Nuclear Phosphoproteomic Screen Uncovers ACLY as Mediator of IL-2-induced Proliferation of CD4+ T lymphocytes.

Anti-cancer immunotherapies commonly rely on the use of interleukin-2 (IL-2) to promote the expansion of T lymphocytes. IL-2- dependent proliferation is the culmination of a complex network of phosphorylation-driven signaling events that impact on gene transcription through mechanisms that are not clearly understood. To study the role of IL-2 in the regulation of nuclear protein function we have performed an unbiased mass spectrometry-based study of the nuclear phosphoproteome of resting and IL-2-treated CD4(+) T lymphocytes. We detected 8521distinct phosphosites including many that are not yet reported in curated phosphorylation databases. Although most phosphorylation sites remained unaffected upon IL-2 treatment, 391 sites corresponding to 288 gene products showed robust IL-2-dependent regulation. Importantly, we show that ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) is a key phosphoprotein effector of IL-2-mediated T-cell responses. ACLY becomes phosphorylated on serine 455 in T lymphocytes upon IL-2-driven activation of AKT, and depletion or inactivation of ACLY compromises IL-2-promoted T-cell growth. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that ACLY is required for enhancing histone acetylation levels and inducing the expression of cell cycle regulating genes in response to IL-2. Thus, the metabolic enzyme ACLY emerges as a bridge between cytokine signaling and proliferation of T lymphocytes, and may be an attractive candidate target for the development of more efficient anti-cancer immunotherapies.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the ATP citrate lyase from carotenogenic yeast Phaffia rhodozyma.

ATP citrate lyase (ACL), is a key cytosolic source of acetyl-CoA for fatty acid and sterol biosynthesis and appear to be involved in carotenoid biosynthesis in yeasts. Three homologous DNA sequences encoding ACLs in Phaffia rhodozyma were isolated i.e two genes and one cDNA. The two genes were multi-intronic, with 3450-bp-coding sequences and both genes, as the cDNA, encoded identical 120.1-kDa polypeptides. Full-length amino acid sequences of these ACLs showed the two multidomains, PLN02235 and PLN02522, which are necessary for activity. The ACLs showed 82-87% similarity to putative ACLs from other basidiomycetes and 71% similarity to human ACL. The acl cDNA was used to express the heterologous ACL 6XHis-tagged which was identified using MALDI-TOF-MS. The sequenced peptides with 42.2% coverage showed 100% identity to the amino acid sequence generated in silico. The recombinant ACL purified to homogeneity showed an activity of 2 U. This is the first study to characterize a recombinant ACL from a carotenogenic yeast. The present study provides a key foundation for future studies to assess (a) the possible occurrence of alternative splicing, (b) identify the promoter(s) sequence(s) and (c) the involvement of ACL in the differential regulation of fatty acid and carotenoid biosynthesis in yeasts.

The distinctiveness of ATP:citrate lyase from Aspergillus nidulans.

ATP:citrate lyase (ACL), an important enzyme in lipid synthesis, has been purified from Aspergillus nidulans to a specific activity of 19.6 micromol min(-1) mg(-1), almost twice that of any other purified ACL and shown to be distinct from any previously purified ACL. The enzyme is a 371+/-31 kDa hexamer of 3 alpha, 3 beta proteins, unlike the 4 alpha tetramer found in rats or yeasts. The molecular weights of the alpha and beta protein subunits were determined by SDS-PAGE to be 70 and 55 kDa. ACL in A. nidulans (unlike Aspergillus niger) appears to be regulated by the carbon source present in the media. In crude extracts, it was found at high activity (88 micromol min(-1) mg protein(-1)) in glucose-grown cells but only at low activity (10 micromol min(-1) mg protein(-1)) in acetate-grown cells.

Properties and organ distribution of ATP citrate (pro-3S)-lyase.

1. The lipogenic enzyme ATP citrate lyase (ATP:citrate oxaloacetate-lyase (pro-3S-CH2COO-acetyl-CoA; ATP-dephosphorylating), EC 4.1.3.8) is partially purified from human liver by ammonium sulfate fractionation and anionexchange chromatography. 2. Km values for the substrates are 1.1 x 10(-5) 1.3 x 10(-3), and 1.2 x 10(-4) M for CoASH, ATP and citrate, respectively. The hypolipidemic drug L(-)-hydroxycitrate is a competitive inhibitor with respect to citrate (Ki = 3 x 10(-4) M). 3. Specific activities measured in liver, adipose tissue and intestinal mucosa (autopsic and biopsic material) are in the range of 1 mU/mg protein suggesting that the citrate pathway does not significantly contribute to human lipogenesis. No stimulation is found after a 3-day carbohydrate-rich diet. 4. Specific activities of other key-enzymes of the acetyl-CoA production from carbohydrates (pyruvate dehydrogenase, cytosolic acetyl-CoA synthetase) are of the same low magnitude.

