Effect of tunicamycin on 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in C-6 glial cells

The effects of tunicamycin on 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity and cholesterol biosynthesis have been studied in cultured C-6 glial cells. Depending on culture conditions, exposure to tunicamycin caused either a marked inhibition of induction of HMG-CoA reductase activity or, under steady state conditions, a marked reduction in enzymatic activity. Incorporation of [14 C]acetate into sterols was affected similarly. After a 24-h exposure, a 50% reduction in reductase activity was observed with a concentration of 0.05 micrograms/ml, and a maximal, 65-70% reduction occurred with 0.10 micrograms/ml of the drug. The effect of tunicamycin on reductase activity and on sterol synthesis was apparent 4 h after addition of the drug and nearly maximal after 6 h. The relative specificity of the effect of tunicamycin was indicated by the finding of no change in the activities of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, or fatty acid synthetase, in incorporation of [3H]leucine into total protein, or in the rate of increase in cellular protein and phospholipid at concentrations of tunicamycin that caused the marked effect on HMG-CoA reductase. The reversibility of the effect of tunicamycin was shown by observing total recovery of reductase activity within 24 h after removal of the drug following a 24-h exposure. That the effect of tunicamycin on reductase is related to the drug's effect on glycoprotein synthesis was shown in two ways. First, the range of concentrations over which tunicamycin led to the decrease in reductase activity was essentially identical with the range over which the drug led to a decrease in incorporation of [3H]mannose into protein. Second, incubation of C-6 cells with N-acetylglucosamine simultaneously with tunicamycin was accompanied by prevention of the drug's effect on both HMG-CoA reductase and glycoprotein synthesis. These data suggest that glycoprotein synthesis is necessary for the expression of HMG-CoA reductase activity and, thereby, cholesterol synthesis in glial cells. Moreover, a link between glycoprotein and cholesterol biosynthesis could play a role in the mediation of certain maturational events in cells of neural origin.