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Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1995;15:1195-1203

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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1995;15:1195-1203.)
© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.


Articles

Inhibition of Protein Tyrosine Kinase Alters the Effect of Serum Basic Protein I on Triacylglycerols and Cholesterol Differently in Normal and HyperapoB Fibroblasts

Peter O. Kwiterovich, Jr; Mahnaz Motevalli

From the Lipid Research Atherosclerosis Unit, Departments of Pediatrics (M.M.) and Medicine (P.O.K., M.M.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.

Correspondence to Peter Kwiterovich, Johns Hopkins Hospital, CMSC 604, 600 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21287-3654.


*    Abstract
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*Abstract
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Abstract We studied whether the stimulatory effect of human serum basic protein I (BP I) on the formation of cell triacylglycerols and cholesterol may be mediated through protein tyrosine kinase in normal fibroblasts, and whether there was a deficiency in such a process in cells from subjects with hyperapobetalipoproteinemia (hyperapoB). Genistein, a highly specific inhibitor of tyrosine kinase phosphorylation, was used as a probe. When BP I (428.0 nmol/L) alone was added to F-12 medium without genistein, the mean mass of cell triacylglycerols doubled in six normal cell lines from healthy subjects, an effect that was decreased by 50% in six cell lines from subjects with hyperapoB (P=.007). The addition of genistein with BP I to normal cells decreased the stimulation of triacylglycerol formation by BP I by about 50% (P=.008), whereas genistein had little effect in the BP I–treated hyperapoB cells. The effect of genistein on the stimulation of triglyceride and cholesterol production by BP I was shown to be both time and concentration (92.5 nmol/mL medium nadir) dependent. In normal fibroblasts, BP I stimulated the rate of incorporation of both [14C]acetate (P=.0001) and [3H]mevalonolactone (P=.002) into unesterified cholesterol, an effect that was markedly deficient in the hyperapoB cells (P=.0001 for [14C]acetate and P=.0002 for [3H]mevalonolactone). In normal but not hyperapoB cells, genistein inhibited the significant stimulation by BP I of the rates of both [14C]acetate (P=.0001) and [3H]mevalonolactone (P=.04) incorporation into unesterified cholesterol. There was also a significantly greater stimulation by BP I of the rate of [14C]acetate incorporation into cell esterified cholesterol in normal cells than in hyperapoB cells (P=.003), an effect that was inhibited by genistein in both normal (P=.0009) and hyperapoB (P=.01) cells. BP I also stimulated to a greater extent the mass of total cholesterol (P=.0009) and unesterified cholesterol (P=.015), but to a lesser degree that of esterified cholesterol (P=.44), in normal cells than in hyperapoB cells. Herbimycin A and tyrphostin A47, two other inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase, also significantly inhibited the effects of BP I on triacylglycerol and cholesterol mass in normal cells but not in hyperapoB cells. The effect of BP I on triacylglycerols and cholesterol formation in normal cells appeared to be mediated through a tyrosine kinase–dependent process that was deficient in hyperapoB cells.


Key Words: coronary artery disease • apolipoprotein B • second messengers • familial combined hyperlipidemia • acylation stimulatory protein


*    Introduction
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*Introduction
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HyperapoB is a lipoprotein disorder prevalent in patients with premature coronary artery disease and is characterized by an increased number of small, dense, LDL particles.1 2 HyperapoB shares characteristics with familial combined hyperlipidemia, LDL subclass pattern B, familial dyslipidemic hypertension, and syndrome X.3 Two metabolic defects have been described in patients with hyperapoB. First, there is overproduction of apo B and VLDL particles in the liver, leading to an increased synthesis of small, dense LDL particles.3 4 Second, there is an abnormal clearance of postprandial triglyceride-rich particles and free fatty acids.5 6

We7 8 and others9 10 have previously studied the role of a low–molecular weight basic protein isolated from normal human serum in the pathogenesis of hyperapoB. We termed this protein BP I. It has an apparent molecular weight of 14 000 and an isoelectric point of 9.10.7 On Western immunoblot assays, BP I reacted with an antibody to ASP but not to antisera to two other basic proteins, sterol carrier protein–2 and protein 422, a fatty acid binding protein from adipose tissue.7

BP I normally stimulates the production of cellular triacylglycerols in fibroblasts and adipocytes, but such stimulatory activity is deficient in cells from patients with hyperapoB.7 8 9 10 11 12 BP I also stimulates the formation of esterified cholesterol in normal cells, an effect that was likewise significantly deficient in hyperapoB cells.8 The changes in the mass of cholesteryl esters were paralleled by similar changes in the mass of total but not unesterified cholesterol, suggesting that the pool of cellular free cholesterol was not depleted and raising the possibility that BP I may also affect the synthesis of cellular cholesterol.

