title: Cholesterol feeding of mice expressing cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase increases bile acid pool size despite decreased enzyme activity.
abstract: Dietary cholesterol regulation of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (Cyp7a1), the rate-limiting enzyme in the classical pathway of bile acid synthesis, has been implicated in plasma cholesterol responsiveness. In the current study, the effects of 0.0% and 0.5% cholesterol diets were examined in Cyp7a1 knockout (KO), heterozygous Cyp7a1 KO (Het), and human Cyp7a1 transgenic mice on the mouse Cyp7a1 KO background (Tg+KO). We confirmed previous findings that dietary cholesterol increased mouse Cyp7a1 activity in Het mice but decreased human Cyp7a1 activity in Tg+KO mice. However, in both Het and Tg+KO mice, dietary cholesterol increased bile acid pool size (36% and 72%, respectively) and fecal bile acid excretion (2.2- and 3.6-fold, respectively). The expression of cholesterol 27-hydroxylase (Cyp27), the major enzyme of the alternative pathway of bile acid synthesis, was not significantly different in cholesterol-fed KO, Het, or Tg+KO mice. Furthermore, dietary cholesterol had comparable effects on total plasma cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in KO, Het, and Tg+KO mice. Thus, in Tg+KO mice, dietary cholesterol regulates bile acid pool size, fecal bile acid excretion, and plasma cholesterol independently of Cyp7a1 activity. These results challenge the notion that dietary cholesterol regulation of Cyp7a1 is a major determinant of plasma cholesterol responsiveness.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics and Metabolism, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tiemann
authors.forename: Zhihua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soccio
authors.forename: Jaya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bollineni
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shefer
authors.forename: Ephraim
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sehayek
authors.forename: Jan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Breslow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000378:metabolism*; D053493:Cholestanetriol 26-Monooxygenase; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002790:Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013250:Steroid Hydroxylases / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D002784:Cholesterol; D013250:Steroid Hydroxylases; D002790:Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase; C506831:CYP27A1 protein, human; D053493:Cholestanetriol 26-Monooxygenase; C506832:Cyp27a1 protein, mouse