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Kinetic colorimetric assay of lipase in serum.

We describe a kinetic colorimetric method for assaying lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) activity in serum by using a natural long-chain fatty acid 1,2-diglyceride. In the presence of colipase, deoxycholate, and calcium ions, pancreatic lipase hydrolyzes the clear substrate solution to produce a 2-monoglyceride, which in turn releases glycerol by the action of a 2-monoglyceride lipase. Glycerol is then assayed by a sequence of enzymatic actions (glycerol kinase, glycerol phosphate oxidase, and peroxidase) that produce a violet quinone monoimine dye with peak absorption at 550 nm. The method features zero-order reaction kinetics, provides a simple and rapid assay with an extended dynamic range, is specific and precise, gives results that correlate well (r greater than or equal to 0.99) with those of methods in which emulsified triolein is the substrate, and lends itself readily to automation. For all these reasons, the method seems highly suitable for routine use in clinical laboratories.

Calcium↗

[Dietary fatty acids, intestinal microbiota and cancer].

The interactions between dietary fatty acids (FA) and the intestinal microbiota were reviewed, with their possible relationships to colon and breast cancers. Free and esterified FA in the colon are from dietary, endogenous and microbial origin. Their quantity and quality vary according to dietary FA. Some FA but not all are powerful antimicrobial agents, and different bacteria exhibit distinct sensitivity to FA. These data converge to suggest that dietary FA could influence the biodiversity of the intestinal microbiota and its functions. Conversely, bacteria can modify lipid substrates due to their enormous metabolic potential, and several studies demonstrated that dietary FA did influence the nature of the metabolites produced. Some of these, like hydroxylated FA or sn-1,2-diglycerides, have recognized biological activities on the intestinal mucosa, either as surfactants or intracellular messengers. The intestinal microbiota also represents a substantial source of usual and unusual FA whose biological activities remain to be explored. Dietary FA can influence the secretion of bile and bile acids into the duodenum, the bile acid flux and/or concentration into the feces and that of cholesterol and its bacterial products. This is expected to modify the cytotoxicity of the colonic contents which remains to be evaluated under different lipid diets. Lastly, the intestinal microbiota is very efficient in hydrolyzing conjugated endobiotics and xenobiotics, and this favours the reactivation and the enterohepatic circulation of compounds which have been eliminated through the bile. Hormones are especially concerned, and the intestinal microbiota could thus be implicated in breast cancer. Some dietary FA are known to increase bacterial beta-glucuronidases whereas their effect on other bacterial hydrolases or other enzymes capable of modifying the steroid nucleus remains unknown. In conclusion, numerous data suggest that a strong relationship could exist between dietary FA, the intestinal microbiota and the risk of colon and breast cancer. In the same time, data are still fragmentary so that the effects of dietary FA on the overall biodiversity and numerous functions of the intestinal microbiota cannot be hitherto predicted. Future investigations in this field are discussed.

Animals↗

Glycerolipid synthesis in isolated adipocytes: substrate dependence and influence of norepinephrine.

Studies of fatty acid (FA) esterification by adipocytes have led to conflicting views with respect to how the process is regulated by norepinephrine (NE). It remains unclear whether NE directly modulates the pathway or whether its effects are indirect and reflect its well-known action to activate lipolysis. Changes in lipolysis can complicate estimation of esterification rates by altering both medium FA and the hydrolysis of newly formed FA esters. In this report, we describe an experimental approach that determined the effect of NE on FA esterification, amidst the complications introduced by activation of lipolysis. Esterification rates were estimated from the simultaneous incorporations (0.1-60 min) of [14C]glucose and [3H]oleate into diglyceride (DG), phospholipid (PL), and triglyceride (TG). Saturation kinetics of incorporation rates, with respect to FA, and more specifically to unbound or albumin-free FA (ubFA), were determined in both basal and NE-treated cells. To obtain true estimates of ester synthesis, incorporation rates were adjusted for label loss from breakdown of labeled esters. Our findings were: 1) In basal versus NE-treated cells, [3H]oleate, on its pathway to esterification, was diluted, respectively, by 2 and 50% of measured cell FA, and the diluting FA appeared derived from lipolysis. 2) Syntheses of PL, DG, and TG, estimated from incorporation of [14C]glucose, saturated at low ubFA. The Km for TG synthesis (0.06 microM) was within the physiological range of ubFA which meant that changes in plasma FA will modulate TG synthesis. PL synthesis, on the other hand (Km less than 0.01 microM), would be largely saturated under physiological conditions. 3) NE treatment increased the molar ratio of FA to albumin in the medium an average 8-fold and ubFA about 87-fold. In addition, NE accelerated hydrolysis of labeled PL and DG. Adjusting incorporation rates for these changes indicated that NE does not directly regulate glyceride synthesis. The assays described should allow estimation of glycerolipid synthesis under various metabolic or disease states and will distinguish direct effects from those reflecting changes in FA concentration or in hydrolysis of labeled FA esters.

