[]article
Volume 270,
Number 38,
Issue of September 22, pp. 22160-22166, 1995
©1995 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Microtubules
Mediate Cellular 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
Trafficking and the
Genomic Response to 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D
in Normal Human
Monocytes (*)
(Received for publication, April 21, 1995)
Shigehito
Kamimura
,
Maurizio
Gallieni
,
Min
Zhong
,
Walter
Beron
(1), (§),
Eduardo
Slatopolsky
,
Adriana
Dusso (¶)
From the Department of Internal Medicine, Renal Division, and
the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology,
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
63110-1093
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
FOOTNOTES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REFERENCES
ABSTRACT
The genomic actions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D
(1,25(OH)
D
) are mediated by the
intracellular vitamin D receptor (VDR). Although immunocytochemistry
has shown that disruption of microtubular assembly prevents nuclear
access of the sterol-VDR complex, the role of microtubules in the
response to 1,25(OH)
D
has not been studied in
viable cells. Our studies examined this interaction in normal human
monocytes. Monocytes convert 25(OH)D
to
1,25(OH)
D
and to 24-hydroxylated metabolites
more polar than 1,25(OH)
D
. Microtubule
disruption totally abolished the ability of exogenous
1,25(OH)
D
to suppress its own synthesis and to
induce 24-hydroxylase mRNA and activity, without affecting either total
1,25(OH)
D
uptake or maximal
1,25(OH)
D
-VDR binding. Thus, intact
microtubules are essential for
1,25(OH)
D
-dependent modulation of gene
transcription. Interestingly, microtubule disruption also decreased
monocyte 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis, not by decreasing
the V
of monocyte mitochondrial
1
-hydroxylase but through an increase in the K
for 25(OH)D
. We examined 25(OH)D
transport. Microtubule disruption did not affect total cellular
25(OH)D
uptake but reduced its intracellular trafficking to
the mitochondria. Thus, microtubules participate in intracellular
25(OH)D
transport, and their integrity determines normal
1,25(OH)
D
synthesis.
INTRODUCTION
The most active metabolite of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin
D
(1,25(OH)
D
)), (
)is a
potent steroid hormone. Similar to other steroids, its genomic actions
require binding to its intracellular receptor and interaction of the
1,25(OH)
D
-vitamin D receptor (VDR) complex with
specific vitamin D responsive regions in the
genome(1, 2) .
It has been suggested recently that
hormone-free glucocorticoid receptors are located predominantly in the
cytoplasm, and, after the addition of steroid, they are rapidly
translocated to the nucleus (3, 4, 5, 6) . The transfer of
glucocorticoid receptor into the nucleus involves translocation along
microtubules as revealed by immunofluorescent studies (7) in a
process that is driven by tubulin-associated dynein motors(8) .
In the case of vitamin D, there is some controversy as to whether
apoVDRs reside only in the nucleus like the thyroid hormone receptor (9) or whether they can undergo ligand-dependent translocation
like the glucocorticoid receptor(10, 11) . Using a
recently developed fluorescent ligand, Barsony et al.(12) were able to demonstrate the cytoplasmic localization of
the VDR in viable human skin fibroblasts, porcine kidney epithelial
cells, human breast cancer cells, and rat osteosarcoma cells,
supporting previous immunocytochemical findings in fixed human
fibroblasts (13) and osteoblasts(14) . Although
immunocytology has shown that cytoplasmic VDR co-localizes with tubulin
and that disruption of microtubular assembly blocks the translocation
of the 1,25(OH)
D
-VDR complex into the nucleus (15) in microwave fixed fibroblasts, the role of microtubules
on VDR transport in viable cells has never been evaluated. We
hypothesized that if this intracellular transport system is of
physiological relevance, the genomic response to
1,25(OH)
D
should be impaired with alterations
in the structure or function of the microtubule network. We tested this
hypothesis in normal human monocytes.
Human monocytes express
receptors for 1,25(OH)
D
that are
indistinguishable from those described in classical
1,25(OH)
D
target tissues(16) , and the
interactions of 1,25(OH)
D
with
monocytes-macrophages have critical implications for the regulation of
immune responses(17, 18, 19, 20) .
Our laboratory has demonstrated that peripheral blood monocytes from
normal individuals constitutively express 1
-hydroxylase, the
enzyme responsible for the conversion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D
(25(OH)D
) to
1,25(OH)
D
(21) . We have also shown that
when peripheral blood monocytes were exposed to physiological
concentrations of 1,25(OH)
D
, 1
-hydroxylase
activity is markedly suppressed. In addition, exogenous
1,25(OH)
D
promotes an induction of vitamin D
catabolism by increasing 24-hydroxylase mRNA (
)and
activity(22) . Because both effects of the sterol require at
least 2 h of exposure to
1,25(OH)
D
(22) , it is likely that the
inhibition of 1,25(OH)
D
production by
1,25(OH)
D
also involves a genomic mechanism. In
the present studies, we used this human monocyte model to assess the
physiological relevance of microtubule integrity in the response to
1,25(OH)
D
. This report demonstrates for the
first time that integrity of the microtubule network is critical for a
normal genomic response to 1,25(OH)
D
and that
an intracellular tubulin- 25(OH)D
transport system mediates
the delivery of 25(OH)D
to mitochondria, thus modulating
the rate of 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis by monocytes.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Materials
1,25(OH)
D
was
kindly provided by Dr. Milan Uskokovic (Hoffman-La Roche).
1,25-Dihydroxy[26,27-methyl-
H]cholecalciferol
(specific activity, 120-174 Ci/mmol) and
25-hydroxy[26(27)-methyl-
H]cholecalciferol
(specific activity, 28 Ci/mmol) were obtained from Amersham.
Colchicine, vinblastine, isocitrate, and NADPH were obtained from
Sigma.
Culture of Human Monocytes
Peripheral blood was
obtained from normal volunteers by venipuncture. Mononuclear leukocytes
were isolated using a Ficoll-Hypaque gradient (Pharmacia Biotech Inc.).
Cells were plated in six-well plates at a concentration of 7
10
to 10
cells per well in 1 ml of RPMI 1640
containing 1% fatty acid-free albumin, 50,000 units/liter penicillin G
sodium, 50,000 µg/liter streptomycin sulfate, 10 mM HEPES,
and 0.8 mM NaHCO
. After an incubation period of 18
h at 37 °C, media and nonadherent cells were removed, and adherent
cells were washed (once with 2 ml of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)
and twice with 1 ml of RPMI 1640 containing 0.1% fatty acid-free
albumin). More than 95% of the adherent cells stained positively for
macrophage-specific
-naphthyl acetate esterase
activity(23) . This adherent cell population was used in all
studies.
The Effect of Exogenous
1,25(OH)
D
on
1,25(OH)
D
Synthesis and 25(OH)D
Catabolism by Monocytes
Adherent cells were
incubated in 1 ml of RPMI 1640 containing 1% fatty-acid-free albumin
(incubation media) and 0 or 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
for 4 h. Media were removed, and
1 ml of fresh incubation media (0.1% albumin) was added per well. The
synthesis of 1,25(OH)
D
and metabolites more
polar than 1,25(OH)
D
was initiated by adding
0.1 µCi of
25-hydroxy[26(27)-methyl-
H]cholecalciferol
in 20 µl of media per well. Reactions were stopped after a 1-h
incubation at 37 °C by the addition of 1 ml of acetonitrile; 100 ng
of radioinert 1,25(OH)
D
were added to the wells
to monitor recoveries. Cells were scraped using a rubber policeman, and
cells and media were collected. Wells were washed with 2 ml of
acetonitrile:water (1:1), scraped, and pooled with the previously
collected fraction. Samples were vortexed for 30 s and centrifuged at
2,500
g for 15 min. Vitamin D metabolites were
obtained from the supernatants using C
cartridges (Fisher
Scientific) and the extraction procedure developed by Reinhardt et
al.(24) . The vitamin D metabolite fraction eluting with
acetonitrile was collected, dried under nitrogen, and purified by HPLC
using a Zorbax Sil column (Phenomenex, Torrance, CA) with 3% isopropyl
alcohol in methylene chloride as solvent. Average recoveries of
radioinert 1,25(OH)
D
were higher than 75%.
Immediately after the elution of the 1,25(OH)
D
peak, the column was stripped with 4 ml of methanol to quantitate
the synthesis of metabolites more polar than
1,25(OH)
D
(polar metabolites). Tritium eluting
in the 1,25(OH)
D
and more polar metabolite HPLC
fractions was counted in a liquid scintillation counter (ICN Micromedic
System Inc., Huntsville, AL). Radioactivity eluting with the methanol
strip from wells incubated with media only was considered as
nonspecific oxidation of 25(OH)D
and subtracted as
background. Results were normalized per µg of DNA measured using
the ethidium bromide method(25) . In each experiment,
determinations were performed in triplicate.
The Effect of Microtubule Disrupting Agents on the
Suppression of 1,25(OH)
D
Synthesis and the Stimulation of Vitamin D Catabolism by
Exogenous 1,25(OH)
D
in Monocytes
Positive controls were adherent
cells exposed for 4 h to 0 or 0.24 nM
1,25(OH)
D
. In the Pre group, adherent
cells were exposed to colchicine (from 0 to 750 µM as
specified for each particular experiment) or vinblastine (50
µM) for 30 min, washed and incubated in 1 ml of incubation
media with 0 or 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
for
4 h. In the Post group, adherent cells were first incubated
with 0 or 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
and then
exposed to colchicine for 30 min.The effect of the reversible
microtubule disrupting agent, nocodazole, on the response to
1,25(OH)
D
was examined as follows. Adherent
monocytes were treated with 0 or 10 µM nocodazole for 30
min before a co-incubation with 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
and 10 µM nocodazole for 4 h. To test reversibility of the effect of
nocodazole, adherent cells were exposed to 0 or 10 µM nocodazole (dissolved in 1 µl of dimethyl sulfoxide) for 4 h;
cells were then washed, and the media were replaced by fresh
nocodazole-free incubation media. Monocytes were allowed to recover for
4 h. Control and nocodazole-treated monocytes were then exposed to 0.24
nM 1,25(OH)
D
for 4 h.
In each
independent experiment, the synthesis of 1,25(OH)
D
and of polar metabolites by monocytes from the same individual
was measured in triplicate, and the steady state 24-hydroxylase mRNA
levels were quantified in duplicate using a ribonuclease protection
assay.
