title: Farnesol is not the nonsterol regulator mediating degradation of HMG-CoA reductase in rat liver.
abstract: A recent report, in which cultured tumor cells were used, identified farnesol as the nonsterol mevalonate-derived metabolite required for the accelerated degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase (C. C. Correll, L. Ng, and P. A. Edwards, 1994, J. Biol. Chem. 269, 17390-17393). We examined this proposed linkage in animals by measuring hepatic farnesol levels and rates of HMG-CoA reductase degradation under conditions previously shown to alter the stability of the reductase. In normal rats, the hepatic farnesol level, quantified by high-pressure liquid chromatography, was 0.10 +/- 0.08 microgram/g and the half-life of HMG-CoA reductase was 2.5 h. Administration of mevalonolactone at 1 g/kg body wt to provide all nonsterol metabolites in addition to cholesterol increased farnesol levels 6-fold without significantly affecting the half-life of the reductase. Treatment of rats with zaragozic acid A, an inhibitor of squalene synthase, raised hepatic farnesol levels 10-fold and decreased the half-life of HMG-CoA reductase to 0.25 h. However, feeding lovastatin to rats did not lower hepatic farnesol levels despite a marked stabilization of HMB-CoA reductase protein. Moreover, intubation of rats with 500 mg/kg body wt of farnesol failed to decrease the half-life of HMG-CoA reductase protein, alter the levels of enzyme activity, or change of the levels of immunoreactive protein despite an increase of 1000-fold in hepatic farnesol levels. These observations indicate that farnesol per se does not induce accelerated degradation of HMG-CoA reductase in rat liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa 33612, USA.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ness
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005204:Farnesol / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013186:Farnesyl-Diphosphate Farnesyltransferase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006207:Half-Life; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases / Q000378:metabolism*; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008798:Mevalonic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D014233:Tricarboxylic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D014233:Tricarboxylic Acids; C075117:squalestatin 1; D005204:Farnesol; C015367:mevalonolactone; D003513:Cycloheximide; D008148:Lovastatin; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases; D013186:Farnesyl-Diphosphate Farnesyltransferase; D008798:Mevalonic Acid