Adipose Tissue↗

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha priming of phospholipase A2 activation in human neutrophils. An alternative mechanism of priming.

The cytokine, TNF-alpha, interacts with human neutrophils (PMN) via specific membrane receptors and primes leukotriene B4 (LTB4) production in PMN for subsequent stimulation by calcium ionophores. We have further examined the effects of TNF-alpha on arachidonic acid (AA) release, LTB4 production, and platelet-activating factor (PAF) formation in PMN by prelabeling cells with either [3H]AA or [3H]lyso-PAF, priming with human rTNF-alpha, and then stimulating with the chemotactic peptide, FMLP. TNF-alpha, alone, had little effect; minimal AA release, LTB4 or PAF production occurred after PMN were incubated with 0 to 1000 U/ml TNF-alpha. However, when PMN were first preincubated with 100 U/ml TNF-alpha for 30 min and subsequently challenged with 1 microM FMLP, both [3H] AA release and LTB4 production were elevated two- to threefold over control values. Measurement of AA mass by gas chromatography and LTB4 production by RIA confirmed the radiolabeled results. TNF-alpha priming also increased PAF formation after FMLP stimulation. These results demonstrate that TNF-alpha priming before stimulation with a physiologic agonist can enhance activation of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) resulting in increased AA release and can facilitate the activities of 5-lipoxygenase (LTB4 production) and acetyltransferase (PAF formation). Reports in the literature have hypothesized that the priming mechanism involves either production of PLA2 metabolites, increased diglyceride (DG) levels, or enhanced cytosolic calcium levels induced by the priming agent. We investigated these possibilities in TNF-alpha priming of PMN and report that TNF-alpha had no direct effect on PLA2 activation or metabolite formation. Treatment of PMN with TNF-alpha did not induce DG formation and, in the absence of cytochalasin B, no increased DG production (measured by both radiolabel techniques and mass determinations) occurred after TNF-alpha priming followed by FMLP stimulation. TNF-alpha also had no effect on basal cytosolic calcium and did not enhance intracellular calcium levels after FMLP stimulation. These results suggest that an alternative, as yet undefined, mechanism is active in TNF-alpha priming of human PMN.

Arachidonic Acid↗

De novo synthesis of diacylglycerol from glucose. A new pathway of signal transduction in human neutrophils stimulated during phagocytosis of beta-glucan particles.

The phagocytosis of beta-glucan particles by human neutrophils and the associated activation of NADPH O2- forming oxidase were accompanied by an increased hydrolysis of phosphoinositides by phospholipase C, hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine by phospholipase D, accumulation of diglyceride (DG) mass, and [Ca2+]i rise. The reaction of phospholipid hydrolysis played a minor role in the formation of DG, which was mainly formed by de novo synthesis from glucose. The activation of this pathway was shown by the stimulation of the incorporation of [U-14C]glucose into DG, which occurred very rapidly after the challenge of neutrophils with beta-glucan particles. This DG derived from glucose was found almost completely as 1-acyl-2-acyl-glycerol (DAG). On the basis of the finding that phosphatidic acid was the precursor of DAG, an increase in the incorporation of [U-14C]acetate into DAG did not occur, and the [14C]radioactivity was in the glycerol backbone, the synthesis of DAG from [U-14C]glucose occurred very likely via dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glycerol 3-phosphate, stepwise acylation to phosphatidic acid, and dephosphorylation by phosphatidate phosphatase.