Cianflone et al10 found that the deficiency in acylation stimulatory activity with ASP is accompanied by a decrease in the high-affinity binding of 125I-labeled ASP to fibroblasts from subjects with hyperapoB. We reported that inhibition of protein kinase C activity significantly decreased the effect of BP I in normal and hyperapoB cells,8 whereas the activation of protein kinase C stimulated triacylglycerol formation.8 BP I further increased triacylglycerol production under these conditions in the diacylglycerol–protein kinase C pathway, but at an earlier step, perhaps at the cell surface.

Genistein, an isoflavone antibiotic, is a broad but highly specific competitive inhibitor of ATP in the tyrosine kinase reaction.13 14 15 The ATP binding domain is highly conserved among tyrosine kinases. Because of its broad spectrum, we first used genistein as a probe to determine whether the effects of BP I on triacylglycerol and cholesterol metabolism in normal cells may be mediated through tyrosine phosphorylation and whether there is a deficiency in such a process in cells from patients with hyperapoB. Two other inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase were also assessed. Herbimycin A, a natural inhibitor, irreversibly blocks and enhances the degradation of the epidermal growth factor receptor and, for example, the second messenger tyrosine kinases Src and phospholipase C {gamma}-1.13 16 Tyrphostin A47 (3,4-dihydroxybenzylidine thiocyanoacetamide), a synthetic inhibitor, blocks the substrate domain of protein tyrosine kinases and exhibits a range of selectivity.13 17 18


*    Methods
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Human Materials
Six subjects with hyperapoB, from six unrelated kindreds with familial hyperapoB, and seven unrelated normal subjects were studied. These subjects have been characterized previously.7 8 After informed consent was obtained from the subjects, fibroblasts were grown from skin biopsies taken from the forearm as described.7 8 Cells were used between passages 5 to 10. BP I was isolated and purified from healthy volunteers as previously described.7 8

Protocol for Cell Experiments
Fibroblasts (105) were seeded and grown in minimal essential medium containing 10% (vol/vol) fetal calf serum, 1% amino acids, 100 U penicillin/mL, and 100 mg streptomycin/mL for 6 days. The medium was then changed to a supplemented serum-free medium for 24 hours, as described previously.7 At zero time, oleate:albumin (4.6:1, 10 nmol/L oleate) was added to the medium without BP I (control cells) or to medium to which 6 µg/mL BP I (428.6 nmol/L) had been added, either in the presence or absence of the indicated concentration of genistein (0 to 100 µg/mL medium; 0 to 370 nmol/mL) (Upstate Biotechnology Inc, catalog No. 19110). This concentration of BP I was that previously found to exert its maximal effect on lipid synthesis in fibroblasts.7 The cells were incubated for 6 hours, then the medium was removed, the cells were washed, and the lipids were extracted as described.7 8 The mass of individual cell lipids or the incorporation of radioactivity into unesterified or esterified cholesterol was measured (see below). Sodium hydroxide was added to the cell residue and dried, and the cell protein content was determined by the method of Lowry et al.19 Duplicate dishes of cells were used for each experimental condition. In all cell experiments with BP I, the values from the control cells grown in the absence of BP I (with and without genistein) were substracted from values from the cells grown in the presence of BP I (with and without genistein).

In one experiment, the effect of genistein (92.5 nmol/mL) was compared to the effects of two other inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase, herbimycin A (200 and 400 nmol/mL)16 and tyrphostin A47 (25 and 50 nmol/mL)19 (Calbiochem). The concentrations used were those previously found to inhibit protein tyrosine kinase second messengers.16 18

Endogenous Synthesis of Cellular Cholesterol
The incorporation of sodium [1-14C]acetate or mevalonolactone-5-3H into cell unesterified cholesterol and esterified cholesterol was studied by use of the method of Goldstein and Brown,20 modified as follows. Supplemented serum-free medium was added to confluent fibroblasts. After 6 hours, 10 µL 14C[acetate]/mL medium (100 nmol/L, 0.1 µCi/µL) and 10 µL [3H]mevalonolactone/mL medium (33 nmol/L, 0.1 µCi/µL) were added to the medium and the incubation continued for an additional 18 hours. At that time, oleate:albumin (4.6:1, 10 nmol/L oleate) was added to the medium without BP I (with or without 92.5 nmol/mL genistein [25 µg/mL]) (control cells) or to a medium to which 6 µg of BP I was added, with or without 92.5 nmol/mL genistein, and the incubation continued for an additional 6 hours. The medium was removed, the cells were washed, and the lipids were extracted as described.7 8 The extract was dried and then taken up in hexane. Lipid carriers were added to the extract, which was then subjected to thin-layer chromatography16 ; [3H]cholesteryl esters were used to correct for recovery. The spots corresponding to unesterified cholesterol and esterified cholesterol were scraped and the radioactivity was determined by scintillation counting. The data are expressed as nanomoles of [14C]acetate or [3H]mevalonolactone incorporated per milligram of cell protein.

