Biochemistry (Washington) 2006-04-11

D-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol alters cellular cholesterol homeostasis by modulating the endosome lipid domains.

Asami Makino, Kumiko Ishii, Motohide Murate, Tomohiro Hayakawa, Yusuke Suzuki, Minoru Suzuki, Kazuki Ito, Tetsuro Fujisawa, Hirotami Matsuo, Reiko Ishitsuka, Toshihide Kobayashi

Index: Biochemistry 45(14) , 4530-41, (2006)

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Abstract

D-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (D-PDMP) is a frequently used inhibitor of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis. However, some interesting characteristics of D-PDMP cannot be explained by the inhibition of glycolipid synthesis alone. In the present study, we showed that d-PDMP inhibits the activation of lysosomal acid lipase by late endosome/lysosome specific lipid, bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (also called as lysobisphosphatidic acid), through alteration of membrane structure of the lipid. When added to cultured fibroblasts, D-PDMP inhibits the degradation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and thus accumulates both cholesterol ester and free cholesterol in late endosomes/lysosomes. This accumulation results in the inhibition of LDL-derived cholesterol esterification and the decrease of cell surface cholesterol. We showed that D-PDMP alters cellular cholesterol homeostasis in a glycosphingolipid-independent manner using L-PDMP, a stereoisomer of D-PDMP, which does not inhibit glycosphingolipid synthesis, and mutant melanoma cell which is defective in glycolipid synthesis. Altering cholesterol homeostasis by D-PDMP explains the unique characteristics of sensitizing multidrug resistant cells by this drug.