Accessibility of lysolecithin in catecholamine secretory vesicles to acyl CoA:lysolecithin acyl transferase.
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Lysolecithin has been implicated in the pathogenesis of gastric ulcer and reflux gastritis. By use of canine Heidenhain pouches, we examined effects of lysolecithin on the gastric mucosal barrier both at neutral (PO4 buffer, pH 7) and acidic (0.15 M HCl) pH with respect to interaction of lysolecithin with membrane lipids. At both pH values, 2 mM lysolecithin significantly increased forward diffusion of Na+ and backdiffusion of H+. Both solutions also caused significant efflux of membrane phospholipid and cholesterol. Saturation of neutral and acidic lysolecithin solutions with either lecithin or cholesterol significantly diminished or completely prevented disruption of the barrier to H+ backdiffusion and Na+ forward diffusion. In agreement with other reports, we also demonstrated formation of soluble lysolecithin-lecithin mixed micelles but formation of insoluble lysolecithin-cholesterol complexes. Finally, by use of [3H]polyethylene glycol and [14C]lysolecithin, we demonstrated more rapid mucosal uptake of lysolecithin at acidic than at neutral pH for any given experimental condition. Specifically, mean mucosal uptake of lysolecithin from acidic solutions saturated with lecithin (which did not disrupt the gastric mucosal barrier) was greater than uptake from neutral solutions without added lipid (which did disrupt the barrier). These studies suggest that lysolecithin-lipid interactions play an important role in lysolecithin-induced injury to the gastric mucosa. The most important of these interactions appears to occur in luminal lysolecithin micelles rather than within mucosal membranes.
Human plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase also converts lysolecithin to lecithin in the presence of low density lipoproteins. To understand the physiological importance of this lysolecithin acyltransferase reaction, we investigated the molecular species of lysolecithin available for acylation in normal plasma and the lecithins which are formed by the acylation of each of these lysolecithins. Palmitate- and stearate-containing lysolecithins were formed by the lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase reaction, whereas oleate- and linoleate-containing lysolecithins were formed by the action of post-heparin lipase(s). All the natural lysolecithins were esterified at comparable rates by the isolated enzyme. Lyso platelet-activating factor was esterified about 70% as efficiently as the lysolecithins, while lysophosphatidylethanolamine was esterified at about 30% the rate observed with lysolecithin. The 2-acyl isomers of lysolecithin were acylated to the same extent as the 1-acyl isomers, although considerable isomerization of the former took place during the incubation. There were no net changes in the concentrations of lecithin and lysolecithin after 6 h of incubation with the enzyme, although over 10% of the labeled lysolecithin was converted to lecithin, indicating that the endogenous lecithin serves as the acyl donor in the reaction. When the molecular species of lecithin formed were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography, the same pattern of fatty acid incorporation was observed with all the lysolecithins used. The bulk of the radioactivity was incorporated into molecular species formed by the acylation with linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids, in decreasing order. However, in each case, the lecithins formed by acylation with palmitic acid had the highest specific radioactivity, followed by those acylated with linoleic and oleic acids. From these results it is postulated that the enzyme alters the molecular species composition of lecithin in plasma without increasing the net amount of total lecithins.
High denisty apolipoprotein A-1 (apoLp A-I) has been prepared in a chromatographically and immunochemically homogeneous form. This apoprotein forms trimeric and tetrameric aggregates in aqueous solutions at higher concentrations. ApoLp A-I has been recombined in almost quantitative yield in the presence of lysolecithin with phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin to particles of reproducible stoichiometry. Lysolecithin is not required for the interactions of lecithin and sphingomyelin with the apoprotein A-I or for the stability of these complexes. Dialysis removes most of the lysolecithin without the loss of lecithin and sphingomyelin. ApoLp A-I-lecithin particles have a molecular weight of 200 000 and contain 50 molecules lecithin and 25 of lysolecithin. ApoLp A-I-sphingomyelin complexes contain 50 sphingomyelin and 13 lysolecithin molecules. The former particles show up as discs of 100 A diameter, and the latter particles are 250 A in diameter. Their thickness was estimated as 25 A in the apoLp A-I lecithin and 60 A in the apoLp A-I-sphingomyelin particles. ApoLp A-I and lysolecithin form complexes whose densities depend on the lysolecithin concentration. Lysolecithin enhances the binding of phosphatidylcholine to apoLP A-I, yielding lipoprotein complexes with decreasing density. The yield of apoLp A-I-sphingomyelin-lysolecithin complexes is proportional to the lysolecithin concentration. The ratio of apoLp A-I to sphingomyelin in all these complexes remains constant.
