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Vol. 17, Issue 6, 2735-2745, June 2006
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School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
Submitted December 1, 2005;
Revised March 16, 2006;
Accepted March 22, 2006
Monitoring Editor: Ben Margolis
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Statins are widely prescribed for the treatment of elevated blood cholesterol levels in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. These agents exploit the cholesterol homeostatic mechanism of the liver cell to which they are targeted by reversibly inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, the first rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. Deprived of newly synthesized cholesterol, the liver cell responds by up-regulating low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor expression through activation of the SREBP pathway (Matsuda et al., 2001
). More LDL is subsequently cleared, resulting in a reduction of circulating cholesterol levels.
SREBPs are master regulators of lipid homeostasis, inducing transcription of many genes involved in lipid biosynthesis (Goldstein et al., 2006
). Genes involved in fatty acid metabolism are preferentially regulated by SREBP-1c (e.g., fatty acid synthase [FAS]), whereas SREBP-2 principally regulates genes involved in cholesterol metabolism (e.g., HMG-CoA reductase) and uptake (LDL-receptor; Horton et al., 2003
). SREBPs are produced as precursors embedded in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) bound to the cholesterol sensor, SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP). When cholesterol levels are sensed to be low, SCAP escorts SREBP via COPII vesicles to the Golgi where it is processed by two proteases, designated Site-1 protease and Site-2 protease, to an active transcription factor. When cholesterol levels are sensed to be sufficient by SCAP, the SCAP/SREBP complex is held back in the ER by a retention protein (Insig-1 or -2). Therefore, exit of SCAP/SREBP from the ER is the critical point in feedback regulation of cholesterol metabolism (Nohturfft et al., 2000
; Brown et al., 2002
; Espenshade et al., 2002
; Yang et al., 2002
). Statins activate SREBP (Yang et al., 1995
; Cheng et al., 1999
), presumably by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis and hence reducing the regulatory pool sensed by SCAP.
There is a growing body of clinical and experimental evidence that statins exert additional benefits beyond cholesterol reduction (Laufs and Liao, 2003
). For example, statins increase nitric oxide production by endothelial cells and promote angiogenesis through activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway (Shiojima and Walsh, 2002
). Akt, also called protein kinase B, is a critical regulator of PI3K-mediated cell growth and survival (Shiojima and Walsh, 2002
; Song et al., 2005
). Akt is recruited to the plasma membrane by its pleckstrin homology domain, which is targeted to the lipid products of PI3K. Activation of Akt then occurs through sequential phosphorylation of a threonine and serine residue. LY294002 and wortmannin are two PI3K inhibitors that inhibit Akt activation. These PI3K inhibitors also inhibit activation of SREBP-1 in response to growth factors (VEGF, platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF]) and insulin (Demoulin et al., 2004
; Zhou et al., 2004
; Hegarty et al., 2005
), suggesting a role for PI3K/Akt in lipogenesis. Therefore, given that statins can activate both SREBP and PI3K/Akt pathways, we hypothesized that the activation of SREBP by statins may involve PI3K/Akt. We report here that the PI3K/Akt pathway has a fundamental effect on cholesterol homeostasis beyond statins, influencing SREBP-2 processing through effects on the ER-to-Golgi transport of this transcription factor.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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-cyclodextrin, LY294002, methyl-
-cyclodextrin, mevalonate, Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), protease inhibitors (or cocktail), phosphatase inhibitor cocktail, Triton X-100, essentially fatty-acid free bovine serum albumin (BSA), saponin, and brefeldin A were obtained from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was purchased from Bio-Scientific (Gymea, NSW, Australia). Cholesterol and 25-hydroxycholesterol (cholest-5-en-3
, 25-diol; 25HC) were obtained from Steraloids (Newport, RI). Cholesterol complexed to methyl-
-cyclodextrin was prepared as described (Brown et al., 2002
Cell Culture
CHO cells were grown as a monolayer in a humidified incubator at 37°C in a 5% CO2 atmosphere. The culture media were DMEM/F12 containing penicillin (100 U/ml), streptomycin (100 µg/ml), and L-glutamine (2 mM), supplemented with various sera. The different media used were supplemented as follows: medium A, 5% (vol/vol) NBS; medium B, 5% lipoprotein-deficient NBS; medium C, 5% NBS plus 5 µg/ml cholesterol, 1 mM sodium mevalonate, 20 µM sodium oleate; medium D, 5% lipoprotein-deficient NBS plus 1 µg/ml 25HC; and medium E, 0.1% (wt/vol) BSA. Statins, 25HC, LY294002 and other test agents were added in ethanol or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). Within an experiment, the final concentrations of ethanol or DMSO were kept constant between conditions and did not exceed 0.25% (vol/vol).
