Low lysophosphatidylcholine induces skeletal muscle myopathy that is aggravated by high-fat diet feeding.

Obesity alters skeletal muscle lipidome and promotes myopathy, but it is unknown whether aberrant muscle lipidome contributes to the reduction in skeletal muscle contractile force-generating capacity. Comprehensive lipidomic analyses of mouse skeletal muscle revealed a very strong positive correlation between the abundance of lysophosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC), a class of lipids that is known to be downregulated with obesity, with maximal tetanic force production. The level of lyso-PC is regulated primarily by lyso-PC acyltransferase 3 (LPCAT3), which acylates lyso-PC to form phosphatidylcholine. Tamoxifen-inducible skeletal muscle-specific overexpression of LPCAT3 (LPCAT3-MKI) was sufficient to reduce muscle lyso-PC content in both standard chow diet- and high-fat diet (HFD)-fed conditions. Strikingly, the assessment of skeletal muscle force-generating capacity ex vivo revealed that muscles from LPCAT3-MKI mice were weaker regardless of diet. Defects in force production were more apparent in HFD-fed condition, where tetanic force production was 40% lower in muscles from LPCAT3-MKI compared to that of control mice. These observations were partly explained by reductions in the cross-sectional area in type IIa and IIx fibers, and signs of muscle edema in the absence of fibrosis. Future studies will pursue the mechanism by which LPCAT3 may alter protein turnover to promote myopathy.

Hyperuricemia induces lipid disturbances mediated by LPCAT3 upregulation in the liver.

Potential underlying molecular mechanisms for uric acid-induced lipid metabolic disturbances had not been elucidated clearly. This study investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of uric acid on the development of lipid metabolic disorders. We collected blood samples from 100 healthy people and 100 patients with hyperuricemia for whom serum lipid analysis was performed. Meanwhile, a mouse model of hyperuricemia was generated, and lipidomics was performed on liver tissues, comparing control and hyperuricemia groups, to analyze lipid profiles and key metabolic enzymes. Uric acid directly induced serum lipid metabolic disorders in both humans and mice based on triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Through lipidomic analysis, 46 lipids were differentially expressed in hyperuricemic mouse livers, and the phosphatidylcholine composition was altered, which was mediated by LPCAT3 upregulation. High-uric acid levels-induced p-STAT3 inhibition and SREBP-1c activation in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, LPCAT3-knockdown significantly attenuated uric acid-induced p-STAT3 inhibition, SREBP-1c activation, and lipid metabolic disorders in L02 cells. In conclusion, uric acid induces lipid metabolic disturbances through LPCAT3-mediated p-STAT3 inhibition and SREBP-1c activation. LPCAT3 could be a key regulatory factor linking hyperuricemia and lipid metabolic disorders. These results might provide novel insights into the clinical treatment of hyperuricemia.

[The Investigation of Genes, Using an Improved Adenovirus Vector, and Food for the Treatment and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus].

Although many treatments for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been developed, the quality of life for people with T2DM still tends to be lower than in those without the disease. Thus, the development of new T2DM treatments and prevention methods is required. Genetic predisposition and environmental factors are understood to be involved in the onset and pathology of T2DM. Therefore, we have attempted to explore genes and foods with potential for use in the treatment and prevention of T2DM. LipoQuality, which describes the functional features of diverse lipid species, has recently been a focus of study in the pathology of metabolic diseases. Phospholipids, the major components of biological membranes, are known to change in composition during the development of obesity and diabetes. Therefore, for our research, we focused on genes that regulate the composition of phospholipids. We examined the effects of such genes on T2DM using an improved adenovirus vector that demonstrates safer, higher, and longer-term transgene expression than that of the conventional adenovirus vector. We also found that certain foods inhibit the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is related to T2DM. In this review, we introduce our research results, demonstrating how genes and food independently contribute to the mechanisms of T2DM pathology.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae lysophospholipid acyltransferase, Lpt1, requires Asp146 and Glu297 for catalysis.

