Faculty Research 1990 - 1999

Phenotypic characterization of Lith genes that determine susceptibility to cholesterol cholelithiasis in inbred mice: integrated activities of hepatic lipid regulatory enzymes.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1999

Keywords

Animal, Bile, Cholelithiasis, Cholesterol-7-alpha-Monooxygenase, Cholesterol-Dietary, Cytochrome-P-450, Diet, Gallbladder, Genetic-Predisposition-to-Disease, Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA-Reductases, Liver, Male, Mice, Mice-Inbred-AKR, Mice-Inbred-C57BL, Mice-Inbred-Strains, Phenotype, Steroid-Hydroxylases, Sterol-O-Acyltransferase, SUPPORT-U-S-GOVT-P-H-S, Time-Factors

First Page

2080

Last Page

2090

JAX Source

J Lipid Res 1999 Nov; 40(11):2080-90.

Grant

DK34583/DK/NIDDK, DK54012/DK/NIDDK, DK51568/DK/NIDDK

Abstract

There is no consensus whether hepatic lipid regulatory enzymes play primary or secondary roles in cholesterol cholelithiasis. We have used inbred mice with Lith genes that determine cholesterol gallstone susceptibility to evaluate the question. We studied activities of regulatory enzymes in cholesterol biosynthesis (HMG-CoA reductase), cholesterol esterification (acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase) and the "neutral" (cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase) and "acidic" (sterol 27-hydroxylase) pathways of bile salt synthesis in strains C57L/J and SWR/J as well as recombinant inbred (AKXL-29) mice, all of which have susceptible Lith alleles, and compared them to AKR/J mice with resistant Lith alleles. We determined hepatic enzyme activities of male mice before and at frequent intervals during feeding a lithogenic diet (15% diary fat, 1% cholesterol, 0.5% cholic acid) for 12 weeks. Basal activities on chow show significant genetic variations for HMG-CoA reductase, sterol 27-hydroxylase, and acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltranferase, but not for cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase. In response to the lithogenic diet, activities of the regulatory enzymes in the two bile salt synthetic pathways are coordinately down-regulated and correlate inversely with prevalence rates of cholesterol crystals and gallstones. Compared with gallstone-resistant mice, significantly higher HMG-CoA reductase activities together with lower activities of both bile salt synthetic enzymes are hallmarks of the enzymatic phenotype in mice with susceptible Lith alleles.

Please contact the Joan Staats Library for information regarding this document.

Share

COinS