Ribonuclease Protection Assay
RNA from monocytes
was obtained using the commercially available rapid RNA isolation
method, RNAzol (Tele Test Inc., Friendswood, TX).
Riboprobes for Human 24-Hydroxylase
A BamHI restriction fragment from the human 24-hydroxylase cDNA
(generously provided by Dr. Hector DeLuca) corresponding to the bases
1657 to 1999 of the published sequence was subcloned in Bluescript KS
(Stratagene). The antisense control template for human
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (pTRI-GAPDH) was purchased
from Ambion (Austin, TX). DDeI digestion of the linearized
pTRI-GAPDH resulted in a shortened template that allowed the synthesis
of a
P-labeled transcript with a 150-nucleotide homology
with human glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA. Radiolabeled
antisense RNAs were produced using T7 RNA polymerase and
CTP (Amersham). The size of the
protected fragment for the human 24-hydroxylase was 342 base pairs. Monocyte RNA samples were dissolved in 4 µl of diethyl
pyrocarbonate water and mixed with 26 µl of hybridization buffer
(80% formamide, 50 mM PIPES, pH 6.4, 400 mM NaCl, 1
mM EDTA) containing the
P-labeled riboprobes for
human 24-hydroxylase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The
specific activity of the riboprobe for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
dehydrogenase was reduced 5-fold to obtain labeled, protected fragments
of similar radioactivity. After hybridization at 45 °C for 16 h,
the samples were mixed with 150 µl of ribonuclease digestion
mixture containing 2 µg of ribonuclease T1 in 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 5.0, 300 mM NaCl, 5 mM EDTA, and
incubated at 37 °C for 15 min. Proteinase K (50 µg) and 20
µl of 5% SDS were added, and the samples were incubated for 15 min
at 37 °C. Following phenol:chloroform extraction and ethanol
precipitation, the samples were resolved on a 5% polyacrylamide gel.
The dried gel was exposed to x-ray film for 120 h, and the bands were
quantified by scanning densitometry.
Total Cellular Uptake of
1,25(OH)
D
or
25(OH)D
by Human Peripheral
Monocytes
A modification of the procedure reported by
Keenan and Holmes (26) was used. One milliliter of fresh
incubation media containing tritiated vitamin D metabolites was added
to adherent cells. To prepare this media, an ethanolic solution of
[
H]1,25(OH)
D
or
[
H]25(OH)D
was added to rapidly
vortexed media to minimize the loss of vitamin D metabolites to
glassware and culture dishes. Total concentration of ethanol was less
than 0.1%, and final concentrations of
[
H]1,25(OH)
D
and
[
H]25(OH)D
were 0.26 nM and
0.78 nM, respectively. Preliminary experiments demonstrated
that total cellular uptake of 1,25(OH)
D
and
25(OH)D
reached a plateau after a 30-min incubation. Total
cellular uptake of both sterols was measured in untreated and
colchicine-treated (750 µM for 30 min) monocytes. After a
1-h incubation of monocytes at 4 or 37 °C with tritiated
1,25(OH)
D
or 25(OH)D
, medium was
removed and cells were washed three times with ice-cold PBS and lysed
with 0.1 M NaOH. Cell-associated
[
H]1,25(OH)
D
and
[
H]25(OH)D
were measured after
neutralization with 1 M HCl. Determinations were performed in
triplicate. Results were expressed as femtomoles/µg of DNA/h.
Immunofluorescence Staining for
-Tubulin
Peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes were
plated on coverslips in six-well plates following the protocols
described for monocyte isolation. Adherent cells were exposed to 0, 10,
25, or 750 µM colchicine for 30 min at 37 °C. Cells
were washed twice with PBS and incubated in fresh RPMI 1640 containing
1% fatty-acid-free albumin until fixation. For nocodazole treatment,
monocytes were exposed to 0 or 10 µM nocodazole for 30 min
at 37 °C and remained in contact with nocodazole until fixation.
Cells were fixed in paraformaldehyde (4%) for 20 min at room
temperature, washed three times (2% gelatin in phosphate-buffered
saline), incubated for 20 min with blocking buffer (0.1 M NH
Cl, 0.2% gelatin, 0.05% Triton X-100), and stained
for
-tubulin using a 1:1000 dilution of a monoclonal mouse
anti-
-tubulin (Sigma). After a 2
-h incubation at room
temperature, monocytes were washed and incubated for 1 h at room
temperature in the dark with fluorescein isothiocyanate goat-anti-mouse
IgG (1:100) (Cappel). Antibodies were diluted with washing buffer
containing 30% goat serum. After mounting with 50% glycerol in PBS,
cells were examined for microtubular assembly using confocal
microscopy. A minimum of 50 cells were scored for each experimental
condition. Monocytes containing one or more filament-like structures
were considered positive for polymerized tubulin and not completely
disrupted.