Studies on a rat-liver cell-sap protein yielding 3-[32P]-phosphohistidine after incubation with [32P]ATP and alkaline hydrolysis. Identification of the protein as ATP citrate lyase.

1. The rat-liver cell-sap material from which 3-[32P]phosphohistidine was previously isolated after incubation with [gamma-32P]ATP and alkaline hydrolysis, was shown to increase about 6-fold on a high-carbohydrate diet. This increase in 32P labelling corresponded to the increase in ATP citrate lyase activity of livers of rats fed on a high-carbohydrate diet, as reported by others. 2. ATP citrate lyase [ATP:citrate oxaloacetate-lyase (CoA-acetylating and ATP-dephopshorylating), EC 4.1.3.8] was purified from rat liver essentially according to the method of Plowman and Cleland (J. Biol. Chem., 242 (1967) 4239). The purified enzyme was incubated for a short time at 0 degree with [gamma-32P]ATP in the presence of 20 mM magnesium acetate. The phosphorylated protein was hydrolysed in alkali and the main part of the radioactivity was identified as 3-[32P]phosphohistidine. The identity of the phosphorylated amino acid was established by Dowex-1 chromatography, paper electrophoresis, paper chromatography and by analysis of the stability to acid. 3. It is concluded from these and previous results from this laboratory that ATP citrate lyase and nucleoside diphosphate kinase (ATP:nucleoside diphosphate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.4.6) account for most of the normal rat-liver cell-sap protein which is rapidly phosphorylated by ATP.

ATP:citrate lyase of Rhodotorula gracilis: purification and properties.

ATP:citrate lyase was purified from the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula gracilis to homogeneity as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, using a novel citrate-Sepharose procedure. The enzyme was found to have a molecular weight of 520,000 and consisted of four identical subunits (Mr = 120,000). Two minor low molecular weight bands were observed on SDS-PAGE (Mr 51,000 and 49,000). Trypsin digestion experiments indicated that these could have been the result of limited proteolysis by an endogenous trypsin-like proteinase. In this respect, it resembles the mammalian ATP:citrate lyase. The enzyme was stimulated by NH+4 ions and inhibited by palmitoyl, lauroyl, oleoyl, myristoyl and stearoyl-CoA esters, glutamate and glucose 6-phosphate but not by acetyl-CoA or shorter chain fatty acyl-CoA esters. The enzyme exhibited normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics for citrate; however there was a 3-fold increase in Km with a high concentration of Cl- ions (0.25 M). The possible regulatory roles of ATP:citrate lyase in R. gracilis are discussed in the light of these findings.

Rat-liver fatty-acid-synthesizing complex.

Under conditions favoring lipogenesis, a high-molecular-weight species of acetyl-CoA carboxylase was isolated that did not co-sediment with the in vitro polymerized enzyme. Assays for ATP-citrate lyase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and fatty acid synthetase indicated that all three enzymes were associated together as a high-molecular-weight complex and that under low-lipogenic conditions the level of these enzymes decreased. Phosphorylation of the isolated complex shifted it toward a lower molecular weight.

Both subunits of ATP-citrate lyase from Chlorobium tepidum contribute to catalytic activity.

ATP-citrate lyase (ACL) is an essential enzyme of the reductive tricarboxylic acid (RTCA) pathway of CO(2) assimilation. The RTCA pathway occurs in several groups of autotrophic prokaryotes, including the green sulfur bacteria. ACL catalyzes the coenzyme A (CoA)-dependent and MgATP-dependent cleavage of citrate into oxaloacetate and acetyl-CoA, representing a key step in the RTCA pathway. To characterize this enzyme from the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium tepidum and determine the role of its two distinct polypeptide chains, recombinant holo-ACL as well as its two individual subunit polypeptides were synthesized in Escherichia coli. The recombinant holoenzyme, prepared from coexpressed large and small ACL genes, and the individual large and small subunit polypeptides, prepared from singly expressed genes, were all purified to homogeneity to high yield. Purified recombinant holo-ACL was isolated at high specific activity, and its k(cat) was comparable to that of previously prepared native C. tepidum ACL. Moreover, the purified recombinant large and small subunit polypeptides were able to reconstitute the holo-ACL in vitro, with activity levels approaching that of recombinant holo-ACL prepared from coexpressed genes. Stoichiometric amounts of each subunit protein were required to maximize the activity and form the most stable structure of reconstituted holo-ACL. These results suggested that this reconstitution system could be used to discern the catalytic role of specific amino acid residues on each subunit. Reconstitution and mutagenesis studies together indicated that residues of each subunit contributed to different aspects of the catalytic mechanism, suggesting that both subunit proteins contribute to the active site of C. tepidum ACL.

