wild-type mice. Although clearance of cholesteryl ester-labeled chylomicrons from the blood was unimpaired in the deficient mice, that of chylomicron remnants was reduced. Furthermore, endocytosis of chylomicron cholesteryl esters into liver cells occurred more rapidly than in wild-type mice. The unimpaired hepatic clearance of injected chylomicron particles in hepatic lipase-deficient mice may be the result of greater acquisition of apoE from high density lipoproteins during remnant formation. These studies thus demonstrate a critical role for mouse hepatic lipase in the formation of small, dense low density lipoproteins, as well as participation in the normal clearance and processing of chylomicron remnants.

Identification, characterization, cloning, and expression of apolipoprotein C-IV, a novel sialoglycoprotein of rabbit plasma lipoproteins.

We have identified and characterized a novel proline- and arginine-rich protein component of lipoproteins, present in up to five sialylated isoforms, in rabbit blood plasma. The pI of the desialylated protein is 5.7. Based upon its N-terminal sequence, a complete cDNA sequence of 555 nucleotides was cloned from rabbit liver. The synthesized protein is predicted to contain 124 amino acids, including a typical signal peptide of 27 residues. The mature protein of 97 amino acids, designated apolipoprotein C-IV, is associated with the lipoproteins of blood plasma, primarily very low density and high density lipoproteins. It contains two potential amphipathic helices characteristic of plasma apolipoproteins and forms discoidal micelles with phosphatidylcholine. Northern analysis shows a single 0.6-kilobase apolipoprotein C-IV mRNA, detected only in the liver, and Southern analysis suggests a single copy gene. Sialylated apolipoprotein C-IV is secreted from transfected mammalian cells. Nucleotide sequence comparisons demonstrate a strong homology to portions of the upstream regions of the mouse and human apolipoprotein C2 genes, within each of which a distinct gene has recently been identified. The nucleotide sequences and the predicted amino acid sequences, as well as corresponding cDNA sequences in the rat and monkey, indicate that the apolipoprotein C4 gene has been highly conserved during mammalian evolution.

Quantification of apolipoproteins B-100, B-48, and E in human triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.

We have developed a procedure to quantify apolipoprotein (apo) B-100, apoB-48, and apoE in human triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. This procedure permits delipidation of small amounts of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins without appreciable losses, and quantification of these apolipoproteins in samples containing as little as 10 micrograms of protein. Delipidated triglyceride-rich lipoproteins are subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis, and the mass of apolipoproteins is estimated after densitometric scanning and volume integration of Coomassie blue-stained bands. The chromogenicities of apoB-100 and apoB-48 are virtually identical, and twofold lower than that of apoE. The standard curve for each apolipoprotein follows a power function over a wide protein range, permitting quantification of as little as 0.2 microgram of apoB-48 and as much as 30 micrograms of apoB-100 from a single application of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins to the gels. This method is suitable for routine use in studies of the intestinal and hepatic contributions to triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and their responses to postprandial lipemia.

Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins isolated by selected-affinity anti-apolipoprotein B immunosorption from human atherosclerotic plaque.

We isolated and characterized immunoreactive apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins from human atherosclerotic plaque and plasma to determine whether very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) can enter and become incorporated into the atherosclerotic lesion and how plaque apoB-containing lipoproteins differ from apoB-containing lipoproteins isolated from plasma. Atherosclerotic plaques were obtained during aortic surgery and processed immediately. Lipoproteins were extracted from minced plaque in a buffered saline solution (extract A). In selected cases a second extraction was done after plaque was incubated with collagenase (extract B). Lipoproteins were then isolated from the extracts by anti-apoB immunosorption and separated into VLDL + intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL) (d < 1.019 g/mL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (1.019 < d < 1.070 g/mL) fractions by ultracentrifugation. The VLDL + IDL fractions from plaque contained more than one third of the total apoB-associated lipoprotein cholesterol in both extracts A and B. The lipid composition of VLDL + IDL in both extracts was related to that of plasma VLDL + IDL. By electron microscopy mean particle diameters of VLDL + IDL from extracts A and B were 9% and 23%, respectively, greater than VLDL + IDL diameters from plasma. Mean diameters of LDL from extracts A and B were 11% and 31% greater than LDL diameters from plasma. The apoE-apoB ratio of extract A VLDL + IDL was nearly twice that of plasma VLDL + IDL and severalfold higher than that of extract A LDL. Immunoblots of both VLDL + IDL and LDL from extract A demonstrated minimal fragmentation of apoB.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of the 39-kDa receptor-associated protein on the hepatic uptake and endocytosis of chylomicron remnants and low density lipoproteins in the rat.

