Intracellular assembly and degradation of apolipoprotein B-100-containing lipoproteins in digitonin-permeabilized HEP G2 cells.

Permeabilized Hep G2 cells have been used to investigate the turnover of apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100). When such cells were chased in the presence of buffer, there was no biosynthesis of apoB-100, nor was the protein secreted from the cells. Thus the turnover of apoB-100 in these cells reflected the posttranslational degradation of the protein. Pulse-chase studies indicated that apoB-100 was degraded both when associated with the membrane and when present as lipoproteins in the secretory pathway. Neither albumin nor alpha1-antitrypsin showed any significant posttranslational intracellular degradation under the same condition. The kinetics for the turnover of apoB-100 in the luminal content differed from that of apoB-100 that was associated with the microsomal membrane. Moreover, while the degradation of the luminal apoB-100 was inhibited by N-acetyl-leucyl-leucyl-norleucinal (ALLN), this was not the case for the membrane-associated protein. Together these results suggest the existence of different pathways for the degradation of luminal apoB-100 and membrane-associated apoB-100. This was further supported by results from pulse-chase studies in intact cells, showing that ALLN increased the amount of radioactive apoB-100 that associated with the microsomal membrane during the pulse-labeling of the cells. However, ALLN did not influence the rate of turnover of the membrane-associated apoB-100. The presence of an ATP-generating system during the chase of the permeabilized cells prevented the disappearance of pulse-labeled apoB-100 from the luminal lipoprotein-associated pool. The ATP-generating system combined with cytosol protected the total apoB-100 in the system from being degraded. The cells cultured in the presence of oleic acid and chased after permeabilization in the presence of cytosol and the ATP-generating system showed an increase in the amount of apoB-100 present on dense ("high density lipoprotein-like") particles. This increase was linear during the time investigated (i. e. from 0 to 2 h chase) and independent of protein biosynthesis. Our results indicate that the dense particle was generated by a redistribution of apoB-100 within the secretory pathway and that it most likely was assembled from the membrane- associated form of apoB-100. These results indicate that the release of apoB-100 from this membrane-associated form to the microsomal lumen is dependent on cytosolic factors and a source of metabolic energy.

Purification of diacylglycerol:acyltransferase from rat liver to near homogeneity.

A method to isolate a protein related to the diacylglycerol:acyltransferase (DGAT) activity in rat liver microsomes has been developed. The microsomes were treated with sodium deoxycholate (DOC; 0.1 mg/mg protein) at a concentration of 1 mM, i.e., below the critical micellar concentration (CMC), to remove luminal and loosely bound proteins. Three percent of the DGAT activity and all of the acylCoA hydrolyse activity were present in the supernatant, i.e., among the extracted loosely bound proteins. The insoluble material, recovered as a pellet, was suspended in DOC (1.6 mg/ml and mg protein in the original microsomes), and subjected to multiple, short (1-2 sec) sonications. CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate; 5 mg/ml) was then added, and the sonication was repeated. The detergent-treated microsomal membranes were filtered through a 0.22-micron filter and chromatographed on a Superose 6 column from which the DGAT activity was recovered in a high molecular mass fraction. A monoclonal antibody that reacted with this fraction was raised and used in immunoaffinity experiments. This antibody removed 93 +/- 6% (mean +/- SD, n = 4) of the DGAT activity present in solution and 44 +/- 6% (mean +/- SD, n = 5) of the applied activity could be recovered after desorption. The antibody recognized a 60 kDa protein upon Western blot of rat liver microsomal proteins as well as of the DGAT-containing fraction from the Superose 6 column. A 60 kDa protein was highly enriched in the DGAT-containing retained fraction from the immunoaffinity chromatography. This 60 kDa protein reacted with the monoclonal antibody on Western blot. In addition to the 60 kDa protein, the retained fraction from the immunoadsorber contained a 77 kDa protein. This protein did not react with the monoclonal antibody on Western blots. Neither the 60 nor the 77 kDa protein reacted with antibodies to mouse immunoglobulins or showed any unspecific reaction with immunoglobulins.