Generation of Stably Transfected 13A/PS Cell Line
On day 0, SRD-13A cells (Rawson et al., 1999
), a SCAP-deficient cell line derived from CHO-7 cells, were set up in a six-well plate at 2 x 105 cells per well in medium C. On day 1, the cells were cotransfected with pCMV-PLAP-BP2 (0.5 µg) and pTK-SCAP (0.5 µg) using FuGENE 6 transfection reagent (Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland). On day 2, the cells were switched to medium B to select for cells expressing the SCAP-containing plasmid. Fresh medium B was added every 23 d until colonies formed at
15 d. Individual colonies were cloned by limiting dilution and screened for expression of the secreted form of PLAP (see below). The most robust colonies were further tested for 16 h in medium B in the presence or absence of sterols (10 µg/ml cholesterol and 1 µg/ml 25HC). A cell line, designated 13A/PS, that showed clear and consistent sterol-regulation of PLAP secretion was maintained in medium B and used as a tool to quantify SREBP-2 processing.
Analysis of SREBP-2 Processing by the Secreted Alkaline Phosphatase Assay
On day 0, 13A/PS cells were set up in 12-well plates in medium B at 1 x 105 cells per well. On day 2, cells were rinsed with PBS, refed fresh medium B, and incubated with various additions as described in the figure legends. After incubation for 16 h, the media were collected for determination of secreted PLAP (SEAP Gene Reporter Assay, Roche Diagnostics) and cells harvested for cell protein determination (BCA kit; Pierce, Rockford, IL; Du et al., 2004
). In some experiments involving IGF-1 treatment, cells were cultured in medium E for 24 h before incubation with various additions, as described in the figure legends.
Analysis of SREBP-2 Processing by Western Blotting
SREBP-2 processing by Western blotting was analyzed as described (Adams et al., 2004
) with minor modifications. On day 0, 13A/PS cells (medium B, or medium E for IGF-1 treatment experiments) or a cell line, SRD-1, overexpressing the truncated mature form of SREBP-2 (medium D; Metherall et al., 1989
) were set up at 1 x 106 cells per 100-mm dish or 6 x 105 cells per 60-mm dish. On day 2, the cells were fed medium B or medium E (for IGF-1 treatment experiments) and incubated with various additions for varying times as described in the figure legends. After incubation, the cells were washed once with cold PBS, resuspended in 500 µl of buffer A (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.6, 100 mM NaCl, 1% [wt/vol] SDS) containing 10 µl of Protease Inhibitor Cocktail, and then passed through a 22-gauge needle 15 times. The resultant cell lysates were then shaken for 20 min at room temperature. The protein concentration of each whole cell lysate was measured (BCA kit; Pierce, Rockford, IL) after which an aliquot (50 µg) was analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE; 7.5% wt/vol) and immunoblotting (see below).
