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Lipoprotein lipase activity and mRNA levels in bovine tissues.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in cattle has been extensively studied in adipose tissue, milk and mammary gland, but only to a limited extent in muscles. Therefore, we have adapted our in vitro LPL assay method for the measurement of LPL activity and describe, for the first time, sensitive procedures to quantify LPL activity and mRNA levels in bovine muscles. In vitro activation of bovine LPL activity is approximately 5-fold greater with rat than with bovine sera for heart and muscles, but not for adipose tissues. Values of LPL activity are in the upper range of those previously reported for rat or bovine tissues. With rat serum as activator, LPL activity in the heart of seven calves (662-832 mU g-1) is at least 3-fold lower than in the rat heart (2150-2950 mU g-1, P < 0.05). LPL activity is higher in bovine heart and oxidative muscles (412-972 mU g-1), except the diaphragm, than in mixed or glycolytic muscles (33-154 mU g-1, P < 0.05). The levels of LPL transcripts are positively related to LPL activity in bovine tissues, including muscles and adipose tissues.

Adipose Tissue↗

Enhancement of preheparin serum lipoprotein lipase mass by bezafibrate administration.

To clarify the clinical implication of preheparin serum lipoprotein lipase mass (preheparin LpL mass), we studied the relationships between preheparin LpL mass and serum lipids, including midband lipoproteins, which migrate between very low density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins on polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis, in hyperlipidemias. And we also studied the changes of preheparin LpL mass in hypertriglyceridemic patients during bezafibrate administration, which is known to enhance LpL activity in postheparin plasma. Preheparin LpL mass correlated positively with high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (r=0.418, P<0.01) and negatively with triglyceride (TG) (r=-0.256, P<0.01), but did not correlate with total cholesterol (TC) in 64 hyperlipidemic (type IIa, IIb and IV) patients. The midband lipoproteins were observed in 80% of hypertriglyceridemic patients (32/40). Preheparin LpL mass in midband lipoprotein-positive subjects was lower significantly than that in midband-negative subjects. When bezafibrate (400 mg/day) was administrated to 40 hypertriglyceridemic patients for 4 months, TG level significantly decreased (-49+/-7%, P<0.01), TC levels decreased (-11+/-4%, not significant), and HDL-C levels increased (+27+/-4%, P<0.01). The midband lipoproteins disappeared in 95% of patients. Preheparin LpL mass significantly increased (+25+/-6%, P<0. 0005). In nine patients who stopped bezafibrate, TG levels significantly increased (+49+/-7%, P<0.01) and HDL-C levels decreased (-27+/-4%, P<0.01). Preheparin LPL mass significantly decreased (-25+/-6%, P<0.0005). These results suggested that bezafibrate administration enhanced preheparin LpL mass. And it might be implicated that enhanced LpL production by bezafibrate could reflect an increase of preheparin LpL mass.

Bezafibrate↗

Post-transcriptional mechanisms are responsible for the reduction in lipoprotein lipase activity in cardiomyocytes from diabetic rat hearts.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity is reduced in cardiomyocytes from rat hearts following the acute (4-5 day) induction of diabetes with 100 mg/kg streptozotocin. The molecular basis for this inhibitory effect of diabetes on LPL activity was investigated by measuring steady-state LPL mRNA content and the synthesis and turnover of LPL protein ([35S]methionine incorporation into immunoprecipitable LPL protein in pulse and pulse-chase experiments) in control and diabetic cardiomyocytes. LPL activity was reduced to approx. 50% of control in diabetic cardiomyocytes, but LPL mRNA levels and turnover (degradation) of newly synthesized LPL were unchanged. Synthesis of total protein and LPL were reduced to 72% and 71% of control respectively; therefore, relative rates of LPL synthesis were the same in control and diabetic cardiomyocytes. The diabetes-induced reduction in LPL synthesis was accompanied by a decrease in LPL mass to 78% of control, and a decrease in enzyme specific activity (0.48 to 0.33 m-unit/ng of LPL protein) since the decline in catalytic activity was greater than the decrease in LPL synthesis and mass. Thus, post-transcriptional mechanisms involving a reduction in LPL synthesis as part of a generalized decrease in total protein synthesis, together with a post-translational mechanism(s) that result in accumulation of inactive LPL protein, are responsible for the decreased LPL activity in cardiomyocytes from diabetic rat hearts.

