Metabolic heterogeneity of apolipoprotein B in the rat.

Triglyceride-rich lipoprotein apoprotein catabolism was studied in rats from 5 to 60 min after intravenous injection of 125I-labeled lipoproteins. The plasma and liver labeled apoprotein content was analyzed by gel filtration column chromatography using an elution buffer containing 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. The method resolved two B apoproteins of lower (apo B1) and higher (apo Bh) molecular weight. Total apoprotein B disappeared from plasma faster than either apo E or apo C and the smaller sized apo B1 had the most rapid disappearance, with 90% being lost after 60 min. The larger sized apo Bh disappeared rapidly from the plasma in the first 15 min but between 15 and 60 min 40% of the apo Bh remained in the plasma, associated with low density lipoprotein. Apoprotein analysis of liver homogenates was consistent with the plasma results. There was 28% of apo B1 compared to 16% of apo Bh present in the liver 5 min after injection, expressed as percent of initial injected radioactivity in each fraction. Apo B1 and apo Bh were the predominant liver apoproteins up to 30 min but by 60 min there was little of either apo B in the liver. In contrast to apo B, there was a relatively constant amount of apo E and apo C, about 10%, associated with the liver over 60 min. Plasma apo E declined progressively to 68% and apo C to 86% of initial concentration by 60 min. These findings suggest that there is differential hepatic catabolism of a subpopulation of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins containing apo B1. A population of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins containing apo Bh preferentially enters the low density lipoprotein pool with a slower catabolism. The results are consistent with an hypothesis that apo B1 mediates binding and rapid hepatic catabolism of its associated lipoproteins. Metabolic heterogeneity of the triglyceride-rich lipoproteins may be explained by the molecular heterogeneity of apoprotein B.