Oleylethanolamide regulates feeding and body weight through activation of the nuclear receptor PPAR-alpha.

Oleylethanolamide (OEA) is a naturally occurring lipid that regulates satiety and body weight. Although structurally related to the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide, OEA does not bind to cannabinoid receptors and its molecular targets have not been defined. Here we show that OEA binds with high affinity to the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha), a nuclear receptor that regulates several aspects of lipid metabolism. Administration of OEA produces satiety and reduces body weight gain in wild-type mice, but not in mice deficient in PPAR-alpha. Two distinct PPAR-alpha agonists have similar effects that are also contingent on PPAR-alpha expression, whereas potent and selective agonists for PPAR-gamma and PPAR-beta/delta are ineffective. In the small intestine of wild-type but not PPAR-alpha-null mice, OEA regulates the expression of several PPAR-alpha target genes: it initiates the transcription of proteins involved in lipid metabolism and represses inducible nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme that may contribute to feeding stimulation. Our results, which show that OEA induces satiety by activating PPAR-alpha, identify an unexpected role for this nuclear receptor in regulating behaviour, and raise possibilities for the treatment of eating disorders.

UTP-bound and Apo structures of a minimal RNA uridylyltransferase.

3'-Uridylylation of RNA is emerging as a phylogenetically widespread phenomenon involved in processing events as diverse as uridine insertion/deletion RNA editing in mitochondria of trypanosomes and small nuclear RNA (snRNA) maturation in humans. This reaction is catalyzed by terminal uridylyltransferases (TUTases), which are template-independent RNA nucleotidyltransferases that specifically recognize UTP and belong to a large enzyme superfamily typified by DNA polymerase beta. Multiple TUTases, recently identified in trypanosomes, as well as a U6 snRNA-specific TUTase enzyme in humans, are highly divergent at the protein sequence level. However, they all possess conserved catalytic and UTP recognition domains, often accompanied by various auxiliary modules present at the termini or between conserved domains. Here we report identification, structural and biochemical analyses of a novel trypanosomal TUTase, TbTUT4, which represents a minimal catalytically active RNA uridylyltransferase. The TbTUT4 consists of only two domains that define the catalytic center at the bottom of the nucleoside triphosphate and RNA substrate binding cleft. The 2.0 Angstroms crystal structure reveals two significantly different conformations of this TUTase: one molecule is in a relatively open apo conformation, whereas the other displays a more compact TUTase-UTP complex. A single nucleoside triphosphate is bound in the active site by a complex network of interactions between amino acid residues, a magnesium ion and highly ordered water molecules with the UTP's base, ribose and phosphate moieties. The structure-guided mutagenesis and cross-linking studies define the amino acids essential for catalysis, uracil base recognition, ribose binding and phosphate coordination by uridylyltransferases. In addition, the cluster of positively charged residues involved in RNA binding is identified. We also report a 2.4 Angstroms crystal structure of TbTUT4 with the bound 2' deoxyribonucleoside, which provides the structural basis of the enzyme's preference toward ribonucleotides.

URB602 inhibits monoacylglycerol lipase and selectively blocks 2-arachidonoylglycerol degradation in intact brain slices.

The N-aryl carbamate URB602 (biphenyl-3-ylcarbamic acid cyclohexyl ester) is an inhibitor of monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), a serine hydrolase involved in the biological deactivation of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG). Here, we investigated the mechanism by which URB602 inhibits purified recombinant rat MGL by using a combination of biochemical and structure-activity relationship (SAR) approaches. We found that URB602 weakly inhibits recombinant MGL (IC(50) = 223 +/- 63 microM) through a rapid and noncompetitive mechanism. Dialysis experiments and SAR analyses suggest that URB602 acts through a partially reversible mechanism rather than by irreversible carbamoylation of MGL. Finally, URB602 (100 microM) elevates 2-AG levels in hippocampal slice cultures without affecting levels of other endocannabinoid-related substances. Thus, URB602 may provide a useful tool by which to investigate the physiological roles of 2-AG and explore the potential interest of MGL as a therapeutic target.

A calcium-driven conformational switch of the N-terminal and core domains of annexin A1.

