Regulation of low-density lipoprotein receptors and assessment of their functional role in Burkitt's lymphoma cells.

The status of low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLR) in Daudi Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cells was examined using a flow cytometric assay employing the fluorescent ligand DiI-LDL, and a radioligand-binding assay using [125I]LDL. The binding is concentration-and time-dependent; and is specific, as judged by its competitive displacement in the presence of unlabeled LDL, and inhibition by heparin, EGTA, and 4 degrees C incubation. The regulation of the receptor and its functional role were then explored. Our results suggest the following: (a) In sharp contrast to normal peripheral blood lymphocytes, the LDLR levels in BL cells are basally elevated when cultured in fetal bovine serum (FBS) medium. (b) In accord with normal peripheral blood lymphocytes, incubation in lipoprotein-deficient serum (LPDS) medium further up-regulates the level of the receptor in BL cells, and co-incubation with LDL or 25-hydroxycholesterol down-regulates the receptor level. The magnitude of the up-regulation is significantly smaller than in normal peripheral blood lymphocytes. (c) Northern blots using a plasmid-DNA probe for LDLR mRNA point to a similar pattern for message regulation as is observed in direct binding studies. (d) Although the LDLR level is constitutively high in BL cells, availability of LDL, unlike transferrin, is not a growth requirement since incubation of cells in LPDS medium does not prevent proliferation of these cells. (e) In contrast to anti-transferrin receptor antibody which results in apoptosis upon binding, anti-LDLR antibody does not inhibit growth or induce apoptosis. Our results suggest LDLR is expressed at a significantly higher level in BL cells than in normal peripheral blood lymphocytes. Although up-regulation and down-regulation of LDLR are observed, this applies only to a small population of LDLR. The bulk receptor population is significantly resistant to down-regulation. Furthermore, notable differences in the functional role of the LDLR are found relative to the transferrin receptor which is also up-regulated in the BL cells.