title: Structural requirements of cholesterol for binding to Vibrio cholerae hemolysin.
abstract: Cholesterol is necessary for the conversion of Vibrio cholerae hemolysin (VCH) monomers into oligomers in liposome membranes. Using different sterols, we determined the stereochemical structures of the VCH-binding active groups present in cholesterol. The VCH monomers are bound to cholesterol, diosgenin, campesterol, and ergosterol, which have a hydroxyl group at position C-3 (3betaOH) in the A ring and a C-C double bond between positions C-5 and C-6 (C-C Delta(5)) in the B ring. They are not bound to epicholesterol and dihydrocholesterol, which form a covalent link with a 3alphaOH group and a C-C single bond between positions C-5 and C-6, respectively. This result suggests that the 3betaOH group and the C-CDelta(5) bond in cholesterol are required for VCH monomer binding. We further examined VCH oligomer binding to cholesterol. However, this oligomer did not bind to cholesterol, suggesting that the disappearance of the cholesterol-binding potential of the VCH oligomer might be a result of the conformational change caused by the conversion of the monomer into the oligomer. VCH oligomer formation was observed in liposomes containing sterols with the 3betaOH group and the C-C Delta(5) bond, and it correlated with the binding affinity of the monomer to each sterol. Therefore, it seems likely that monomer binding to membrane sterol leads to the assembly of the monomer. However, since oligomer formation was induced by liposomes containing either epicholesterol or dihydrocholesterol, the 3betaOH group and the C-C Delta(5) bond were not essential for conversion into the oligomer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suzuka National College of Technology, Suzuka, Mie 510-0294, Japan. ikigai@chem.suzuka-ct.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikigai
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Otsuru
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Tadakatsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimamura
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D002784:Cholesterol