Hepatic lipase mRNA is expressed in rat and human steroidogenic organs

Rat and human steroidogenic organs contain an enzyme activity that is indistinguishable from hepatic lipase present in liver. Using primers that recognize exons 5 and 8 of the rat and human HL gene, a 596-bp product was found by RT-PCR in rat liver, adrenal, ovaries and testes, but not in heart and kidney. A similar product was also observed with human hyperplastic adrenocortical tissue. Identity of this product with part of the HL cDNA was confirmed by restriction mapping and internal re-amplification. Our results indicate that the HL gene is transcribed in steroidogenic tissues that also contain HL protein

Hepatic lipase gene is transcribed in rat adrenals into a truncated mRNA

Rat adrenals contain a lipase activity that is indistinguishable from hepatic lipase (HL) present in liver. Expression of HL mRNA in adrenals was studied using the method of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A 596-bp fragment of HL cDNA spanning exons 5 to 8 was amplified when using total RNA from rat adrenals and liver, but not from heart or kidney. The abundance of HL mRNA was quantified by competitive RT-PCR using a standard RNA that was generated in vitro by transcription from a deleted HL cDNA construct. Adrenals contained 0.4 attomoles of HL mRNA per microgram of total RNA, compared to 16 attomoles in liver. In hypertrophic adrenals isolated from corticotrophin-treated rats, the abundance also amounted to 0.4 attomoles of mRNA per microgram of total RNA. However, amplification of full-length cDNA from either control or hypertrophic adrenals was never observed. Detailed analysis by PCR using different combinations of primers indicated that exons 3 to 9 including the 3'-unt

Intracellular activation of rat hepatic lipase requires transport to the Golgi compartment and is associated with a decrease in sedimentation velocity

Hepatic lipase (HL) is an N-glycoprotein that acquires triglyceridase activity somewhere during maturation and secretion. To determine where and how HL becomes activated, the effect of drugs that interfere with maturation and intracellular transport of HL protein was studied using freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. Carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP), castanospermine, monensin, and colchicin all inhibited secretion of HL without affecting its specific enzyme activity. The specific enzyme activity of intracellular HL was decreased by 25-50% upon incubation with CCCP or castanospermine, and increased 2-fold with monensin and colchicin. Glucose trimming of HL protein was not affected by CCCP, as indicated by diges

Hepatic lipase: a pro- or anti-atherogenic protein?

Hepatic lipase (HL) plays a role in the metabolism of pro- and anti-atherogenic lipoproteins affecting their plasma level and composition. However, there is controversy regarding whether HL accelerates or retards atherosclerosis. Its effects on different lipoprotein classes show that, potentially, HL may promote as well as decrease atherogenesis. Studies in animals with genetically modulated HL expression show that it depends on the model used whether HL acts pro- or anti-atherogenic. In humans, HL activity seems to correlate inversely with atherosclerosis in (familial) hypercholesterolemia, and positively in hypertriglyceridemia. In normolipidemia, HL activity is weakly associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Genetically low or absent HL activity is usually associated with increased CAD risk, especially if plasma lipid transport is impaired due to other factors. Since HL promotes the uptake of lipoproteins and lipoprotein-associated lipids, HL may affect intracellular lipid content. We hypothesize that the prime role of HL is to maintain, in concert with other factors (e.g., lipoprotein receptors), intracellular lipid homeostasis. This, and the uncertainties about its impact on human atherosclerosis, makes it difficult to predict whether HL is a suitable target for intervention to lower CAD risk. First, the physiological meaning of changes in HL activity under different conditions should be clarified

Rat liver contains a limited number of binding sites for hepatic lipase

The binding of hepatic lipase to rat liver was studied in an ex vivo perfusion model. The livers were perfused with media containing partially purified rat hepatic lipase or bovine milk lipoprotein lipase. The activity of the enzymes was determined in the perfusion media before and after passage through the liver. During perfusion with a hepatic-lipase-containing medium the lipase activity in the medium did not change, indicating that there was no net binding of lipase by the liver. In contrast, more than 80% of the lipoprotein lipase was removed from the med

Hepatic lipase is localized at the parenchymal cell microvilli in rat liver

Hepatic lipase (HL) is thought to be located at the vascular endothelium in the liver. However, it has also been implicated in the binding and internalization of chylomicron remnants in the parenchymal cells. In view of this apparent discrepancy between localization and function, we re-investigated the localization of HL in rat liver using biochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. The binding of HL to endothelial cells was studied in primary cultures of rat liver endothelial cells. Endothelial cells bound HL in a saturable manner with high affinity. However, the binding capacity accounted for at most 1% of the total HL activity present in the whole liver. These results contrasted with earlier studies, in which non-parenchymal cell (NPC) preparations had been found to bind HL with a high capacity. To study HL binding to the different components of the NPC preparations, we separated endothelial cells, Kupffer cells and blebs by counterflow elutriation. Kupffer cells and endothelial cells showed a relatively low HL-binding capacity. In contrast, the blebs, representing parenchymal-cell-derived material, had a high HL-binding capacity (33 m-units/mg of protein) and accounted for more than 80% of the total HL binding in the NPC preparation. In contrast with endothelial and Kupffer cells, the HL-binding capacity of parenchymal cells could account for almost all the HL activity found in the whole liver. These data strongly suggest that HL binding occurs at parenchymal liver cells. To confirm this conclusion in situ, we studied HL localization by immunocytochemical techniques. Using immunofluorescence, we confirmed the sinusoidal localization of HL. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that virtually all HL was located at the microvilli of parenchymal liver cells, with a minor amount at the endothelium. We conclude that, in rat liver, HL is localized at the microvilli of parenchymal cells