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Biomedical subjects

O Stein

Publications and source records attributed to O Stein.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Study of cultured skin fibroblasts from patients with and without ischemic heart disease. Metabolism of low density lipoprotein and cholesterol ester, synthesis of cellular lipids and effect of chloroquine on accumulation of cholesterol ester.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether skin fibroblasts derived from patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD), which could not be related to accepted risk factors, would show a metabolic abnormality with respect to lipid or lipoprotein metabolism. Male patients 30-52 years old suffering from IHD were subdivided into two groups: those in whom IHD was not associated with risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipoproteinemia, diabetes or smoking (group I); and those in whom heavy smoking was the only major risk factor recognized (group II). The controls were patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries (group III). Skin fibroblasts obtained from these patients were cultured and investigated with respect to metabolism of low density lipoprotein (LDL), synthesis of cellular lipids and induction of cholesterol ester accumulation in the presence of chloroquine, an inhibitor of lysosomal hydrolases. After 24 h incubation, the uptake and degradation of LDL protein in cells from patients of group II was significantly higher than in the controls, group III, but not different from those of group I. Hydrolysis of [3H] cholesterol linoleate, and incorporation of [3H] oleic acid into total lipids and into cholesterol esters was similar in cell cultures of the 3 groups studied. After exposure to chloroquine and LDL, the cells from the different donors accumulated cholesterol ester to a similar extent. Thus, whereas no significant difference was encountered in the lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in cells of patients with IHD without risk factors and controls, some increase in LDL metabolism was seen in cells from patients with IHD and with a history of smoking. It remains to be determined whether this increase was causally related to smoking.

Adult↗

Rat heart in culture as a tool to elucidate the cellular origin of lipoprotein lipase.

Lipoprotein lipase was determined in 5-day old cell cultures derived from hearts of newborn rats. With the help of the preplating method the cells were subdivided into cultures containing predominantly cardiac myocytes and into those composed mainly of mesenchymal cells. Lipoprotein lipase activity, associated with the mesenchymal cells was ten times higher than the activity found in the cultures containing mainly the myogenic cells. It is suggested that the mesenchymal cells are the progenitors of lipoprotein lipase in rat heart.

Animals↗

Chloroquine-induced interference with degradation of serum lipoproteins in rat liver, studied in vivo and in vitro.

The effect of chloroquine, an inhibitor of certain lysosomal enzymes including cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1), on the degradation of serum lipoproteins in rat liver was studied in vivo and in liver homogenates. Chloroquine had no effect on the clearance from the circulation of 125I-labeled rat or human very low density lipoproteins or human low density lipoproteins. Pretreatment with chloroquine for 3 h, resulted in a 2-2.5 fold increase in 125i-labeled very low density lipoprotein recovered in the liver 45 min after injection of the homologous and heterologous lipoproteins. This effect was evident on both the 125I-labeled protein and 125I-labeled lipid moiety. 30 min after the injection of [3H]-cholesterol linoleate-labeled very low density lipoproteins, 70% of the injected label was recovered in the liver, both in control and chloroquine-treated rats. Since the perl and 20% in the experimental group, it was concluded that chloroquine interferes with the hydrolysis of [3H]cholesterol linoleate. Following injection of 125I-labeled human low density lipoproteins only 4% of the injected lipoprotein was recovered in the liver of control rats and not more than 10% after chloroquine treatment, when about 50% had been cleared from the circulation. Hence, while very low density lipoprotein protein and cholesterol ester are catabolized in the liver, the catabolism of low density lipoproteins occurs mainly in extra-hepatic tissues. Using post-nuclear liver suprnatant, optimal degradation of various serum lipoproteins was found at pH 4.4, and chloroquine inhibited their degradation. Degradation of very low density and low density lipoproteins was completely inhibited at 0.05 M chloroquine, while less pronounced inhibition was seen with high density lipoproteins, apolipoproteins and apolipoprotein AI. These results indicate that liver acid hydrolases in vivo participate in the degradation of serum lipoproteins. Cathepsin B is apparently responsible for the degradation of aplipoprotein B, while other cathepsins might also be active in the degradation of this and the other apolipoproteins.

Animals↗

Cholesterol ester accumulation in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells. Induction of cholesterol ester retention by chloroquine and low density lipoprotein and its reversion by mixtures of high density apolipoprotein and sphingomyelin.