The esterification of lysophospholipids contributes to phospholipid synthesis, remodeling, and scavenging. Acyl-CoA-dependent lysophospholipid acyltransferase activity with broad substrate use is mediated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae Lpt1p. We sought to identify Lpt1p active site amino acids besides the histidine conserved among homologs and repeatedly found to be required for catalysis. In vitro Lpt1p assays with amino acid modifying agents implicated aspartate, glutamate, and lysine as active site residues. Threonine and tyrosine were not ruled out. Aligning the primary structures of functionally characterized LPT1 homologs from fungi, plants, and animals identified 11 conserved aspartate, glutamate, lysine, threonine, and tyrosine residues. Site-directed mutagenesis of the respective codons showed that changing D146 and E297 abolished activity without abolishing protein expression. The mechanism of Lpt1p was further analyzed using monounsaturated acyl-CoA species with different double bond positions. Delta 6 species showed the highest catalytic efficiency. We propose that D146 and E297 act in conjunction with H382 as nucleophiles that attack the hydroxyl group in lysophospholipids in a general acid/base mechanism. This sequential mechanism provides a precedent for other members of the membrane bound O-acyltransferase family. Also, Lpt1p optimally orients acyl-CoA substrates with 7.5 Å between a double bond and the thioester bond.

Neutral lipid stores and lipase PNPLA5 contribute to autophagosome biogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Autophagy is a fundamental cell biological process whereby eukaryotic cells form membranes in the cytoplasm to sequester diverse intracellular targets. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the origins of autophagosomal organelles, the source of lipids that support autophagic membrane formation remain an important open question. RESULTS: Here we show that lipid droplets as cellular stores of neutral lipids including triglycerides contribute to autophagic initiation. Lipid droplets, as previously shown, were consumed upon induction of autophagy by starvation. However, inhibition of autophagic maturation by blocking acidification or using dominant negative Atg4(C74A) that prohibits autophagosomal closure did not prevent disappearance of lipid droplets. Thus, lipid droplets continued to be utilized upon induction of autophagy, but not as autophagic substrates in a process referred to as lipophagy. We considered an alternative model whereby lipid droplets were consumed not as a part of lipophagy, but as a potential contributing source to the biogenesis of lipid precursors for nascent autophagosomes. We carried out a screen for a potential link between triglyceride mobilization and autophagy and identified a neutral lipase, PNPLA5, as being required for efficient autophagy. PNPLA5, which localized to lipid droplets, was needed for optimal initiation of autophagy. PNPLA5 was required for autophagy of diverse substrates, including degradation of autophagic adaptors, bulk proteolysis, mitochondrial quantity control, and microbial clearance. CONCLUSIONS: Lipid droplets contribute to autophagic capacity by enhancing it in a process dependent on PNPLA5. Thus, neutral lipid stores are mobilized during autophagy to support autophagic membrane formation.

Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 is the key enzyme for incorporating arachidonic acid into glycerophospholipids during adipocyte differentiation.

Cellular membranes contain glycerophospholipids, which have important structural and functional roles in cells. Glycerophospholipids are first formed in the de novo pathway (Kennedy pathway) and are matured in the remodeling pathway (Lands' cycle). Recently, lysophospholipid acyltransferases functioning in Lands' cycle were identified and characterized. Several enzymes involved in glycerophospholipid biosynthesis have been reported to have important roles in adipocytes. However, the role of Lands' cycle in adipogenesis has not yet been reported. Using C3H10T1/2, a cell line capable of differentiating to adipocyte-like cells in vitro, changes of lysophospholipid acyltransferase activities were investigated. Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT), lysophosphatidylethanolamine acyltransferase (LPEAT) and lysophosphatidylserine acyltransferase (LPSAT) activities were enhanced, especially with 18:2-CoA and 20:4-CoA as donors. Correspondingly, mRNA expression of LPCAT3, which possesses LPCAT, LPEAT and LPSAT activities with high specificity for 18:2- and 20:4-CoA, was upregulated during adipogenesis. Analysis of acyl-chain compositions of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) showed a change in their profiles between preadipocytes and adipocytes, including an increase in the percentage of arachidonic acid-containing phospholipids. These changes are consistent with the activities of LPCAT3. Therefore, it is possible that enhanced phospholipid remodeling by LPCAT3 may be associated with adipocyte differentiation.

Signaling role for lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 in receptor-regulated arachidonic acid reacylation reactions in human monocytes.