The low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein, which serves as the cell surface receptor for several proteins including alpha 2-macroglobulin-protease complexes, has been proposed to be a candidate hepatocytic receptor for chylomicron remnants through its recognition of apolipoprotein E. We have studied the effect of two ligands for this receptor, activated alpha 2-macroglobulin and the recently described 39-kDa protein that copurifies with the LDL receptor-related protein (receptor-associated protein), on the uptake and endocytosis of chylomicrons in intact rats and in isolated, perfused rat livers. Both of these ligands were rapidly taken up and endocytosed into the liver of rats. Chylomicrons from normal rats were injected in vivo and chylomicrons from estradiol-treated rats that were enriched in apolipoprotein E were added to liver perfusates. Prior administration of amounts of activated alpha 2-macroglobulin that saturated hepatic uptake mechanisms did not inhibit hepatic uptake or endocytosis of endogenously labeled cholesteryl esters of chylomicron particles in vivo or in perfused livers over a period of 15 min. By contrast, prior administration of saturating amounts of the receptor-associated protein (expressed in bacteria as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase) reduced hepatic uptake by about 30% and virtually abolished endocytosis. The receptor-associated protein inhibited hepatic uptake of human LDL in vivo by 70% and endocytosis by 81%. Our results show that receptor-associated protein-sensitive processes predominate in the overall pathways by which chylomicron remnants are endocytosed by rat liver. Furthermore, they show that the receptor-associated protein binds to and inhibits the function of the LDL receptor as well as the LDL receptor-related protein.

Relationships between the responses of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in blood plasma containing apolipoproteins B-48 and B-100 to a fat-containing meal in normolipidemic humans.

The concentration of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein (apo) B-48 (chylomicrons) and apo B-100 (very low density lipoproteins) was measured in blood plasma of healthy young men after an ordinary meal containing one-third of daily energy and fat. Plasma obtained in the postabsorptive state and at intervals up to 12 hr after the meal was subjected to immunoaffinity chromatography against a monoclonal antibody to apo B-100 that does not bind apo B-48 and a minor fraction of apo B-100 rich in apo E. Measurements of the concentrations of components of the total and unbound triglyceride-rich lipoproteins separated from plasma by ultracentrifugation showed that about 80% of the increase in lipoprotein particle number was in very low density lipoproteins containing apo B-100 and only 20% was in chylomicrons containing apo B-48 that carry dietary fat from the intestine. The maximal increments and the average concentrations of apo B-48 and B-100 during the 12 hr were highly correlated (r2 = 0.80), suggesting that preferential clearance of chylomicron triglycerides by lipoprotein lipase leads to accumulation of hepatogenous very low density lipoproteins during the alimentary period. The composition of the bulk of very low density lipoproteins that were bound to the monoclonal antibody changed little and these particles contained about 90% of the cholesterol and most of the apo E that accumulated in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. The predominant accumulation of very low density lipoprotein rather than chylomicron particles after ingestion of ordinary meals is relevant to the potential atherogenicity of postprandial lipoproteins.

Atypical familial dysbetalipoproteinemia associated with apolipoprotein phenotype E3/3.