Influence of triacylglycerol biosynthesis rate on the assembly of apoB-100-containing lipoproteins in Hep G2 cells.

Apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) appears in three forms in the endoplasmic reticulum of Hep G2 cells: (1) tightly bound to the membrane, ie, not extractable by sodium carbonate. This form is glycosylated but protease sensitive when present in intact microsomes, suggesting that it is only partially translocated to the microsomal lumen; (2) extractable by sodium carbonate and present on low-density lipoprotein-very-low-density lipoprotein (LDL-VLDL)-like particles. This form is glycosylated and secreted into the medium; and (3) extractable by sodium carbonate but having a higher density than the LDL-VLDL-like particles. This form, referred to as Fraction I, is glycosylated and protected against proteases when present in intact microsomal vesicles, indicating that it is completely translocated to the luminal side of the microsomal membrane. Fraction I is not secreted into the medium, but it disappears with time from the cell, suggesting that it is degraded. Oleic acid induced a 2.7-fold increase in the rate of the biosynthesis of triacylglycerol but not of phosphatidylcholine in Hep G2 cells. Incubation of the cells with oleic acid had no significant effect on the rate of initiation of the apoB-100-containing lipoproteins, nor did it influence the amount of apoB-100 that was associated with the membrane or the turnover of apoB-100 in the membrane. Instead, it increased the proportion of the nascent apoB polypeptides on initiated lipoproteins that was converted into full-length apoB-100 on LDL-VLDL-like particles, giving rise to an increased amount of these particles in the lumen of the secretory pathway. Pulse-chase experiments showed that incubation with oleic acid gave rise to an increased formation of LDL-VLDL-like particles on behalf of the formation of Fraction I. This effect of oleic acid could partially explain the protective effect of the fatty acid on apoB-100, preventing it from undergoing posttranslational degradation.

The assembly and secretion of ApoB 100-containing lipoproteins in Hep G2 cells. ApoB 100 is cotranslationally integrated into lipoproteins.

The possibility that apoB 100 is cotranslationally translocated to the endoplasmic reticulum lumen and integrated into lipoproteins has been investigated. ApoB 100 nascent polypeptides were shown to be secreted from pulse-labeled Hep G2 cells after treatment with puromycin and chase for 1 or 2 h in the presence of puromycin and cycloheximide. These nascent polypeptides banded during sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation between the position of the high (HDL) and the low (LDL) density lipoproteins, revealing an inverse relationship between the length of the polypeptide and the density of the fraction. ApoB 100 occurred in the position of LDL and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). Electronmicroscopy studies of the apoB-containing particles from the gradient indicated an increase in size with increasing length of the polypeptide. Furthermore, labeling studies indicated that the triglyceride load increased with the length of the polypeptide. An inverse relationship between the size of C-terminally truncated apoB polypeptides and the density of the assembled lipoproteins was also observed in experiments with transfected minigenes coding for apoB 41, apoB 29, and apoB 23. These proteins appeared on HDL particles. Pulse-chase experiments indicated that 80-200-kDa apoB nascent polypeptides on particles with HDL density, with time, were converted into larger polypeptides on lighter particles, to be fully replaced by apoB 100 on LDL-VLDL particles. The formation of these LDL-VLDL particles could be blocked by cycloheximide. Sixty-five percent of pulse-labeled apoB nascent polypeptides present in the microsomal fraction was released by sodium carbonate treatment, and 77% of these polypeptides could be recovered on the immature particles (banding between HDL and LDL) after sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. Pulse-chase experiments indicated that these nascent polypeptides, on the immature lipoproteins, had the capacity to be precursors for all the apoB 100-containing LDL and VLDL particles formed in the cell. The obtained results indicate that a major portion of the apoB nascent polypeptides in the cell form lipoproteins cotranslationally during the translocation to the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum.

The molecular mechanism for the assembly and secretion of ApoB-100-containing lipoproteins.

