Studies of SR-BI in HDL Lipid Uptake in Hepatocytes

Abstract

<p> Gene-targeted studies in mice have shown that the murine scavenger receptor class B type I (mSR-BI) is atheroprotective and plays a key role in the clearance of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol by the liver. We focused on the analysis of human SR-BI (hSR-BI) and the role of its C-terminal cytoplasmic tail on its localization, lipid uptake activity, and regulation in hepatocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Full length hSRBI and hSR-BI lacking its C-terminal cytoplasmic tail (hSR-BI-DM) localized to vesiclelike structures in the cytoplasm, to juxtanuclear regions and to the cell surface in HepG2 cells. Similar cytoplasmic punctate distribution was observed in transfected human and mouse aortic endothelial cells. </p> <p> In HepG2 cells both hSR-BI and hSR-BI-DM mediated HDL-lipid uptake; however, the truncation mutant displayed only half ofthe activity, suggesting that removal ofthe C-terminal cytoplasmic tail reduced but did not eliminate SR-BI's activity. In HepG2 cells treated with the PKC inhibitor, calphostin C, hSR-BI or hSR-BI-DM mediated HDL-lipid uptake was decreased by 40 and 50%, respectively, indicating that this activity is regulated by PKC. </p> <p> In order to determine the effects of hSR-BI and hSR-BI-DM in vivo, we set out to generate transgenic mice with hepatic overexpression ofeach protein using a bipartite expression system requiring driver and responder transgenes. Mice expressing the responder transgenes, PTREhSR-BI and PTREhSR-BI-DM, as well as a reporter transgene (PTRdacZ), driven by the same bi-directional promoter, were generated and mated to mice with a liver-specific driver trans gene, PMuptTA. The mice were analyzed and showed the presence of a reporter protein, ~-galactosidase, in their livers, but not in other tissues tested. Total and HDL cholesterol levels were not altered in PMuPtTA I PrREhSRBI or PMuptTA I PrREhSR-BI-DM transgenic mice. Further characterization ofthe double transgenic mice revealed that hSR-BI m.RNA transcripts were detected in the livers of PMuPtTA I PrREhSR-BI mice, but not in those ofPMuPtTA I PrREhSR-BI-DM mice. However, neither PMuptTA I PrREhSR-BI nor PMuptTA I PrREhSR-BI-DM mice showed increased expression of SR-BI in their livers. </p>