title: Intramembrane glycine mediates multimerization of Insig-2, a requirement for sterol regulation in Chinese hamster ovary cells.
abstract: Sterol-induced binding of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane proteins Insig-1 and Insig-2 to SREBP cleavage-activating protein (Scap) and HMG-CoA reductase triggers regulatory events that limit cholesterol synthesis in animal cells. Binding of Insigs to Scap prevents proteolytic activation of sterol-regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs), membrane-bound transcription factors that enhance cholesterol synthesis, by trapping Scap-SREBP complexes in the ER. Insig binding to reductase causes ubiquitination and subsequent proteasome-mediated degradation of the enzyme from ER membranes, slowing a rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis. Here, we report the characterization of mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells, designated SRD-20, that are resistant to 25-hydroxycholesterol, which potently inhibits SREBP activation and stimulates degradation of reductase. SRD-20 cells were produced by mutagenesis of Insig-1-deficient SRD-14 cells, followed by selection in 25-hydroxycholesterol. DNA sequencing reveals that SRD-20 cells harbor a point mutation in one Insig-2 allele that results in production of a truncated, nonfunctional protein, whereas the other allele contains a point mutation that results in substitution of glutamic acid for glycine-39. This glycine residue localizes to the first membrane-spanning segment of Insig-2 and is also present in the corresponding region of Insig-1. Mutant forms of Insig-1 and Insig-2 containing the Glu-to-Gly substitution fail to confer sterol regulation upon overexpressed Scap and reductase. These studies identify the intramembrane glycine as a key residue for normal sterol regulation in animal cells.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas TX 75390-9046, USA.
authors.forename: Peter C W
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Russell A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: DeBose-Boyd
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism*; D005998:Glycine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006888:Hydroxycholesterols / Q000378:metabolism; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases / Q000378:metabolism*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D006888:Hydroxycholesterols; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C102196:SREBP cleavage-activating protein; C007997:25-hydroxycholesterol; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases; D005998:Glycine