Cellular availability of free arachidonic acid (AA) is an important step in the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. Control of free AA levels in cells is carried out by the action of phospholipase A2s and lysophospholipid acyltransferases, which are responsible for the reactions of deacylation and incorporation of AA from and into the sn-2 position of phospholipids, respectively. In this work, we have examined the pathways for AA incorporation into phospholipids in human monocytes stimulated by zymosan. Our data show that stimulated cells exhibit an enhanced incorporation of AA into phospholipids that is not secondary to an increased availability of lysophospholipid acceptors due to phospholipase A2 activation but rather reflects the receptor-regulated nature of the AA reacylation pathway. In vitro activity measurements indicate that the receptor-sensitive step of the AA reacylation pathway is the acyltransferase using lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) as acceptor, and inhibition of the enzyme lysoPC acyltransferase 3 by specific small interfering RNA results in inhibition of the stimulated incorporation of AA into phospholipids. Collectively, these results define lysoPC acyltransferase 3 as a novel-signal-regulated enzyme that is centrally implicated in limiting free AA levels in activated cells.

Platelet-activating factor production in the spinal cord of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis mice via the group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2-lyso-PAFAT axis.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF; 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) plays a critical role in inflammatory disorders including experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS). Although PAF accumulation in the spinal cord (SC) of EAE mice and cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients has been reported, little is known about the metabolic processing of PAF in these diseases. In this study, we demonstrate that the activities of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) and acetyl-CoA:lyso-PAF acetyltransferase (LysoPAFAT) are elevated in the SC of EAE mice on a C57BL/6 genetic background compared with those of naive mice and correlate with disease severity. Correspondingly, levels of groups IVA, IVB, and IVF cytosolic PLA(2)s, group V secretory PLA(2), and LysoPAFAT transcripts are up-regulated in the SC of EAE mice. PAF acetylhydrolase activity is unchanged during the disease course. In addition, we show that LysoPAFAT mRNA and protein are predominantly expressed in microglia. Considering the substrate specificity and involvement of PAF production, group IVA cytosolic PLA(2) is likely to be responsible for the increased PLA(2) activity. These data suggest that PAF accumulation in the SC of EAE mice is profoundly dependent on the group IVA cytosolic PLA(2)/LysoPAFAT axis present in the infiltrating macrophages and activated microglia.

Lysophospholipid acyltransferases: novel potential regulators of the inflammatory response and target for new drug discovery.

Molecular and biochemical analyses of membrane phospholipids have revealed that, in addition to their physico-chemical properties, the metabolites of phospholipids play a crucial role in the recognition, signalling and responses of cells to a variety of stimuli. Such responses are mediated in large part by the removal and/or addition of different acyl chains to provide different phospholipid molecular species. The reacylation reactions, catalysed by specific acyltransferases control phospholipid composition and the availability of the important mediators free arachidonic acid and lysophospholipids. Lysophospholipid acyltransferases are therefore key control points for cellular responses to a variety of stimuli including inflammation. Regulation or manipulation of lysophospholipid acyltransferases may thus provide important mechanisms for novel anti-inflammatory therapies. This review will highlight mammalian lysophospholipid acyltransferases with particular reference to the potential role of lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase and its substrates in sepsis and other inflammatory conditions and as a potential target for novel anti-inflammatory therapies.

Mammalian acyl-CoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase enzymes.

The mammalian RBC lacks de novo lipid synthesis but maintains its membrane composition by rapid turnover of acyl moieties at the sn-2 position of phospholipids. Plasma-derived fatty acids are esterified to acyl-CoA by acyl-CoA synthetases and transferred to lysophospholipids by acyl-CoA:lysophospholipid acyltransferases. We report the characterization of three lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) acyltransferases (LPCATs), products of the AYTL1, -2, and -3 genes. These proteins are three members of a LPCAT family, of which all three genes are expressed in an erythroleukemic cell line. Aytl2 mRNA was detected in mouse reticulocytes, and the presence of the product of the human ortholog was confirmed in adult human RBCs. The three murine Aytl proteins generated phosphatidylcholine from long-chain acyl-CoA and lysoPC when expressed in Escherichia coli membranes. Spliced variants of Aytl1, affecting a conserved catalytic motif, were identified. Calcium and magnesium modulated LPCAT activity of both Aytl1 and -2 proteins that exhibit EF-hand motifs at the C terminus. Characterization of the product of the Aytl2 gene as the phosphatidylcholine reacylating enzyme in RBCs represents the identification of a plasma membrane lysophospholipid acyltransferase and establishes the function of a LPCAT protein.

The enzymatic function of tafazzin.

