Lipid composition modulates ATP hydrolysis and calcium phosphate mineral propagation by TNAP-harboring proteoliposomes.

Bone biomineralization is mediated by a special class of extracellular vesicles, named matrix vesicles (MVs), released by osteogenic cells. The MV membrane is enriched in sphingomyelin (SM), cholesterol (Chol) and tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) compared with the parent cells' plasma membrane. TNAP is an ATP phosphohydrolase bound to cell and MV membranes via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Previous studies have shown that the lipid microenvironment influences the catalytic activity of enzymes incorporated into lipid bilayers. However, there is a lack of information about how the lipid microenvironment controls the ability of MV membrane-bound enzymes to induce mineral precipitation. Herein, we used TNAP-harboring proteoliposomes made of either pure dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) or DMPC mixed with either Chol, SM or both of them as MV biomimetic systems to evaluate how the composition modulates the lipid microenvironment and, in turn, TNAP incorporation into the lipid bilayer by means of calorimetry. These results were correlated with the proteoliposomes' catalytic activity and ability to induce the precipitation of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) in vitro. DMPC:SM proteoliposomes displayed the highest efficiency of mineral propagation, apparent affinity for ATP and substrate hydrolysis efficiency, which correlated with their highest degree of membrane organization (highest ΔH), among the tested proteoliposomes. Results obtained from turbidimetry and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed that the tested proteoliposomes induced ACP precipitation with the order DMPC:SM>DMPC:Chol:SM≈DMPC:Chol>DMPC which correlated with the lipid organization and the presence of SM in the proteoliposome membrane. Our study arises important insights regarding the physical properties and role of lipid organization in MV-mediated mineralization.

Effect of the presence of cholesterol in the interfacial microenvironment on the modulation of the alkaline phosphatase activity during in vitro mineralization.

Mineralization of the skeleton starts within cell-derived matrix vesicles (MVs); then, minerals propagate to the extracellular collagenous matrix. Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) degrades inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), a potent inhibitor of mineralization, and contributes Pi (Phosphate) from ATP to initiate mineralization. Compared to the plasma membrane, MVs are rich in Cholesterol (Chol) (∼32%) and TNAP, but how Chol influences TNAP activity remains unclear. We have reconstituted TNAP in liposomes of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) combined with Chol or its derivatives Cholestenone (Achol) and Ergosterol (Ergo). DPPC plus 36% sterols in liposome increased the catalytic activity of TNAP toward ATP. The presence of Chol also increased the propagation of minerals by 3.4-fold. The catalytic efficiency of TNAP toward ATP was fourfold lower in DOPC proteoliposomes as compared to DPPC proteoliposomes. DOPC proteoliposomes also increased biomineralization by 2.8-fold as compared to DPPC proteoliposomes. TNAP catalyzed the hydrolysis of ATP more efficiently in the case of the proteoliposome consisting of DOPC with 36% Chol. The same behavior emerged with Achol and Ergo. The organization of the lipid and the structure of the sterol influenced the surface tension (γ), the TNAP phosphohydrolytic activity in the monolayer, and the TNAP catalytic efficiency in the bilayers. Membranes in the Lα phase (Achol) provided better kinetic parameters as compared to membranes in the Lo phase (Chol and Ergo). In conclusion, the physical properties and the lateral organization of lipids in proteoliposomes are crucial to control mineral propagation mediated by TNAP activity during mineralization.

Thermodynamic properties and characterization of proteoliposomes rich in microdomains carrying alkaline phosphatase.

Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) is associated to the plasma membrane via a GPI-anchor and plays a key role in the biomineralization process. In plasma membranes, most GPI-anchored proteins are associated with "lipid rafts", ordered microdomains enriched in sphingolipids, glycosphingolipids and cholesterol. In order to better understand the role of lipids present in rafts and their interactions with GPI-anchored proteins, the insertion of TNAP into different lipid raft models was studied using dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesterol (Chol), sphingomyelin (SM) and ganglioside (GM1). Thus, the membrane models studied were binary systems (9:1 molar ratio) containing DPPC:Chol, DPPC:SM and DPPC:GM1, ternary systems (8:1:1 molar ratio) containing DPPC:Chol:SM, DPPC:Chol:GM1 and DPPC:SM:GM1 and finally, a quaternary system (7:1:1:1 molar ratio) containing DPPC:Chol:SM:GM1. Calorimetry analysis of the liposomes and proteoliposomes indicate that lateral phase segregation could be noted only in the presence of cholesterol, with the formation of cholesterol-rich microdomains centered above Tc=41.5°C. The presence of GM1 and SM into DPPC-liposomes influenced mainly ΔH and Δt(1/2) values. The gradual increase in the complexity of the systems decreased the activity of the enzyme incorporated. The presence of the enzyme also fluidifies the systems, as seen by the intense reduction in ∆H values, but do not alter Tc values significantly. Therefore, the study of different microdomains and its biophysical characterization may contribute to the knowledge of the interactions between the lipids present in MVs and its interactions with TNAP.

The effect of cholesterol on the reconstitution of alkaline phosphatase into liposomes.

Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), present on the surface of chondrocyte- and osteoblast-derived matrix vesicles (MVs), plays key enzymatic functions during endochondral ossification. Many studies have shown that MVs are enriched in TNAP and also in cholesterol compared to the plasma membrane. Here we have studied the influence of cholesterol on the reconstitution of TNAP into dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)-liposomes, monitoring the changes in lipid critical transition temperature (T(c)) and enthalpy variation (∆H) using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DPPC-liposomes revealed a T(c) of 41.5 °C and ∆H of 7.63 Kcal mol(-1). The gradual increase in cholesterol concentration decrease ∆H values, reaching a ∆H of 0.87Kcalmol(-1) for DPPC:cholesterol system with 36mol% of cholesterol. An increase in T(c), up to 47 °C for the DPPC:cholesterol liposomes (36 mol% of Chol), resulted from the increase in the area per molecule in the gel phase. TNAP (0.02 mg/mL) reconstitution was done with protein:lipid 1:10,000 (molar ratio), resulting in 85% of the added enzyme being incorporated. The presence of cholesterol reduced the incorporation of TNAP to 42% of the added enzyme when a lipid composition of 36 mol% of Chol was used. Furthermore, the presence of TNAP in proteoliposomes resulted in a reduction in ∆H. The gradual proportional increase of cholesterol in liposomes results in broadening of the phase transition peak and eventually eliminates the cooperative gel-to-liquid-crystalline phase transition of phospholipids bilayers. Thus, the formation of microdomains may facilitate the clustering of enzymes and transporters known to be functional in MVs during endochondral ossification.