Calcium↗

Effects of free fatty acids on the enzymic synthesis of diacyl and ether types of choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides.

Activities of ethanolaminephosphotransferases (EC 2.7.8.1) and choline phosphotransferases (EC 2.7.8.2) in microsomal fractions from brains and livers of mature rats are increased several fold by the addition of 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerols or 1-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-clycerols. Oleic acid added with diacylglycerols stimulated further the synthesis of lecithins by liver microsomes, confirming the work of Sribney and Lyman (Can J. Biochem. 51: 1479-1486, 1973). With alkylacylglycerols, oleic and stearic acids were inhibitory and linoleic acid was even more inhibitory for the synthesis of both 1-alkyl-1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholines and the corresponding ethanolamine compounds with microsomes from both tissues. Free fatty acids without added diglycerides had mixed effects. These results are best explained by postulating the presence of two isoenzymes each for ethanolaminephosphotransferase and cholinephosphotransferase of which only one is affected by free fatty acids. Regulation of the phosphotransferases by free fatty acids may determine the proportion of CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine used for synthesis of diacyl and alkylacyl types of these phosphoglycerides.

Animals↗

The chymotrypsin inhibitor carbobenzyloxy-leucine-tyrosine-chloromethylketone interferes with phospholipase D activation induced by formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine in human neutrophils.

The effects of carbobenzyloxy-leucine-tyrosine-chloromethylketone (zLYCK), an inhibitor of chymotrypsin-like proteases, on signal transduction in human neutrophils triggered by the chemoattractant formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) were investigated. zLYCK (10 microM) inhibited the fMLP-induced respiratory burst in neutrophils treated with cytochalasin B. In the presence of zLYCK (10 microM), the activation of phospholipase D in response to fMLP addition was inhibited. zLYCK did not inhibit the binding of [3H] fMLP to its receptor or the enzymic activity of phospholipase D because the response to ionomycin was unaffected. The effect of zLYCK on phospholipase D correlated well with its effects on the accumulation of diglycerides, which was also inhibited in the presence of zLYCK. In electropermeabilized neutrophils, too, zLYCK caused an inhibition of the fMLP-induced respiratory burst and the fMLP-induced activation of phospholipase D. Interestingly, this inhibition could be bypassed by guanosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate). We conclude that the inhibition of the respiratory burst in human neutrophils by zLYCK is caused by the selective inhibition of signal transduction leading to activation of phospholipase D and that zLYCK might be a useful probe to study the role of phospholipase D in neutrophil activation.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗

Protein kinase C isotypes and signaling in neutrophils. Differential substrate specificities of a translocatable calcium- and phospholipid-dependent beta-protein kinase C and a phospholipid-dependent protein kinase which is inhibited by long chain fatty acyl coenzyme A.

Neutrophils possess a classical Ca2+, phosphatidyl serine (PS) and diglyceride (DG)-dependent protein kinase C (beta-PKC) which was translocatable from cytosol to membrane in response to elevated Ca2+ in the physiologic range or to pretreatment with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). The translocatable beta-PKC was purified from neutrophil membranes prepared in the presence of Ca2+, eluted with EGTA and subjected to hydroxyapatite chromatography. An 80-kDa protein possessing Ca/DG/PS-dependent histone phosphorylating activity was recognized by a monoclonal antibody to beta-PKC but not to alpha-PKC or gamma-PKC. A cytosolic kinase activity remaining after Ca(2+)-induced translocation of beta-PKC was dependent on PS and DG but did not require Ca2+. This novel Ca(2+)-independent, PS/DG-dependent kinase, termed nPKC, eluted from hydroxyapatite between alpha-PKC and beta-PKC, ran as a 76-kDa band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and was reactive to a polyclonal consensus antibody but not to monoclonal antibodies to alpha-PKC, beta-PKC, or gamma-PKC. Long chain fatty acyl-CoA, but not the corresponding free fatty acids, inhibited nPKC in the 1-10 microM range. The chemotactic peptide fMet-Leu-Phe triggered prompt but transient increases in neutrophil long chain fatty acid acyl-CoA, suggesting that nPKC is regulated by fatty acyl-CoA as well as DG during neutrophil activation. Purified beta-PKC phosphorylated a number of cytosolic proteins in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner, including a major 47-kDa cytosolic protein, which may be implicated in superoxide anion generation. In contrast, nPKC did not phosphorylate the 47-kDa protein, but phosphorylated numerous cytosolic proteins in a Ca(2+)-independent manner, including a 66-kDa protein which was not phosphorylated by beta-PKC. Differences in location, substrate specificity, and cofactor dependence between nPKC and beta-PKC suggest these kinases may play selective roles in the activation sequence of the neutrophil.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗

Diacylglycerol generation in fluoride-treated neutrophils: involvement of phospholipase D.

Neutrophils exposed to fluoride ion (F-) respond with a delayed and sustained burst of superoxide anion release that is both preceded by and dependent on the influx of Ca2+ from the extracellular medium. The results of this study demonstrate a similarly delayed and sustained generation of 1,2-diglyceride in F(-)-treated neutrophils, over 90% of which was 1,2-diacylglycerol. Diacylglycerol generation was not dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Conversely, in contrast to results obtained with other agonists, removal of extracellular Ca2+ markedly potentiated synthesis of diacylglycerol in F(-)-treated neutrophils. This effect was accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the recovery of phosphatidic acid. In either the presence or absence of extracellular Ca2+, phosphatidic acid accumulated before diacylglycerol in F(-)-treated cells, suggesting the latter was derived from the former. Consistent with this hypothesis, the phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase inhibitor, propranolol, suppressed generation of diacylglycerol as it potentiated the accumulation of phosphatidic acid in F(-)-treated neutrophils. This effect was observed both in the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+. Moreover, high levels of propranolol (160 mumol/L) effected complete inhibition of diacylglycerol generation in F(-)-treated neutrophils with a corresponding increase in phosphatidic acid generation. Phosphatidylethanol accumulated in neutrophils stimulated with F- in the presence of ethanol. The extent of phosphatidylethanol accumulation at all time points after addition of F- corresponded to decreased levels of both phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol, indicating that phosphatidylethanol was derived from the phospholipase D-catalysed transphosphatidylation reaction. The results indicate that F- activates a Ca(2+)-independent phospholipase D, which appears to be the major, if not sole, catalyst for both phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol generation in F(-)-treated neutrophils. Ca2+, mobilized as a result of F- stimulation and possibly as a consequence of phospholipase D activation, exerts a profound effect on cellular second messenger levels by modulating the conversion of phosphatidic acid to diacylglycerol.

Calcium↗

Ontogeny of glycerolipid biosynthetic enzymes in swine liver and adipose tissue.

Enzymes associated with glycerolipid biosynthesis were examined in microsomal fractions of liver and adipose tissue obtained from swine of various ages. Generally, liver glycerophosphate acyltransferase, phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, diglyceride acyltransferase, and choline phosphotransferase activities were substantial at birth but increased 2- to 3-fold by day 14 postpartum, decreased at day 25, then increased at the oldest ages studied (up to 155 days postpartum). In adipose tissue, enzyme activities were low at birth and developed through day 25 in a pattern generally similar to that observed in liver. In contrast to liver, the adipose enzymes were depressed immediately postweaning (day 32) with subsequent recovery. The observed decline in adipose tissue enzyme activities expressed on a tissue basis at older ages was primarily the result of increased adipocyte size, since the activities expressed on a cell basis did not decline as rapidly. In both liver and adipose tissue, phosphatidate was the major glycerolipid synthesized by the microsomal glycerophosphate acyltransferase enzymes at all ages (generally greater than 75%). The ratio of neutral lipids to phospholipids produced by acylation of glycerophosphate was increased when a microsomal--cytosolic preparation was used as a source of enzyme in contrast to a microsomal preparation.