Animals↗

Regulation of lipoprotein lipase in muscle and adipose tissue during exercise.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is regulated in a tissue-specific manner; exercise increases LPL activity in muscle at the same time it is reduced in adipose tissue. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between LPL activity and LPL mRNA in muscle and adipose tissue in rats exposed to one bout of exercise. Immediately after a 2-h swim, LPL activity [pmol free fatty acids (FFA).min-1.mg tissue-1] in the exercised animals was reduced 43% in adipose tissue (110 +/- 26 to 63 +/- 17) and increased almost twofold in the soleus muscle (203 +/- 26 to 383 +/- 59) compared with sedentary control animals. At the same time, LPL mRNA was reduced 42% in adipose tissue and increased 50 and 100% in the red vastus and white vastus muscles, respectively. Twenty-four hours after the swim, LPL activity had returned to control levels in adipose tissue and the soleus muscle. At hour 24 of recovery, LPL mRNA was still reduced 23% in the adipose tissue of exercised animals but was not significantly different between exercised and control animals in any of the muscle tissues analyzed. Changes in total RNA concentration could not account for the changes in relative LPL mRNA expression. The relationship between LPL enzyme activity and LPL mRNA in muscle and adipose tissue was +0.86 and +0.93 at 0 and 24 h postexercise, respectively. Thus the tissue-specific changes in enzyme activity induced by exercise could be mediated, in part, through pretranslational control.

Adipose Tissue↗

Missense mutation (Gly----Glu188) of human lipoprotein lipase imparting functional deficiency.

Cloning and sequencing of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) cDNA prepared from the adipose tissue of a patient with classical LPL deficiency revealed a G to A transition at nucleotide 818 in all sequenced clones, leading to the substitution of glutamic acid for glycine at residue 188 of the mature protein. Hybridization of genomic DNA with allele-specific oligonucleotides confirmed that the patient was homozygous for this mutation and revealed that carrier status for this mutation among relatives of the patient was significantly associated with hypertriglyceridemia. Assay of the patient's plasma for immunoreactive enzyme and activity demonstrated the presence of a circulating inactive enzyme protein, the concentration of which was further increased by injection of heparin. The mutant sequence was produced by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, and both normal and mutant sequences were cloned into the expression vector pSVL and transfected into COS-1 cells. The normal sequence led to the in vitro expression of an enzyme that bound to heparin-Sepharose and had a specific catalytic activity similar to that of normal postheparin plasma enzyme. By contrast, the mutant enzyme expressed in vitro was catalytically inactive and displayed a lower affinity for heparin than the normal enzyme. We conclude that this single amino acid substitution leads to the in vivo expression of an inactive enzyme accounting for the manifestations of LPL deficiency noted in the patient.

Adipose Tissue↗

Down-regulation of adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase during fasting requires that a gene, separate from the lipase gene, is switched on.