We have studied the effect of long-term hyperlipemia and atherosclerosis in squirrel monkeys on the metabolism of lysolecithin-(14)C (1-palmitoyl-1'-(14)C sn-glycerol 3-phosphorylcholine) in order to explain elevated plasma and arterial concentrations of lysolecithin. The die-away curves of lysolecithin-(14)C from plasma and the timing of appearances of other (14)C-labeled moieties in plasma and other tissues demonstrated a complex pattern of metabolic reactions. There was a rapid equilibration of specific activities of lysolecithin of plasma, liver, and aortic intima plus inner media. The specific activities of lecithin peaked first in liver, then in plasma, and rose slowly in aortic intima plus inner media. The appearance of lecithin-(14)C in heart and skeletal muscle was also slower than in the liver and some other tissues. Triglycerides, and to a lesser extent, cholesteryl esters contained radioactivity. The concentrations of aortic lysolecithin in the atherosclerotic aortas were several times greater than comparable values for control aortas, and the time of equilibration of plasma and aorta lysolecithin-(14)C was much greater for the atherosclerotic group. The quantities of lysolecithin in plasma and in the pool of which the plasma was a part, were increased with hyperlipemia and atherosclerosis, as was the rate of lysolecithin production in the fast pool. Hyperlipemia was also associated with an early increase in plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity in vitro. Furthermore, nutritional hyperlipemia influenced the distribution of lysolecithin-(14)C and lecithin-(14)C between different plasma lipoproteins. The increase in concentrations of lysolecithin in the aorta occurred more slowly than that in plasma after we had induced hyperlipemia in the monkeys.
The rate of hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine bilayers by phospholipase A2 may be either enhanced or inhibited by the presence of lysolecithin depending on the experimental conditions examined. To further understand the relationship of lysolecithin to phospholipase A2 activity, the binding of lysolecithin to phospholipase A2 from the venom of Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus was examined by fluorescence spectroscopy. The tryptophan emission intensity of the enzyme was enhanced by 70% upon addition of lysolecithin. The binding isotherm for lysolecithin to the phospholipase A2 estimated from the fluorescence change was biphasic, with a clear break in the curve occurring at the critical micelle concentration of the lysolecithin. Several observations suggested that the phospholipase A2 was capable of hydrolyzing the lysolecithin although at a rate far below that of phospholipid hydrolysis. These experiments were repeated using several other species of phospholipase A2, and the results were found to be general among the enzymes except the lys-49 isozyme from A. p. piscivorus which displayed neither the dependence on the critical micelle concentration for binding nor the ability to hydrolyze lysolecithin. These results were used as the basis for a quantitative analysis of enzyme fluorescence changes that occur during the time course of phospholipid hydrolysis and of the mechanism whereby lysolecithin inhibits the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine bilayers by phospholipase A2.
Bilayers composed of phosphatidylcholine initially resist catalysis by phospholipase A2. However, after a latency period, they become susceptible when sufficient reaction products (lysolecithin and fatty acid) accumulate in the membrane. Temperature near the main bilayer phase transition and calcium concentration modulate the effectiveness of the reaction products. The purpose of this study was to examine the individual contributions of lysolecithin and palmitic acid to the susceptibility of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles and to rationalize the effects of temperature and calcium. Various fluorescent probes (Prodan, Laurdan, pyrene-labeled fatty acid, and dansyl-labeled phospholipid) were used to assess changes in the ability of the reaction products to perturb the bilayer and to affect the interactions with the enzyme. Un-ionized palmitic acid decreased bilayer polarity and perturbed the membrane surface exposing some of the Prodan to bulk water. Lysolecithin increased bilayer polarity and the rate of dipolar relaxation in response to the excited states of Laurdan and Prodan. A combination of the individual contributions of each product was observed when palmitic acid and lysolecithin were present together at low calcium, and the effects of lysolecithin dominated at high calcium. Palmitic acid, but not lysolecithin, promoted the binding of phospholipase A2 to the bilayer surface in the absence of calcium. Lysolecithin reduced the ability of fatty acid to enhance binding apparently by altering the structure of fatty acid domains in the membrane. Furthermore, increased temperature and ionization of the fatty acid tended to cause segregation of bound phospholipase A2 into domains poor in phospholipid content which presumably impeded bilayer hydrolysis. In contrast, un-ionized palmitic acid and lysolecithin promoted hydrolysis by augmenting a step distal to the adsorption of enzyme to the bilayer. This kinetic response to lysolecithin was calcium-dependent. A model accounting for these varied influences of the reaction products is presented.
