Fatty acyl-CoA as an endogenous activator of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases

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Abstract

The acyl-CoA-dependent modulation of hepatic microsomal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) function in rats was studied. Oleoyl- and palmitoyl-CoAs inhibited UGT activity toward 4-methylumbelliferone in the presence of Brij 58. However, acyl-CoAs enhanced UGT activity in untreated microsomes. A maximum activation of about 8-fold over the control was observed at 15 μM oleoyl-CoA, whereas 50 μM or more oleoyl-CoA had an inhibitory effect on UGT function. Medium- and long-chain acyl-CoAs also exhibited similar effects. On the basis of resistance to tryptic digestion of UGTs, oleoyl-CoA at 15 μM has no ability to change the permeability of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, although perturbation of the membrane occurred with 50 μM oleoyl-CoA. N-Ethylmaleimide and 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) abolished the oleoyl-CoA (15 μM)-dependent activation of microsomal UGT. These results suggest that: (1) acyl-CoAs play a role as an endogenous activator of UGTs, and (2) a sulfhydryl group is required for the activation of UGT by physiological concentrations of acyl-CoAs.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Materials. 4-Methylumbelliferone (4-MU), egg yolk l-α-phosphatidylcholine, trypsin, and trypsin inhibitor were purchased from Sigma–Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). The following fatty acids and acyl-CoAs were also obtained from Sigma–Aldrich: caproyl-CoA 3Li · 3H2O (C6:0), capryloyl-CoA Li · H2O (C8:0), decanoyl-CoA Li · H2O (C10:0), myristic acid/myristoyl-CoA Li (C14:0), palmitic acid/palmitoyl-CoA Li (C16:0), stearic acid/stearoyl-CoA Li (C18:0), oleoyl-CoA Li (C18:1), linoeic acid/linoleoyl-CoA Li

Acyl-CoA-dependent modulation of UGT activity: structure–effect relationship and conditions required

The effects of acyl-CoAs on hepatic microsomal UGT activity in the absence and presence of detergent were compared (Fig. 1). In this study, Brij 58 was used as a detergent for the perturbation of the microsomal membrane. The ratio of Brij 58 to microsomal protein (0.5 mg/mg protein) was confirmed to achieve the maximum activation of microsomal UGT activity (data not shown). Dose-dependent inhibition of UGT activity by oleoyl-CoA was observed in Brij 58-pre-treated microsomes. On the other hand,

Discussion

In the present study, we have provided evidence for the first time that medium- and long-chain acyl-CoAs activate UGT activity catalyzed by detergent-untreated microsomes. The optimum concentration (7.5, 15 or 22.5 μM) of acyl-CoA-dependent activation differed from the concentration (at least 30 μM) needed for its inhibitory effect (Fig. 1, Fig. 2). Long-chain acyl-CoAs consist of CoA, a hydrophilic moiety, and the hydrophobic region of the acyl chain. It is, therefore, reasonable that long-chain

Acknowledgment

This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (Research No. 17590128, recipient Y.I.) from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science.

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