Tafazzin is a putative enzyme that is involved in cardiolipin metabolism, it may carry mutations responsible for Barth syndrome. To identify the biochemical reaction catalyzed by tafazzin, we expressed the full-length isoform of Drosophila melanogaster tafazzin in a baculovirus-Sf9 insect cell system. Tafazzin expression induced a new enzymatic function in Sf9 cell mitochondria, namely 1-palmitoyl-2-[14C]linoleoyl-phosphatidylcholine:monolysocardiolipin linoleoyltransferase. We also found evidence for the reverse reaction, because tafazzin expression caused transfer of acyl groups from phospholipids to 1-[14C]palmitoyl-2-lyso-phosphatidylcholine. An affinity-purified tafazzin construct, tagged with the maltose-binding protein, catalyzed both forward and reverse transacylations between cardiolipin and phosphatidylcholine, but was unable to utilize CoA or acyl-CoA as substrates. Whereas tafazzin supported transacylations between various phospholipid-lysophospholipid pairs, it showed the highest rate for the phosphatidylcholine-cardiolipin transacylation. Transacylation activities were about 10-fold higher for linoleoyl groups than for oleoyl groups, and they were negligible for arachidonoyl groups. The data show that Drosophila tafazzin is a CoA-independent, acyl-specific phospholipid transacylase with substrate preference for cardiolipin and phosphatidylcholine.

Use of acyltransferase inhibitors to block vesicular traffic between the ER and Golgi complex.

This article describes the use of acyltransferase inhibitors as probes for studying the potential role of lysophospholipid acyltransferases (LPAT) in intracellular membrane trafficking in the secretory and endocytic pathways. The small molecule inhibitors that are described here were originally found as acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitors. One of these, CI-976 (2,2-methyl-N-(2,4,6,-trimethoxyphenyl)dodecanamide), was also found to be a potent LPAT inhibitor. CI-976 is a small, hydrophobic, membrane-permeant compound and both in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that it, but not other ACAT inhibitors, has a profound effect on multiple membrane trafficking pathways in eukaryotic cells including: (1) inhibition of COPII vesicle budding from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), (2) inhibition of transferrin and transferrin receptor export from the endocytic recycling compartment, and (3) stimulation of tubule-mediated retrograde trafficking of Golgi membranes to the ER. Here we describe the use of CI-976 and other ACAT inhibitors for studies with both cultured mammalian cells and in vitro reconstitution assays, with a particular emphasis on COPII vesicle budding from the ER. All of these studies strongly suggest that CI-976-sensitive LPATs play a role in coated vesicle fission, and therefore, CI-976 is a valuable addition to the arsenal of small molecule inhibitors that can be used to study secretory and endocytic membrane trafficking pathways.

Detergent solubilization of liver microsomal acyl-coenzyme A:1-acyl-glycerophosphocholine acyltransferase in nephrotic rat.

Hyperlipidaemia is a common feature of nephrotic syndrome and this has been thought to involve increased assembly and secretion of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) in the liver. An important pathway for an indirect modulation of VLDL. Synthesis is the reaction catalyzed by the acyl-coenzyme A:1-acyl-glycero-phosphcholine acyl transferase. We therefore investigated the activity of this enzyme in liver microsomes isolated from puromycin amino nucleoside induced nephrotic rats. When oleoyl-CoA was employed as the acyl-donor, our results indicated that both the total and detergent soluble enzyme activities (112.2 +/- 16.7; 116.1 +/- 17.5 units, respectively) were significantly higher than the corresponding control levels of 91.1 +/- 11.1 and 75.4 +/- 20.9 units respectively. The percentage stimulation by sodium cholate were 176.5 and 192.2 for the control and nephrotic rats, respectively. In absence of sodium cholate, when oleoyl CoA was replaced by arachidonoyl-CoA as acyl-donor, the measured total enzyme activity was only significantly reduced in the control rats (71.1 +/- 8.9 Vs 91.1 +/- 11.1 Units). Oleoyl-CoA as acyl-donor gave higher values for the soluble and residual enzyme activities (90.4 13.3; 99.5 34.5 unit) than the corresponding control levels (75.9 +/- 10.0; 50.5 +/- 34.0 units) as compared to arachidonoyl-CoA. In the control group the difference was only significant in the residual activity (92.9 20.5 Vs 64.7 24.1 units). The addition of monomethylethanomine (200 mM) had little or no effect, while both reduced glutathione (10 mM) and 1,2-diacylglycerol (1 mM) caused significant reduction in measured activity. These results indicated that in nephrotic rats new phospholipid synthesis is enhanced and this could contribute to the increased VLDL assembly and secretion usually associated with nephrotic syndrome.