Acyltransferases↗

A role for protein kinase C in the membrane fusion necessary for platelet granule secretion.

The addition of 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol (OAG), or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) to platelets induced the phosphorylation of a 47,000 dalton protein (47 Kd), fusion of granule membranes with membranes of the surface connected canalicular system, the formation of large vesicles and the secretion of serotonin. 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methyl-piperazine (H7), and sphingosine, inhibitors of protein kinase C, significantly inhibited the ultrastructural changes and the phosphorylation of 47 Kd. N-(2-guanidinoethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (HA1004), structurally similar to H7, but a weaker inhibitor of protein kinase C, did not attenuate these responses to OAG or to PMA. H7, but not HA1004, also markedly inhibited secretion induced by the synergistic combination of OAG and the calcium ionophore A23187. Amiloride and 5-(N,N dimethyl)-amiloride, inhibitors of the Na+/H+ transporter, did not inhibit the ultrastructural response and the protein phosphorylation induced by OAG, or the secretion induced by the combination of A23187 and OAG. The results link the activation of protein kinase C by diglycerides to the labilization and fusion of granule membranes important for secretion.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗

Tyrosine phosphorylation of a Mr 63,000 protein induced by an endogenous mitogen in human colon carcinoma cells, but not in normal colonocytes.

Transformation of normal human colonocytes makes them sensitive to new mitogenic signals. Long-chain diglycerides (LCDGs) found in the human colon are mitogens selective for colon tumor cells, inducing mitogenesis in premalignant cells from each of 13 adenomas and in malignant cells from two of four carcinomas, but having no mitogenic effects on normal colonocytes (E. Friedman, P. Isaksson, J. Rafter, B. Marian, S. Winawer, and H. Newmark, Cancer Res., 49:544-548, 1989). Parallel to this biological activity pattern, LCDGs induce protein phosphorylation only in adenomas and carcinomas. Immunoblotting with an anti-phosphotyrosine monoclonal antibody demonstrated that the LCDG dimyristin, at concentrations found within the body, induced a 6-fold increase of tyrosine phosphorylation of an Mr 63,000 protein found in the particulate fraction of colon carcinoma cells. Tyrosine phosphorylation was maximal 0.5 min after addition of the LCDG, then fell, but remained elevated 40% over constitutive levels for at least 6 h. The Mr 63,000 tyrosine phosphoprotein was found in each of four colon carcinoma cell lines and an adenoma, but not in normal colonocytes, suggesting that the tyrosine kinase is activated only in tumor cells. Constitutive levels of the Mr 63,000 substrate were enhanced 2-fold by incubation of cells for 20 h with sodium orthovanadate, a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor. This result suggested that carcinoma cells continually phosphorylate and dephosphorylate this tyrosine kinase substrate during growth. Thus, the colon tumor cell mitogen, dimyristin, utilizes a signal transduction pathway, containing the Mr 63,000 tyrosine kinase substrate, which is already in use during cell growth, possibly by other mitogens or growth factors.

Carcinoma↗

Phorbol diesters and dioctanoylglycerol stimulate accumulation of both diacylglycerols and alkylacylglycerols in human neutrophils.

Human neutrophils treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or dioctanoylglycerol exhibited a large (10-fold), sustained accumulation of the mass of diradylglycerol, beginning 1 min after stimulation and continuing for 30 to 60 min. Phorbol dibutyrate was less potent than PMA in stimulating diradylglycerol accumulation, whereas the 4-alpha analogs of PMA and phorbol dibutyrate were inactive. Submaximal concentrations of PMA (0.5 to 2.5 nM) plus the calcium ionophore, ionomycin (15 to 60 nM), led to synergistic accumulation of diradylglycerols. Chlorpromazine and sphingosine, inhibitors of protein kinase C, blocked PMA-stimulated accumulation of diradylglycerol with IC50 concentrations of 32 and 9 microM, respectively, paralleling their inhibition of PMA-stimulated O2- production. These compounds also inhibited the ionomycin-stimulated accumulation of diradylglycerols. A third protein kinase C inhibitor, H-7, was less effective, inhibiting PMA-stimulated accumulation of diradylglycerol by 25% at 100 microM. Differential sensitivity to alkaline hydrolysis suggests that diradylglycerols that accumulate in response to PMA or ionomycin stimulation are composed of a mixture of two distinct diglyceride species, diacylglycerols and alkylacylglycerols. Whereas diacylglycerol may activate cellular protein kinase C, the importance of the production of alkylacylglycerols is uncertain.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗

[Polyphosphoinositide metabolism in temporary cerebral ischemia--the reversibility after recirculation].