We examine the hypothesis of Portman et al. (1970) that lysolecithin is a causal agent of atherosclerosis. Four lines of argument support this hypothesis. (1) Lysolecithin is present, taken up and can act. Large amounts of lysolecithin are formed in plasma concomitant with triglyceride transport and it is readily taken up by arteries and retained for some time. Lysolecithin in aortic intima increases several-fold early in the induction of atherosclerosis in animals. From model system studies it is plausible that physiological doses of lysolecithin have physiologically significant effects. (2) At least one plausible mechanism of action can be formulated: stimulation of smooth muscle cell division due to lysolecithin-increased Ca2+ uptake. (3) The hypothesis is consistent with, and rationalizes, many literature observations in that inferred lysolecithin levels or production rates are appropriately correlated with a variety of positive and negative risk factors to a degree highly unlikely by chance. We found no data contradicting the hypothesis and only one piece weakening it. (4) A mechanism is outlined showing that low density lipoprotein receptor deficiency, the severest known risk factor, should cause the delivery of very high lysolecithin doses to artery walls. We conclude that the evidence, although indirect, is strong enough to give direct tests a high priority.
In order to elucidate the role of lysolecithin in membranes, we have examined the effect of lysolecithin on the structure and permeability of lecithin bilayer membranes. Small L-alpha-dimyristoyllecithin (DML) vesicles with myristoyllysolecithin (MLL) incorporated as well as small L-alpha-dipalmitoyllecithin (DPL) vesicles with palmitoyllysolecithin (PLL) were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods at temperatures both above and below the alpha-gel in equilibrium liquid crystalline phase transition temperature (Tc) and as a function of the concentration of the incorporated lysolecithin. Europium (III) ion was used as a probe to measure the permeability of the vesicular bilayer membrane. At temperatures below Tc, these vesicles were found to be extremely permeable to europium (III) ions. The ion translocation was found to be too fast to be measured by the NMR method under these conditions. However, above the phase transition temperature the ionic permeability decreases to a rate which could be conveniently monitored, and the permeability was shown to increase with temperature and lysolecithin concentration. Analysis of the lysolecithin concentration dependence suggests the formation of ion channels within the lipid bilayer involving four lysolecithin molecules. The data below Tc suggest a phase separation below the phase transition temperature of the host lipid, leading to the formation of patches of lysolecithin molecules within the lecithin matrix. These lysolecithin clusters are presumably long-lived under these conditions and are sufficiently structurally perturbed or disordered to serve as channels for rapid ion permeation.
The metabolism of lysolecithin by the normal and by the ischaemic heart was examined in eight anaesthetised dogs. Relative lysolecithin concentrations (%lysolecithin) were measured in arterial, local (ischaemic) venous and coronary sinus (nonischaemic) blood samples, withdrawn before and at 2, 6, 10, 15 and 20 min after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Before ligation, 9.0 +/- 0.8% of the arterial lecithin was in the form of the lyso-derivative. The heart extracted lysolecithin, as reflected by the positive arterio-venous difference of lysolecithin. Arterio-venous differences of %lysolecithin across both the ischaemic and nonischaemic myocardium tended to diminish after coronary ligation, whether or not the dogs developed ventricular fibrillation. These results do not support the view that the formation of lysolecithin during ischaemia precipitates arrhythmias, since lysolecithin levels do not reach those necessary to induce electrophysiological abnormalities in vitro. Nor will the uniform response of the ischaemic and nonischaemic tissue result in metabolic heterogeneity leading to electrophysiological heterogeneity, which is thought to be an important factor in the development of re-entry arrhythmias.
Liposomes have been prepared with lysolecithin (1-acyl-sn-3-glycerylphosphorylcholine), egg lecithin (3-sn-phosphatidylcholine), dicetyl phosphate, and cholesterol. The ability to function as a barrier to the diffusion of glucose marker and the sensitivities of the liposomes to hypotonic treatment and other reagents which modified the permeability were examined. Generally, lysolecithin incorporation decreased the effectiveness of the membranes as a barrier to glucose and made the membranes more "osmotically fragile." Cholesterol incorporation counteracted the effect of incorporated lysolecithin. The more cholesterol incorporated into liposomes, the more lysolecthin could be incorporated into the membrane without loss of function as a barrier. With more than 50 mole% of colesterol, lysolecithin alone could form membranes which were practically impermeable to glucose. The hemolytic activity of lysolecithin was affected by mixing with various lecithins or cholesterol. Liposomes containing lysolecithin, which have the ability to trap glucose marker, showed poor hemolytic activity, while lipid micelles with lysolecithin (which could trap little glucose) showed almost the same hemolytic activity as lysolecithin itself. There seems to be a close correlation between hemolytic activity and barrier function of lipid micelles.
