Several steps of HIV-1 replication critically depend on cholesterol. HIV infection is associated with profound changes in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Whereas numerous studies have investigated the role of anti-HIV drugs in lipodystrophy and dyslipidemia, the effects of HIV infection on cellular cholesterol metabolism remain uncharacterized. Here, we demonstrate that HIV-1 impairs ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1)-dependent cholesterol efflux from human macrophages, a condition previously shown to be highly atherogenic. In HIV-1–infected cells, this effect was mediated by Nef. Transfection of murine macrophages with Nef impaired cholesterol efflux from these cells. At least two mechanisms were found to be responsible for this phenomenon: first, HIV infection and transfection with Nef induced post-transcriptional down-regulation of ABCA1; and second, Nef caused redistribution of ABCA1 to the plasma membrane and inhibited internalization of apolipoprotein A-I. Binding of Nef to ABCA1 was required for down-regulation and redistribution of ABCA1. HIV-infected and Nef-transfected macrophages accumulated substantial amounts of lipids, thus resembling foam cells. The contribution of HIV-infected macrophages to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis was supported by the presence of HIV-positive foam cells in atherosclerotic plaques of HIV-infected patients. Stimulation of cholesterol efflux from macrophages significantly reduced infectivity of the virions produced by these cells, and this effect correlated with a decreased amount of virion-associated cholesterol, suggesting that impairment of cholesterol efflux is essential to ensure proper cholesterol content in nascent HIV particles. These results reveal a previously unrecognized dysregulation of intracellular lipid metabolism in HIV-infected macrophages and identify Nef and ABCA1 as the key players responsible for this effect. Our findings have implications for pathogenesis of both HIV disease and atherosclerosis, because they reveal the role of cholesterol efflux impairment in HIV infectivity and suggest a possible mechanism by which HIV infection of macrophages may contribute to increased risk of atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients.
HIV infection has a profound effect on “bystander” cells causing metabolic co-morbidities. This may be mediated by exosomes secreted by HIV-infected cells and containing viral factors. Here we show that exosomes containing HIV-1 protein Nef (exNef) are rapidly taken up by macrophages releasing Nef into the cell interior. This caused down-regulation of ABCA1, reduction of cholesterol efflux and sharp elevation of the abundance of lipid rafts through reduced activation of small GTPase Cdc42 and decreased actin polymerization. Changes in rafts led to re-localization of TLR4 and TREM-1 to rafts, phosphorylation of ERK1/2, activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, and increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The effects of exNef on lipid rafts and on inflammation were reversed by overexpression of a constitutively active mutant of Cdc42. Similar effects were observed in macrophages treated with exosomes produced by HIV-infected cells or isolated from plasma of HIV-infected subjects, but not with exosomes from cells and subjects infected with ΔNef-HIV or uninfected subjects. Mice injected with exNef exhibited monocytosis, reduced ABCA1 in macrophages, increased raft abundance in monocytes and augmented inflammation. Thus, Nef-containing exosomes potentiated pro-inflammatory response by inducing changes in cholesterol metabolism and reorganizing lipid rafts. These mechanisms may contribute to HIV-associated metabolic co-morbidities.
Signal transduction via guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) is involved in cardiovascular, neural, endocrine, and immune cell function. Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS proteins) speed the turn-off of G protein signals and inhibit signal transduction, but the in vivo roles of RGS proteins remain poorly defined. To overcome the redundancy of RGS functions and reveal the total contribution of RGS regulation at the G␣ i2 subunit, we prepared a genomic knock-in of the RGS-insensitive G184S Gnai2 allele. The G␣ i2 G184S knock-in mice show a dramatic and complex phenotype affecting multiple organ systems (heart, myeloid, skeletal, and central nervous system). Both homozygotes and heterozygotes demonstrate reduced viability and decreased body weight. Other phenotypes include shortened long bones, a markedly enlarged spleen, elevated neutrophil counts, an enlarged heart, and behavioral hyperactivity. Heterozygous G␣ i2 ؉/G184S mice show some but not all of these abnormalities. Thus, loss of RGS actions at G␣ i2 produces a dramatic and pleiotropic phenotype which is more evident than the phenotype seen for individual RGS protein knockouts.Cell-cell communication is fundamental to the maintenance of homeostasis. The G protein-coupled receptor superfamily is arguably the most abundant and diverse protein family in cellular signaling and is tightly regulated. A novel family of Ͼ20 proteins termed regulators of G protein signaling, or RGS proteins, both tonically inhibit G protein function and also serve as signal control points (2,22,34,39,69). RGS-mediated inhibition of G protein signaling occurs through direct binding of the RGS protein to the G␣ subunit, with subsequent GTPase-accelerating protein (GAP) actions to rapidly deactivate G␣ (2). Deactivation may be accelerated up to 1,000-fold and shuts down both G␣ and G␥ signals (42, 48). RGS proteins may also competitively inhibit G␣ binding to effectors such as phospholipase C (32). Most of the currently known RGS proteins interact with either Gi or Gq family G proteins and influence cyclic AMP (cAMP), Ca 2ϩ , mitogen-activated protein kinase, and ion channel signaling. There is strong evidence implicating them in the subsecond kinetics of G i -and G o -mediated ion channel activation and deactivation in the heart (10, 21, 36) and neurons (36). In addition, the conserved RGS domain has been found to serve as a multifunctional protein adapter which can recruit many effectors or regulators to the vicinity of activated G proteins (31,53,62). Notable examples include p115rhoGEF (30, 40) and GRK2 (44). There is also emerging interest in RGS proteins as drug targets (9,20,53,72).However, the physiological functions of RGS proteins remain poorly defined. A number of RGS knockouts have been reported (for example, RGS1, -2, -4, and -9). The RGS9-1 knockout shows prolonged visual potentials (7), and RGS9-2 disruption results in markedly enhanced responses to drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, amphetamines, and opiates (56, 71). A human disorder, bradyopsia, with r...
Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I)-mediated cholesterol efflux involves the binding of apoA-I to the plasma membrane via its C terminus and requires cellular ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA1) activity. ApoA-I also stimulates secretion of apolipoprotein E (apoE) from macrophage foam cells, although the mechanism of this process is not understood. In this study, we demonstrate that apoA-I stimulates secretion of apoE independently of both ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux and of lipid binding by its C terminus. Pulse-chase experiments using 35 S-labeled cellular apoE demonstrate that macrophage apoE exists in both relatively mobile (E m ) and stable (E s ) pools, that apoA-I diverts apoE from degradation to secretion, and that only a small proportion of apoA-I-mobilized apoE is derived from the cell surface. The structural requirements for induction of apoE secretion and cholesterol efflux are clearly dissociated, as C-terminal deletions in recombinant apoA-I reduce cholesterol efflux but increase apoE secretion, and deletion of central helices 5 and 6 decreases apoE secretion without perturbing cholesterol efflux. Moreover, a range of 11-and 22-mer ␣-helical peptides representing amphipathic ␣-helical segments of apoA-I stimulate apoE secretion whereas only the C-terminal ␣-helix (domains 220 -241) stimulates cholesterol efflux. Other ␣-helixcontaining apolipoproteins (apoA-II, apoA-IV, apoE2, apoE3, apoE4) also stimulate apoE secretion, implying a positive feedback autocrine loop for apoE secretion, although apoE4 is less effective. Finally, apoA-I stimulates apoE secretion normally from macrophages of two unrelated subjects with genetically confirmed Tangier Disease (mutations C733R and c.5220 -5222delTCT; and mutations A1046D and c.4629 -4630insA), despite severely inhibited cholesterol efflux. We conclude that apoA-I stimulates secretion of apoE independently of cholesterol efflux, and that this represents a novel, ABCA-1-independent, positive feedback pathway for stimulation of potentially anti-atherogenic apoE secretion by ␣-helix-containing molecules including apoA-I and apoE.
Abstract-Cardiac automaticity is controlled by G protein-coupled receptors, such as adrenergic, muscarinic, and adenosine receptors. The strength and duration of G protein signaling is attenuated by regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins acting as GTPase-activating proteins for G␣ subunits; however, little is known about the role of endogenous RGS proteins in cardiac function. We created point mutations in G␣ subunits that disrupt G␣-RGS binding and introduced them into embryonic stem (ES) cells by homologous recombination. Spontaneously contacting cardiocytes derived from the ES cells were used to evaluate the role of endogenous RGS proteins in chronotropic regulation. The RGS-insensitive G␣ o G184S homozygous knock-in (G␣ o GS/GS) cells demonstrated enhanced adenosine A 1 and muscarinic M 2 receptor-mediated bradycardic responses. In contrast, G␣ i2 GS/GS cells showed enhanced responses to M 2 but not A 1 receptors. Similarly M 2 but not A 1 bradycardic responses were dramatically enhanced in G␣ i2 GS/GS mice. Blocking G protein-coupled inward rectifying K ϩ (GIRK) channels largely abolished the mutation-induced enhancement of the M 2 receptor-mediated response but had a minimal effect on A 1 responses. The G␣ s -dependent stimulation of beating rate by the  2 adrenergic receptor agonist procaterol was significantly attenuated in G␣ o GS/GS and nearly abolished in G␣ i2 GS/GS cells because of enhanced signaling via a pertussis toxin sensitive mechanism. Thus, endogenous RGS proteins potently reduce the actions of G␣ i/o -linked receptors on cardiac automaticity. Key Words: RGS Ⅲ automaticity Ⅲ adenosine receptor Ⅲ  2 adrenergic receptor Ⅲ muscarinic receptor G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) control many cardiovascular functions, such as automaticity and contractility and cell growth and survival. 1 Cardiac ion channels are key effectors, including activation of the G protein-coupled inward rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels by ␥ subunits released from G␣ i and inhibition of I f and I Ca,L by G␣ o , whereas I Ca,L is also regulated by G␣ i and nitric oxide. [2][3][4][5] GIRK channels contribute approximately 50% of the in vivo bradycardic response to vagal stimulation, 6 but the relative contribution of different G␣ subunits to in vivo cardiac automaticity is less clear.The recently identified regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins reduce the strength and duration of G protein signaling by acting as GTPase accelerating proteins (GAPs) through their conserved RGS domain. 7 Mammalian myocardium expresses more than 10 different RGS proteins (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16, and 19), which have GAP activity toward G␣ i/o and G␣ q/11 family G proteins. 8 Indeed, the first reported mammalian RGS effect was the rapid deactivation of GIRK currents in atrium 9 and RGS proteins also contribute to agonist-, calcium-, and voltage-dependent relaxation of GIRK currents. 10 -12 These results suggest an important role for RGS proteins in sinoatrial (SA) node function and potentially in atrial arrhyth...
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