Regulatable liver expression of the rabbit apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide 1 (APOBEC-1) in mice lacking endogenous APOBEC-1 leads to aberrant hyperediting

Biochem J. 2003 Jan 15;369(Pt 2):255-62. doi: 10.1042/BJ20020694.

Abstract

Apolipoprotein (apo) B mRNA editing is the deamination of C(6666) to uridine, which results in translation of the apoB-48 protein instead of the genomically encoded apoB-100. ApoB-48-containing lipoproteins are cleared more rapidly from plasma and are less atherogenic than apoB-100-containing low-density lipoproteins (LDLs). In humans, the intestine predominantly produces apoB-48 whereas the liver secretes apoB-100 only. To evaluate a potential therapeutic use for liver-induced apoB mRNA editing in humans, we investigated the efficiency and safety of transgenic expression of apoB mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide 1 (APOBEC-1) in the absence of endogenous editing in the mouse model. Here we show that regulatable tetO-mediated APOBEC-1 expression in the livers of gene-targeted mice lacking endogenous APOBEC-1 results in 30% apoB mRNA editing. In a time-course experiment, the expression of tetO-APOBEC-1 mRNA was suppressed within 2 days after mice were fed doxycycline and apoB mRNA editing and apoB-48 formation were suppressed within 4 days. However, tetO-APOBEC-1 expression resulted in regulatable aberrant hyperediting of several cytidines downstream of C(6666) in apoB mRNA and in novel APOBEC-1 target 1 (NAT1) mRNA. Several of the cytidines in apoB mRNA were hyperedited to a level similar to that of C(6666), although editing at C(6666) was lower than that in wild-type mice. These results demonstrate that even moderate APOBEC-1 expression can lead to hyperediting, limiting the single-gene approach for gene therapy with APOBEC-1.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • APOBEC-1 Deaminase
  • Animals
  • Apolipoproteins B / genetics*
  • Apolipoproteins B / metabolism
  • Cholesterol, LDL / blood
  • Cytidine Deaminase / genetics
  • Cytidine Deaminase / metabolism*
  • Down-Regulation / physiology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic*
  • Humans
  • Liver / physiology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • RNA Editing*
  • Rabbits
  • Transgenes
  • Triglycerides / blood

Substances

  • Apolipoproteins B
  • Cholesterol, LDL
  • Triglycerides
  • APOBEC-1 Deaminase
  • APOBEC1 protein, human
  • Apobec1 protein, mouse
  • Cytidine Deaminase