During short term fasting, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in rat adipose tissue is rapidly down-regulated. This down-regulation occurs on a posttranslational level; it is not accompanied by changes in LPL mRNA or protein levels. The LPL activity can be restored within 4 h by refeeding. Previously, we showed that during fasting there is a shift in the distribution of lipase protein toward an inactive form with low heparin affinity. To study the nature of the regulatory mechanism, we determined the in vivo turnover of LPL activity, protein mass, and mRNA in rat adipose tissue. When protein synthesis was inhibited with cycloheximide, LPL activity and protein mass decreased rapidly and in parallel with half-lives of around 2 h, and the effect of refeeding was blocked. This indicates that maintaining high levels of LPL activity requires continuous synthesis of new enzyme protein. When transcription was inhibited by actinomycin, LPL mRNA decreased with half-lives of 13.3 and 16.8 h in the fed and fasted states, respectively, demonstrating slow turnover of the LPL transcript. Surprisingly, when actinomycin was given to fed rats, LPL activity was not down-regulated during fasting, indicating that actinomycin interferes with the transcription of a gene that blocks the activation of newly synthesized LPL protein. When actinomycin was given to fasted rats, LPL activity increased 4-fold within 6 h, even in the absence of refeeding. The same effect was seen with alpha-amanitin, another inhibitor of transcription. The response to actinomycin was much less pronounced in aging rats, which are obese and insulin-resistant. These data suggest a default state where LPL protein is synthesized on a relatively stable mRNA and is processed into its active form. During fasting, a gene is switched on whose product prevents the enzyme from becoming active even though synthesis of LPL protein continues unabated.

Adipose Tissue↗

Regulation of adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase gene expression by thyroid hormone in rats.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is an important enzyme in lipid metabolism, and adipose LPL activity is increased in rats that are deficient in thyroid hormone. To examine the mechanism of thyroid hormone's effect on LPL, LPL gene expression was assessed in the epididymal fat pads of hypothyroid rats. When compared to control rats, LPL activity, mass, and synthetic rate in hypothyroid rats were increased; heparin-releasable LPL activity and mass were increased to 448% and 300% of control, respectively, and [35S]methionine incorporation into LPL was increased to 250% of control. The increases in LPL activity and mass were reversed by treatment of hypothyroid rats with triiodothyronine (T3). However, there was no change in the level of LPL mRNA when compared to the level of gamma-actin mRNA and no effect on LPL transcription using run-off assays. Isolated adipocytes were prepared from normal rats and exposed to 2 nM T3 in vitro for 24 h. The addition of T3 to cultures of adipocytes resulted in a decrease in LPL activity, mass, and [35S]methionine incorporation, but still no change in LPL mRNA level. To determine whether thyroid hormone regulated catecholamine responsiveness, adipocytes were prepared from hypothyroid and control rats, and the responses to epinephrine were compared. Although epinephrine inhibited [35S]methionine incorporation into LPL in control rat adipocytes, there was essentially no effect in hypothyroid rat cells. In addition, T3 treatment of the hypothyroid rats restored the responsiveness to epinephrine. Thus, thyroid hormone regulates LPL in rat adipose tissue posttranscriptionally, resulting in parallel changes in LPL synthetic rate, immunoreactive mass, and activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adipose Tissue↗

Regulation of lipoprotein lipase activity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) tissues.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is considered as a key enzyme in the lipid deposition and metabolism of many tissues. Information on LPL activity and its regulation in fish remains very scarce. In the present study, we have examined the nutritional regulation of LPL activity by conducting post-feeding and fasting experiments in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). As insulin plays an important role in the nutritional regulation of LPL activity in mammals, the effects of this hormone were tested in vivo by intraperitoneal administration. Moreover, we conducted in vitro studies using fat pads of rainbow trout to better clarify the direct role of insulin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) as possible regulators of LPL activity in rainbow trout. LPL activity in adipose tissue increased in response to feeding, 4h after ingestion of food, then decreasing to basal levels at 6h. No clear response was found in either red or white muscles, where LPL values were lower. Moreover, fasting produced a down-regulation of LPL activity in adipose tissue, concomitant with low levels of plasma insulin. While insulin administration stimulated LPL activity of adipose tissue 3h after injection, no response was observed in red or white muscles. Finally, in vitro studies using fat pads revealed that insulin significantly stimulated the proportion of LPL in active conformation at the extracellular level. On the other hand, TNFalpha did not greatly affect LPL activity using this in vitro model. These data indicate that LPL activity is regulated in a tissue-specific manner following food intake, and suggest that insulin is an important regulator of LPL activity in the adipose tissue of rainbow trout.