Accretion of cholesterol ester was studied in rat aortic smooth muscle cells in culture. Confluent multilayers of smooth muscle cells were exposed to human low density lipoprotein (LDL) and chloroquine and this treatment resulted in a very marked increase in cellular cholesterol ester. The degree of enrichment in cholesterol ester was related inversely to the cell density in the petri dish and was maximal in 48 h. The morphological changes after 48 h incubation with chloroquine and LDL consisted of accumulation of numerous membrane-bound inclusions containing electron-dense and electron-lucent material, some of which resembled secondary lysosomes. These changes resembled some of the changes observed in human and experimental atheromatosis. Similar inclusions were seen also in cultured human skin fibroblasts which accumulated large amounts of cholesterol ester during 48 h incubation with LDL and chloroquine. Removal of the accumulated cellular cholesterol ester was studied in the two cell types and it was markedly enhanced in the presence of lipoprotein-deficient serum and high density apolipoprotein-sphingomyelin mixture. The morphological findings after 24 h of post incubation revealed the presence of empty vacuoles, membrane whorls and cytoplasmic lipid droplets. The present results indicate that aortic smooth muscle cells in culture can serve as a good model to study the role of the lysosomal system in atherogenesis.

Adult↗

Pre- and post-natal development of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic triglyceride hydrolase activity in rat tissues.

The ontogenic development of lipoprotein lipase and liver triglyceride hydrolase was studied in the rat. The enzyme activity measured in extrahepatic tissues fulfilled the criteria of lipoprotein lipase from the onset of measurable activity, i.e. it was inhibited by protamine and 1 M NaCl and showed requirement for serum and heparin for optimal activity. In the liver, measurable amounts of triglyceride hydrolase, active at pH 8.6 were detected 6 days prior to birth. However, till the fourth postnatal day about 50% of this activity was inhibited by NaCl and its sensitivity towards protamine was also higher than that of the enzyme in adult liver. Three patterns of development of enzymic activity were observed in extrahepatic tissues. In the lung, the lipoprotein activity reached the adult values one day prior to birth, while in the kidney only 30% of adult activity were found at birth. A linear increase of enzyme activity was observed in the heart; only 25% of adult activity were detected at birth and 100% were reached only 20 days after birth. The increase in lipoprotein lipase activity in the heart was accompanied by morphological differentiation of cardiocytes and by a progressive development of the capillary bed, which might be related to the pattern of development of enzyme activity in this organ. Adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase activity in inguinal fat fell from values 15 times than adult values between the 4th and 40th postnatal days. The enzyme activity in epididymal fat increased steeply between day 10 and 40, at which time it exceeded the adult values very considerably. These findings indicate that the regulation of the development of lipoprotein lipase activity in extrahepatic tissues is governed by local factors, which can differ even in the same type of tissue, as exemplified by the difference between inguinal and epididymal fat.

Adipose Tissue↗

Deposition and mobilization of cholesterol ester in cultured human skin fibroblasts.

Human skin fibroblasts in culture served as a model system to study intracellular cholesterol ester deposition in mesenchymal cells. Confluent cultures were exposed to homologous low density lipoprotein alone and together with chloroquine. In the presence of low density lipoprotein alone, even at half circulating serum concentrations, cellular free cholesterol increased no more than 12%, while the increase in cholesterol ester ranged from 13--100% during 48 h of incubation. Addition of chloroquine to the culture medium containing low density lipoprotein resulted in a very marked increase in cholesterol ester and the ratio of cellular esterified cholesterol to free cholesterol rose up to 2.2. In the presence of chloroquine the sum of uptake and degradation of 125I-labeled low density lipoprotein was enhanced and at higher chloroquine concentrations the more pronounced inhibition of degradation resulted in the intracellular retention of undegraded protein. Upon removal of the chloroquine-containing medium, there was a slight fall in the cellular cholesterol after 24 h incubation in a medium containing 10% fetal calf serum. Replacement of the fetal calf serum by lipoprotein-deficient serum and a mixture of high density apolipoprotein and sphingomyelin increased very significantly the loss of total cholesterol from the cells. At the same time the rate of loss of the retained labeled low density lipoprotein was also increased. The present results provide an adequate and reproducible model system for the study of cholesterol accumulation in human mesenchymal cells, which is one of the basic changes in atheromatosis. The availability of cholesterol ester laden cells also provides a good system for the study of agents active in cholesterol removal.

Adult↗

Interaction of concanavalin A with membrane-bound and solubilized lipoprotein lipase of rat heart.