Familial dysbetalipoproteinemia has been reported to be associated uniquely with an apolipoprotein E phenotype (E2/2) that occurs in approximately 1% of all persons. We have observed the typical clinical and biochemical characteristics of this disorder in five members of a family, in all of whom the apolipoprotein E phenotype, as determined by isoelectric focusing electrophoresis, is E3/3. The disorder is present in three generations of the family: the proband, her mother, and three of the proband's five children. The proband's husband, father of all five children, also has apolipoprotein E phenotype E3/3, as do his two unaffected children. As in normal persons with phenotype E3/3, the apolipoprotein E of affected members appears to have a single residue of cysteine. When incorporated with egg lecithin into discoidal complexes, the apolipoprotein E from affected members was taken up normally into perfused livers of estradiol-treated rats, in which a high level of LDL receptors is expressed. When isoelectric focusing electrophoresis was carried out over a narrow range of pH (5-7), each of the apolipoprotein E isoforms of affected members was observed as a doublet, even after reduction of dimers of the protein with 2-mercaptoethanol and treatment with neuraminidase to minimize the content of sialylated forms of the protein. Doublets were also observed in the apolipoprotein E-2 of patients with classical dysbetalipoproteinemia, but only in the affected members of the family with atypical dysbetalipoproteinemia were the components of the doublets equally prominent. As in classical dysbetalipoproteinemia, both apolipoprotein B-100 and B-48 were present in the very low density lipoprotein fraction of plasma obtained in the postabsorptive state, indicating that remnantlike lipoproteins of both hepatic and intestinal origin accumulate. This observation, together with available evidence on the structural and functional heterogeneity of human apolipoprotein E, lead us to suggest that the disorder in this family is caused by one or two structurally abnormal forms of apolipoprotein E that contain a single residue of cysteine.

Concentration and composition of lipoproteins in blood plasma of the WHHL rabbit. An animal model of human familial hypercholesterolemia.

Lipoproteins in blood plasma have been quantified and characterized in homozygous Watanabe-heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits, an animal model of human familial hypercholesterolemia. Like homozygous human hypercholesterolemics, WHHL rabbits have a severe deficiency of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors, a prolonged residence time for LDL, and an increased absolute rate of LDL catabolism. Although lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein B in WHHL rabbits are enriched in cholesteryl esters, their LDL as well as intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) also contain a substantial amount of triglycerides and they consistently exhibit hypertriglyceridemia as well as hypercholesterolemia. The cholesteryl esters accumulating in lipoproteins of WHHL rabbits are rich in cholesteryl linoleate and appear to be produced almost exclusively by lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase. Levels of apolipoprotein B-100 are elevated in VLDL and IDL as well as in LDL of WHHL rabbits and only trace amounts of apolipoprotein B-48 are present. Plasma levels of apolipoprotein E are also substantially increased, and VLDL and IDL are enriched in this protein. The accumulation of lipoproteins with the expected characteristics of remnants of hepatogenous triglyceride-rich lipoproteins contrasts with the efficient hepatic clearance of chylomicron remnants in WHHL rabbits.

Familial dysbetalipoproteinemia. Abnormal binding of mutant apoprotein E to low density lipoprotein receptors of human fibroblasts and membranes from liver and adrenal of rats, rabbits, and cows.