Adipose Tissue↗

Calcium triggers folding of lipoprotein lipase into active dimers.

The active form of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a noncovalent homodimer of 55-kDa subunits. The dimer is unstable and tends to undergo irreversible dissociation into inactive monomers. We noted that a preparation of such monomers slowly regained traces of activity under assay conditions with substrate, heparin, and serum or in cell culture medium containing serum. We therefore studied the refolding pathway of LPL after full denaturation in 6 M guanidinium chloride or after dissociation into monomers in 1 M guanidinium chloride. In crude systems, we identified serum as the factor promoting reactivation. Further investigations demonstrated that Ca2+ was the crucial component in serum for reactivation of LPL and that refolding involved at least two steps. Studies of far-UV circular dichroism, fluorescence, and proteolytic cleavage patterns showed that LPL started to refold from the C-terminal domain, independent of calcium. The first step was rapid and resulted in formation of an inactive monomer with a completely folded C-terminal domain, whereas the N-terminal domain was in the molten globule state. The second step was promoted by Ca2+ and converted LPL monomers from the molten globule state to dimerization-competent and more tightly folded monomers that rapidly formed active LPL dimers. The second step was slow, and it appears that proline isomerization (rather than dimerization as such) is rate-limiting. Inactive monomers isolated from human tissue recovered activity under the influence of Ca2+. We speculate that Ca2+-dependent control of LPL dimerization might be involved in the normal post-translational regulation of LPL activity.

Animals↗

Identification and characterization of the endothelial cell surface lipoprotein lipase receptor.

The hydrolysis of triglycerides in plasma lipoproteins is mediated by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) that is bound to vascular endothelial cells. The specific endothelial cell surface protein(s) with which LPL associates has not been characterized. To identify this LPL binding protein(s), radioiodinated cell surface proteins from cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells were chromatographed using bovine LPL-Sepharose. A single radioiodinated protein of apparent molecular mass 220 kDa was specifically retained by the gel and eluted with 0.4 M NaCl. A LPL-binding protein of similar size was obtained after metabolic labeling of the cellular proteoglycans with 35SO4, indicating that the 220-kDa protein is a proteoglycan. After heparitinase or nitrous acid treatments the molecular mass of the LPL-binding protein decreased to approximately 50 kDa, suggesting that it contains heparin sulfate chains. A 220-kDa protein from the basal cell surface was also identified using LPL-Sepharose chromatography. 125I-LPL was cross-linked to the endothelial cell surface using ethylene glycobis (succinimidylsuccinate). A single ligand-receptor complex, approximately 350 kDa, was obtained. Heparin and unlabeled LPL decreased the cross-linking of radioiodinated LPL to the cell surface receptor. To examine whether the receptor mediates the internalization of cross-linked 125I-LPL, cells containing 125I-LPL complexed to the surface were incubated at either 37 or at 4 degrees C. The amount of 125I-LPL internalized by the cells was 74% greater at 37 degrees C than at 4 degrees C. This suggested that LPL cross-linked to the receptor was internalized in a temperature-dependent manner. Thus, a 220-kDa heparan sulfate proteoglycan functions as an endothelial cell surface receptor for LPL.

