Bile acids and cytokines inhibit the human cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase gene via the JNK/c-jun pathway in human liver cells.

Cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) of the bile acid biosynthesis pathway is suppressed by bile acids and inflammatory cytokines. Bile acids are known to induce inflammatory cytokines to activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway that inhibits CYP7A1 gene transcription. c-Jun has been postulated to mediate bile acid inhibition of CYP7A1. However, the c-Jun target involved in the regulation of CYP7A1 is unknown. Human primary hepatocytes and HepG2 cells were used as models to study chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) regulation of human CYP7A1 gene expression via real-time polymerase chain reaction, reporter assays, co-immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunocipitation (ChIP) assays. IL-1 beta and CDCA reduced CYP7A1 but induced c-Jun messenger RNA expression in human primary hepatocytes. IL-1beta inhibited human CYP7A1 reporter activity via the HNF4 alpha binding site. A JNK-specific inhibitor blocked the inhibitory effect of IL-1 beta on HNF4 alpha expression and CYP7A1 reporter activity. c-Jun inhibited HNF4 alpha and PPARgamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha) coactivation of CYP7A1 reporter activity, whereas a dominant negative c-Jun did not. Co-immunoprecipitation and ChIP assays revealed that IL-1 beta and CDCA reduced HNF4 alpha bound to the CYP7A1 chromatin, and that c-Jun interacted with HNF4 alpha and blocked HNF4 alpha recruitment of PGC-1 alpha to the CYP7A1 chromatin. In conclusion, IL-1 beta and CDCA inhibit HNF4 alpha but induce c-Jun, which in turn blocks HNF 4 alpha recruitment of PGC-1 alpha to the CYP7A1 chromatin and results in inhibition of CYP7A1 gene transcription. The JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway inhibits bile acid synthesis and protects hepatocytes against the toxic effect of inflammatory agents.

Cytokine regulation of human sterol 12alpha-hydroxylase (CYP8B1) gene.

Sterol 12alpha-hydroxylase (CYP8B1) catalyzes cholic acid synthesis in the liver and is feedback inhibited by bile acids. In addition to activating farnesoid X receptor (nuclear receptor subfamily 1H4), bile acids also induce inflammatory cytokines in hepatocytes. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism by which inflammatory cytokines inhibit human CYP8B1 gene transcription. Real-time PCR assays revealed that both chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) markedly reduced CYP8B1, cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase CYP7A1 and hepatic nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) mRNA expression levels in human primary hepatocytes. However, CDCA induced, but IL-1beta reduced, small heterodimer partner (SHP) mRNA expression. IL-1beta inhibited human CYP8B1 reporter activity only in liver cells, and a c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK)-specific inhibitor-blocked IL-1beta inhibition. Activated JNK1 or c-Jun inhibited, whereas their dominant negative forms blocked, IL-1beta inhibition of CYP8B1 transcription. Mutagenesis analyses mapped an IL-1beta response element to a previously identified bile acid response element, which contains an HNF4alpha binding site. A dominant negative HNF4alpha inhibited CYP8B1 gene transcription and ectopically expressed HNF4alpha blocked IL-1beta inhibition. Furthermore, IL-1beta inhibited HNF4alpha gene transcription, protein expression, and binding to the CYP8B1 gene. JNK1 phosphorylated HNF4alpha and a JNK-specific inhibitor blocked the IL-1beta inhibition of HNF4alpha expression. These results suggest that IL-1beta inhibits CYP8B1 gene transcription via a mitogen-activated protein kinase/JNK pathway that inhibits HNF4alpha gene expression and its DNA-binding ability. This mechanism may play an important role in the adaptive response to inflammatory cytokines and in the protection of the liver during cholestasis.

Transcriptional suppression of cytochrome P450 genes by endogenous and exogenous chemicals.

This article is an invited report of a symposium sponsored by the Division for Drug Metabolism of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics held at Experimental Biology 2003 in San Diego, California, April 11-15, 2003. Several members of the cytochrome P450 (P450) superfamily are induced after exposure to a variety of chemical signals, and we have gained considerable mechanistic insight into these processes over the past four decades. In addition, the expression of many P450s is suppressed in response to various endogenous and exogenous chemicals; however, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved. The goal of this symposium was to critically examine our current understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in transcriptional suppression of CYP genes by endogenous and exogenous chemicals. Specific examples were drawn from the following chemical categories: polycyclic and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon environmental toxicants, inflammatory mediators, the endogenous sterol dehydroepiandrosterone and peroxisome proliferators, and bile acids. Multiple molecular mechanisms are involved in transcriptional suppression, and these processes often involve rather complex cascades of transcription factors and other regulatory proteins. Mechanistic studies of CYP gene suppression can enhance our understanding of how organisms respond to xenobiotics as well as to perturbations in endogenous chemicals involved in maintaining homeostasis.