Mass Measurements of Lipids in Fibroblasts
The masses of total cholesterol, unesterified cholesterol, and esterified cholesterol were determined by gas-liquid chromatography as described previously.8 Unesterified cholesterol was measured directly and total cholesterol was measured after saponification. The mass of cholesterol that was esterified was calculated by subtraction of the mass of unesterified cholesterol from the mass of total cholesterol. The mass of triacylglycerols was determined enzymatically by use of a commercially available kit (Seradyn Triacylglycerols Procedure).8 The data are expressed as nanomoles of lipid per milligram of cell protein.

Statistical Analysis
Tests of significance within a group were performed with Student's paired t test, and the tests between the normal and hyperapoB cells were performed with the two-sample t test.


*    Results
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*Results
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Effect of Genistein Alone on the Mass of Cellular Lipids in Normal and HyperapoB Fibroblasts
There were no significant differences between the masses of triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, unesterified cholesterol, and esterified cholesterol in six normal and six hyperapoB cell lines after the cells were grown in F-12 medium that contained oleate:albumin but not genistein or BP I (control condition) (Table 1Down). When genistein (92.5 nmol/mL medium) was added to the control medium in the absence of BP I, the masses of the total cholesterol and unesterified cholesterol decreased significantly in both the normal and hyperapoB cells; the mass of triacylglycerols also decreased significantly in the hyperapoB cells but not in the normal cells (Table 1Down). When the masses of these lipids in the normal and hyperapoB cells were compared after genistein treatment, the decrease in both total cholesterol and unesterified cholesterol was significantly greater in the hyperapoB cells than in the normal cells (Table 1Down). No differences were found in cells for the content of esterified cholesterol (Table 1Down).


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Table 1. Effect of Genistein on the Mass of Cell Lipids in the Absence of BP I in Fibroblasts From Normal Subjects and Subjects With HyperaboB

Time Course of the Effect of Genistein on the Formation of Cellular Triacylglycerols by BP I
We determined the effect of genistein (92.5 nmol/mL) over time (0 to 12 hours) on the stimulation by BP I of the mass of triacylglycerols in normal and hyperapoB fibroblasts. The effect of BP I on the mass of cell triacylglycerols without genistein was time dependent, and plateaued at 6 hours in normal cells (Fig 1Down, top). When genistein was added to BP I in normal cells, the time curve had a pattern similar to that without genistein, but the mass of triacylglycerols was about 50% lower at each time point. BP I with or without genistein had little effect on the mass of triacylglycerols with time in the hyperapoB cells (Fig 1Down, top). The mass of triacylglycerols in the hyperapoB cells with BP I alone was lower than that observed in the dose-response curve (Fig 1Down, bottom) or in a subsequent experiment (Fig 2Down), perhaps because of experimental variability.



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Figure 1. Top, Graph shows time course of the effects of genistein on the stimulation of cell triacylglycerols (TG) by BP I. Confluent fibroblasts from two normal subjects and two subjects with hyperapoB were changed to a supplemented serum-free medium for 24 hours (see "Methods"), at which time oleate:albumin (4.6:1, 10 nmol/L oleate) was added to medium without BP I (control cells) or to a medium to which 6 µg/mL BP I (428.6 nmol/L) had been added separately, in either the absence or presence of genistein (92.5 nmol/mL medium). The cells were then incubated for 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, or 12 hours. Duplicate sets of dishes were harvested for each condition. The medium was then removed, the cells were washed, the lipids were extracted, and the mass of TG and the protein content in the cell residue were determined as described in "Methods." Bottom, Graph shows dose-response of genistein on the stimulation of cell triacylglycerols by BP I. Confluent fibroblasts from two normal subjects and two subjects with hyperapoB were changed to a supplemented serum-free medium for 24 hours (see "Methods"), at which time oleate:albumin (4.6:1, 10 nmol/L oleate) was added to the medium without BP I (control cells) or to a medium in which 6 µg/mL of BP I had been added, in either the absence or presence of increasing amounts of genistein (0, 23.1, 46.3, 92.5, 185, and 370 nmol/mL medium) and incubated for 6 hours. Duplicate dishes of cells were used for each experimental condition. The medium was then removed, the cells were washed, the lipids were extracted, and the mass of TG and the amount of protein in the cell residue were determined as described in "Methods." In both the time course study and the dose-response study, the values from the control cells grown in the absence of BP I (with and without genistein) were subtracted from those from cells grown in the presence of BP I (with and without genistein) for calculation of the corrected cell data.



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Figure 2. Bar graph shows effect of genistein on the stimulation of the mass of triacylglycerols by BP I in normal and hyperapoB fibroblasts. Confluent fibroblasts from six normal subjects and six subjects with hyperapoB were changed to a supplemented serum-free medium for 24 hours (see "Methods"), at which time oleate:albumin (4.6:1, 10 nmol/L oleate) was added to medium without BP I (control cells) or to a medium to which 6 µg/mL of BP I (428.6 nmol/L) was added, in either the absence (open bars) or presence (solid bars) of genistein (92.5 nmol/mL medium), and incubated for 6 hours. The medium was then removed, the cells were washed, the lipids were extracted, and the mass of triacylglycerols (TG) and the protein content in the cell residue were determined as described in "Methods." Duplicate dishes of cells were used for each experimental condition. The values from the control cells in the absence of BP I (with and without genistein) were subtracted from those from cells grown in the presence of BP I (with or without genistein) for calculation of the corrected cell data. Standard error bars are shown. Significant differences between the means are found in the text.