In 1993, Huber and co-workers published the structure of an N-terminally truncated version of human annexin A1 lacking the first 32 amino acid residues (PDB code: 1AIN). In 2001, we reported the structure of full-length porcine annexin A1 including the N-terminal domain in the absence of calcium ions (PDB code: 1HM6). The latter structure did not reflect a typical annexin core fold, but rather a surprising interaction of the N-terminal domain and the core domain. Comparing these two structures revealed that in the full-length structure the first 12 residues of the N-terminal domain insert into the core of the protein, thereby replacing and unwinding one of the alpha-helices (helix D in repeat 3) that is involved in calcium binding. We hypothesized that this structure in the absence of calcium ions represents the inactive form of the protein. Furthermore, we proposed that upon calcium binding, the N-terminal domain would be expelled from the core domain and that the core D-helix would reform in the proper conformation for calcium coordination. Herein, we report the X-ray structure of full-length porcine annexin A1 in the presence of calcium. This new structure shows a typical annexin core structure as we hypothesized, with the D-helix back in place for calcium coordination while parts of the now exposed N-terminal domain are disordered. We could locate eight calcium ions in this structure, two of which are octa-coordinated and two of which were not observed in the structure of the N-terminally truncated annexin A1. Possible implications of this calcium-induced conformational switch for the membrane aggregation properties of annexin A1 will be discussed.

Structure of the human p53 core domain in the absence of DNA.

The tumor suppressor protein p53 plays a key role in cell-cycle regulation by triggering DNA repair, cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis when the appropriate signal is received. p53 has the classic architecture of a transcription factor, with an amino-terminal transactivation domain, a core DNA-binding domain and carboxy-terminal tetramerization and regulatory domains. The crystal structure of the p53 core domain, which includes the amino acids from residue 96 to residue 289, has been determined in the absence of DNA to a resolution of 2.05 A. Crystals grew in a new monoclinic space group (P2(1)), with unit-cell parameters a = 68.91, b = 69.36, c = 84.18 A, beta = 90.11 degrees . The structure was solved by molecular replacement and has been refined to a final R factor of 20.9% (R(free) = 24.6%). The final model contains four molecules in the asymmetric unit with four zinc ions and 389 water molecules. The non-crystallographic tetramers display different protein contacts from those in other p53 crystals, giving rise to the question of how p53 arranges as a tetramer when it binds its target DNA.

Hydrolysis of prostaglandin glycerol esters by the endocannabinoid-hydrolyzing enzymes, monoacylglycerol lipase and fatty acid amide hydrolase.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) can oxygenate the endocannabinoids, arachidonyl ethanolamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), to prostaglandin-H2-ethanolamide (PGH2-EA) and -glycerol ester (PGH2-G), respectively. Further metabolism of PGH2-EA and PGH2-G by prostaglandin synthases produces a variety of prostaglandin-EA's and prostaglandin-G's nearly as diverse as those derived from arachidonic acid. Thus, COX-2 may regulate endocannabinoid levels in neurons during retrograde signaling or produce novel endocannabinoid metabolites for receptor activation. Endocannabinoid-metabolizing enzymes are important regulators of their action, so we tested whether PG-G levels may be regulated by monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). We found that PG-Gs are poor substrates for purified MGL and FAAH compared to 2-AG and/or AEA. Determination of substrate specificity demonstrates a 30-100- and 150-200-fold preference of MGL and FAAH for 2-AG over PG-Gs, respectively. The substrate specificity of AEA compared to those of PG-Gs was approximately 200-300 fold higher for FAAH. Thus, PG-Gs are poor substrates for the major endocannabinoid-degrading enzymes, MGL and FAAH.

Cloning, purification and crystallization of full-length human annexin 2.

Annexin 2, a Ca(2+)/phospholipid-binding protein, is involved in many biological processes, including membrane aggregation and the modulation of fibrinolytic activity. Here, the expression and purification of recombinant full-length human annexin 2 is reported, as well as crystals obtained by sitting-drop and hanging-drop vapor diffusion at 277 K. A condition consisting of 18% PEG 8000, 0.1 M sodium cacodylate pH 6.5, 0.2 M calcium acetate yielded long needles that diffracted to 3.20 A. Another condition, consisting of 2.5 M NaCl, 0.1 M acetate pH 4.5, 0.2 M Li(2)SO(4), gave crystals with unit-cell parameters a = 48.36, b = 62.86, c = 119.11 A that diffracted to 1.52 A. Both crystals belong to the orthorhombic P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group. The high-resolution 1.52 A data set was collected at ALS beamline 5.0.2 and is 93.0% complete, with an R(sym) of 4.5%. The structure of full-length annexin 2 will provide insight into how its N-terminal domain contributes to its functional role in a variety of biological processes.

Annexin A1 interaction with a zwitterionic phospholipid monolayer: a fluorescence microscopy study.

We present the results of a fluorescence microscopy study of the interaction of annexin A1 with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) monolayers as a function of the lipid monolayer phase and the pH of the aqueous subphase. We show that annexin A1-DPPC interaction depends strongly on the domain structure of the DPPC monolayer and only weakly on the subphase pH. Annexin A1 is found to be line active, with preferential adsorption at phase boundaries. Also, annexin A1 is found to form networks in the presence of a domain structure in the monolayer. Our results point toward an important contribution of the unique N-terminal domain to the organization of the protein at the interface.