Interaction of lecithin : cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT)center dot alpha(2)-macroglobulin complex with low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) - Evidence for an alpha(2)-macroglobulin/LRP receptor-mediatedsystem participating in LCAT clearance
L. Krimbou et al., Interaction of lecithin : cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT)center dot alpha(2)-macroglobulin complex with low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) - Evidence for an alpha(2)-macroglobulin/LRP receptor-mediatedsystem participating in LCAT clearance, J BIOL CHEM, 276(35), 2001, pp. 33241-33248
The reaction of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) with high densi
ty lipoproteins (RDL) is of critical importance in reverse cholesterol tran
sport, but the structural and functional pathways involved in the regulatio
n of LCAT have not been established. We present evidence for the direct bin
ding of LCAT to alpha (2)-macroglobulin (alpha M-2) in human plasma to form
a complex 18.5 nm in diameter. Forty percent of plasma LCAT-HDL was associ
ated with a2M; moreover, most of the LCAT in cerebrospinal fluid and in the
medium of cultured human hepatoma cell line was associated with alpha M-2.
Purified recombinant human LCAT (rLCAT) labeled with I-125 bound to native
and methylamine-activated alpha M-2 (alpha M-2-MA) in vitro in a time- and
concentration-dependent manner, and this binding did not depend on the pre
sence of lipid. rLCAT bound to alpha 2M-MA with greater affinity than to al
pha 2M. Furthermore, rLCAT did not activate alpha 2M as phosphatidylcholine
-specific phospholipase C does. Reconstituted HDL particles (LpA-I) inhibit
ed the binding of rLCAT to alpha M-2 more efficiently than native HDL3 did.
LCAT associated with alpha M-2 was enzymatically inactive under both endog
enous and exogenous assay conditions. Purified rLCAT alone did not bind to
low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) as lipoprotein lipas
e (LPL) does; however, when rLCAT was combined with alpha 2M-MA to form a c
omplex, binding, internalization, and degradation of rLCAT took place in LR
Pexpressing cells (LRP (+/+)) but not in cells deficient in LRP (LRP (-/-))
. It is concluded that the binding of LCAT to alpha 2M inhibits its enzymat
ic activity. Furthermore, the finding supports the possibility that the LRP
receptor can act in vivo to mediate clearance of the LCAT-alpha M-2 comple
x and may significantly influence the bioavailability of LCAT.