Cholesterol esters biosynthesis, pathways

Fig. 2. Pathway of biosynthesis of the glucocorticoid, cortisol, in the adrenal cortex. Cholesterol, from stores in cholesteryl esters or from other sources (see text) is converted via mitochondrial cytochrome P-450SCC (cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme) to pregnenolone, which then is successively converted by the microsomal enzymes cytochrome P-450,7 (17a-hydroxylase), 3 j8-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/ isomerase and cytochrome P-450c2, (21-hydroxylase) to 11-deoxycortisol, followed by conversion by the mitochondrial cytochrome P-450ll(3 (11/3-hydroxylase) to cortisol. The short-term action of ACTH in stimulation of steroidogenesis is to increase the availability of cholesterol for conversion by cytochrome P-450scc. From Ref. 9.

The squalestatins, e.g. 6.28, also known as the zaragozic adds, have attracted considerable interest as inhibitors of squalene synthase and hence of cholesterol biosynthesis and lipid deposition in the circulatory system. They are also inhibitors of farnesyl protein transferase and thus they may have other potentially useful biological applications. They are formed by Phoma spedes and also by Setosphaeria khartoumensis. The squalestatins are characterized by a dioxabicyclo-octane core bearing three carboxyl groups and two polyketide chains, one of which is attached as an ester. The biosynthetic incorporation of succinic acid into part of the bicyclo-octane, together with its oxygenation pattern, indicate that it may be derived via oxaloacetic acid. Both the polyketide chains have several pendant methyl groups attached to them, which arise from methionine, whilst benzoic add ads as a starter unit for one of the chains. These complex structures are thus the summation of several biosynthetic pathways. 

There are conflicting data on whether the availability of cholesterol and/or cholesteryl esters directly influences apo B secretion. Several studies have suggested that cholesterol supply can regulate VLDL secretion. For example, VLDL production in animals and man is decreased by statin treatment, and inhibition of cholesterol synthesis by a statin, an inhibitor of the rate-limiting step of cholesterol biosynthesis (Chapter 14), reduced VLDL secretion in perfused rat livers (M. Heimberg, 1990) and primary hepatocytes. However, this effect of statins can perhaps be ascribed to increased expression of LDL receptors rather than to a reduction in cholesterol synthesis (Section 7.1). Depletion of cholesterol in rodent hepatocytes by the ABCAl-dependent lipidation of apo A1 (Chapter 19) also decreases VLDL secretion (R. Lehner, 2004). Furthermore, the secretion of apo BlOO-containing VLDLs is increased in primary hepatocytes derived from Niemann-Pick Cl-deficient mice. Niemann-Pick Cl-deficiency causes a severe defect in trafficking of unesterified cholesterol out of the lysosomal/endosomal pathway and consequently, Niemann-Pick Cl-deficient hepatocytes accumulate 5- to 10-fold more unesterified cholesterol than do wild-type hepatocytes. In hepatocytes from Niemann-Pick Cl-deficient mice, cholesterol synthesis is increased and the rate of cholesterol esterification and the amount of the transcriptionally active form of SREBP-1 are also increased (J.E. Vance, 2007). However, because of multiple alterations in lipid metabolism in these hepatocytes, increased VLDL secretion cannot be attributed specifically to increased synthesis of cholesterol or cholesteryl esters. 

Inside the cell, cholesteryl esters are hydrolysed by cholesteryl ester hydrolase. Incorporation of cholesterol into the endoplasmic reticulum membranes serves to inhibit hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase, the rate limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis (section 7.5). Thereby, an abundant supply of cholesterol in the plasma is able to suppress its own endogenous biosynthesis and ensure that excessive amounts do not accumulate. The importance of this pathway for cholesterol homeostasis... 

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