Dose-Response of the Effect of Genistein on the Formation of Cellular Triacylglycerols by BP I
Increasing amounts of genistein (0 to 370 nmol/mL medium) were added to normal and hyperapoB cells with or without BP I and incubated for 6 hours (see "Methods"). Without BP I, increases in the amount of genistein in the medium had little effect on the mass of triacylglycerols in cells incubated in F-12 medium alone (data not shown). After incubation with BP I alone, the mass of triacylglycerols in the normal cells was about twice that in the hyperapoB cells (Fig 1Up, bottom). When genistein was added with BP I, the mass of cell triacylglycerols in the normal cells decreased in a concentration-dependent fashion, up to a level of 92.5 nmol genistein/mL medium, and leveled off thereafter (Fig 1Up, bottom). The mass of triacylglycerols in the hyperapoB cells increased somewhat at low levels of genistein, but then fell at concentrations of 92.5 nmol genistein/mL medium and plateaued thereafter (Fig 1Up, bottom).

The mass of triglyceride in the hyperapoB cells after genistein treatment (92.5 nmol/mL) was somewhat lower (7 to 10 nmol triglyceride/mg cell protein) than that in the normal cells (Fig 1Up, top and bottom).

Dose-Response of the Effect of Genistein on the Formation of Cellular Total Cholesterol, Unesterified Cholesterol, and Esterified Cholesterol by BP I
With no genistein in the medium, BP I stimulated the masses of total cholesterol, unesterified cholesterol, and esterified cholesterol in normal cells, an effect that was inhibited by genistein in a dose-dependent fashion and that plateaued at a level of 92.5 nmol genistein/mL medium (Fig 3Down). In hyperapoB cells, little stimulation of cell cholesterol with BP I alone was observed, and genistein had no inhibitory effect. The effects of BP I on the masses of total, unesterified, and esterified cholesterol in normal cells and the inhibition of genistein on such stimulation were also time dependent, and plateaued at 6 hours (data not shown).



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Figure 3. Graphs show dose-response data for the effect of genistein on the stimulation of cell cholesterol mass by BP I. Confluent fibroblasts from two normal subjects and two subjects with hyperapoB were changed to a supplemented serum-free medium for 24 hours (see "Methods"), at which time oleate:albumin (4.6:1, 10 nmol/L oleate) was added to the medium without BP I (control cells) or to a medium to which 6 µg/mL of BP I (428.6 nmol/L) had been added, in either the absence or presence of increasing amounts of genistein (0 to 370 nmol/mL medium) and incubated for 6 hours. The medium was then removed, the cells were washed, the lipids were extracted, and the masses of total cholesterol (TC), unesterified cholesterol (UC), and esterified cholesterol (EC) and the amount of protein in the cell residue were determined as described in "Methods." Duplicate dishes of cells were used for each experimental condition. The values from the control cells grown in the absence of BP I (with and without genistein) were subtracted from those from cells grown in the presence of BP I (with and without genistein) for calculation of the corrected cell data.

After the concentration and time dependence of the effect of genistein were determined, the significance of genistein's effect on the stimulation of lipid mass by BP I was assessed further (see below) by use of a larger number of normal and hyperapoB cell lines, a concentration of genistein of 92.5 nmol/mL medium, and a 6-hour period of incubation with BP I.

Effect of Genistein on the Stimulation of the Mass of Triacylglycerols by BP I in Normal and HyperapoB Fibroblasts
When BP I (428.0 nmol/L) was added to F-12 medium without genistein, the average mass of triacylglycerols doubled in six normal cell lines, but the acylation stimulatory activity of BP I in six hyperapoB cells was significantly decreased (P=.007) (Fig 2Up). The addition of genistein with BP I to the normal cells decreased the stimulation of triacylglycerol formation by BP I by about 50% (P=.008) (Fig 2Up), whereas genistein had little effect on the stimulated triacylglycerol mass in the BP I–treated hyperapoB cells (P=.62) (Fig 2Up). The mean mass of triacylglycerols in normal cells incubated with genistein and BP I was approximately equal to that in hyperapoB fibroblasts treated with BP I alone (Fig 2Up). Thus, genistein essentially obliterated the significant differences between the responses of the normal and hyperapoB fibroblasts to BP I.

