Identification of farnesol as the non-sterol derivative of mevalonic acid required for the accelerated degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase

The degradation of the microsomal enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase is highly regulated and is dependent on both a sterol and non-sterol derivative of mevalonic acid (MVA). We recently proposed that the non-sterol component is derived from farnesyl diphosphate (FPP), presqualene pyrophosphate, or squalene (Correll, C. C. and Edwards, P. A. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 633-638). In the current study, we have used digitonin-permeabilized cells to further define this MVA-derived non-sterol component required for the regulated degradation of HMG-CoA reductase. The addition of either FPP or farnesol to digitonin-permeabilized cells resulted in a rapid and dose-dependent degradation of HMG-CoA reductase. The effect of FPP, but not farnesol, was blocked by the phosphatase inhibitor sodium fluoride. The enhanced degradation of HMG-CoA reductase in permeabilized cells specifically required farnesol, since the addition of any of the structurally related isoprenoids geraniol, geranyl diphosphate, geranylgeranyl diphosphate, nerolidol, or all-cis-farnesol, or of the non-sterol squalene to the permeabilized cells did not stimulate enzyme degradation. The present studies demonstrate for the first time that the accelerated degradation of HMG-CoA reductase can be initiated in vitro. Further, since farnesol is shown to be specifically required for the enhanced degradation of the enzyme in vitro, we propose that this isoprenoid alcohol is important in this process in intact cells.