Brain cell membranes are known to abound in polyphosphoinositides (PPI) which contain large amounts of arachidonic acid and stearic acid. When a state of cerebral ischemia comes about, there occurs severe energy depletion and decomposition of PPI into diglyceride (DG) and inositol triphosphate (IP3) through activation of phospholipase C. Previous studies clarified rapid postischemic degradation of PPI, a time during which the metabolically active fraction of PPI is lost, but there have been no reports on PPI metabolism after the establishment of recirculation following ischemia. The authors examined relationship between the duration of the ischemia and the reversibility of PPI metabolism in rats with cerebral ischemia lasting 5 or 30 min that was followed by recirculation, and, further studied acyl group composition of PPI and DG in rats with 30 min of ischemia. Global cerebral ischemia was produced in male Wistar rats (220-250 g) by occlusion of basilar and bilateral common carotid arteries. The brains were frozen in situ at 1, 5, or 30 min of ischemia, or at 30 or 60 min of recirculation following either 5 or 30 min of ischemia. Phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylinositol, 4-phosphate (PIP), phosphatidylinositol, 4, 5-bisphosphate (PIP2), and DG were measured by TLC, and GLC. And also their acyl group compositions were determined. PI showed no significant changes. In contrast, both PIP and PIP2 sharply decreased immediately after onset of cerebral ischemia. then continued to fall gradually from 5 min onwards. And PIP and PIP 2 increased after onset of recirculation in both 5 and 30 min ischemia groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Differential selectivity of cholinephosphotransferase and ethanolaminephosphotransferase of Tetrahymena for diacylglycerol and alkylacylglycerol.

The glycerophospholipids of the ciliate protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila differ greatly in their content of alkylacylglycerol with phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and 2-aminoethylphosphonolipid containing 60, 4, and 53% glyceryl ether, respectively. This difference is achieved by differences in the selectivities of cholinephosphotransferase (EC 2.7.8.2) and ethanolaminephosphotransferase (EC 2.7.8.1) for alkylacylglycerol and diacylglycerol. When the two enzymes are assayed in vitro using only endogenous diglyceride as substrate, the newly formed phosphatidylcholine contains 37% glyceryl ether, while the newly formed phosphatidylethanolamine contains 5% glyceryl ether. The ethanolaminephosphotransferase is stimulated equally well by addition of diolein and dipalmitin, but the diacylglycerols have no effect on the glyceryl ether content of phosphatidylethanolamine. In contrast, the glyceryl ether content of newly formed phosphatidylcholine decreases to 16% when the cholinephosphotransferase is exposed to diolein or dipalmitin. The ethanolaminephosphotransferase is not stimulated by addition of a 60:40 mixture of alkylacylglycerol/diacylglycerol. The cholinephosphotransferase is stimulated by the mixture to the same extent as it is by the diacylglycerols, with the glyceryl ether content of the newly formed phosphatidylcholine increasing to 52%. With the addition of alkylacylglycerol alone, the glyceryl ether content of the newly formed phosphatidylethanolamine increases to 10%, while that of the newly formed phosphatidylcholine increases almost to 60%.

Animals↗

Characterization of an Escherichia coli mdoB mutant strain unable to transfer sn-1-phosphoglycerol to membrane-derived oligosaccharides.

