@article {Rondinijpet.116.233312, author = {Elizabeth A. Rondini and Zofia Duniec-Dmuchowski and Daniela Cukovic and Alan A. Dombkowski and Thomas A. Kocarek}, title = {Differential regulation of gene expression by cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors that reduce (pravastatin) or enhance (squalestatin 1) nonsterol isoprenoid levels in primary cultured mouse and rat hepatocytes.}, elocation-id = {jpet.116.233312}, year = {2016}, doi = {10.1124/jpet.116.233312}, publisher = {American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics}, abstract = {Squalene synthase inhibitors (SSIs), such as squalestatin 1 (SQ1), reduce cholesterol biosynthesis but cause accumulation of farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP)-derived isoprenoids that can modulate the activity of nuclear receptors, including the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), farnesoid X receptor, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). In comparison, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (e.g., pravastatin) inhibit production of both cholesterol and nonsterol isoprenoids. To characterize the effects of isoprenoids on hepatocellular physiology, microarrays were used to compare orthologous gene expression from primary cultured mouse and rat hepatocytes that were treated with either SQ1 or pravastatin. Compared to controls, 47 orthologs were affected by both inhibitors, 90 were affected only by SQ1, and 51 were unique to pravastatin treatment (P\<0.05, >=1.5-fold change). When the effects of SQ1 and pravastatin were compared directly, 162 orthologs were found to be differentially co-regulated between the two treatments. Genes involved in cholesterol and unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis were upregulated by both inhibitors, consistent with cholesterol depletion; however, the extent of induction was greater in rat than in mouse hepatocytes. SQ1 induced several orthologs associated with microsomal, peroxisomal, and mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and repressed orthologs involved in cell cycle regulation. In comparison, pravastatin repressed the expression of orthologs involved in retinol and xenobiotic metabolism. Several of the metabolic genes altered by isoprenoids were inducible by a PPARĪ± agonist, whereas CYP2B was inducible by activators of CAR. Our findings indicate that SSIs uniquely influence cellular lipid metabolism and cell cycle regulation, probably due to FPP catabolism through the farnesol pathway.}, issn = {0022-3565}, URL = {https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2016/05/25/jpet.116.233312}, eprint = {https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2016/05/25/jpet.116.233312.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics} }