Analysis of Akt Phosphorylation
On day 0, 13A/PS cells were set up in medium B at 1 x 106 cells per 100-mm dish. On day 2, the cells were refed fresh medium B and incubated with various additions for varying times as described in the figure legends. After incubation, the cells were washed twice with cold PBS containing 0.01 volume of Phosphatase Inhibitor Cocktail and then lysed in Phosphosafe Extraction Buffer (Merck, Rahway, NJ; 100 µl) containing Protease Inhibitor Cocktail (4 µl), Phosphatase Inhibitor Cocktail (2 µl), and other protease inhibitors (25 µg/ml N-acetyl-leucinal-leucinal-norleucinal [ALLN], 1 µg/ml pepstatin A, 2 µg/ml aprotinin, 10 µg/ml leupeptin, 200 µM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride). The resultant cell lysates were passed through a 20-gauge needle 40 times. The protein concentration of each whole cell lysate was measured (BCA kit; Pierce) after which an aliquot (80 µg) was analyzed by SDS-PAGE (10% wt/vol) and immunoblotting (see below).
SCAP-Insig-1binding Assay
Coimmunoprecipitaton of Insig-1 and SCAP was performed as described (Feramisco et al., 2005
) with the following modifications. On day 0, SRD-13A cells were set up in medium C at 1 x 106 cells per 100-mm dish. On day 2, cells were transfected with pTK-SCAP (4.5 µg) and pCMV-Insig-1-Myc (0.9 µg) in medium A using FuGene 6 transfection reagent (Roche Diagnostics). The total amount of DNA was adjusted to 6 µg/dish with pcDNA3 and/or pTK3 mock vectors. On day 3, the cells were washed once with PBS, switched to medium B, and incubated with various additions as indicated. After incubation for 16 h, cells were rinsed twice with cold PBS and harvested for immunoprecipitation with monoclonal anti-Myc IgG-9E10 as described (Feramisco et al., 2005
). Immunoprecipitated pellets and supernatants were analyzed by SDS/PAGE (10% wt/vol) and immunoblotting (see below).
Immunoblot Analysis
Samples were mixed with 0.25 volume of buffer B (250 mM Tris-HCl, pH 6.8, 10% [wt/vol] SDS, 25% (vol/vol) glycerol, 0.2% (wt/vol) bromphenol blue, and 5% (vol/vol)
-mercaptoethanol), boiled for 5 min at 95°C, and then subjected to 7.5% or 10% SDS-PAGE. After electrophoresis, the proteins were transferred to Hybond-C nitrocellulose filters (GE Healthcare). Incubations with primary antibodies were performed at 4°C using the following antibodies: 5 µg/ml IgG-7D4 (SREBP-2); 5 µg/ml IgG-R139 (SCAP); 0.4 µg/ml anti-Myc IgG-9E10 (Myc-Insig-1); 1:1000 dilution of polyclonal Phospho-Akt (Ser473) antibody (P-Akt), and 1:1000 dilution of Akt antibody (total Akt). Secondary antibodies were peroxidase-conjugated AffiniPure donkey anti-rabbit or donkey anti-mouse IgG (H+L; Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, West Grove, PA) used at a 1:5000 dilution. The bound antibodies were visualized by ECL Western blotting detection reagent (GE Healthcare). The filters were exposed to Hyperfilm ECL (GE Healthcare) for periods of 2 s to 3 min. The relative intensities of bands were quantified using Sciencelab ImageGauge 4.0 Software (Fujifilm, Tokyo, Japan).
RNA Isolation and Gene Expression Analysis by Quantitative Reverse Transcriptase-PCR
On day 0, 13A/PS and CHO-7 cells were set up in six-well plates in medium B at 2.5 x 105 cells per well. On day 2, the cells were rinsed with PBS, refed fresh medium B, and incubated with various additions as described in the figure legends. After incubation for 16 h, cells were harvested for total RNA using Tri Reagent (Sigma) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Total RNA was quantified by spectrophotometry (Nanodrop ND-100 Spectrophotometer, Bio-Lab, St. Paul, MN). Reverse transcriptase-PCR was performed on 1 µg of RNA according to the manufacturer's protocol for the SuperScript III First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit (Invitrogen). Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (QRT-PCR) was performed using iQSupermix (Bio-Rad, Richmond, CA) on an ABI 7700 Sequence Detector and analyzed using ABI Prism Sequence Detector Soft-ware v1.6.3 (PE Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Primer pairs (Sigma) used for the amplification reaction of various genes from cDNAs are tabulated in Supplementary Data. PCR products were verified by sequencing. The change in gene expression levels was determined by normalizing mRNA levels of the gene of interest to the mRNA level of the housekeeping gene, porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD). Melting curve analysis was performed to confirm the production of a single product in each reaction.