Effect of BP I With and Without Genistein on Cholesterol Synthesis and Mass in Normal and HyperapoB Fibroblasts
The effects of BP I, with and without genistein, on the rates of [14C]acetate and [3H]mevalonolactone incorporation into cell unesterified cholesterol and esterified cholesterol were studied in four normal and four hyperapoB cell lines. The masses of cell total cholesterol, unesterified cholesterol, and esterified cholesterol were measured concomitantly.

[14C]Acetate Incorporation Into Cell Unesterified Cholesterol in F-12 Medium With and Without BP I
After 24 hours in F-12 lipid-deficient medium, there was no significant difference in the rate of incorporation of [14C]acetate into unesterified cholesterol between the normal cells (9.7±1.9 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1 [mean±SEM]) and the hyperapoB cells (7.8±1.4 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.45). Addition of BP I to the F-12 medium produced a 2.34-fold increase in [14C]acetate incorporation into unesterified cholesterol in the normal fibroblasts (22.5±1.3 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.0001), but no stimulation was observed in the hyperapoB cells (7.4±1.1 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.458). The effect of BP I on the stimulation of [14C]acetate incorporation into unesterified cholesterol in the hyperapoB cells was therefore markedly deficient (P=.0001, Fig 4Down). The addition of genistein to BP I–containing medium significantly reduced the stimulation of [14C]acetate incorporation in the normal cells (P=.0001) but not in the hyperapoB cells (P=.06) (Fig 4Down).



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Figure 4. Bar graphs show effect of genistein on the stimulation of the incorporation of [14C]acetate and [3H]mevalonolactone into cholesterol in normal and hyperapoB fibroblasts treated with BP I. Confluent fibroblasts from four normal subjects and four subjects with hyperapoB were switched to a supplemented serum-free medium for 6 hours, at which point 10 µL/mL medium of [14C]acetate (100 nmol/L, 0.1 µCi/µL) and 10 µL/mL medium of [3H]mevalonolactone (33 nmol/L, 0.1 µCi/µL) were added, and the incubation in serum-free medium continued for an additional 18 hours. Oleate:albumin (4.6:1, 10 nmol/L oleate) was then added to the medium without BP I (control cells) or with 6 µg/mL of BP I (428.6 nmol/L) in either the absence (open bars) or presence (solid bars) of genistein (92.5 nmol/mL medium). Cells were then incubated for 6 hours, the medium was removed, the cells were washed, and the lipids were extracted. One aliquot of the lipid extract was used to determine the mass of total cholesterol, unesterified cholesterol (UC), and esterified cholesterol (EC) (see Fig 5Up) and another aliquot was used to determine the incorporation of [14C]acetate (left, top [UC] and bottom [EC]) and [3H]mevalonolactone (right, top [UC] and bottom [EC]) into UC and EC isolated by thin-layer chromatography (see "Methods"). The protein content of the cell residue was determined.15 Duplicate dishes of cells were used for each experimental condition. The data for [14C]acetate represent the average of two separate experiments; the data for [3H]mevalonolactone are from one experiment. The values for incorporation of [14C]acetate and [3H]mevalonolactone into cell sterols from the control cells grown in the absence of BP I (with and without genistein) were subtracted from those from cells grown in the presence of BP I (with or without genistein) for calculation of the corrected cell data. Standard error bars are shown. Significant differences between the means are found in the text.

[14C]Acetate Incorporation Into Cell Esterified Cholesterol in F-12 Medium With and Without BP I
After 24 hours in F-12 lipid-deficient medium, there was no significant difference in the rate of incorporation of [14C]acetate into esterified cholesterol between the normal cells (0.30±0.05 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1) and the hyperapoB cells (0.44±0.12 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.32). Addition of BP I to F-12 medium produced a 10.8-fold increase in [14C]acetate incorporation into esterified cholesterol in the normal cells (3.25±0.51 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.0004), and a 3.31-fold increase (1.46±0.36 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.005) in the hyperapoB cells. The effect of BP I on the stimulation of [14C]acetate incorporation into cell esterified cholesterol in the hyperapoB fibroblasts was therefore significantly deficient (P=.003) (Fig 4Up). The addition of genistein to BP I–containing medium significantly inhibited the stimulatory effect of BP I in both the normal (P=.0009) and the hyperapoB (P=.01) cells (Fig 4Up).

[3H]Mevalonolactone Incorporation Into Cell Unesterified Cholesterol in F-12 Medium With and Without BP I
After 24 hours in F-12 lipid-free medium, the rate of incorporation of [3H]mevalonolactone into unesterified cholesterol was higher in the hyperapoB cells (2.8±0.20 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1) than in the normal cells (0.3±0.09 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.0001). Upon addition of BP I, the incorporation of [3H]mevalonolactone into unesterified cholesterol in normal cells increased 17-fold (to 4.58±0.37 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.002), whereas this effect of BP I in hyperapoB cells was markedly less (1.1-fold, P=.28). Thus, the response in the hyperapoB fibroblasts to the stimulation of [3H]mevalonolactone incorporation into unesterified cholesterol was significantly deficient (P=.0002) (Fig 4Up). Genistein significantly inhibited the stimulation of [3H]mevalonolactone incorporation into unesterified cholesterol by BP I in the normal cells (P=.04) (Fig 4Up), but actually stimulated such incorporation in the hyperapoB cells (to 2.82±0.40 nmol · mg cell protein-1 · h-1, P=.016).