Mixtures of lysolecithin with various phospholipids were studied by electron microscopy using negative staining. Mixtures of dipalmitoyllecithin and lysolecithin produced disc-shaped structures which were stacked in aggregates with a 6.0--6.4 nm repeat. The disc were 10--50 nm in diameter. The disc-shaped structures were best observed in equimolar mixtures of dipalmitoyllecithin and lysolecithin. When dipalmitoyllecithin was replaced by dimyristoyllecithin, the structures were rather different from those observed in the system containing dipalmitoyllecithin; a cylindrical micellar phase was predominant. Equimolar mixtures of egg lecithin and lysolecithin formed the more usual smectic, concentric lamellae (liposomes) and elongated rod-like micelles which might be bimolecular fragments of spherules. The radius of the rod-like micelles was about 6 nm. Structures of rod-like micelles were observed more frequently in the samples after incubation at room temperature and then further incubation at 0 degrees C. Equimolar mixtures of didecanoyllecithin and lysolecithin produced large amounts of elongated rod-like micelles. Beef brain sphingoymyelin showed disc-shaped structures when mixed with lysolecithin. Incorporation of cholesterol into the mixtures of dipalmitoyllecithin and lysolecithin changed the morphological structure; the size of the disc became larger and eventually liposomes were formed with an increase of cholesterol content. The structures observed in mixtures of dipalmitoyllecithin or sphingomyelin and lysolecithin closely resembled those observed in complexes of apolipoprotein and lipid.
We used molecular modeling to examine the binding of 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (a lecithin), 1-octanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (a lysolecithin) and their tetrahedral intermediates in the catalytic site of phospholipase A2 (PLA2). We performed energy minimization on each complex, computed the binding energy, determined the relative binding energy among the complexes and calculated the difference in inter- and intramolecular energies of the components in the complexes. We found that the calculated orientation of the sn-1 ester bond of lysolecithin in the active site is similar to that of the sn-2 ester bond in lecithin, thus permitting PLA2 to hydrolyze lysolecithin using the same mechanism as it uses to hydrolyze lecithin. On the other hand, the binding of lecithin is energetically more favorable by 4.5 kcal/mol than the binding of lysolecithin to the enzyme, and the binding of the lecithin tetrahedral intermediate is also energetically more favorable by 19.7 kcal/mol than the binding of the lysolecithin tetrahedral intermediate to the enzyme, which explains why lecithin is a better substrate than lysolecithin in the catalytic site. These results indicate that the activation energy for the hydrolysis of lysolecithin is higher than that for lecithin, consistent with the observed slower rate for the hydrolysis of lysolecithin.
Basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric secretions, collected (at 15-min intervals for 1 h) from six duodenal ulcer and six gastric ulcer patients, were analyzed for their content of lecithin, lysolecithin, and glyceroglucolipids. Whereas the glyceroglucolipid concentrations and the molar ratios of lysolecithin to lecithin (2.5:1) in basal and stimulated secretions from patients with duodenal and gastric ulcer were similar, significant (p less than 0.01) differences were noted between these two groups with regard to the lysolecithin contents. The basal secretions of patients with duodenal ulcer contained about 4.5-fold less (204 mumol/l) of lysolecithin than those from patients with gastric ulcer (932 mumol/l). After pentagastrin stimulation, the lysolecithin concentrations in the secretion from duodenal ulcer patients rose slightly (to 212 mumol/l), whereas a twofold decrease (to 440 mumol/l) in lysolecithin was observed in the secretion from patients with gastric ulcer. Statistically significant correlation between concentrations of lysolecithin and glyceroglucolipids was only observed in basal (r = 0.85, p less than 0.05) and stimulated (r = 0.93, p less than 0.01) secretions from patients with gastric ulcer. It is concluded that high concentrations of lysolecithin in the secretion of gastric ulcer patients results in the weakening of the gastric mucosal barrier by depleting its glyceroglucolipid component.