We have reviewed the literature on the intracellular transport of ApoB-100 and the assembly of the ApoB-100-containing lipoproteins. ApoB-100 is a large molecule (4536 aa) that requires some 15 min to be completed. During the synthesis, the protein could take one of two pathways: a degradational pathway and a pathway that leads to secretion of the protein on mature lipoproteins. The degradational pathway starts with a cotranslational incorporation of ApoB-100 into the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum in such a way that a relatively large portion of the sequence is exposed on the cytoplasmic surface of this membrane. The membrane bound ApoB-100 is retained in the ER and will eventually undergo intracellular degradation. To enter the pathway that leads to lipoprotein formation, ApoB-100 has to be cotranslationally translocated to the lumen of the ER. ApoB-100 will interact with the lipids during this translation-translocation process and the mature lipoprotein is released into the lumen of the secretory pathway when ApoB-100 is completed and leaves the ribosome. In addition to the mature lipoproteins, the secretory pathway contains an ApoB-100-containing lipoprotein with the density of a HDL particle. This particle is not secreted from the cells but is retained and eventually degraded. Of importance for the retention are sequences present in the C-terminal half of the protein. The mature lipoproteins rapidly leave the ER lumen and are transported to the Golgi apparatus, through which transfer takes considerably longer. The assembly process is a potential site for the regulation of the secretion of the ApoB-100-containing lipoproteins. This process is dependent on active synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and it is also highly dependent on the rate of triacylglycerol synthesis. On the other hand, ApoB-100 appears to be constitutively expressed. An increase in the rate of lipoprotein assembly induced by an increased triacylglycerol synthesis gives rise to an increased recruitment of ApoB-100 nascent polypeptides to interact cotranslationally with lipids. ApoB-100 that is not used for lipoprotein assembly is cotranslationally bound to the ER membrane and sorted to degradation.

The assembly and secretion of apoB 100 containing lipoproteins in Hep G2 cells. Evidence for different sites for protein synthesis and lipoprotein assembly.

Pulse-chase studies combined with subcellular fractionation indicated that LpB 100 (i.e. the apoprotein B (apoB) 100 containing lipoproteins) was released to the lumen of the secretory pathway in a subcellular fraction enriched in smooth vesicles, and referred to as SMF (the smooth membrane fraction). The migration of SMF during gradient ultracentrifugation as well as kinetic studies indicated that the fraction was derived from a pre-Golgi compartment, probably the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Only small amounts of LpB 100 could be detected during these pulse-chase experiments in the subcellular fractions derived from the rough endoplasmatic reticulum (RER). SMF contained the major amount of the diacylglycerol acyltransferase activity present in the ER, while the major amount of membrane bound apoB 100 was present in the RER. Pulse-chase studies of the intracellular transfer of apoB 100 demonstrated the formation of a large membrane-bound preassembly pool in the ER, while no significant amount of apoB 100 radioactivity was present in the membrane of the Golgi apparatus. The maximal radioactivity of LpB 100, recovered from the ER or the Golgi lumen, was small compared with the radioactivity recovered from the ER membrane, indicating that the assembled LpB 100 rapidly leaves the cells. This in turn indicates that the rate-limiting step in the secretion of apoB 100 was the transfer of the protein from the ER membrane to the LpB 100 in the lumen. A portion of the intracellular pool of apoB 100 was not secreted but underwent posttranslational degradation.

Studies on the assembly of apo B-100-containing lipoproteins in HepG2 cells.