Fat cell protein phosphorylation. Identification of phosphoprotein-2 as ATP-citrate lyase.

We have purified to apparent homogeneity a phosphoprotein from rat adipose tissue which is rapidly phosphorylated in vitro by ATP. The native phosphoprotein has an approximate sedimentation coefficient of 14.8 S. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis, the protein dissociated into identical subunits of Mr = 128,000. A phosphoprotein with similar properties was also isolated from liver. Purified phosphoproteins from fat cells and liver had ATP-citrate lyase activity and co-migrated on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels with fat cell phosphoprotein-2, the phosphorylation of which is increased by incubating fat cells with insulin. The phosphoamino acid residue of the cells with insulin. The phosphoamino acid residue of the phosphoprotein was identified as tau-phosphohistidine. These evidences suggest that fat cell phosphoprotein-2 is ATP-citrate lyase.

Heterogeneous distribution of ATP citrate lyase in rat-liver parenchyma. Microradiochemical determination in microdissected periportal and perivenous liver tissue.

1. A radiochemical microtest was established for the determination of ATP citrate lyase in tissue samples of 0.2-1.0 micrograms dry weight. The specificity of this test system was guaranteed by its coenzyme A dependence as well as by inhibition of the activity measured in presence of a specific antibody. 2. Using this test system ATP citrate lyase activity was determined in microdissected periportal and perivenous liver tissue of fed, fasted and refed animals. The perivenous activity was 1.8-fold and 2.4-fold higher than the periportal one in fed male and female rats respectively. 3. The perivenous to periportal gradient was decreased during starvation-dependent reduction of the ATP citrate lyase activity. On the other hand it was not only restored but enhanced up to 2.8 after refeeding-dependent enhancement of the enzyme activity. 4. The predominance of the ATP citrate lyase activity in the perivenous, mainly glycolytic zone supports the hypothesis of the coordinate zonation of the carbohydrate and the lipid metabolism in the liver parenchyma.

Rapid purification of enzymes of fatty acid biosynthesis from rat adipose tissue.

Acetyl CoA carboxylase, ATP-citrate lyase and fatty acid synthetase were purified to homogeneity by a simple procedure. The purification method consists of polymerization of acetyl CoA carboxylase with citrate followed by avidin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. ATP-citrate lyase and fatty acid synthetase were isolated as by-products of acetyl CoA carboxylase purification and are separated from each other by chromatography on DE-52. ATP-citrate lyase was further purified by CoA-agarose affinity chromatography and fatty acid synthetase was purified on Bio-Gel A-1.5m. Purified ATP-citrate lyase, acetyl CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase had specific activities of 9.9, 2.8 and 1.8 U/mg respectively with an over all recovery of 30, 25 and 50% respectively. Using these purified enzymes, we found that ATP-citrate lyase and acetyl CoA carboxylase were phosphorylated in vitro by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and ATP-citrate lyase kinase whereas fatty acid synthetase was not phosphorylated by these protein kinases.

ATP citrate (pro-3S)-lyase in the rat; two-step purification procedure, properties, organ distribution.

A simple two-step procedure is described for the purification of rat liver ATP citrate lyase with an overall yield of upt to 70%. In binding experiments on Blue Sepharose CL-6B (an affinity gel for nucleotide-specific enzymes) it is observed that ATP citrate lyase recognizes ATP and CoA as well as ADP, 3'-AMP, and NADP, but not 5'-AMP, NAD, or adenosine. It is further demonstrated that ATP citrate lyase is activated by various anions including chloride, hydrogen carbonate, and acetate. The highest specific activity of the enzyme is found in adipose tissue of various origins. Activities are also present in the adrenals, in liver, and intestine, in brain, and in lung. No measurable enzyme activity is found in heart, skeletal muscle, and in the kidneys.

Identification of ATP citrate lyase as a phosphoprotein.

ATP citrate lyase has been purified from rat liver by a new procedure which results in high yields of an intact and stable enzyme. The pure lyase (specific activity approximately equal to 10 at 25 degrees C) exhibits a single protein band upon sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-gel electrophoresis (Mr = 110,000). This procedure minimizes protease degradation that usually occurs when the enzyme is isolated by previously described isolation methods. In addition, the lyase is shown to be a phosphoprotein. 32P-labeled lyase has been purified from rat liver following an intraperitoneal injection of inorganic [32P]phosphate into the animals. It has been demonstrated that this phosphate (structural phosphate) behaves as a serine phosphate and is not the same as the enzyme-bound phosphate (catalytic phosphate) that is derived from ATP during the lyase reaction. There are 2 structural phosphate residues for each enzyme tetramer molecule. Removal of the structural phosphate has been accomplished using a partially purified phosphatase derived from rat liver. The dephospholyase has the same Vmax as the native phosphoenzyme. Evidence indicates that the structural phosphate resides in a protease-sensitive region of the native enzyme.