Animals↗

Relative hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in mice with heterozygous lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency. Islet LPL regulates insulin secretion.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) provides tissues with fatty acids, which have complex effects on glucose utilization and insulin secretion. To determine if LPL has direct effects on glucose metabolism, we studied mice with heterozygous LPL deficiency (LPL+/-). LPL+/- mice had mean fasting glucose values that were up to 39 mg/dl lower than LPL+/+ littermates. Despite having lower glucose levels, LPL+/- mice had fasting insulin levels that were twice those of +/+ mice. Hyperinsulinemic clamp experiments showed no effect of genotype on basal or insulin-stimulated glucose utilization. LPL message was detected in mouse islets, INS-1 cells (a rat insulinoma cell line), and human islets. LPL enzyme activity was detected in the media from both mouse and human islets incubated in vitro. In mice, +/- islets expressed half the enzyme activity of +/+ islets. Islets isolated from +/+ mice secreted less insulin in vitro than +/- and -/- islets, suggesting that LPL suppresses insulin secretion. To test this notion directly, LPL enzyme activity was manipulated in INS-1 cells. INS-1 cells treated with an adeno-associated virus expressing human LPL had more LPL enzyme activity and secreted less insulin than adeno-associated virus-beta-galactosidase-treated cells. INS-1 cells transfected with an antisense LPL oligonucleotide had less LPL enzyme activity and secreted more insulin than cells transfected with a control oligonucleotide. These data suggest that islet LPL is a novel regulator of insulin secretion. They further suggest that genetically determined levels of LPL play a role in establishing glucose levels in mice.

Animals↗

Lipoprotein lipase activity in ischaemic and anoxic myocardium.

Myocardial lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity during ischaemia has not been fully understood, although it plays an important role in regulating myocardial fatty acid metabolism. In this experiment, the effects of ischaemia (Experiment A) and anoxia (Experiment B) on two distinct fractions of LPL, i.e. functional and nonfunctional forms were investigated in isolated, perfused rat heart. In Experiment A, hearts were perfused by Neely-Morgan working heart mode with Krebs Henseleit bicarbonate (KHB) buffer (95% O2:5% CO2), then whole heart ischaemia was induced by using a one-way aortic valve, simultaneously switching to the same buffer but containing heparin (5 mu/ml) for 20 min. In Experiment B, the hearts were perfused by Langendorff method with KHB buffer (95% O2:5% CO2) and the buffer was switched to KHB (95% N2:5% CO2) containing heparin for 20 min. Coronary effluent was collected at 5 min intervals and used for the measurement of functional LPL activities using 3H-glyceryltrioleate. The hearts were quickly frozen at the end of perfusion and homogenized. The suspension was used for the measurement of non-functional LPL activities. In Experiment A, functional LPL activities in ischaemia were significantly lower than in the aerobic condition. On the contrary, the nonfunctional LPL activity in ischaemia was significantly higher than in the aerobic condition. In Experiment B these values were also significantly lower than in the aerobic condition. However, there was no significant difference in non-functional LPL activity between the anoxia and aerobic condition. These results indicate that there is a conversion defect from the precursor of LPL to the functional form of LPL in ischaemia, whereas disturbed LPL synthesis might be involved in anoxic myocardium.

Animals↗

Effect of troglitazone on plasma lipid metabolism and lipoprotein lipase.

AIMS: To clarify how troglitazone, an insulin-sensitizing agent, affects lipid metabolism and postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase (LPL). METHODS: Fifteen patients (3 male, 12 female) (the average age 62+/-7 years; the mean body mass index (BMI) 25+/-3 kg/m2 ) were recruited for this study. The serum lipids and postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase (LPL) mass before and 4 weeks after oral administration of troglitazone (200 mg day-1 ) were measured. A mouse preadipocyte cell line, 3T3-L1, was incubated with troglitazone and LPL enzyme protein mass in the culture media was measured by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using primers specific for the carboxyl terminal 135 amino acid of mouse LPL cDNA was used to evaluate the effect of troglitazone on expression of LPL and Northern blot analysis carried out to determine expression of LPL. RESULTS: The average levels before treatment of fasting serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, plasma glucose and glycohaemoglobin A1c were 5.6+/-0.9, 1.8+/-1.0, 1.5+/-0.5, 8.1+/-1.7 mmol l-1 and 7.8+/-1.6% respectively. Four weeks after treatment, those levels were 5.4+/-0.9, 1.2+/-0.3 (P=0.004), 1.6+/-0.5 (P=0.02) mmol l-1, 7.7+/-2.3 mmol l-1 and 7. 3+/-0.6% (P=0.01), respectively. The postheparin plasma LPL mass increased from 226+/-39 to 257+/-68 ng ml-1 (P=0.03) during that period. The LPL mass in the media of 3T3 L1 cells cultured in the presence of 10, 20 or 30 microm of this compound increased in a dose dependent manner. RT-PCR revealed that the area of the bands of the RT-PCR products on 1.5% agarose gel analyzed with NIH image from the cell extracts cultured in the presence of 10 microm troglitazone was significantly larger (P=0.0069) than that in the absence of this compound. Northern blot analysis revealed that in the cultured 3T3-L1 cells, the expression of LPL was enhanced in the presence of 10 microm troglitazone. CONCLUSIONS: Troglitazone improves plasma triglyceride-rich lipoproteins metabolism by enhancing the expression of LPL in adipocytes.