The relationship between apoB-100 and the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has been studied by a combination of pulse-chase methodology and subcellular fractionation. HepG2 cells were pulse-labeled with [35S]methionine for 3 min and chased with cold methionine for periods between 0 and 20 min. ApoB-100 and albumin, present in the membrane as well as in the luminal content of the ER vesicles, were isolated after each chase period. The results indicated that apoB-100 was cotranslationally bound to the membrane of the ER, and from this membrane-bound form, was transferred to the lumen after a delay of 10-15 min. Albumin was, as could be expected for a typical secretory protein, cotranslationally sequestered in the lumen of the ER. Apo-B-100-containing lipoproteins present in the microsomal lumen were analyzed by ultracentrifugation in a sucrose gradient. ApoB-100 occurred on rounded particles in three density regions: (i) d 1.1065-1.170 g/ml (Fraction I), (ii) d 1.011-1.045 g/ml (Fraction II), and (iii) d less than 1.011 g/ml (Fraction III). Fraction I, isolated from cells cultured in the absence of oleic acid, contained a homogenous population of particles with a mean diameter of approximately 200 A. Fraction I isolated from cells cultured in the presence of oleic acid was slightly more heterogeneous and had a mean diameter of approximately 250 A. Fractions II and III had mean diameters of 300 and 500 A, respectively. Cholesterol esters and triacylglycerol were the quantitatively dominating lipid constituents of all three fractions. Pulse-chase experiments indicated that Fraction I contained the newly assembled lipoproteins. With increasing chase time, the apoB-100 radioactivity was redistributed from Fraction I to Fractions II and III, indicating that Fraction I is converted into Fractions II and III during the intracellular transfer. Particles corresponding to Fractions II and III were by far the most abundant lipoproteins found in the medium. The results presented support the possibility of a sequential assembly of apoB-100-containing lipoproteins.

Structure and biosynthesis of apolipoprotein B.

Apolipoprotein (apo) B100 copy deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) has been cloned and sequenced. The total sequence of apo B100 messenger ribonucleic acid has been revealed by the work from our group, as well as other groups. The sequence spans 13,689 nucleotides from the initiation to the stop codon. Thus the messenger has the capacity to code for 4563 amino acids corresponding to a molecular weight of approximately 510,000. Computer analyses revealed the presence of regions with amphipathic alpha-helix and of hydrophobic regions with a high probability of beta-structure. Regions of the molecule are characterized by continuous variations between hydrophillic and hydrophobic sequences, the latter coinciding with a high probability of beta-structure. It is suggested that this beta-structure is involved, together with the amphipathic alpha-helix, in the binding of apo B100 to the lipid. Pulse-chase studies in Hep G2 cells showed that apo B100 is synthesized as one protein, with a translation time of 14 minutes. The protein is transferred through the cell and secreted within 30 minutes without undergoing any major change in molecular mass. The residence kinetics in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is characterized by an increase during the first 10 to 15 minutes of chase followed by an almost linear decrease with a decay rate of 6%/min. The transfer through the ER to the Golgi apparatus accounts for one third of the time needed for the intracellular transfer of apo B100, whereas two thirds of the time is required for the transfer through the later part of the secretory pathway.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pulse-chase studies of the synthesis and intracellular transport of apolipoprotein B-100 in Hep G2 cells.

The synthesis and secretion of apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) have been studied in a human hepatoma cell line, the Hep G2 cells. The time needed for the synthesis of apoB-100 was estimated to be 14 min, which corresponds to a translation rate of approximately 6 amino acids/s. ApoB-100 was compared with albumin and alpha 2-macroglobulin as to the distribution between the membrane and the luminal content in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus. The results suggested that apoB-100 approximately followed the distribution of these secretory proteins in the Golgi, while the ratios between the percent membrane-bound apoB-100 and percent membrane-bound albumin or alpha 2-macroglobulin were 3-4:1 in the ER. This may suggest that apoB-100 occurs in a membrane-associated form in ER prior to the integration in the lipoproteins. Pulse-chase studies combined with subcellular fractionation was used to investigate the kinetics for the intracellular transfer of apoB-100. A 3-min pulse of [35S]methionine was followed by an increase in apoB-100 radioactivity in the ER during the first 10-15 min of chase. The following 10-15 min of chase were characterized by linear decrease in apoB-100 radioactivity with a decay rate of approximately 6%/min. The residence kinetics for apoB-100 in the ER differed from that of transferrin and probably also from that of albumin. By comparing the time for the pulse maximum in ER with that in the denser Golgi fractions the time needed for the transfer between ER and Golgi could be estimated to be 10 min. The time needed for the secretion of newly synthesized apoB-100 was estimated to be 30 min. This indicates that the transfer of the protein through the Golgi apparatus to the extracellular space requires 20 min.