[3H]Mevalonolactone Incorporation Into Cell Esterified Cholesterol in F-12 Medium With and Without BP I
BP I did not stimulate [3H]mevalonolactone into cell esterified cholesterol in the normal cells (Fig 4Up). Only a small stimulation occurred in the hyperapoB cells, and this effect of BP I was increased to a small extent upon the addition of genistein (P=.27) (Fig 4Up).

Effect of BP I With and Without Genistein on the Mass of Cholesterol in Normal and HyperapoB Cells
BP I stimulated the masses of total cell cholesterol (P=.0009) and unesterified cholesterol (P=.015) to a significantly greater extent in normal cells than in hyperapoB cells (Fig 5Down). The mass of esterified cholesterol in BP I–treated cells was 1.7-fold higher in the normal cells than in the hyperapoB cells (P=.438). This stimulation of cell cholesterol in the normal cells was inhibited by genistein for total cholesterol (P=.0002), unesterified cholesterol (P=.003), and esterified cholesterol (P=.077) (Fig 5Down). Genistein also inhibited the (albeit decreased) stimulation by BP I of the mass of total cholesterol (P=.002), unesterified cholesterol (P=.029), and esterified cholesterol (P=.005) in the hyperapoB cells (Fig 5Down).



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Figure 5. Effect of genistein on the stimulation of the mass of cholesterol by BP I in fibroblasts from normal subjects and subjects with hyperapoB. Confluent fibroblasts from four normal subjects and four subjects with hyperapoB were changed to a supplemented serum-free medium for 24 hours, at which time oleate:albumin (4.6:1, 10 nmol/L oleate) was added to medium without BP I (control cells) or to a medium to which 6 µg/mL of BP I (428.6 nmol/L) was added, in either the absence or presence of genistein (92.5 nmol/mL medium), and incubated for 6 hours. The medium was then removed, the cells were washed, the lipids were extracted, and the masses of total cholesterol (TC), unesterified cholesterol (UC), and esterified cholesterol (EC) and the content of protein in the cell residue were determined as described in "Methods." Duplicate dishes of cells were used for each experimental condition. The mass data represent the average of two separate experiments. The values from the control cells in the absence of BP I (with and without genistein) were subtracted from those from cells grown in the presence of BP I (with or without genistein) for calculation of the corrected cell data. Standard error bars are shown. Significant differences between the means are found in the text.

Comparison of the Effects of Genistein, Herbimycin A, and Tyrphostin A47 on the Stimulation of Cellular Masses of Triacylglycerols and Cholesterol in Normal and HyperapoB Cells Treated With BP I
There were no significant differences for the mean mass of triacylglycerols between normal and hyperapoB cells for any of the control conditions (F-12 alone or F-12 with genistein, herbimycin A, or tyrphostin A47) (Table 2Down). After treatment with BP I alone (uncorrected cell data), there was a threefold increase in the mean mass of triacylglycerols in the normal cells, whereas there was a highly significant deficiency in the response of the hyperapoB cells to BP I alone (Table 2Down). This significant difference between normal and hyperapoB cells in terms of the stimulatory activity of BP I was obliterated when genistein, herbimycin A, or tyrphostin A47 was added to F-12 medium containing BP I (uncorrected cell data) (Table 2Down). Similar results were obtained when the mean triglyceride data were corrected for the control condition (Table 2Down).


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Table 2. Comparison of the Effects of Genistein, Herbimycin A, and Tyrphostin A47 on the Stimulation of Cellular Mass of Triacylglycerols and Cholesterol in Normal and HyperapoB Cells Treated With BP I

In the normal fibroblasts, when genistein (P=.001), herbimycin A (P=.001), or tyrphostin A47 (P=.005) was added to BP I, there was a highly significant fall in the stimulatory activity of BP I. In contrast, when any one of the three inhibitors was added to BP I in the hyperapoB cells, there was no significant decrease in the stimulatory activity of BP I for genistein (P=.62), herbimycin A (P=.97), or tyrphostin A47 (P=.40) (uncorrected cell data) (Table 2Up).

Genistein was found in this experiment to be the most potent inhibitor of the effect of BP I on cell triglyceride mass, and there was no significant difference between the control condition with genistein and the condition with BP I plus genistein for normal cells (P=.91) or for hyperapoB cells (P=.31). Although herbimycin A significantly depressed the effect of BP I on the mean mass of triglycerides in normal cells (P=.001), there was still some residual acylation stimulatory activity compared with the control condition alone in both normal cells (P=.05) and hyperapoB cells (P=.03) (Table 2Up). Also, tyrphostin A47 significantly depressed the effect of BP I in normal fibroblasts (P=.005), but there was still some stimulatory activity of BP I above that found in the control condition in both the normal cells (P=.004) and, to a lesser extent, the hyperapoB cells (P=.03) (Table 2Up).