Concanavalin A was used to study the configuration of lipoprotein lipase at the surface of capillary endothelium. Incubation of heart homogenates with increasing concentrations of concanavalin A for 5-60 min resulted in inhibition of up to 50% of enzyme activity. The inhibition was related to the concentration of lectin and the time of incubation and was fully reversible by postincubation with alpha-methyl-D-mannoside. Rat hearts were perfused for 5-60 min and lipoprotein lipase activity determined in postheparin perfusates and in the perfused heart. When the lectin was introduced into the perfusate a significant reduction of heparin-releasable enzyme was found after 30 min of perfusion. The missing enzyme could be recovered by postperfusion with alpha-methyl-D-mannoside, but not by addition of the sugar to the perfusate withdrawn from the apparatus. These results suggested binding of lectin to the surface-located enzyme and support for such a binding was obtained by the finding of release of labeled lectin into the perfusate by heparin. Perfusion of hearts with concanavalin A for 60 min resulted also in a fall in nonreleasable lipoprotein lipase. The mechanism of this fall is not due to impairment of enzyme synthesis, as leucine incorporation into protein was not reduced. Since neither perfusion nor postincubation with alpha-methyl-D-mannoside restored enzyme activity, the fall was most probably due to irreversible inhibition. It is concluded that mannose residues of lipoprotein lipase in heart homogenates and at the endothelial surface of heart capillaries are available to interact with a specific lectin. Such an interaction renders the enzyme less releasable by heparin during perfusion and causes a significant inhibition of enzyme activity in homogenates.

Animals↗

Cholesterol content and sterol synthesis in human skin fibroblasts and rat aortic smooth muscle cells exposed to lipoprotein-depleted serum and high density apolipoprotein/phospholipid mixtures.

Confluent cultures of human skin fibroblasts and rat aortic smooth muscle cells were shown to lose 15-27% of their cellular cholesterol upon replacement of the fetal calf serum with human high density lipoprotein (50 mug cholesterol/ml) or lipoprotein-depleted serum at a concentration equivalent to 40% whole serum. Addition to the latter medium of high density apoliproprotein/phospholipid mixtures resulted in further enhancement of cellular cholesterol loss which was evident by 12 h of incubation. Human skin fibroblasts that had been enriched in cholesterol by previous incubation with low density lipoprotein lost their cholesterol in the presence of a high density apolipoprotein/sphingomyelin mixture as readily as non-enriched cells. Concomitant with the marked cholesterol depletion there was a stimulation of sterol synthesis from acetate. The more pronounced loss of cellular cholesterol induced by the presence of phosphatidylcholine or sphingomyelin resulted in a greater incorporation of acetate into sterol in both smooth muscle cells and skin fibroblasts. The present findings indicate that peripheral cells, in spite of their capacity to synthesize cholesterol, depend on exogenous cholesterol for the maintenance of normal levels. It is suggested that the native cholesterol "acceptor" in the lipoprotein-depleted serum is an apolipoprotein which under the experimental conditions can form a complex with phospholipids and might also represent the physiological cholesterol "acceptor" in peripheral lymph.

Acetates↗

High density lipoproteins reduce the uptake of low density lipoproteins by human endothelial cells in culture.

Endothelial cells, explanted from human umbilical veins and cultured, maintained morphological characteristics of vascular endothelium. When exposed to human serum lipoproteins, the cells bound and took up low density lipoproteins in preference to high density lipoproteins. High density lipoproteins reduced markedly the uptake of low density lipoproteins and affected surface binding to a lesser extent. These data suggest that the different levels of high density lipoprotein encountered in normal plasma of males and females could modulate differently the transendothelial transport of low density lipoproteins and provide a possible explanation for the lesser severity of atheromatosis in the aortic intima of premenopausal females.

Binding Sites↗

Binding, internalization, and degradation of low density lipoprotein by normal human fibroblasts and by fibroblasts from a case of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

Skin fibroblasts from a patient with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HFH) were compared with normal skin fibroblasts with regard to binding, internalization, and degradation of iodinated human low density lipoprotein (LDL). Like other cell lines from HFH patients, the mutant cells showed no suppression of sterol synthesis by LDL. Surface binding, measured at 0 degrees to eliminate the appreciable internalization that was shown to occur at 37 degrees, was on the average slightly less for HFH cells than normal cells at low LDL concentrations but comparable or even greater at high LDL concentrations (greater than 60 mug of LDL protein per ml). A major defect observed was in the rate of internalization of LDL at 37 degrees, which was only 1-10% of that in normal cells. LDL degradation was also markedly reduced but not to the same extent. Thus, a larger fraction of the LDL taken up appeared to be degraded by the mutant cells. The most striking defect observed, then, was not in surface binding of LDL but in rate of LDL internalization. While this might be secondary to a defect in specific binding sites of LDL, the magnitude of the observed differences in binding at low temperature seems too small to account for the huge differences in internalization (13- to 115-fold).

Adult↗