Maximal Specific Binding of
1,25(OH)
D
to
VDR
Adherent cells were incubated with or without
colchicine (750 µM for 30 min at 37 °C). Cells were
then washed and incubated with 0.5 nM
[
H]1,25(OH)
D
with
(nonspecific binding) and without 125 nM radioinert
1,25(OH)
D
for 2 h. Cells were rinsed once with
PBS containing 5 mg/ml fatty-acid-free albumin, then twice with PBS
alone and placed on ice. After the addition of 2 ml of TEDK (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.4, 1.5 mM EDTA, 400 mM KCl, and 5
mM dithiothreitol), the contents of each well were sonicated
for 30 s. Samples were transferred to small tubes, and 500 µl of
charcoal was added. Tubes were kept on ice for 15 min and centrifuged
at 2500 rpm for 15 min. Aliquots (0.5 ml) of the supernatant were mixed
with 4.5 ml of scintillation fluid and counted for tritium. Results are
expressed as femtomoles of 1,25(OH)
D
/µg of
DNA.
Subcellular 25(OH)D
Uptake
Subcellular uptake of 25(OH)D
was
measured using a modification of the procedure described by Shany et al.(27) . Adherent cells were incubated with or
without colchicine (10 and 750 µM). After a 30-min
incubation at 37 °C, cells were washed and incubated at 37 °C
for 1 h in 1 ml of RPMI 1640 containing 0.1% fatty-acid-free albumin,
0.1 µCi of [
H]25(OH)D
, and 10
µM ketoconazole, a cytochrome P-450 inhibitor, to block
25(OH)D
metabolism. Cells were rinsed once with
phosphate-buffered saline and twice with RPMI 1640 containing 0.1%
fatty acid-free albumin. Monocytes were disrupted by sonication in 1 ml
of TMSS buffer, pH 7.4 (15 mM Tris acetate, 2 mM MgCl
, 2.5 mM succinate, and 250 mM
sucrose) containing phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (10 µM).
Fifteen wells of untreated and colchicine-treated sonicated monocytes
were pooled in 50-ml culture tubes, and final volumes were measured.
0.5 ml of these samples were counted for tritium, and total tritium in
whole cell homogenates was calculated. For subcellular fractionation,
homogenates were divided in 4 aliquots of equal volume. Aliquots were
centrifuged at 700
g for 10 min at 4 °C. The
supernatants were centrifuged at 8500
g for 10 min at
4 °C. Resultant supernatants were centrifuged at 10,000
g for 10 min at 4 °C. Final supernatants were centrifuged
at 100,000
g for 1 h at 4 °C. The resultant
pellets (700
g, containing mainly nuclei and cellular
membranes; 8,500
g, mainly mitochondrial fraction;
10,000
g, residual mitochondrial fraction; 100,000
g, mainly microsomal fraction) were resuspended in 0.5
ml of ethanol, vortexed, and transferred to mini scintillation vials.
Potential residual pellets were washed three times in 1 ml of
hexane:isopropyl alcohol (95:5) and pooled with the ethanol fraction.
Organic solvents were air-dried at room temperature, and the amount of
tritium associated to each subcellular fraction was counted.To
assess the purity of the subcellular fractions, we assayed succinic
dehydrogenase (28) and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase (29) activities as mitochondrial and microsomal specific
markers, respectively. Results were expressed as percent of total
enzymatic activity in each subcellular fraction.
K
and V
Determinations
Four different substrate concentrations
(from 5 to 300 nM) of 25(OH)D
were assayed in
triplicate to measure 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis. K
and V
were obtained from
a linear regression analysis of the data using the double reciprocal
plot of Lineweaver-Burk.
Subcellular Localization of Monocyte
1
-Hydroxylase
Monocytes were incubated with or without 10
or 750 µM colchicine for 30 min. Mitochondrial and
microsomal fractions obtained as indicated above were incubated with 2
mM isocitrate and 1 mM NADPH, respectively, at 37
°C, in an atmosphere containing 95% air, 5% CO
, for 1
h. The reaction was initiated by adding 5.0 nM [
H]25(OH)D
dissolved in 200
µl of the same buffer containing 5 mg/ml albumin. The final assay
incubation volume was 1 ml. The reactions were stopped by the addition
of 1 ml of acetonitrile. 100 ng of 1,25(OH)
D
was added to monitor recovery, and 1,25(OH)
D
production was measured as indicated above. Results are expressed
as femtomoles of 1,25(OH)
D
/µg of total cell
DNA/h.
Statistical Analysis
Statistical evaluation of the
data was performed using Student's t test for unpaired
observations.
RESULTS
Effect of Microtubule Disruption on the Response of
Normal Human Monocytes to
1,25(OH)
D
We examined
the effect of disruption of microtubular assembly on the ability of
1,25(OH)
D
to suppress its own production and to
induce vitamin D catabolism. Fig. 1shows that, in normal human
monocytes, the ability of 1,25(OH)
D
to inhibit
its own synthesis is impaired by colchicine in a dose-dependent manner.
At a concentration of colchicine of 25 µM,
1,25(OH)
D
was no longer able to suppress
monocyte 1,25(OH)
D
production. The number of
monocytes that stained positive for polymerized tubulin decreased from
91% in control preparations to 62, 22, and 9% after a 30-min exposure
to concentrations of colchicine of 10, 25, and 750 µM,
respectively.
Figure 1:
Dose-dependent effect of colchicine
on the suppression of 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis by
exogenous 1,25(OH)
D
. Adherent cells were
incubated in serum-free media with doses of colchicine from 0 to 750
µM for 30 min. Media were removed, and cells were washed
and incubated with 0 (vehicle) or 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
for 4 h. Synthesis of
1,25(OH)
D
was measured as outlined under
``Experimental Procedures.'' Results are expressed as
femtomoles/µg of DNA/h. Values are mean ± S.E. of five
independent experiments performed in triplicate (*, differs from
control, p
0.05).
Because colchicine alone caused a dose-dependent
reduction of 1,25(OH)
D
production by monocytes,
we performed the experiments summarized in Fig. 2to define the
effects of microtubule disruption in the response of monocytes to
1,25(OH)
D
. The lowest (25 µM) and
highest (750 µM) doses of colchicine, effective in
blocking the ability of 1,25(OH)
D
to suppress
its own production, were used to examine the effect of microtubule
disruption on the ability of 1,25(OH)
D
to
suppress its own synthesis (upper panel) and to induce vitamin
D catabolism (generation of 24-hydroxylated metabolites more polar than
1,25(OH)
D
(polar metabolites); lower
panel). In monocytes with intact microtubules (Controls), exposure
to 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
for 4 h reduced
1,25(OH)
D
synthesis to 55.2 ± 1.3% and
increased the generation of polar metabolites 7-fold above vehicle
controls, respectively. However, when monocytes were treated with 25 or
750 µM colchicine for 30 min before exposure to 0
(vehicle) or 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
for 4 h (Fig. 2, Pre) exogenous 1,25(OH)
D
could no longer reduce 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis nor enhance the production of polar metabolites. As
mentioned for the dose response to colchicine, in monocytes exposed to
colchicine alone (vehicle), there was a marked reduction of
1,25(OH)
D
synthesis.
Figure 2:
Effect of colchicine on the suppression of
1,25(OH)
D
synthesis and induction of vitamin D
catabolism by exogenous 1,25(OH)
D
. Pre, adherent cells were incubated in serum-free media with 0 (Control), 25, or 750 µM colchicine for 30 min.
Media were removed, and cells were washed and incubated with 0
(vehicle) or 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
for 4
h. Post, cells were exposed to 0 or 0.24 nM
1,25(OH)
D
for 4 h and then were incubated with
25 or 750 µM colchicine for 30 min. Synthesis of
1,25(OH)
D
(A) and polar metabolites (B) was measured as outlined under ``Experimental
Procedures.'' Results are expressed as femtomoles/µg of DNA/h.
Values are mean ± S.E. of three independent experiments
performed in triplicate.
To assess whether the
lack of response to 1,25(OH)
D
with colchicine
treatment was the result of a direct effect of colchicine on monocyte
hydroxylases rather than the consequence of a defective access of the
1,25(OH)
D
-VDR complex to the nucleus, monocytes
were first incubated with 0 (vehicle) or 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
for 4 h and then exposed to
colchicine for 30 min. Measurements of synthesis of
1,25(OH)
D
and polar metabolites (Fig. 2, Post) show, in vehicle controls, a similar decrease in
1
-hydroxylase as described in Pre experiments with no significant
changes in the apparent activity of the hydroxylases involved in
vitamin D catabolism. However, in these protocols, microtubule
disruption occurred after the 1,25(OH)
D
-VDR
complex had interacted with the genome, and, despite the reduction in
1
-hydroxylase activity in vehicle control monocytes, exogenous
1,25(OH)
D
could reduce its own synthesis and
increase vitamin D catabolism with a potency similar to that observed
in monocytes with intact microtubules. Specifically, a 54.2 ±
3.1% reduction of 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis and 743.2
± 24.1% induction of vitamin D catabolism by 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
was observed in the presence of
25 µM colchicine, and 52.1 ± 3.1% and 701.2
± 24.2%, respectively, with 750 µM colchicine.
Similar blockage of the ability of exogenous
1,25(OH)
D
to control
1,25(OH)
D
production and vitamin D catabolism
by monocytes was observed with another microtubule disrupting agent,
vinblastine, at 50 and 100 µM concentrations (data not
shown).
These results demonstrate that microtubular integrity is
required for monocytes to respond to 1,25(OH)
D
.
Further support for these findings came from measurements of steady
state levels of 24-hydroxylase mRNA using a ribonuclease protection
assay. Fig. 3shows that intact monocytes responded to
physiological concentrations of 1,25(OH)
D
with
a marked induction of 24-hydroxylase mRNA. However, pretreatment of
monocytes with colchicine impaired the ability of
1,25(OH)
D
to induce 24-hydroxylase gene
transcription in a dose-dependent manner. A partial reduction of
24-hydroxylase mRNA levels was achieved with 10 µM colchicine and, similar to the increase in the synthesis of polar
metabolites, 25 µM colchicine caused total inhibition of
the 1,25(OH)
D
-mediated increase in
24-hydroxylase mRNA. When the 30-min treatment with colchicine (10, 25,
and 750 µM) followed the 4-h exposure to 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
, the increase in 24-hydroxylase
mRNA levels was identical with that observed in monocytes exposed to
1,25(OH)
D
alone. This suggests that a 30-min
exposure to colchicine has no significant direct effect either in mRNA
stability or in 1,25(OH)
D
-mediated
transcription. To confirm that the effects of colchicine on the genomic
action of 1,25(OH)
D
in monocytes were mediated
by microtubule disruption only, we performed similar experiments with
nocodazole, a reversible microtubule disrupting agent. Fig. 4shows that the inability of 1,25(OH)
D
to induce 24-hydroxylase mRNA levels when microtubules are
disrupted with 10 µM nocodazole (74% of nocodazole-treated
monocytes stained negatively for polymerized tubulin) can be totally
reversed if monocytes are allowed to recover microtubular integrity
after removal of nocodazole from the incubation media.
Figure 3:
Effect of colchicine on
1,25(OH)
D
-mediated induction of 24-hydroxylase
mRNA. Pre, monocytes were incubated in serum-free media with
0, 10, 25, or 750 µM colchicine for 30 min. Media were
removed, and cells were washed and incubated with 0(-) or 0.24
nM 1,25(OH)
D
(+) for 4 h. Total
RNA from monocytes was assayed for mRNA levels of 24-hydroxylase and
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) using
ribonuclease protection assay. A shows two representative
gels, in monocytes from the same individual. B depicts the
densitometric analysis of the 24-hydroxylase:glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
dehydrogenase mRNA ratios. Values represent mean ± S.E. from 4
independent experiments performed in
duplicate.
Figure 4:
Effect of nocodazole on
1,25(OH)
D
-mediated induction of 24-hydroxylase
mRNA. Monocytes were incubated in serum-free media with 0 or 10
µM nocodazole for 30 min before a 4-h co-incubation with
nocodazole and 0(-) or 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
(+) for 4 h. The
reversibility of nocodazole effect (reversed) was examined by removing
nocodazole from the media and allowing monocytes to recover
microtubular assembly for 4 h before an exposure to 0.24 nM 1,25(OH)
D
for 4 h (+). Total RNA from
monocytes was assayed for mRNA levels of 24-hydroxylase and
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) using a
ribonuclease protection assay. A shows a representative gel in
monocytes from the same individual, and B depicts the
densitometric analysis of the 24-hydroxylase:glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
dehydrogenase mRNA ratios. Values represent mean ± S.E. from 4
independent experiments performed in
duplicate.
Effect of Colchicine on
1,25(OH)
D
Uptake and
Formation of the
1,25(OH)
D
-VDR
Complex
To characterize potential mechanisms involved in
the lack of response to 1,25(OH)
D
with
microtubule disruption, we measured the effect of the highest dose of
colchicine (750 µM) on 1,25(OH)
D
uptake by monocytes. Colchicine did not affect total cellular
uptake of 1,25(OH)
D
after a 1-h incubation
either at 4 °C (C: 1.5 ± 0.2; T: 1.6 ± 0.2
fmol/µg of DNA/h; n = 3) or at 37 °C (3.0
± 0.3 versus 3.5 ± 0.2; n = 4). We next examined whether colchicine affected the formation of the
1,25(OH)
D
-VDR complex. In three independent
experiments performed in triplicate, there was no significant
difference in maximal specific binding of 1,25(OH)
D
to the VDR between untreated and colchicine-treated (750
µM) monocytes (C: 0.21 ± 0.02; T: 0.19 ±
0.01 fmol/µg of DNA, n = 3).
Effect of Microtubule Disruption on Monocyte
1
-Hydroxylase Activity
In Fig. 1, we showed that
colchicine alone markedly reduced monocyte 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis, even at a 10 µM concentration, a dose
only partially effective in blocking the response to
1,25(OH)
D
. To examine whether this reduction on
1,25(OH)
D
synthesis by colchicine was the
result of impaired protein synthesis, a known side effect of colchicine
treatment (30) that could lead to a nonspecific reduction in
the amount of 1
-hydroxylase in monocytes, we measured the effect
of colchicine treatment (10 and 750 µM, 30 min) on the K
and V
of monocyte
1
-hydroxylase. Table 1shows that exposure to colchicine did
not affect the V
of the enzyme but caused a 2-
to 4-fold increase in the K
for
25(OH)D
. This indicated no alteration in the expression of
monocyte 1
-hydroxylase but a marked reduction in its apparent
affinity for substrate, suggesting a role for microtubules in
25(OH)D
transport and/or its delivery to the enzyme.
Fig. 5shows that 10 µM nocodazole causes a
similar reduction of monocyte 1
-hydroxylase activity. If after
microtubule disruption, nocodazole was removed from the incubation
media and monocytes were allowed to recover microtubular assembly,
1
-hydroxylase activity returned to basal values, which supports
the fact that microtubular integrity is necessary for normal
1,25(OH)
D
synthesis by human monocytes.
Figure 5:
Effect of nocodazole on monocyte
1
-hydroxylase activity. Monocytes were incubated with 0 or 10
µM nocodazole for 30 min, and 1
-hydroxylase activity
was measured as outlined under ``Experimental Procedures.''
To examine the reversibility of nocodazole effects on
1,25(OH)
D
production (reversed), after the
30-min exposure to 0 or 10 µM nocodazole, nocodazole was
removed and monocytes were allowed to recover microtubular assembly for
4 h before assaying 1
-hydroxylase
activity.
Effect of Microtubule Disruption on the Uptake and
Intracellular Transport of 25(OH)D
in
Monocytes
Colchicine treatment, even at the highest dose
(750 µM, for 30 min), did not affect total cellular uptake
of 25(OH)D
(C: 70.3 ± 21.4; T: 81.5 ± 16.6
fmol/µg of DNA/h; n = 3) by monocytes. To test
whether microtubule disruption affected intracellular 25(OH)D
transport, untreated and colchicine-treated monocytes were
incubated with [
H]25(OH)D
for 1 h in
the presence of the cytochrome P450 inhibitor, ketoconazole (10
µM), to block 25(OH)D
metabolism. Standard
subcellular fractionation techniques were employed, and the purity of
the fractions was assessed using specific markers as shown in Table 2. Table 3shows that in monocytes with intact
microtubules, most of the 25(OH)D
within the cell was
associated with the mitochondrial fraction. Colchicine treatment
reduced the uptake of 25(OH)D
by the mitochondrial fraction
with a concomitant increase in the amount of 25(OH)D
in the
cytosol and with no changes in the 25(OH)D
associated to
microsomal or nuclear fractions.
To test whether this reduction in
the mitochondrial uptake of 25(OH)D
could be the result of
a decrease in the number of mitochondria with microtubule disruption,
we measured succinate dehydrogenase activity in the mitochondrial
fraction of untreated and colchicine-treated monocytes. We found no
changes in succinate dehydrogenase activity (C: 0.022 ± 0.002;
T: 0.020 ± 0.002 µmol/min/µg of DNA, n =
2) with colchicine treatment.
Subcellular Localization of Monocyte
1
-Hydroxylase
The previous findings also suggested the
mitochondrial localization of monocyte 1
-hydroxylase. Therefore,
we measured 1
-hydroxylase activity in mitochondrial and microsomal
fractions. In mitochondria, 1,25(OH)
D
production was 0.68 ± 0.07 fmol/µg of DNA/h, whereas
in microsomes, 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis was
undetectable (0.01 ± 0.01 fmol/µg of DNA/h). Clearly,
monocyte 1
-hydroxylase, like the renal enzyme, is located
exclusively in mitochondria.To determine whether the reduction of
1,25(OH)
D
production by colchicine involved
reduced 25(OH)D
transport to the mitochondria or directly
impaired mitochondrial 25(OH)D
uptake, we measured
1
-hydroxylase activity in (a) mitochondrial fractions
isolated from intact and colchicine-treated monocytes and (b)
in isolated mitochondrial fractions from intact monocytes in the
presence of 0 or 10 µM colchicine. In both protocols, we
found no effect of colchicine on mitochondrial
1,25(OH)
D
production ((a) control:
0.65 ± 0.12 fmol/µg of DNA/h; colchicine: 0.63 ±
0.09, n = 2; (b) control: 0.68 ± 0.07;
colchicine: 0.63 ± 0.08 fmol of
1,25(OH)
D
/µg of DNA/h).
DISCUSSION
1,25(OH)
D
, the most active form of
vitamin D, is a potent steroid hormone. Its actions extend beyond
calcium homeostasis to impact a variety of nonclassical targets
including the immune system. To elicit a biological response,
1,25(OH)
D
binds to its intracellular receptor
and translocates to the nucleus where it interacts with vitamin D
responsive elements in the genome(1, 2) . A
tubulin-mediated cytoplasm to nucleus transport system has been
demonstrated using immunocytochemistry in human fibroblasts and
osteoblast-like cells (13, 14, 15) ; however,
the physiological relevance of this transport system in the response to
1,25(OH)
D
has not been examined either in
normal or pathological states. In the present studies, we used our
human monocyte model to define the physiological role of microtubules
on the response to 1,25(OH)
D
. We found that
disruption of microtubule integrity totally blocked the ability of
exogenous 1,25(OH)
D
to suppress
1,25(OH)
D
production and to induce
24-hydroxylase mRNA and activity in normal human monocytes. The lack of
response to exogenous 1,25(OH)
D
with
microtubular disruption could not be attributed to a reduced uptake of
1,25(OH)
D
by monocytes or to a defective
formation of the VDR-1,25(OH)
D
complex.
Clearly, microtubular integrity is required after the formation of the
1,25(OH)
D
-VDR complex for monocytes to elicit a
normal response to 1,25(OH)
D
. In addition, our
studies could not demonstrate any direct action of microtubule
disrupting agents on both genomic effects of
1,25(OH)
D
. The ability of exogenous
1,25(OH)
D
to suppress monocyte
1,25(OH)
D
production and to induce
24-hydroxylase mRNA and activity was not affected when the microtubule
disrupting agent was added after exposure to the sterol for 4 h. These
results in viable human monocytes support previous reports in fixed
cells (13, 14) of cytoplasmic VDR localization. In
contrast to gene activation by the glucocorticoid
receptor(31) , microtubule integrity is mandatory for
1,25(OH)
D
-VDR-mediated modulation of the
transcription of vitamin D responsive genes. In addition to our
findings in vitro, the recent clinical demonstration of a
phenotype of vitamin D-resistant rickets type 1, caused by a defective
nuclear translocation of an otherwise normal VDR(32) ,
emphasizes the critical role of the tubulin transport system mediating
cytoplasmic to nuclear VDR-1,25(OH)
D
translocation in 1,25(OH)
D
action.
The
present studies also demonstrated that disruption of microtubular
integrity significantly decreased the ability of human monocytes to
synthesize 1,25(OH)
D
. Since colchicine was
reported to decrease protein synthesis(30) , we examined
whether this reduction in 1,25(OH)
D
generation
was mediated by a decreased expression of monocyte 1
-hydroxylase.
Kinetic analysis demonstrated that disruption of microtubular assembly
did not affect the V
of the enzyme but markedly
reduced its apparent affinity for its substrate, 25(OH)D
.
Further characterization of the mechanisms mediating this increase in
the K
for 25(OH)D
showed that
microtubule disruption did not affect whole cell uptake of
25(OH)D
but markedly decreased its intracellular delivery
to the mitochondria, suggesting a role for microtubules in
intracellular 25(OH)D
transport. We have also demonstrated
that the reduction in mitochondrial 25(OH)D
uptake could
not be attributed to a reduction in the number of mitochondria since
succinate dehydrogenase activity was not decreased in
colchicine-treated monocytes. The observation that 1
-hydroxylase
activity in isolated mitochondria was not affected by a dose of
colchicine that effectively reduced 1,25(OH)
D
production by intact monocytes indicates no direct effect of
colchicine on mitochondrial 25(OH)D
uptake or enzymatic
activity. Thus, contrary to the well accepted theory of simple
diffusion of 25(OH)D
due to its lipophilic nature,
microtubules participate in the intracellular transport of
25(OH)D
to the mitochondrial 1
-hydroxylase of human
monocytes. Similarly, cytoskeletal components were shown to mediate the
transport of adrenal steroid precursors to the mitochondria, thus
limiting the rate of synthesis of adrenal steroids(33) . A
mitochondrial localization of monocyte 1
-hydroxylase was also
demonstrated in the chick myelomonocytic cell line HD11(27) ,
and the kinetics of the avian enzyme has marked similarities with the
1
-hydroxylase expressed in human pulmonary alveolar macrophages in
sarcoidosis(34, 35) .
Similar to our finding of
impaired 1,25(OH)
D
synthesis by monocytes with
microtubular disruption, reduction in 1,25(OH)
D
production by vinblastine was demonstrated in renal tubules from
vitamin D-deficient chicks(36) . However, for the avian renal
enzyme, there was no actual reduction in total
1,25(OH)
D
synthesized but an impaired exit of
the sterol from the mitochondria and out of the renal epithelial cells.
On the contrary, in our human monocyte model, we measured the total
1,25(OH)
D
generated regardless of its
subcellular or extracellular location, and we found a marked decrease
in 1,25(OH)
D
levels with microtubule disruption
with no alteration in the V
of the enzyme.
Therefore, despite the similarities in subcellular localization and
regulation of the 1
-hydroxylase of human monocytes, it is clear
that the effects of microtubular disruption on the intracellular
transport of vitamin D metabolites vary with cell type, species, and
vitamin D status.
If the cytoskeletal abnormalities reported for
platelets in chronic uremia (37) are present in other cell
types such as renal epithelia or peripheral monocytes, it is likely
that a defective intracellular 25(OH)D
transport may
partially explain the need for supraphysiological concentrations of
25(OH)D
to correct renal (38, 39) and
extrarenal(40, 41) 1,25(OH)
D
production in chronic renal failure. Our finding of a higher K
for 25(OH)D
in the
1
-hydroxylase of monocytes from hemodialysis patients (42) seems to support this hypothesis. These cytoskeletal
abnormalities may also affect the translocation of the
1,25(OH)
D
-VDR complex causing the abnormal
response to 1,25(OH)
D
of chronic renal failure.
In summary, in normal monocytes, microtubules mediate intracellular
transport of 25(OH)D
to the mitochondria and the
translocation of the 1,25(OH)
D
-receptor complex
to the nucleus. Disruption of microtubular integrity markedly impaired
1,25(OH)
D
synthesis by the mitochondrial
1
-hydroxylase and totally blocked the ability of monocytes to
respond to 1,25(OH)
D
which clearly indicate the
physiological and/or pathophysiological relevance of the
tubulin-transport system in humans.
FOOTNOTES
- *
- This work was
supported in part by United States Public Health Service NIDDK,
National Institutes of Health Grants DK-09976 and DK-07126. The costs
of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of
page charges. This article must therefore by hereby marked
``advertisement'' in accordance with 18 U.S.C.
Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
- §
- Recipient of a research fellowship from Consejo
Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y
Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
- ¶
- To whom correspondence and reprint requests
should be addressed: Dept. of Internal Medicine, Renal Division,
Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Ave., Box
8126, St. Louis, MO 63110-1093. Tel.: 314-362-8248; Fax: 314-362-8237.
- (
) - The abbreviations used are:
1,25(OH)
D
, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D
;
VDR, vitamin D receptor; 25(OH)D
, 25-hydroxyvitamin
D
; HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography; PBS,
phosphate-buffered saline; PIPES,
piperazine-N,N`-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid) or
1,4-piperazinediethanesulfonic acid. - (
) - S.
Kamimura, M. Gallieni, E. Slatopolsky, and A. Dusso, unpublished data.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank Dr. Alex J. Brown and Dr. Stephen Gluck for
suggestions and helpful discussions. We also thank Jane L. Finch and
Rhonda Coursey-Pratt for their assistance in the preparation of the
manuscript.
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