title: Comparative regulation of major enzymes in the bile acid biosynthesis pathway by cholesterol, cholate and taurine in mice and rats.
abstract: These enzymes play important roles in the biosynthesis of bile acids. They are cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), the rate limiting enzyme in the classic pathway, sterol 12alpha-hydroxylase (CYP8B1), the key enzyme for synthesis of cholic acid (CA), and sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27), the initial enzyme in the alternative pathway. In the present study, the susceptibility of these three enzymes to dietary cholesterol and cholate, and the cholesterol lowering effect of taurine were determined in male C57BL/6 mice and Wistar rats. Both mice and rats were divided into 6 groups: control group (N), high cholesterol diet group (C), high cholesterol and cholate diet group (CB), and their 1% taurine-supplemented groups (NT, CT, CBT, respectively). After animals were fed with the respective diets for one week, the mRNA levels of CYP7A1 increased in the C-group compared with those of the N-group, and decreased in the CB-group compared with those of the C-group in both mice and rats. But the extent of decrease is different between the two species. CYP8B1 was also markedly repressed by cholate in mice, but not in rats. These results are consistent with the changes in serum and liver cholesterol concentrations. Taurine significantly increased CYP7A1 mRNA levels in the CBT-group compared with the CB-group in both animal models, with a subsequent decrease in serum and liver cholesterol levels and increase in fecal bile acid excretion. Up-regulated CYP8B1 was also observed after taurine supplementation in the CBT-group in mice. No increase in CYP7A1 was produced by taurine in the CT-group compared with that of the C-group in mice, although the changes of serum and liver cholesterol and fecal bile acids indicated taurine showed an efficient cholesterol lowering effect. In addition, CYP27 was induced in both C- and CB-groups of rats but not of mice, and no changes were produced by taurine. The overall results suggest that there are differences between mice and rats in susceptibility of the three enzymes to dietary cholesterol and cholate, and taurine induced CYP7A1 to produce its cholesterol-lowering effect only in the presence of cholate in the cholesterol diet.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, and COE Program in the 21st Century, The University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suruga
authors.forename: Naomichi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Toshinao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gouda
authors.forename: Vinh Nien
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokogoshi
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D020355:Cholates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053493:Cholestanetriol 26-Monooxygenase; D002790:Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D004032:Diet; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013045:Species Specificity; D013253:Steroid 12-alpha-Hydroxylase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013250:Steroid Hydroxylases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D020355:Cholates; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D013654:Taurine; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D013250:Steroid Hydroxylases; D002790:Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase; D053493:Cholestanetriol 26-Monooxygenase; C506832:Cyp27a1 protein, mouse; D013253:Steroid 12-alpha-Hydroxylase