Patients with familial dysbetalipoproteinemia (F. Dys.), also called familial type 3 hyperlipoproteinemia, are homozygous for a mutant allele, Ed, that specifies an abnormal form of apoprotein (apo) E, a prominent constituent of remnant lipoproteins derived from very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and chylomicrons. Apo E is thought to mediate the removal of remnant lipoproteins from the plasma by virtue of its ability to bind to hepatic lipoprotein receptors. In F. Dys. patients, remnant-like lipoproteins accumulate, apparently because of delayed clearance by the liver. In the current studies, we show that the abnormal protein specified by the Ed allele (apo E-D) from some, but not all, patients with F. Dys. has a markedly deficient ability to bind to low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors. Apo E was isolated from eight control subjects and nine patients with F. Dys. and incorporated into phospholipid complexes. The complexes were tested for their ability to compete with human 125I-LDL or rabbit 125I-beta-VLDL fo binding to LDL receptors in four assay systems: cultured human fibroblasts, solubilized receptors from bovine adrenal cortex, liver membranes from rats treated with 17 alpha-ethinyl estradiol, and liver membranes from normal rabbits. The apo E-D from six of the nine patients with F. Dys. showed binding affinities for LDL receptors that were reduced by greater than 98% in all receptor assays (group 1 patients). All of these group 1 patients were unequivocally of phenotype apo E-D/D by the criterion of isoelectric focussing. The apo E from the three other F. Dys. patients showed a near normal binding ability in all four of the receptor assays (group 2 patients). One of these group 2 patients appeared to have the apo E-D/D phenotype by isoelectric focussing. In the other two patients in group 2, apo E-D was the predominant protein (phenotype, apo E-D/D), but traces of protein in the region corresponding to normal apo E (apo E-N) were also present. The difference between group 1 and group 2 patients was also apparent when the apo E was iodinated and tested directly for binding to liver membranes from rats treated with 17 alpha-ethinyl estradiol. The 125I-labeled apo E from a group 2 patient, but not a group 1 patient, showed enhanced uptake when perfused through the liver of an estradiol-treated rate, indicating that the receptor binding ability of apo E correlated with uptake in the intact liver. The current studies allow the subdivision of patients with F. Dys. into two groups. In group 1, the elevated plasma level of remnants appears to be due to a diminished receptor binding activity of the abnormal protein specified by the Ed allele; in group 2 patients, the cause of the elevated plasma level of remnants remains to be explained.

Radioimmunoassay of human arginine-rich apolipoprotein, apoprotein E. Concentration in blood plasma and lipoproteins as affected by apoprotein E-3 deficiency.

A radioimmunoassay for apolipoprotein E in human blood serum has been developed that measures equally the major polymorphic species of the protein (apolipoproteins E-1, E-2, E-3, and E-4) and the apo E in the dimer of apolipoproteins E and A-II. The assay is specific and yields values for apolipoprotein E in very low density lipoproteins that agree closely with those obtained by a quantitative electrophoretic method. Apolipoprotein E is also present in at least one species of high density lipoprotein, but the content of apolipoprotein E in the lipoprotein fractions of plasma is uncertain owing to dissociation during ultracentrifugation. The concentration of apolipoprotein E is higher in serum of normolipidemic, premenopausal women than in men of comparable age and is a direct function of the serum triglyceride level. Apolipoprotein E levels are increased out of proportion to triglyceride levels in hyperlipidemic patients with familial dysbetalipoproteinemia (homozygotes for lack of apolipoprotein E-3). Heterozygous relatives of homozygotes have significantly higher apolipoprotein E levels in serum than unaffected relatives. The concentration of partially degraded (remnant) triglyceride-rich lipoproteins also appears to be increased in heterozygotes, who comprise about 15% of the population.

Isoprotein specificity in the hepatic uptake of apolipoprotein E and the pathogenesis of familial dysbetalipoproteinemia.

The uptake and catabolism of lamellar complexes of rat 125I-labeled apolipoprotein (apo) E with egg lecithin were increased severalfold in perfused livers of rats given large amounts of 17 alpha-ethynylestradiol for 5 days. Estrogen-stimulated uptake of lamellar complexes of human apo E that contained all of the major normally occurring "isoforms" of the protein (apo E-1, E-2, E-3, and E-4) was comparable to that of rat apo E. By contrast, uptake of complexes containing apo E from individuals with familial dysbetalipoproteinemia (dys beta LP; characterized by a lack of apo E-3 and E-4) was stimualted to a much smaller extent. With complexes containing individual isoforms of human apo E, it was shown that estrogen-stimulated hepatic uptake was largely confined to apo E-3 and E-4; uptake of apo E-2 from normolipoproteinemic or dys beta LP individuals, or of apo E-1 from the latter, was stimulated little or not at all. When considered in the light of available information about the hepatic uptake of lipoproteins and the metabolic defect in familial dys beta LP, these results are consistent with the following hypothesis: (i) apo E comprises an essential component of the site for normal recognition of remnants of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins by a specific hepatic receptor; (ii) accumulation of remnant lipoproteins in familial dys beta LP is caused by lack of apo E-3 and E-4, which are the forms of this protein that are primarily recognized by the receptor; and (iii) the normal conversion of remnants of very low density lipoproteins to low density lipoproteins is mediated by the hepatic remnant receptor.

