Ritonavir and Lopinavir Suppress RCE1 and CAAX Rab Proteins Sensitizing the Liver to Organelle Stress and Injury

Organelle stress and Liver injuries often occur in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients under anti‐HIV therapies, yet few molecular off‐targets of anti‐HIV drugs have been identified in the liver. Here, we found through total RNA sequencing that the transcription of a host protease Ras converting CAAX endopeptidase 1 (RCE1) was altered in HepG2 cells treated with anti‐HIV protease inhibitors, ritonavir and lopinavir. Levels of RCE1 protein were inhibited in HepG2 and primary mouse hepatocytes and in the liver of mice treated with the anti‐HIV drugs, which were accompanied with inhibition of two potential substrates of RCE1, small GTP binding protein Rab13 and Rab18, which are with a common CAAX motif and known to regulate the ER‐Golgi traffic or lipogenesis. Neither Rce1 transcription nor RCE1 protein level was inhibited by Brefeldin A, which is known to interfere with the ER‐Golgi traffic causing Golgi stress. Knocking down Rce1 with RNA interference increased ritonavir and lopinavir‐induced cell death as well as expression of Golgi stress response markers, TFE3, HSP47 and GCP60, in both primary mouse hepatocytes and mouse liver, and deteriorated alcohol‐induced alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and fatty liver injury in mice. In addition, overexpressing Rab13 or Rab18 in primary human hepatocytes reduced partially the anti‐HIV drugs and alcohol‐induced Golgi fragmentation, Golgi stress response, and cell death injury. Conclusion: We identified a mechanism linking a host protease and its substrates, small guanosine triphosphate–binding proteins, to the anti‐HIV drug‐induced Golgi dysfunction, organelle stress response, and fatty liver injury.