Cholesterol and Fatty Acid Synthesis Assay
On day 0, CHO-7 and 13A/PS cells were set up at a density of 4 x 105 cells/dish in 60-mm dishes in medium B. On day 2, cells were refed fresh medium B and incubated with various additions plus 1 µCi/ml [1-14C]acetic acid. After incubation for 16 h, cells were washed twice with buffer C (5 mM Tris HCl, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl) containing 0.2% (wt/vol) BSA and twice in buffer C alone. Cells were lysed with NaOH (0.1 M; 1 ml), and the lysates were saponified with 1 ml of 75% (wt/vol) KOH, 2 ml of ethanol plus 1 µl of butylated-hydroxytoluene (20 mM), and 20 µl of EDTA (20 mM) at 70°C for 1 h. After cooling, nonsaponifiable lipids were extracted into hexane (3 x 3 ml) and evaporated to dryness under a steam of nitrogen gas. For cholesterol synthesis, lipid extracts were redissolved in hexane (100 µl) and separated by argentation TLC using 4% (wt/vol) silver-coated Silica Gel 60 F254 plates (Merck, Whitehouse Station, NJ) and a mobile phase of heptane:ethyl acetate (2:1, vol/vol), developed four times. This method separates cholesterol from its major precursors including desmosterol. For fatty acid synthesis, fatty acids were extracted into hexane (3 x 3 ml) from the same samples after acidification with hydrochloric acid (10 M; 3 ml). Hexane extracts were evaporated, redissolved in hexane (150 µl) and separated by TLC using Silica Gel 60 F254 plates with a mobile phase of heptane:diethyl ether:glacial acetic acid (90:30:1, vol/vol/v). For visualization, TLC plates were exposed to BAS-MS imaging plate (Fujifilm) for 24 or 72 h at room temperature and scanned by FLA-5100 phosphoimager (Fujifilm).
Cholesterol Esterification Assay
On day 0, 13A/PS cells were set up at a density of 4 x 105 cells/dish in 60-mm dishes in medium B. On day 2, cells were treated with varying agents in medium B plus 1 µCi/ml [1-14C]oleic acid. After incubation for 16 h, lipids were extracted from the cell lysate as described (Du et al., 2004
). The extracts were redissolved in hexane (60 µl) and separated by TLC using Silica Gel 60 F254 plates with a mobile phase of heptane:diethyl ether:glacial acetic acid (90:30:1, vol/vol/vol). For visualization, TLC plates were exposed to BAS-MS imaging plate (Fujifilm) for 72 h at room temperature and scanned by FLA-5100 phosphoimager (Fujifilm). The extent of cholesterol esterification was quantified using Sciencelab ImageGauge 4.0 software (Fujifilm).
Fluorescence Microscopy
On day 0, CHO/pGFP-SCAP cells (Nohturfft et al., 2000
), a cell line stably expressing GFP-SCAP, were set up in six-well plates containing sterile 19 x 19-mm glass coverslips at 2 x 105 cells per well in medium B. On day 1, cells were washed with PBS, refed 2 ml of medium B, and incubated with various additions for 4 h as indicated in the figure legends. In some experiments involving IGF-1 treatment, cells were cultured in medium E for 24 h before incubation with various additions. After incubation, cells were rinsed once with PBS and fixed with 1 ml of 3% (vol/vol) formaldehyde/PBS for 10 min at room temperature. Cells were then rinsed twice with PBS and mounted on glass slides with mounting media containing anti-fading reagent (Biomeda, Foster City, CA). Images were obtained using a Leica TCS SP laser scanning spectral confocal microscope (Deerfield, IL). GFP was excited with the 488-nm laser lines from an argon laser. Confocal image stacks were edited using Leica Confocal Software, LCS Lite.