Characterization of human very low density lipoproteins containing two electrophoretic populations: double pre-beta lipoproteinemia and primary dysbetalipoproteinemia.

Two discrete populations of very low density lipoproteins, with fast and slow pre-beta electrophoretic mobility, were found in 50% of normolipemic and 30% of hyperlipemic individuals selected at random. The two populations were isolated by preparative electrophoresis from five hyperlipemic subjects. The particles comprising the slow component were smaller than those of the fast component and the slow component contained a larger proportion of cholesteryl esters, free cholesterol, B-apoprotein, and arginine-rich apoprotein and a smaller proportion of triglycerides and the two most anionic apoproteins (R-glutamic acid and R-alanine). The properties of the slow component thus closely resemble those of "remnant" very low density lipoproteins that accumulate in blood plasma of functionally hepatectomized rats. The chemical composition of the slow component was also similar to that of the very low density lipoproteins with beta mobility found in primary dysbetalipoproteinemia. However, the proportion of cholesteryl esters and argininerich apoprotein was much higher in the latter. The argininerich apoprotein from very low density lipoproteins of most normolipemic and hyperlipemic subjects separates into three or four major bands upon isoelectric focusing electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels, with pI varying from 5.57 to 6.03. In very low density lipoproteins from individuals with primary dysbetalipoproteinemia, this protein uniquely contains little or none of the two most cationic bands. The number of bands was constant in all subjects studied. The pattern was the same in very low density lipoproteins with fast and slow pre-beta mobility as well as in the beta and pre-beta components in primary dysbetalipoproteinemia. These results suggest that many individuals have "remnant" very low density lipoproteins in their plasma. However, the beta-migrating "remnant" that accumulated in large amounts in individuals with primary dysbetalipoproteinemia contains much more arginine-rich protein and this protein is structurally abnormal.

New protein in human blood plasma, rich in proline, with lipid-binding properties.

A protein that binds to a lecithin-stabilized triglyceride emulsion has been separated from plasma after removal of major lipoprotein classes by ultracentrifugation at density 1.21 g/ml. This protein, rich in proline, has been purified to electrophoretic and immunochemical homogeneity by subsequent gel and ion-exchange chromatography. In native plasma and after purification, it exists as a large particle exceeding 10(6) daltons, but a single component with a molecular weight of about 74,000 is found upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Although the purified protein contains very little bound lipid and is not present in the major lipoprotein classes from post-absorptive individuals, it is present in chylomicrons. Its concentration in plasma varies from 12 to 41 mg/dl and is significantly correlated with that of cholesterol in lipoproteins of very low and low density but not in those of high denisty.

Camel myoglobin.

1. Crystalline myoglobin was prepared from camel heart muscle. 2. A method was developed for the isolation of myoglobin that employs molecular-sieve chromatography. 3. Analytical chromatography of the camel myoglobin on a molecular-sieve column and on two types of ion-exchange columns gave in each case a single elution band, which accounted for better than 98% recovery and showed that the product was free from haemoglobin. 4. The iron content on a dry weight basis was 0.308%. This value corresponds to a molecular weight of 18100. 5. The spectra of acidic ferrimyoglobin, basic ferrimyoglobin and ferrimyoglobin cyanide were measured. 6. The pK(a) of the dissociation of the haem-bound water molecule in acidic ferrimyoglobin was 8.53 at 25 degrees . 7. Conclusions are drawn about the charge on the surface of the camel ferrimyoglobin molecule as compared with horse and sperm-whale ferrimyoglobins.