Genistein again significantly decreased the mass of total cholesterol when added to F-12 control medium in both the normal (P=.007) and hyperapoB (P=.002) fibroblasts (Table 2Up). In a similar fashion, herbimycin A (P=.007) and tyrphostin A47 (P=.006) suppressed the mass of total cholesterol in F-12 control medium alone in normal fibroblasts. Again, an even greater decrease in the total mass of cholesterol in hyperapoB fibroblasts in F-12 medium alone was observed with both herbimycin A (P=.0005) and tyrphostin A47 (P=.002). The decrease in the mass of total cholesterol for each of the three inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase was significantly more pronounced in the hyperapoB fibroblasts than in normal fibroblasts (Table 2Up).

When BP I was added to F-12 medium alone, in the normal cells there was a highly significant 1.7-fold increase in the mass of total cholesterol (P=.005). This stimulatory effect on the mass of cholesterol with BP I in normal cells was significantly inhibited with genistein (P=.05), herbimycin A (P=.01), and tyrphostin A47 (P=.009). In the hyperapoB cells, in the presence of F-12 medium with BP I, there was no significant stimulation of mass of total cholesterol (P=.30).

When the normal and hyperapoB fibroblasts were compared, there was significantly higher mass of total cholesterol in the normal fibroblasts for all four experimental conditions according to either the uncorrected or corrected cell data (Table 2Up).

The results for the cellular mass of triacylglycerols and cholesterol were similar to those reported in Table 2Up when the concentrations of herbimycin A and tyrphostin A47 used were halved (data not shown).


*    Discussion
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMethods
up arrowResults
*Discussion
down arrowReferences
 
Genistein, an isoflavone antibiotic, is a competitive inhibitor of ATP binding to the catalytic domain of tyrosine kinase, a highly conserved structural feature among all tyrosine kinases.21 In the present study, we first used genistein as a broad probe to determine whether the inhibition of tyrosine kinase phosphorylation in cultured normal human and hyperapoB fibroblasts affected the biochemical effects of BP I. We found significant differences between the effects of genistein in normal and hyperapoB fibroblasts, strongly suggesting that tyrosine kinase phosphorylation has a role in the pathogenesis of hyperapoB. This tenet was supported by the observation that two other inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase, herbimycin A and tyrphostin A47, that had different mechanisms of action had effects similar to those of genistein in both the normal and hyperapoB cells. Our results, however, do not permit us to determine whether the observed effect(s) of these inhibitors involve a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor or a membrane-associated tyrosine kinase molecule,22 23 or whether the effect occurs at the postreceptor level24 (see also below). We also did not determine whether the physiological effects of BP I take place at a point before, directly at, or after genistein inhibition. The fact that the effect of genistein on the biochemical actions of BP I was both time and concentration dependent, however, suggests that a high-affinity mechanism of genistein on the effects of BP I may be involved.24 Finally, any generalized inhibition of a number of tyrosine kinases by genistein was taken into account, in part, by the control condition, in which the effect of genistein alone on cellular lipids was studied. The effect of genistein alone was corrected for, and it was therefore against this background that the effect of genistein on the stimulatory biochemical actions of BP I in normal and hyperapoB cells was studied.

In agreement with the results of our previous work,8 there were no differences between normal and hyperapoB fibroblasts in the masses of triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, unesterified cholesterol, and esterified cholesterol in F-12 medium containing oleate:albumin without BP I (control condition). The addition of genistein without BP I produced a small decrease (about 10%) in the mass of triacylglycerols in normal cells and a somewhat larger decrease (about 25%) in the hyperapoB cells (Table 1Up). It is therefore unlikely that the major effect of genistein on triacylglycerol metabolism was mediated by perturbation of the uptake of free fatty acids from albumin and the subsequent incorporation of free fatty acids into triacylglycerols. In both the normal and hyperapoB cells, the magnitude of the inhibitory effect of genistein on the mass of total cholesterol and unesterified cholesterol in the absence of basic proteins was greater than that observed for triacylglycerols. This effect was significantly greater in the hyperapoB cells, suggesting that these cells may have a defect that renders them more susceptible to the inhibitory effect of genistein.

We confirmed our previous observations that BP I alone essentially doubled the mass of cell triacylglycerols by 6 hours in normal cells but that there was a 50% deficiency in such acylation stimulatory activity in hyperapoB cells.8 Genistein, at a maximum inhibitory concentration of 25 µg/mL medium (92.5 nmol/mL), significantly decreased this effect of BP I in normal cells, suggesting that a significant part of the biochemical effect of BP I is mediated through a pathway requiring tyrosine kinase phosphorylation. It was also noteworthy that the addition of genistein to BP I in hyperapoB cells had little effect on the mass of triacylglycerols. Because the mass of triacylglycerols produced by normal cells by means of stimulation with BP I in the presence of genistein (as well as herbimycin A and tyrphostin A47) was very similar to that found in the hyperapoB cells in the absence of genistein, the acylation stimulatory deficiency with BP I in hyperapoB cells appears to involve a pathway that is blocked by these protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The basis for the residual effect of BP I stimulation of triacylglycerols in genistein-treated normal and hyperapoB fibroblasts is not known.