Immunofluorescence Staining
On day 0, CHO/pGFP-SCAP cells were set up as above. On day 1, cells were transfected with myc-tagged wild-type Akt (WT-Akt) or dominant-negative Akt (DN-Akt) plasmids (1 µg/well) by using FuGene 6 transfection reagent according to the manufacturer's instructions (Roche Diagnostics). On day 2, cells were refed 2 ml of medium B per well and incubated with compactin (5 µM) for 4 h. After incubation, the media were aspirated, and the cells were fixed with 1 ml of 3% (vol/vol) formaldehyde for 10 min at room temperature. Cells were rinsed with PBS (three times for 5 min) and then permeabilized with 0.1% (vol/vol) Triton X-100 in PBS (1 ml, 2 min). After washing with PBS (three times for 5 min), cells were incubated with 10% (vol/vol) FCS in PBS for 30 min at room temperature. Cells on the coverslips were then incubated with primary antibody against myc-tag (IgG 9E10, 1.8 µg/ml in 10% FCS in PBS plus 0.1% [wt/vol] of saponin) for 16 h at 4°C. After washing with PBS (three times for 10 min), cells were incubated with 5 µg/ml Alexa Fluro-568conjugated secondary antibody (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR) for 1 h at room temperature. Cells were washed with PBS (three times for 10 min) and then mounted on glass slides with mounting media containing anti-fading reagent (Biomeda, Foster City, CA). Images were obtained using a Leica TCS SP laser scanning spectral confocal microscope. Confocal image stacks were edited using Leica confocal software, LCS Lite.
Data Presentation
Data are presented as mean + SEM. All results are representative of at least two separate experiments.
| RESULTS |
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-cyclodextrin overcame the effect of the two cholesterol synthesis inhibitors (Figure 2B). Addition of the PI3K/Akt inhibitor, LY294002, similarly decreased PLAP secretion stimulated by the squalene epoxidase inhibitor, GR144000X (Figure 2C). We then tested if depleting cholesterol in a statin-independent way increased SREBP-2 processing. As observed with compactin treatment, cholesterol depletion using hydroxypropyl-
-cyclodextrin increased PLAP secretion, which was also reversed by LY294002 treatment (Figure 2D). Taken together, our results first support previous work suggesting that statins increase SREBP-2 processing by reducing cellular cholesterol status (Yang et al., 1995
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30% (Figure 3B, lane 3). To address if LY294002 affects the stability of mature SREBP-2, we performed an overnight incubation in SRD-1 cells that overexpress the truncated mature form of SREBP-2 (Metherall et al., 1989
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30% (Figure 4G). Therefore, inhibition of LY294002 on SREBP-2 processing has downstream consequences, down-regulating SREBP-2 (and -1c) target gene expression and decreasing lipid synthesis.
