title: Hydrophobic bile salts trigger ceramide formation through endosomal acidification.
abstract: Hydrophobic bile salts activate NADPH oxidase through a ceramide- and PKCzeta-dependent pathway as an important upstream event of bile salt-induced hepatocyte apoptosis. The mechanisms underlying bile salt-induced ceramide formation have remained unclear to date and thus were studied in rat hepatocytes. Proapoptotic bile salts, such as taurolithocholylsulfate (TLCS), lowered the apparent pHves within seconds from 6.0 to 5.6 in an FITC-dextran-accessible endosomal compartment that also contains acidic sphingomyelinase. Simultaneously, a rapid decrease in N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinolinium bromide (MQAE) fluorescence was observed, suggestive of an increase in cytosolic [Cl-], which is known to activate vacuolar-type H+-ATPase. No vesicular acidification or increase in cytosolic [Cl-] was found in response to the non-apoptotic bile salt taurocholate or the anti-apoptotic bile salt tauroursodesoxycholate. Inhibition of TLCS-induced endosomal acidification by bafilomycin or 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid largely abolished the TLCS-induced ceramide-formation and downstream ceramide-dependent processes, such as p47phox-serine phosphorylation, NADPH oxidase activation, CD95 activation and apoptosis. These responses were also abolished after knockdown of acidic sphingomyelinase in rat hepatocytes. In conclusion, hydrophobic, proapoptotic bile salts stimulate ceramide formation through chloride-dependent acidification of endosomes, with subsequent activation of acidic sphingomyelinase. Our data suggest that changes in ion homeostasis underlie the stimulation of ceramide formation in response to hydrophobic bile acids as an important upstream event of bile salt-induced apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reinehr
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grether-Beck
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eberle
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Häussinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002518:Ceramides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002712:Chlorides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011992:Endosomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005453:Fluorescence; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008297:Male; D019255:NADPH Oxidases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013658:Taurolithocholic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D002712:Chlorides; C066776:taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate; D012694:Serine; D013658:Taurolithocholic Acid; D019255:NADPH Oxidases; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase