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Clinical Chemistry 45: 331-339, 1999;
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(Clinical Chemistry. 1999;45:331-339.)
© 1999 American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc.


Articles

Allele-specific Differences in Apolipoprotein C-III mRNA Expression in Human Liver

Harald Esterbauer1, Emanuel Hell2, Franz Krempler3 and Wolfgang Patsch1,a

1 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Landeskrankenanstalten Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
Departments of
2 Surgery and
3 Medicine, Krankenhaus Hallein, A-5400 Hallein, Austria.
a Author for correspondence. Fax 011 43 662 4482 885; e-mail w.patsch{at}lkasbg.gv.at


   Abstract
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
 
Background: Sequence variations at the apolipoprotein (apo)C-III gene locus have been associated with increased plasma triglycerides. In particular, the S2 allele of an SstI polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region has been associated with hypertriglyceridemia in many populations. The aim of this study was to determine whether the variant S2 allele is related to increased mRNA expression in vivo.

Methods: We measured allele-specific apoC-III expression in liver biopsies of five obese subjects, using restriction isotyping and a primer extension method, both based on the SstI polymorphism.

Results: The expression of mRNA by the S1 and S2 alleles was similar in two patients, whereas the mRNA encoded by the S2 allele was 14%, 26%, and 29% more abundant than the wild-type mRNA in the remaining three patients. Because other polymorphisms at the apoC-III gene locus have been implicated in the S2-associated hypertriglyceridemia, we determined apoC-III haplotypes comprising promoter polymorphisms at -935, -641, -630, -625, -482, -455, as well as the SstI sites and a BbvI site, both located in the 3' untranslated region. None of these polymorphisms nor any haplotype exhibited a perfect association with allele-specific expression, but variation at the T-482C site correlated in four of five subjects with the relative allele abundance.

Conclusion: These data provide preliminary evidence for allele-specific differences in apoC-III mRNA expression in vivo and suggest that such differences may contribute to associations of apoC-III gene polymorphisms with hypertriglyceridemia. ©1999 American Association for Clinical Chemistry


   Introduction
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
 
The mature apolipoprotein (apo)1 C-III is a monomeric protein of 79 amino acids, synthesized primarily in the liver and to a lesser extent in the small intestine (1). apoC-III circulates in plasma in association with triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins and HDLs. The apoC-III gene is part of the A-I/C-III/A-IV gene cluster located on human chromosome 11q23.3 (2). Several lines of evidence suggest that increased expression of apoC-III may be associated with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG), a major cause of coronary heart disease in humans (3)(4). apoC-III inhibits lipoprotein lipase activity in vitro (5); reduces binding of VLDL by glycosaminoglycans, thereby decreasing lipolysis on the surface of cells (6); and decreases apoE-mediated remnant removal by displacement of apoE from VLDL particles in vivo (7)(8). The catabolism of TG-rich lipoproteins is accelerated in patients lacking apoC-III because of an inversion of the apoA-I and apoC-III genes (9). In transgenic mice, overexpression of the human apoC-III causes HTG (10), whereas the absence of apoC-III in knockout mice reduces plasma TGs to 70% of normal (11). Moreover, fibrates used for the treatment of HTG have been shown to lower apoC-III mRNA concentrations in rat liver (12).

Epidemiological studies have shown an association between an SstI polymorphic site in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the apoC-III gene and HTG in several populations (3)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29). A less-established association may exist between a polymorphism located at position +3293, which leads to the deletion of a BbvI restriction site, and HTG (30)(31). In addition, six polymorphic sites in the promoter of the apoC-III gene have been found, which were in strong linkage disequilibrium with each other and the variant SstI site (16)(17). Two of the polymorphic nucleotides, at position -455 and -482 relative to the transcription start site, reside within a putative negative insulin-response element (IRE) (32), originally described within the promoter of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene (33)(34). Transfection studies in HepG2-cells showed that insulin down-regulates transcriptional activity of reporter constructs containing the wild-type apoC-III sequences within the putative IRE (32), whereas the presence of variant nucleotides within the IRE abrogated the transcriptional repression by insulin. These findings suggest that the presence of variant nucleotides within the IRE leads to a loss of insulin repression of apoC-III gene transcription and causes constitutive overexpression of apoC-III, thereby contributing to HTG in some subjects. This hypothesis has been challenged by two recent studies, both showing a stronger association of HTG or TG concentrations with the variant SstI site than with the polymorphisms in the promoter region (13)(16).

To gain insight into the in vivo importance of sequence variations at the apoC-III gene locus, we determined the abundance of allele-specific apoC-III mRNA in liver biopsies of five subjects heterozygous for the variant SstI site.


   Materials and Methods
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
 
study subjects
This study included five female Caucasian subjects heterozygous for the SstI polymorphism located in the 3'-UTR of the apoC-III gene. All subjects were morbidly obese and underwent weight reduction surgery through a gastric banding procedure. As part of the study protocol to evaluate the surgical procedure, biopsies of liver and intra- and extraperitoneal adipose tissue were collected. Study subjects provided informed consent, and the study was approved by the institutional review board. After an overnight fast, general anesthesia was induced by a short-acting barbiturate and maintained by alfentanil hydrochloride. Tissue biopsies were taken at the beginning of the surgical procedure, divided into aliquots, and frozen at -70 °C. The body mass index (in kg/m2) was calculated from measurements of weight and height.

laboratory methods
After an overnight fast, venous blood was collected into tubes containing EDTA. Plasma glucose was measured by a hexokinase/glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase method (Boehringer Mannheim). Plasma insulin was measured by immunoassay (Abbott Laboratories). Plasma cholesterol and TG were measured by enzymatic procedures using a Hitachi 717 analyzer (Boehringer Mannheim) and the respective enzymatic kits (Boehringer Mannheim). HDL-cholesterol was determined in supernates after precipitation of plasma with phosphotungstic acid/magnesium chloride (Boehringer Mannheim). apoB and apoA-I concentrations were determined using nephelometric procedures (Array 360; Beckman). Plasma leptin was measured with an RIA kit (Linco Inc.).

SstI TYPING
Genomic DNA was extracted from white blood cells using the QIAamp blood kit (Qiagen). For typing of the SstI polymorphism in the 3'-UTR of the apoC-III gene, the conditions described by Hixson et al. (35) were used. The alleles were defined as S1 and S2 based on absence or presence of the SstI restriction site.

allele-specific gene expression studies by restriction isotyping
Total liver RNA was isolated from 200 mg of liver tissue according to the method of Chomczynski and Sacchi (36). The integrity of the RNA was ascertained by the electrophoretic patterns of rRNA in formaldehyde gels. After DNase I digestion (Boehringer Mannheim), RNA concentrations were determined by absorbance measurements at 260 nm. Total liver RNA (1 µg) was reverse-transcribed using 200 U of Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase (Life Technologies), 10 mmol/L Tris, pH 8.3, 50 mmol/L KCl, 5 mmol/L MgCl2, 0.5 µmol/L random hexamers, 1 mmol/L dNTP, and 20 units of RNasin (Promega) in a total volume of 20 µL. Aliquots (1 µL) of the cDNA were subjected to PCR using the primers described by Hixson et al. (35). PCR reactions contained 0.17 µmol/L each upstream and downstream primer, 0.2 mmol/L each dNTP, 1 µCi of {alpha}32P-dCTP (3000 Ci/mmol; Amersham), 10 mmol/L Tris, pH 8.3, 50 mmol/L KCl, 2.5 mmol/L MgCl2, and 1 U of Taq polymerase (Perkin-Elmer) in a volume of 30 µL. Samples were processed through initial denaturation for 3 min at 96 °C; 28 cycles of amplification, each consisting of 30 s at 60 °C (annealing), 1 min at 72 °C (extension), and 30 s at 96 °C (denaturation); and a final extension at 72 °C for 5 min. For restriction digestion, 20 U of SstI (New England Biolabs) was added directly to the PCR tubes along with 5 µL of buffer supplied by the manufacturer and 15 µL of H2O and incubated for 8 h at 37 °C. Aliquots of digestion mixtures were applied to denaturing 8% polyacrylamide gels using 100 mmol/L Tris, 30 mmol/L taurine, 0.5 mmol/L EDTA, pH 9.2, as a buffer system to provide glycerol tolerance. Polynucleotide calibrators (100-bp ladder; MBI-Fermentas) were end-labeled with {gamma}32P-dATP (3000 Ci/mmol; Amersham). After removal of urea, gels were dried and exposed to x-ray film (X-Omat AR; Eastman Kodak Co.). Autoradiograms were analyzed by quantitative scanning densitometry using a Model GS-700 Imaging densitometer and the Molecular Analyst software (Bio-Rad).

For assay standardization, genomic DNA from an SstI heterozygote patient was amplified by PCR using Pfu polymerase (Stratagene) and cloned into pGEM3Zf(+) (Promega). Sequence-verified clones containing the variant SstI site or devoid of it were used to ascertain the adequacy of digestion by SstI. In addition, various mixtures of clones containing the S1 or S2 allele as insert as well as allele-specific PCR products served as templates for amplification and SstI digestion to relate signal intensities in patient samples to relative molar abundance.

For intron-spanning allele-specific expression studies, cDNA aliquots were subjected to PCR using 5'-GTTACATGAAGCACGCCACCA-3' (+1169 to +1192, GenBank accession no. X03120) as the sense primer and 5'-GGTAGGAGAGCACTGAGAATACTG-3' (+3318 to +3341) as the antisense primer. Assay conditions were exactly the same as described above.

allele-specific gene expression studies by primer extension
Transcription of apoC-III mRNA from the wild-type allele and from the variant allele that harbored a C/G substitution at position +3262 (GenBank accession no. X03120) was also performed by primer extension as described (37). Aliquots of cDNA were subjected to PCR using the primer pair described for intron-spanning PCR, except that the forward exon 3 primer (+1169 to +S1192) was 5'-biotinylated. The primer for mutant allele-specific extension was 5'-CAGGACCCAAGGAGC-3' (+3264 to +3278), and extension reactions were performed in the presence of 0.1 mmol/L each dNTP (dGTP, dATP, and dTTP) and 0.25 mmol/L ddCTP as described (37). Reactions were subjected to electrophoresis on 8% denaturing polyacrylamide gels using 100 mmol/L Tris, 30 mmol/L taurine, 0.5 mmol/L EDTA, pH 9.2, as buffer. Dried gels were exposed to x-ray film, and autoradiograms were analyzed by quantitative scanning. For assay standardization, the cDNA of two subjects carrying either two wild-type or two mutant alleles was cloned using the ZERO-Background(TM) (Invitrogen) cloning system. Various mixtures of plasmids containing the wild-type and mutant allele as inserts served as templates for PCR amplification and subsequent primer extension to generate a calibration curve that compared molar ratios of templates with their signal intensity ratios.

sequencing of cDNA ALLELES
Near full-length apoC-III cDNA was prepared using 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends combined with reverse transcription (RT)-PCR (38). Human liver RNA (1 µg) was reverse-transcribed using SuperScript(TM) II Reverse Transcriptase (Life Technologies) and 5'-GAGGACTCGAGCTCAAGCT (20)-3' as adapter-primer. After RNase H (Boehringer Mannheim) digestion, the first-strand cDNA was subjected to PCR using 5'-TCATCCCTAGAGGCAGCTG-3' (+267 to +285) as apoC-III gene-specific sense and 5'-GAGGACTCGAGCTCAAGC-3' as anchor-primer, respectively. PCR products were diluted and reamplified using 5'-CTAGAGGCAGCTGCTCCAG-3' (+273 to +291) as nested gene-specific primer and the anchor-primer described above. Products of 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends were gel purified and cloned using the ZERO-Background cloning system. Three clones, each containing either the S1 or the S2 allele, were sequenced using the PRISM(TM) Ready Reaction dRhodamine-Terminator kit and an ABI PRISM 310 Genetic Analyzer (Perkin-Elmer Applied Biosystems).

haplotype determination by cloning and sequencing
To determine the haplotypes spanning the promoter region and the 3'-UTR, 4.35-kb apoC-III gene fragments (-1255 to +3090, relative to the transcriptional start site) of study subjects were cloned into pGEM3Zf(+). The fragments were amplified by PCR using 5'-CGCCGGTACCAGGAGGGAGAGGGAGGTGTGAGTC-3' (+157 to +180, GenBank accession no. M60674) as the sense primer and 5'-GGCGGGTACCTGAGGTGGGGTAGGAGAGCACTGA-3' (+3326 to +3349, GenBank accession no. X03120) as the antisense primer, respectively, with each primer containing an engineered KpnI restriction site. PCR was carried out in a total volume of 100 µL, using the Expand High Fidelity kit (Boehringer Mannheim), 200 ng of DNA, 0.30 µmol/L each primer, and 0.2 mmol/L each dNTP. Samples were processed through initial denaturation for 3 min at 94 °C and 35 cycles of amplification, each consisting of 30 s denaturation at 94 °C, 30 s annealing at 60 °C, and 3 min extension at 68 °C. The extension time was increased by 15 s each cycle starting with cycle 15, and the final extension time was 10 min. PCR products were cloned into the KpnI site of pGEM3Zf(+). Allele-specific clones were identified by colony PCR screening followed by SstI digestion. Allele-specific plasmids were sequenced by primer walking.


   Results
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
 
study subjects
The clinical and biochemical characteristics of the study subjects are shown in Table 1 . All subjects were heterozygous for the variant SstI site in the 3'-UTR of the apoC-III mRNA. Three of the patients exhibited fasting HTG, and one subject had overt type 2 diabetes mellitus. Histological examination of the liver biopsies revealed steatosis in all five patients.


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Table 1. Clinical and biochemical data of study subjects.

allele-specific apoC-III mRNA QUANTIFICATION
To study allele-specific hepatic expression of apoC-III alleles in individual patients, we used restriction isotyping of RT-PCR products harboring the SstI polymorphic site. To evaluate the reliability of our assay for quantification of mRNA transcribed from different alleles, we cloned, from a heterozygous patient, a 233-bp fragment of S1 and S2 alleles located in exon 4. Plasmids harboring S1 or S2 alleles were mixed at different weight ratios, amplified by PCR in the presence of 32P-dCTP, digested with SstI, and subjected to denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An autoradiograph of this experiment as well as its densitometric evaluation is shown in Fig. 1 A. After correction of signal intensities of fragments representing the S1 or S2 allele for their G/C content, a linear relationship was obtained between the input molar ratio of S1 and S2 plasmids and the signal intensity ratio of S1- and S2-specific bands (r = 0.99). This experiment also showed complete digestion of S2 PCR products, whereas digestion of S1 PCR products generated no fragments. The intraassay variability of signal intensity ratios averaged 3%. In addition, we verified these results with RT-PCR products to eliminate the possibility that PCR products exhibited intrinsic resistance to SstI digestion. Hence, the restriction isotyping method selected for allele-specific expression studies was accurate and precise over a wide range of wild-type and variant DNA mixtures.



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Figure 1. apoC-III allele-specific expression studies using restriction isotyping of mRNA.

(A), for assay standardization, mixtures of cloned wild-type (WT) and variant (MUT) cDNA in molar ratios of 0.43, 0.67, 1.00, 1.50, and 2.33 were digested with SstI (lanes 1–5 of inset), producing a 233-bp wild-type fragment and two fragments, 158 bp and 75 bp, representing the variant allele. After correction for their GC content, wild-type/mutant signal intensity ratios as determined by scanning autoradiographs were plotted against molar input ratios. Lanes 6 and 7 of the inset show SstI digestion controls of cloned wild-type and variant cDNAs, respectively. (B), autoradiogram of SstI-digested PCR products. Lanes 1 and 2 show 32P-labeled digestion products of cloned variant (MUT) and wild-type (WT) cDNA; lanes 3–7 show study subjects 1–5;. lane 8 represents digestion products of a DNA mixture of three subjects heterozygous for the C/G substitution at the SstI site in exon 4.

Several precautions were taken to quantify the relative expression of the S1 and S2 alleles in patient RNA. To exclude effects of DNA that would have reduced possible allele-specific differences in mRNA expression, all RNA samples were subjected to DNase I digestion. This treatment effectively eliminated amplification of target sequences by PCR without prior reverse transcription (not shown). In addition, a mixture of DNA of several heterozygotes was analyzed in triplicate within each assay to assure precision and accuracy of signal intensities. Moreover, wild-type and variant apoC-III plasmid DNA as well as RT-PCR products were included in each assay to assure the adequacy of SstI digestion. An autoradiogram of allele-specific gene expression studies by restriction isotyping in our five patients is given in Fig. 1BUp . The adequacy of restriction digestion is demonstrated in lanes 1 and 2, representing variant and wild-type alleles, respectively. In lanes 3–7, the results of our five study subjects are shown, whereas lane 8 depicts a DNA pool of SstI heterozygote subjects. To further support these results, we performed allele-specific gene expression studies based on restriction isotyping assays using intron-spanning primers. Results of these experiments are given in Table 2 .


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Table 2. Allele-specific expression of hepatic apoC-III mRNA in study subjects.

To corroborate differences in allele-specific expression by a method independent of SstI restriction digestion, we used quantitative allele-specific primer extension (Fig. 2 ). Mixtures consisting of different molar ratios of plasmids harboring the wild-type or variant cDNA were used to establish that the primer extension method could reliably quantitate different amounts of variant and wild-type templates. Analysis of RNA samples isolated from liver tissues of our five study subjects revealed an excellent agreement among the three methods (Table 2Up ). When these analytical control measures were used, the average expression of the S2 allele, which was calculated from the three different analytical methods, exceeded that of the S1 allele by 29%, 26%, and 14% in patients 2, 3, and 4, respectively. This corresponds to variant apoC-III mRNA concentrations, expressed as percentage of total apoC-III mRNA, of 56.7%, 55.7%, and 53.3%. Consideration of the threefold SD interval calculated from the three different assays indicated that the abundance of the variant in patients 2, 3, and 4 was significantly different from the 50% level expected for an equal expression of apoC-III alleles (Table 2Up ). In the two remaining patients, the difference in relative expression between wild-type and variant alleles did not exceed the analytical variance. Consistent with the low assay variability, these results were highly reproducible in several independent determinations.



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Figure 2. apoC-III allele-specific expression studies using variant-specific primer extension.

(A), experimental strategy showing use of a biotinylated sense primer for RT-PCR (top), capture of the amplified apoC-III sense strand via streptavidin beads (middle), and primer extension using ddCTP (bottom). Arrows indicate the extension products predicted for wild-type (wt) and mutant (mut) templates; (B), autoradiogram of primer extension products prepared according to the scheme in Fig. 1AUp . Lane 1 shows 32P-labeled variant specific primer; lanes 2 and 3 show extension products of cloned wild-type (wt) and variant (mut) cDNA; lanes 4–6 refer to mixtures of wild-type and variant cDNA in molar ratios of 2.33, 1, and 0.43. Extension products of total liver RNA from two subjects are shown in lanes 7–8; lane 9 represents results of a DNA mixture from three subjects heterozygous for the C/G substitution at the SstI site in exon 4.

allele-specific expression patterns and sequence variations at the apoC-III GENE LOCUS
To study a possible relation of polymorphisms in the apoC-III gene with relative expression of the S1 and S2 alleles, we determined six promoter polymorphisms and the SstI and BbvI polymorphisms, both located in the 3'-UTR of the apoC-III gene. These polymorphisms, their location within the apoA-I/C-III/A-IV gene cluster, and their notation as used in our study are given in Fig. 3 . For exact haplotype determination, we cloned 4.35-kb fragments spanning the apoC-III gene locus of our five study subjects and sequenced the promoter and 3'-UTR harboring totally eight variant sites previously implicated in apoC-III gene expression (Table 2Up and Fig. 3 ).



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Figure 3. Schematic map of the apoA-I/C-III/A-IV gene cluster showing the variable nucleotide positions typed in our study.

The nucleotide substitutions and positions of six apoC-III promoter polymorphisms and two polymorphisms located in the 3'-UTR are indicated by arrows. Promoter substitutions are relative to the transcription start site (16)(17), and polymorphisms in the 3'-UTR refer to GenBank accession no. X03120. Transcription directions (arrows) and sizes of the intergenic regions and of the respective genes itself, in kilobases (kb), are shown below the gene map. Numbers in boxes represent the four apoC-III exons, and the hatched box displays a putative negative IRE located in the promoter of the apoC-III gene.

When the variant site at -455 was considered specifically, only patients 2 and 4, out of the four patients examined who were heterozygous at this site, exhibited differences in S1 and S2 expression. Patient 1 showed the same alleles at -455 as patients 2 and 4, but exhibited no difference in the expression of S1 and S2 alleles, whereas patient 3, who carried two variant nucleotides at position -455, exhibited a marked difference in allele-specific expression. Regarding the -482 site, all variant SstI sites were in perfect linkage disequilibrium with the variant -482 site, and three of the four patients who were heterozygous for the -482 site displayed significant differences in allele-specific expression studies. Patient 5, who showed no difference in expression of the two alleles, was homozygous for the -482 variant site. Only patient 1 displayed similar expression of the two alleles despite being heterozygous at the -482 site. The remaining four promoter polymorphisms located farther upstream were in less linkage disequilibrium with the SstI site than the -455 and -482 sites. Heterozygosity at the -625 deletion was associated with differences in apoC-III allele-specific gene expression only in patient 4, whereas homozygosity at this locus was consistent with allele expression in patient 1. The same result was observed for the tightly linked -630 polymorphism. The -641 and -935 substitutions were both predictive in three of five patients, including patients 1 and 5, who displayed no difference in expression studies. The third patient predicted correctly by either of these two sites was patient 3 for the -935 site and patient 4 for the -641 site. Sequencing of the 3'-UTR revealed the two well-known polymorphisms, i.e., the variant SstI site and a variant T-to-G transversion at +3293, which deletes a BbvI site. However, the variant BbvI site agreed with the results of allele-specific amplification in only two patients.

Patient 3, whose TG concentration was 0.92 mmol/L (Table 1Up ), possessed a putative protective apoC-III haplotype, consisting of wild-type nucleotides at positions -482/SstI and variant nucleotides at -625/-455 (13). In this patient, who carried the variant nucleotide at -455 on both alleles, allele-specific expression assays revealed a 26% higher abundance of the variant apoC-III allele. To identify other sequence substitutions possibly contributing to allele-specific expression differences in this patient, we cloned near full-length cDNA and sequenced both alleles. Apart from the previously described variant sites in the 3'-UTR, the two alleles exhibited complete sequence homology with each other, including the variant site at C1170T (GenBank accession no. X03120) in exon 3.


   Discussion
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
 
This study clearly establishes allelic differences in the expression of apoC-III mRNA in human liver. Specifically, mRNA species transcribed from the alleles harboring the variant SstI site displayed a higher abundance than mRNA transcribed from the respective wild-type allele in three of five subjects studied. Although our mRNA data are in support of the long-known association of sequence substitutions at the apoC-III gene locus with HTG, our conclusions must be considered preliminary because of the small sample size. Moreover, mRNA concentrations are an imperfect guide to translation and do not necessarily lead to increased apoC-III protein production.

Because an increased expression of the SstI variant allele was not observed in all subjects studied, we searched for stronger correlations among other sequence substitutions at the apoC-III gene locus. Specifically, two polymorphic sites, at -455 and -482 relative to the transcriptional start site (17) and located within a putative negative IRE (32), appeared as candidate loci for providing insight into the imperfect association of the SstI polymorphism with allele-specific mRNA expression. In addition, we also considered a T-to-G transversion, located 31 bases downstream of the SstI site at position +3293 (30)(31). Using the RNA secondary structure prediction algorithm described by Zuker et al. (39), we found that this substitution is located within the bulb of a putative hairpin and may therefore affect mRNA stability. To correctly assign these sequence variations to the respective SstI allele, we cloned long-range genomic PCR products encompassing the BbvI and the promoter substitutions and sequenced the discriminatory regions of several inserts in each patient. These studies revealed a high degree of allelic heterogeneity that was not expected from previous linkage studies (13)(17). Among the candidate sites studied, only the -482 polymorphism was superior to the SstI site in predicting allele-specific mRNA expression in that four of five patients exhibited the expected pattern. The agreement of this site with allele-specific expression would be lowered if one takes into account that patient 2 had type 2 diabetes and should, therefore, display similar expression of the wild-type and variant alleles according to the IRE model. Functional insulin deficiency in this patient would be expected to reduce or abolish allele-specific differences in mRNA expression. However, the role of the -482 mutation in down-regulation of apoC-III expression is incompletely understood because specific interactions of the wild-type and variant site with specific trans-acting factors have not been presented. The predictive value of the -455 site was only 40% (Table 2Up , patients 2 and 4) compared with 60% of the SstI site, and this value would be further lowered upon consideration of the diabetic patient 2. The BbvI polymorphism correlated in only two patients with the results of the allele-specific gene expression and was therefore less informative than the SstI site.

Notwithstanding the small sample size, the low predictive value of the -455 site argues against the importance of this site for apoC-III mRNA expression. The fact that allele-specific differences were observed in one patient harboring two variant nucleotides at -455 clearly indicates that other sequence substitutions can affect apoC-III mRNA expression, at least in some patients. Interestingly, this patient had low plasma TG (Table 1Up ) and possessed the putative protective apoC-III haplotype described recently (13)(17). Because we excluded by cDNA sequencing mRNA substitutions other than the variant SstI site as well as truncations that could have led to mRNA turnover differences, other factors must have contributed to the allele-specific differences in this patient.

Our conclusions concerning the relative importance of the various sequence substitutions on gene expression must be qualified in several regards. First, our sample size was small, and the observed associations may have arisen by chance. Second, all of our patients were heterozygous for the SstI site, which exhibits variable degrees of linkage disequilibrium with the -455 and the -482 site. The allelic frequencies of the -482 and -455 variant alleles and of the BbvI polymorphic sites each were 0.60 and exceeded only slightly the frequency of the SstI variant allele (0.50). In population samples, the frequencies of the -482, -455, and BbvI sites have been reported to be two- to threefold higher than that of the SstI polymorphism (13)(14)(15)(16)(17). The variant SstI allele was thus overrepresented in our study group because of the inclusion criteria required for mRNA quantification. Third, correlation studies of entire haplotypes with allele-specific expression differences were not possible because of the limited sample size. Thus, our method of interpretation was dependent on only one site, although more than one variant may alter expression. Fourth, all of our patients were morbidly obese, and the metabolic disturbances associated with obesity may have modulated the influence of cis-factors on mRNA expression. In addition, variable degrees of insulin resistance may have partially confounded the results in our patients. Fifth, our studies were conducted in the postabsorptive state. As exemplified by the IRE model, transcriptional regulation of the apoC-III gene may exhibit temporal variation and may be more important during the postprandial state. Measurement of mRNA concentrations in the postabsorptive state may therefore underestimate the magnitude of cis-regulatory factors on apoC-III transcription. In contrast, the influence of cis-factors on mRNA stability would be expected to continue during the postabsorptive state.

In two other recent studies, the association of HTG with SstI polymorphism was stronger than that with promoter haplotypes (13)(16). The SstI variant allele consistently has been found to be associated with increased TG (3)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) and, in some studies, with increased apoC-III concentrations (14)(15)(16)(22). It is possible that this site might be involved in mRNA stability because 3' untranslated mRNA sequences of other genes have been shown to influence mRNA turnover (40)(41). However, experimental evidence for such functionality has not been presented for the SstI site of apoC-III mRNA. As shown in the study by Shoulders et al. (16), three children carrying two variant SstI alleles had TG concentrations below the mean concentration found in children homozygous for the SstI common allele. Our data also suggest that the SstI site itself may not account for enhanced abundance of apoC-III mRNA, at least not in all subjects. Interestingly, the association of the SstI polymorphism with increased TG is observed mainly in HTG individuals (13). An interaction of the SstI site with another factor also involved in HTG may therefore be invoked to explain the imperfect association of the SstI site with differences in allelic expression.

In conclusion, our study shows that mRNA expression of apoC-III alleles can differ in human liver. Whether the imperfect association between allele-specific expression patterns and sequence substitutions at the apoC-III gene locus relates to the study population or measurements in the postabsorptive state or is the result of more complex interactions at the A-I/C-III/A-IV gene locus, as suggested by others (15)(16), remains to be determined.

This study was supported by a grant of the Medizinische Forschungsgesellschaft, Salzburg, Austria. We thank D. Breban and C. Winkler for technical assistance.


   Footnotes
 
1 Nonstandard abbreviations: apo, apolipoprotein; TG, triglyceride; HTG, hypertriglyceridemia; UTR, untranslated region; IRE, insulin-response element; and RT-PCR, reverse transcription-PCR.


   References
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
 

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