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30 min (Figure 5A, lane 3). The extent of Akt phosphorylation declined to untreated levels by 4 h (Figure 5A, lane 6 vs. lane 7). Treatment with the PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, ablated Akt phosphorylation in the presence (Figure 5A, lane 8) or absence of compactin (unpublished data). Treatment with hydrogen peroxide increases Akt phosphorylation acutely (Thomas et al., 2002
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| DISCUSSION |
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ER-to-Golgi transport of proteins initially involves cargo selection and concentration into specific regions of the ER by the action of the COPII coat complex (Watanabe and Riezman, 2004
). In sterol-depleted conditions, COPII proteins bind to the SCAP/SREBP complex when added to isolated membranes in vitro (Espenshade et al., 2002
; Sun et al., 2005
). Protein phosphorylation, known to modulate many membrane traffic processes throughout the cell, has also been implicated in transport between the ER and Golgi (Palmer et al., 2005
). Hence, there is evidence that certain proteins involved in COPII-dependent export from the ER can be phosphorylated, including COPII components themselves (Vaughan et al., 2002
; Dudognon et al., 2004
). Furthermore, certain kinases have been implicated in ER-to-Golgi traffic, including protein kinase A (Aridor and Balch, 2000
; Lee and Linstedt, 2000
), diacylglycerol kinase delta (Nagaya et al., 2002
), and PCTAIRE kinases, a relatively uncharacterized branch of the cyclin-dependent kinase family (Palmer et al., 2005
). Ours is the first study to provide evidence that PI3K/Akt is also involved in ER-to-Golgi transport. However, the precise target(s) of Akt remains elusive. Our immunofluorescence studies (Figure 8) suggest that GFP-SCAP may colocalize to some extent with Akt. This was more evident for wild-type Akt (Figure 8F) than for dominant-negative Akt (Figure 8C). However, Porstmann et al. (2005)
were unable to identify high-stringency Akt phosphorylation sites in SREBP proteins, SCAP, Insig or site-1 and -2 proteases. Moreover, we have been unable to demonstrate any direct interaction of Akt and SCAP using a coimmunoprecipitation approach (our unpublished data). Further studies are needed to identify the precise target(s) of Akt in ER-to-Golgi transport and to determine if an Akt-dependent step regulates ER-to-Golgi transport of other cargoes besides SCAP/SREBP-2.
Our studies indicate that inhibition of PI3K/Akt has a general and fundamental effect on cellular lipid homeostasis. We showed that first, LY294002 blunted the increase in SREBP-2 processing regardless of how cellular cholesterol status was depleted or in response to a growth factor, IGF-1. Second, LY294002 treatment down-regulated the SREBP-2 or -1c gene targets, LDL-R, HMG-CoA reductase, and FAS, and also decreased cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis. Therefore, changes in the activity of the PI3K/Akt pathway influences SREBP-2 processing and this has downstream effects on cellular lipid homeostasis.
Our results confirm previous studies that have linked the Akt and SREBP pathways (Demoulin et al., 2004
; Zhou et al., 2004
; Hegarty et al., 2005
; Porstmann et al., 2005
). For example, pharmacological inhibition of PI3K/Akt decreased mature SREBP-1 in response to growth factors or insulin (Demoulin et al., 2004
; Zhou et al., 2004
; Hegarty et al., 2005
). In addition, Zhou et al. (2004)
showed that a constitutively active form of Akt activated the LDL-R and FAS promoters in concert with VEGF, whereas dominant-negative Akt blocked VEGF-induced activation of these promoters. Our studies extend these findings by clearly demonstrating a role for PI3K/Akt in cellular cholesterol metabolism via effects on SCAP transport from the ER to the Golgi and hence SREBP-2 activation.
We have focused on the effects of PI3K inhibition on SREBP-2 processing because this transcription factor mainly regulates cholesterol metabolism (Horton et al., 2003
) and previous studies have mostly focused on SREBP-1. Akt is also likely to influence transport of SREBP-1 from the ER to the Golgi and consequent activation, because LY294002 also decreased fatty acid synthesis and FAS gene expression (Figure 4). FAS, like other genes involved in fatty acid synthesis, is preferentially regulated by SREBP-1c (Horton et al., 2003
).
Our data are consistent with previous assertions (Yang et al., 1995
; Cheng et al., 1999
) that statins increase SREBP-2 processing by depleting cellular cholesterol because inhibition at a later step in the pathway (catalyzed by squalene epoxidase) had a similar effect as did depletion of cellular cholesterol by incubating with low levels of hydroxypropyl-
-cyclodextrin (Figure 2). Moreover, addition of cholesterol reversed the increase in SREBP-2 processing observed when cells were treated with statin or a squalene epoxidase inhibitor. Furthermore, statins reduced cholesterol levels in the ER regulatory pool, as evidenced by less cholesterol esterification by the ER resident protein, ACAT, and decreased SCAP-Insig-1 binding (Figure 6). Therefore, our studies add support to previous suggestions that statins increase SREBP-2 processing by reducing the local concentration of cholesterol in the ER.
