Abstract

The initial stage of oxidation of high density lipoproteins (HDL) is accompanied by the lipid hydroperoxide-dependent, selective oxidation of two of the three Met residues of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) to Met sulfoxides (Met(O)). Formation of such selectively oxidized apoA-I (i.e. apoA-I(+32)) may affect the antiatherogenic properties of HDL, because it has been suggested that Met(86) and Met(112) are important for cholesterol efflux and Met(148) is involved in the activation of lecithin:cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT). We therefore determined which Met residues were oxidized in apoA-I(+32) and how such oxidation of apoA-I affects its secondary structure, the affinity for lipids, and its ability to remove lipids from human macrophages. We also assessed the capacity of discoidal reconstituted HDL containing apoA-I(+32) to act as substrate for LCAT, and the dissociation of apoA-I and apoA-I(+32) from reconstituted HDL. Met(86) and Met(112) were present as Met(O), as determined by amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry of isolated peptides derived from apoA-I(+32). Selective oxidation did not alter the alpha-helicity of lipid-free and lipid-associated apoA-I as assessed by circular dichroism, and the affinity for LCAT was comparable for reconstituted HDL containing apoA-I or apoA-I(+32). Cholesteryl ester transfer protein mediated the dissociation of apoA-I more readily from reconstituted HDL containing apoA-I(+32) than unoxidized apoA-I. Also, compared with native apoA-I, apoA-I(+32) had a 2- to 3-fold greater affinity for lipid (as determined by the rate of clearance of multilamellar phospholipid vesicles) and its ability to cause efflux of [(3)H]cholesterol, [(3)H]phospholipid, and [(14)C]alpha-tocopherol from lipid-laden human monocyte-derived macrophages was significantly enhanced. By contrast, no difference was observed for cholesterol and alpha-tocopherol efflux to lipid-associated apolipoproteins. Together, these results suggest that selective oxidation of Met residues enhances rather than diminishes known antiatherogenic activities of apoA-I, consistent with the overall hypothesis that detoxification of lipid hydroperoxides by HDL is potentially antiatherogenic.

Highlights

  • High density lipoproteins (HDL)1 are generally regarded as antiatherogenic, an activity commonly attributed to the removal of extrahepatic cholesterol by HDL particles [1, 2] and apolipoproteins, mainly apolipoprotein A-I, that dissociate from HDL [3, 4]

  • Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) transfers oxidized lipids from low density lipoproteins (LDL) to HDL [7], and HDL carries the majority of cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides (CE-OOH, the first and major products formed during lipoprotein oxidation) in human plasma [5]

  • Oxidized LDL is generally thought to contribute to atherogenesis, because it can cause lipid accumulation in macrophages and has a number of other potentially proatherogenic properties [43]

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Summary

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES

Isolation and Selective Oxidation of HDL—Isolated HDL was prepared from fresh plasma obtained from normolipidemic donors [18], and its protein content was determined by the bicinchoninic acid method (Sigma) using bovine serum albumin (BSA) (Sigma) as standard. Ethanol (20 ␮l) and drHDL containing cholesterol were added, and the mixture was incubated at 37 °C for 30 min before dilution with buffer and supplementation with ␤-mercaptoethanol (4 mM, final concentration) and fatty acid-free BSA (4 mg/ml). HMDM were incubated with acLDL as described above and labeled during the 18-h equilibration period with 5 ␮Ci/ml methyl-[3H]choline chloride (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech) in the presence of 0.1% BSA [29]. Cells were washed twice with PBS containing 0.1% BSA, washed twice with PBS, and lysed in 0.2 N NaOH for 10 min on ice, and aliquots of the lysates used to count radioactivity and to determine protein using the bicinchoninic acid assay. The cellular phospholipid mass at time 0 was determined using an enzymatic kit (Roche Molecular Biochemicals)

RESULTS
Parameter determined
DNLEKETEGLRQEMSK EGARQKLHELQEKLSPLGEEMR DDFQKKWQEEMELYRQKVEPLRAELQ
TABLE IV
Vmax kcat r
DISCUSSION

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