Pulse-chase studies of the synthesis of apolipoprotein B in a human hepatoma cell line, Hep G2.

We have used pulse-chase methodology to study the synthesis of apolipoprotein B in a human hepatoma-derived cell line, the Hep G2 cells. A 2-min pulse with [35S]methionine was followed by a chase period varying from 5-90 min. A protein of large molecular mass (estimated molecular mass: 312 +/- 41 kDa, mean +/- SD, n = 8) could be immunoprecipitated from the cells at all chase periods between 5 min and 60 min with both monoclonal antibodies to a narrow density cut of the low density lipoprotein LDL-2 (density: 1.030-1.055 g/ml) and polyclonal antibodies to the apolipoprotein B apo B 100 or to a narrow density cut of LDL-2 (density: 1.030-1.055 g/ml). In addition to this large molecular mass protein, nascent polypeptides could be precipitated after 5, 10 and 15 min of chase. The apolipoprotein B molecules that had been labelled during the pulse disappeared from the cells after 60-90 min of chase, while they started to appear in the medium after 30-35 min of chase. The results obtained indicate (a) that apolipoprotein B is synthesized as one polypeptide with a large molecular mass, (b) that newly synthesized apolipoprotein B molecules are secreted after a delay of 30-35 min, (c) that no intracellular accumulation of apolipoprotein B occurs, and (d) that apolipoprotein B is recovered in the density fraction less than 1.21 g/ml of the medium suggesting that it is secreted in lipoprotein form.

Evidence for a structural relationship between apoB75kDa and human plasma apolipoprotein B 100, from translation of human liver mRNA in vitro and immunochemical studies with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.

We have investigated the relation between an 80-kDa protein synthesized in vitro in protein-synthesizing system programmed with human liver mRNA [Olofsson, S.-O., Elias, P., Boström, K., Lundholm, K., Norfeldt, P.-I., Wiklund, O., Fager, G., and Bondjers, G. (1983) FEBS Lett. 156, 63-66] and a 70-80-kDa protein, apoB75kDa, isolated from the low-density lipoproteins-2 (LDL-2) [Olofson, S.-O., Boström, K., Svanberg, U., and Bondjers, G. (1980) Biochemistry 19, 1059-1064]. Five monoclonal antibodies directed against LDL-2 as well as polyclonal antibodies against a narrow density cut of LDL-2 (d = 1.030 - 1.055) were used to precipitate apoB-related proteins synthesized in vitro in a protein-synthesizing system programmed with human liver mRNA (or total RNA fraction). With all monoclonal antibodies as well as the polyclonal antibodies, a protein with an estimated molecular mass of 80 +/- 1.3 kDa (mean +/- SD, n = 12) could be precipitated. The observation that all monoclonal antibodies used reacted with apoB75kDa indicates a close immunological relation between this 80-kDa protein and apoB75kDa. Limited proteolysis of the 80-kDa protein (synthesized in the presence of [35S]-methionine) with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease generated six [35S]-methionine-containing bands that could be separated on a polyacrylamide gradient gel (12-20%). All these radioactive bands corresponded to major protein-stained bands obtained after limited proteolysis of apoB75kDa. This observation suggests a structural relation between the two proteins. Taken together, our results indicate that a protein corresponding to apoB75kDa is synthesized in vitro in a protein synthesizing system programmed with human liver mRNA (or total RNA fraction). We have also compared apoB75kDa and the major component of apoLDL-2, apoB100 [Kane, J. P., Hardman, D.A., and Paulus, H.E. (1980) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci USA 77, 2465-2469] by immunochemical methods. We could demonstrate that six monoclonal antibodies directed against four to six different epitopes on LDL-2, as well as polyclonal antibodies to apoB100 and apoB75kDa, all reacted with apoB75kDa and apoB100. These observations indicate a close immunological relation between the two proteins. Taken together our results support the hypothesis that apoB100 has a subunit structure. We therefore suggest that apoB75kDa is a subunit of apoB100 synthesized in human liver.