Purification and some properties of ATP-citrate lyase from rat brain.

ATP-citrate lyase has been purified from rat brain by a new procedure which yields an enzyme of specific activity of 21 U/mg protein (37 degrees C) (2050-fold purification). Purity (by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis) of the preparation was comparable to that of rat liver ATP-citrate lyase of similar specific activity. Both brain and liver ATP-citrate lyase have the same electrophoretic mobility, as well as the same immunoreactivity against specific rabbit anti-rat liver ATP-citrate lyase antibody. These data indicate that rat brain ATP-citrate lyase is similar or identical to that present in rat liver. Intraperitoneally injected 32Pi was incorporated into the structural phosphate of ATP-citrate lyase in rat liver but not into the rat brain enzyme.

A two-step purification of ATP-citrate lyase from rat liver and its use in a fluorometric assay for N-acetylglutamate synthetase.

ATP-citrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.8) was purified to homogeneity from the liver of rats maintained on a diet containing no fat and high carbohydrate. The procedure involves two steps: dye-ligand chromatography on yellow MX-6G Sepharose CL-4B and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Trisacryl. The specific activity of the enzyme was 10 mumol X min-1 X mg-1 at 25 degrees C, which is equal to the highest specific activity reported to date. The yield was also the highest reported to date, being in excess of 50%, and the enzyme isolated by this procedure has little proteolytic nicking. The pure enzyme was used to establish a coupled fluorometric assay for N-acetylglutamate synthetase (amino-acid acetyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.1) based on coupling coenzyme A production to the oxidation of NADH via ATP-citrate lyase and malate dehydrogenase. The method is easy to perform compared with existing methods and enables the measurement of 100 pmol X min-1 of N-acetylglutamate synthetase activity. The method is generally applicable for measurement of enzymes which produce coenzyme A. The fluorometric method was used to measure the Km for glutamate and acetyl coenzyme A at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C, which were 8.2 and 0.4 mM, respectively. Arginine at 1 microM gave half-maximal activation of N-acetylglutamate synthetase.

Characterization of ATP citrate lyase from Chlorobium limicola.

ATP citrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.8) from Chlorobium limicola was partially purified. It was established that the consumption of substrates and the formation of products proceeded stoichiometrically and that citrate cleavage was of the si-type. ADP and oxaloacetate inhibited enzyme activity. Oxaloacetate also inhibited the growth of C. limicola.

Presence and regulation of ATP:citrate lyase from the citric acid producing fungus Aspergillus niger.

ATP:citrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.8) has been identified in cell-free extracts from the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger. The enzyme was located in the cytosol. It exhibits an activity at least ten times that of acetate-CoA-kinase (EC 6.2.1.1) during growth on carbohydrates as carbon sources, and is thus considered responsible for acetyl-CoA formation under these conditions. It is formed constitutively and its biosynthesis does not appear to be controlled by changes in the nitrogen or carbon source or type. ATP:citrate-lyase appears to be very labile during conventional purification procedures; a method involving fast protein liquid anion exchange chromatography was thus developed in order to obtain enzyme preparations sufficiently free of enzymes which could interfere with kinetic investigations. This preparation displays commonly known characteristics of ATP:citrate lyase with respect to substrate affinities and cofactor requirements, with the exception that the affinity for citrate is rather low (2.5 mM). No activator was found. The enzyme is inhibited by nucleoside diphosphates, nucleoside monophosphates and palmitoyl-CoA. Regulation of ATP:citrate lyase be the energy charge of the cytosol in relation to lipid or citric acid accumulation is discussed in view of these findings.

On the structure of the prosthetic group of citrate (pro-3S)-lyase.

The prosthetic group of citrate (pro-3S)-lyase from Klebsiella aerogenes as well as Streptococcus diacetilactis was obtained eigher by beta elimination or pronase digestion of the enzyme and purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The compound was shown to contain 3 mol of PO4, 2 mol of ribose, and 1 mol of sulfhydryl/mol of adenine. 5'-AMP and dephospho-CoA are components of the prosthetic group. The evidence obtained so far support our proposed structure of 3' (or 2') leads to 1''-(5''-phosphoribosyl)dephospho-CoA for the prosthetic group of citrate lyase. The presence of one phosphomonoester group in the compound isolated after beta elimination and the absence of the same in the compound isolated after pronase digestion indicated that the prosthetic group is attached to the enzyme through a phosphodiester bond. Analyses of the pyruvate released by beta elimination and subsequent acid hydrolysis of the peptide-bound prosthetic group and its degradation products showed that the phosphodiester linkage is between the hydroxyl group of a serine residue of the protein and the 5''-PO4 group of the second ribose.