Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) is a polytopic endosomal membrane protein required for efflux of LDL-derived cholesterol from endosomes, and mutations of this protein are associated with Niemann-Pick disease type C, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. At least one prevalent mutation (I1061T) has been shown to cause a folding defect, which results in failure of endosomal localization, leading to a loss-of-function phenotype. Here, we show that several oxysterols and their derivatives act as pharmacological chaperones; binding of these compounds to I1061T NPC1 corrects the localization/maturation defect of the mutant protein. Further, these compounds alleviate intracellular cholesterol accumulation in patient-derived fibroblasts, suggesting that they may have therapeutic potential. These oxysterol derivatives bind to a domain of NPC1 that is different from the known N-terminal sterol-binding domain; i.e., there is an additional sterol-binding site on NPC1.

Cholesterol biosynthesis is a high-cost process and, therefore, tightly regulated by both transcriptional and posttranslational negative feedback mechanisms in response to the level of cellular cholesterol. Squalene monooxygenase (SM, also known as squalene epoxidase or SQLE) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway and catalyzes epoxidation of squalene. The stability of SM is negatively regulated by cholesterol via its N-terminal regulatory domain (SM-N100). In this study, using a SM-luciferase fusion reporter cell line, we performed a chemical genetics screen that identified inhibitors of SM itself as up-regulators of SM. This effect was mediated through the SM-N100 region, competed with cholesterol-accelerated degradation, and required the E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH6. However, up-regulation was not observed with statins, well-established cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors, and this pointed to the presence of another mechanism other than reduced cholesterol synthesis. Further analyses revealed that squalene accumulation upon treatment with the SM inhibitor was responsible for the up-regulatory effect. Using photoaffinity labeling, we demonstrated that squalene directly bound to the N100 region, thereby reducing interaction with and ubiquitination by MARCH6. Our findings suggest that SM senses squalene via its N100 domain to increase its metabolic capacity, highlighting squalene as a feedforward factor for the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by the aggregation of mutant huntingtin (mHtt), and removal of toxic mHtt is expected to be an effective therapeutic approach. We designed two small hybrid molecules (1 and 2) by linking a ligand for ubiquitin ligase (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1; cIAP1) with probes for mHtt aggregates, anticipating that these compounds would recruit cIAP1 to mHtt and induce selective degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. The synthesized compounds reduced mHtt levels in HD patient fibroblasts and appear to be promising candidates for the development of a treatment for HD.

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