We had previously found that BP I stimulated the formation of cell esterified cholesterol in normal fibroblasts, and that this effect was decreased in hyperapoB fibroblasts.8 However, the pool of cell unesterified cholesterol was not depleted, suggesting that these may be significant differences in cholesterol biosynthesis in normal and hyperapoB cells treated with BP I. These observations prompted us to examine cholesterol production. Data from the present study indicate, for the first time, that BP I stimulates the production of cholesterol in normal fibroblasts. The inhibition of this effect by genistein was probably not mediated through competitive inhibition of HMG CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis, because the incorporation of [3H]mevalonolactone into unesterified cholesterol was also decreased by genistein. The decrease in cholesterol production by genistein is also unlikely to be due to inhibition of phosphorylation of HMG CoA reductase. Sato and coworkers25 have shown that phosphorylation of HMG CoA reductase lowers its catalytic activity. Thus, inhibition of phosphorylation of HMG CoA reductase by genistein might be expected to increase, not decrease, cholesterol biosynthesis. BP I may conceivably increase the transcription of the HMG CoA reductase gene, stabilize its steady state mRNA level, or enhance its translation. These possible effects of BP I may be mediated through tyrosine kinase phosphorylation, because genistein inhibits the normal stimulation of cholesterol production by BP I. Finally, the data further indicate that the hyperapoB cells have a defect in the stimulatory effect of BP I on cholesterol production.

We had previously found that inhibitors of protein kinase C obliterated the effects of BP I in cultured human fibroblasts but that there were no differences between the normal and hyperapoB cells.8 Furthermore, C-8, a analogue of diacylglycerol, stimulated the formation of triacylglycerol about fivefold in both normal and hyperapoB cells, suggesting that there was no defect at that point in the diacylglycerol/protein kinase C pathway in hyperapoB cells. Nonreceptor tyrosine protein kinases, which contain SH2 and SH3 domains, become physically associated with, and phosphorylated by, an activated transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase. Included in these SH2 and SH3 proteins is one of several isoforms of phospholipase C, phospholipase C {gamma}-1, which cleaves the phospholipid phosphatidylinositol-4,5-diphosphate into the second messengers diacylglycerol and inositol triphosphate, which in turn stimulate protein kinase C and mobilize Ca2+, respectively.22 These SH2 and SH3 proteins also possess tyrosine protein kinase activity, serving to amplify the tyrosine kinase signal. Herbimycin A has been shown to directly inhibit phospholipase C {gamma}-1.16 Thus, the defect in hyperapoB cells may reside in a transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase or in a prototype cytoplasmic signaling protein such as phospholipase C {gamma}-1. Finally, as with insulin (and other hormones), one cannot conclude that all responses to BP I depend on receptor- or cell surface–associated tyrosine kinase activity alone. Indeed, genistein itself has been shown in rat adipocytes to inhibit differentially postreceptor effects of insulin without inhibiting the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase.23

Accelerated premature atherosclerosis is often found in patients with hyperapoB. An important component of atherosclerosis is uncontrolled cell growth in the vessel wall. Because protein tyrosine kinases are involved in the control of cell growth, it is possible that a defect in such a pathway in hyperapoB cells might contribute to increased cell proliferation in the arterial wall. The synthetic inhibitor used here, tyrphostin A-47 (also referred to as RG50864 and AG213) inhibits the epidermal growth factor receptor 800 times as potently as it inhibits the insulin receptor.13 17 AG213 also inhibits the effect of the proliferative signals of both basic fibroblast growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor in rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells and human bone marrow fibroblasts.13

The combined use of inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase and BP I in cultured human fibroblasts appears to further distinguish patients with hyperapoB from healthy control subjects. Taken together, these data strongly indicate that a second messenger–, tyrosine kinase–dependent process is involved in the pathogenesis of hyperapoB. Future studies will be directed toward improving the understanding of the molecular basis of the disorder and its role in premature coronary artery disease.


*    Acknowledgments
 
This work was supported by the following grants from the National Institutes of Health: 1 P50 HL-47212-03 (Specialized Center of Research in Arteriosclerosis), HL-31497, R01-HD32193, General Clinical Research Center Program, RR-52, RR-35, and CLINFLO. We thank Pauline Gugliotta and Sally Tharp for preparing this manuscript and Dr Paul Bachorik for helpful comments.

Received January 11, 1995; accepted May 23, 1995.


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up arrowMethods
up arrowResults
up arrowDiscussion
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