A procedure for the isolation of mutants affected in components containing glycerol derived from phospholipids yielded two mutant strains that contain membrane-derived oligosaccharides (MDO) devoid of glycerol (Rotering, H., Fiedler, W., Rollinger, W., and Braun, V. (1984) FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 22, 61-68). MDO are found in the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli and other Gram-negative bacteria, and they may comprise up to 7% of the cells dry weight. The biosynthesis of MDO is osmoregulated (Kennedy, E. P. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 79, 1092-1095) and linked to the metabolism of phospholipids (van Golde, L. M. G., Schulman, H., and Kennedy, E. P. (1973) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 70, 1368-1372). This leads to substitution of MDO with sn-1-phosphoglycerol and phosphoethanolamine (Kennedy, E. P., Rumley, M. K., Schulman, P., and van Golde, L. M. G. (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 4208-4213). MDO also contain succinate in O-ester linkage. We now report that one mutant strain lacks phosphoglycerol transferase I activity and thus is unable to transfer sn-1-phosphoglycerol residues from phosphatidylglycerol to MDO. The mdoB gene affected in this mutant has been located at 99.2 min on the E. coli chromosome. The ethanolamine content of MDO isolated from the mutant strain is elevated, whereas the number of succinate residues is not affected. The only phenotype of mdoB mutants we found is a dramatic reduction of the diglyceride content observed in dgk mdoB double mutants when the beta-glucoside arbutin is present in the growth medium.

Chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose↗

Dissociation of protein kinase C activation from phorbol ester-induced maturation of HL-60 leukemia cells.

The role of C-kinase in the induction of maturation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells was examined using two activators of this kinase, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) and 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol (OAG). At 10(-8) M, a concentration that induced maturation, TPA effectively stimulated C-kinase activity in cell-free preparations by increasing the affinity of the enzyme for Ca2+. Similar activation was observed with 20 micrograms/ml of OAG. At these concentrations, addition of either compound to intact cells stimulated the phosphorylation of cellular proteins. Treatment with TPA resulted in an increased phosphorylation of 14 proteins, 9 of which also changed in response to OAG. In addition to the effects on protein phosphorylation, TPA and OAG both affected choline lipid metabolism. TPA at 10(-8) M stimulated the incorporation of [methyl-3H]choline into phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, and lysophosphatidylcholine. OAG at 20 micrograms/ml had quantitatively similar effects on the labeling of the former two lipids, but did not affect incorporation of choline into lysophosphatidylcholine. Despite the similar biochemical effects of TPA and OAG, the diglyceride was unable to induce HL-60 cell maturation as measured by inhibition of cell growth, development of nonspecific esterase activity, phagocytosis, adherence of cells to plastic, and loss of transferrin receptor activity. The lack of effect is not due to metabolism of OAG; maturation could not be induced by treating cells with fresh OAG every 2 h for a period of 12 h. These results suggest a dissociation of the activation of C-kinase and the induction of HL-60 cell maturation by TPA.

Cell Differentiation↗

Inhibition of fatty acid incorporation into adipose tissue triglycerides in Ehrlich ascites tumor-bearing mice.

Using a recently developed technique of direct tracer injection into selective adipose tissue sites (Baker et al., Mech. Ageing Dev., 27: 295-313, 1984), we have studied the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) to triglyceride fatty acids in the epididymal fat pads of normal and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice. We have tested the hypothesis that, during Ehrlich ascites carcinoma growth, a defect develops, resulting in the inhibition of the esterification and incorporation of FFA into adipose tissue diglyceride and triglyceride fatty acids. Our technique allowed the measurement of the disappearance of [1-14C]palmitic acid as FFA and its incorporation into di- and triglyceride fatty acids over 1 h. Multicompartmental analysis was used to compute the fractional rates of esterification and turnover. Using measured FFA pool sizes and assuming near-steady-state conditions, we estimated the transport rates (mass/time) of fatty acid esterification and turnover. Our results indicate that, compared to controls (normal mice), the epididymal fat pads of mice bearing early (5-day) and advanced (9-day) Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, respectively, show: 65% and near complete (congruent to 99%) decreases in the fractional rates of FFA esterification; about 2- and 24-fold increases in the FFA pool sizes; and 40% and 70% decreases in the transport rates of esterification.

Adipose Tissue↗