The PI3K/Akt pathway is best known for its role in promoting cell growth, proliferation, and survival through increased glucose utilization and prevention of apoptosis (Whiteman et al., 2002
; Song et al., 2005
). Our results with the growth factor, IGF-1, indicate that a proliferative stimulus, working through the PI3K/Akt pathway, induces ER-to-Golgi movement of SCAP, and activates SREBP-2 processing (Figure 9). Synthesis of new membrane is an absolute requirement for cell growth and proliferation, and hence a connection between the SREBP and Akt pathways makes sense from a teleological perspective. Indeed, Goldstein and Brown (Goldstein et al., 2002
) have used mutant CHO cell lines to demonstrate that an intact SREBP pathway is required for long-term proliferation. Nohturfft and colleagues recently reported (Castoreno et al., 2005
) that phagocytosis-induced membrane biogenesis was initiated by activation of SREBP-1a and SREBP-2 without lipid deprivation. In light of our current data, it would be interesting to determine if the Akt signaling pathway is involved in phagocytosis-induced membrane biogenesis.
The oxysterol, 25HC, was used as a positive control in our experiments, because it is a potent suppressor of SREBP processing. However, its precise mechanism of action remains unknown. Recent work (Adams et al., 2004
) suggests that 25HC induces SCAP-Insig-1 binding without altering the conformation of SCAP and proposes the existence of a 25HC sensing protein. Our work indicates that 25HC's potent suppression of SREBP processing is unlikely to involve the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway because 25HC had no effect on Akt phosphorylation (Figure 5B).
In terms of implications of our results in vivo, it is worth noting that activation of Akt by PI3K is associated with several human cancers (Osaki et al., 2004
). It is not known if overall cholesterol metabolism is normal in patients with mutations in the PI3K/Akt pathway, but overactive fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis have been described for various types of tumors (reviewed in Freeman and Solomon, 2004
; Menendez and Lupu, 2004
). Similarly, it is not clear if cholesterol metabolism is influenced in mice in which the various Akt isoforms have been deleted. Interestingly however, constitutively active Akt targeted to liver in mice increased LDL-R expression (Ono et al., 2003
), which is consistent with our finding that inhibition of PI3K/Akt down-regulated LDL-R expression in CHO cells (Figure 4, A and B). As shown by us (Figure 5A) and others previously (e.g., Kureishi et al., 2000
), statins can increase Akt activation, but this is unlikely to be a concern in terms of human cancer risk, because the consensus from large well-controlled trials is that statin therapy does not increase rates of fatal or nonfatal cancers. Indeed, recent studies indicate that statin use may even reduce the risk of certain cancers (Poynter et al., 2005
). Further work is required to determine precisely what role SREBP activation plays in cell transformation and tumor development.
In summary, our studies indicate that there is an Akt-dependent step in SCAP/SREBP transport to the Golgi, adding another input into SREBP activation beside the familiar lipid end products. Our results also highlight a fundamental connection between the SREBP and PI3K/Akt pathways, which may be reconciled teleologically since synthesis of new membrane is an absolute requirement for cell growth and proliferation.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| Footnotes |
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The online version of this article contains supplemental material at MBC Online (http://www.molbiolcell.org). ![]()
Address correspondence to: Andrew J. Brown ( aj.brown{at}unsw.edu.au)
Abbreviations used: 25HC, 25-hydroxycholesterol; CHO, Chinese hamster ovary; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; FAS, fatty acid synthase; GFP, green fluorescent protein; HMG-CoA reductase, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl co-enzyme A reductase; IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor-1; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; NBS, newborn calf serum; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; PLAP, placental alkaline phosphatase; QRT-PCR, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction; SCAP, SREBP cleavage-activating protein; SREBP, sterol-regulatory element-binding protein; TLC, thin-layer chromatography.
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