We herein report that mRNA expression of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) and its protein synthesis decline in response to sterol depletion in HepG2 cells, and we functionally characterized the MTP gene promoter in an effort to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which MTP gene transcription is regulated. Luciferase assays using truncated versions of the reporter gene revealed that the region at ؊124 to ؉33 base pairs of the human promoter contains the elements required for the suppression of transcription by sterol depletion. Enforced expression of an active form of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1 (amino acids 1-487) or -2 (amino acids 1-481), both of which are activated under sterol-depleted conditions, is able to mimic sterol-mediated down-regulation. Either further truncation of the promoter region or mutation of the putative SREBP-binding sequence (5-GCAGCCCAC-3, ؊124 to ؊116 base pairs) abolishes the sterol-and SREBPdependent transcriptional regulation. Gel mobility shift assay showed that recombinant SREBP-2-(1-481) is able to bind the sequence. Enforced expression of a truncated form of SREBP-2 (amino acids 31-481), which acts as an inhibitor of transcription of the low density lipoprotein receptor gene because it lacks the transcriptional activation domain, also diminishes the luciferase activity, suggesting that direct binding to the promoter region might be sufficient and that the mechanism by which SREBPs inhibit MTP gene expression is distinct from that for the transcriptional stimulation of sterolregulated genes. Although the SREBP-binding site overlaps a negative insulin-responsive element, insulin negatively regulates MTP gene expression even when the amount of the active form of SREBPs is quite low under the sterol-loaded conditions, indicating that SREBPs only slightly mediate, if at all, the insulin effects. Overall, we conclude that SREBPs are responsible for regulation of lipoprotein secretion via their control of MTP gene expression. Moreover, our results describe for the first time a novel mechanism by which SREBPs negatively regulate expression of the gene encoding the protein involved in lipid metabolism. Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP)1 plays a critical role in the assembly and secretion of very low density lipoproteins in the liver and chylomicrons in the intestine. MTP exists in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum as a heterodimer with protein-disulfide isomerase and is involved in the transfer of triglycerides, cholesterol esters, and phospholipids to newly synthesized apoB (1, 2). In human patients with abetalipoproteinemia, the absence of functional MTP results in a defect in the assembly and secretion of plasma lipoproteins containing apoB (3, 4). In the absence of either MTP lipid transfer activity or sufficient lipid, apoB translocation and lipoprotein assembly are blocked, and apoB is rapidly degraded by a ubiquitin-dependent proteasome process. Under physiological conditions, only a portion of de novo synthesized apoB is ...

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Monomeric carbonyl reductases (CBRs) are enzymes that catalyze the reduction of many endogenous and xenobiotic carbonyl compounds, including steroids and prostaglandins. There are two monomeric CBR genes in the human genome, cbr1 and cbr3, which exhibit high homology in their amino acid sequences. Human CBR1 (hCBR1) is known as prostaglandin 9-keto reductase and 15-hydroxy dehydrogenase, and regulates the metastasis of cancer cells through the regulation of prostaglandin metabolism. However, there is little information concerning the molecular and enzymatic characteristics of human CBR3 (hCBR3). The present study demonstrated the tissue and cellular localization, and catalytic activity of hCBR3. Semi-quantitative PCR revealed the ubiquitous but lower expression of hCBR3 compared with that of hCBR1. Bacterially expressed hCBR3 exhibited limited catalytic activity toward menadione, 4-benzoylpyridine, and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde. Similar results were obtained when the cell lysates of CBR-overexpressing HEK293 cells were examined. Additionally, neither the prostaglandin 9-keto reductase nor the 15-hydroxy dehydrogenase activities of hCBR3 were significant. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that ectopically expressed hCBR3 proteins were localized in the cytosol of HEK293 cells. These results suggested that hCBR3 and hCBR1 play distinct physiological roles. This study expands our understanding of the relationship between the two monomeric hCBRs and prostaglandin metabolism.

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Polymerase chain reaction amplification of cDNA from rat intestine revealed the expression of a novel ABC transporter, TAPL (TAP-like). Subsequently, the protein sequence was deduced from the nucleotide sequence of cDNA carrying the entire coding region. TAPL is transcribed ubiquitously in various rat tissues. The protein, with 762 amino acid residues, has potential transmembrane domains, and an ATP-binding domain in its amino and carboxyl terminal regions, respectively, and is highly homologous to TAP1 and TAP2 (transporters associated with antigen presentation/processing): pairwise comparisons with TAPL demonstrated 39 and 41% of the residues are identical, respectively. These numerical values are essentially the same as that for TAP1 and TAP2 (39%), and the hydropathy profiles of TAPL, TAP1 and TAP2 are quite similar. The similarity among these three proteins suggests that they could be derived from a common ancestral gene. Furthermore, we found that there is a potential splicing isoform, sharing the amino terminal 720 amino acid residues of TAPL.z 1999 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Thioltransferase, an enzyme which catalyzes the thiol/disulfide exchange reaction in the presence of GSH, was purified to homogeneity on 15% SDS-PAGE from human (36,000-fold purification) and bovine (23,000-fold) erythrocyte hemolysates. These enzymes had similar properties in their monomeric structures (M(r) = 11,000) and broad specificities for substrates ranging from low-molecular disulfides (S-sulfocysteine, cystamine, and cystine) to protein disulfides (trypsin and insulin). They were highly sensitive to SH-reagents (monoiodoacetic acid and mercuric chloride), but were protected from inactivation by the presence of disulfides (GSSG, cystamine, and cystine). Phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase that had been inactivated by disulfides were reactivated effectively by the addition of thioltransferase with GSH. In addition, disulfides in membrane proteins of human erythrocytes that have been oxidatively damaged by diamide treatment were reduced to the SH-free form more effectively by incubation with thioltransferase.

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