3T3 Cells↗

Sp1 and Sp3 transactivate the human lipoprotein lipase gene promoter through binding to a CT element: synergy with the sterol regulatory element binding protein and reduced transactivation of a naturally occurring promoter variant.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key enzyme in lipoprotein and energy metabolism and, therefore, regulation of its expression could have an important bearing on these processes. We have identified an evolutionarily conserved 5'-CCTCCCCCC-3' motif (from -91 to -83, CT element) in the human LPL gene promoter, deletion or mutation of which caused approximately 70-80% decrease in promoter activity. We found that Sp1 and Sp3 in THP-1 nuclear protein extracts bind specifically to this element. Co-transfection with Sp1 and Sp3 expression plasmids transactivated the LPL promoter via the CT element in Drosophila SL2 cells devoid of Sp proteins. Sp3 moderately repressed Sp1-mediated LPL promoter activation when both were co-expressed in SL2 cells. Furthermore, co-expression of an active sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP-1), with Sp1, but not with Sp3, synergistically activated the LPL promoter in SL2 cells. We previously reported a naturally occurring T-->G substitution at position -93 of the human LPL promoter which reduces promoter activity by 40-50% in transient transfection assays. In this study, we showed that this substitution results in reduced binding affinity to Sp1/Sp3 and in diminished transactivation by Sp1/Sp3 alone and by the synergistic action of Spl and SREBP-1 In conclusion, recruitment of Sp1/Sp3 by the CT element may play an important role in expression of the human lipoprotein lipase gene. Synergistic transcriptional activation by Sp1 and SREBP-1 may provide a mechanism for cross-talk between cholesterol and triglyceride metabolic pathways.

Base Sequence↗

Lipoprotein lipase: role of intramolecular disulfide bonds in enzyme catalysis.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the triacylglycerol component of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins. There are 4 cysteine pairs that are completely conserved among LPLs of all species known. We examined the functional importance of each of the cysteine pairs in enzyme catalysis by examining LPLs produced in Cos cells by transfection. Immunoreactive LPL was produced by vectors encoding the wildtype LPL and each of the 4 cysteine-pair mutant LPLs. Enzyme activity was detectable in the wildtype enzyme, but not in 3 of the 4 Cys-->Ser mutant enzymes (C216S/C239S, C264S/C275S, and C278S/C283S). Interestingly, LPL activity was also present in the mutant (C418S/C438S), which affects the C-terminal cysteine pair, with a specific activity approximately 50% higher than that of wildtype. There is evidence that LPL contains two distinct domains consisting of the N-terminal three-quarters of the sequence connected by a flexible region to the C-terminal domain comprising the rest of the molecule. The conservation of catalytic function despite the disruption of the only disulfide bridge in the C-terminal domain of LPL indicates that the two domains can function independently of each other in enzyme catalysis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Detection of missense mutations in the genes for lipoprotein lipase and hepatic triglyceride lipase in patients with dyslipidemia undergoing coronary angiography.

Coronary events have a close association with a low HDL/hypertriglyceridemia (LHDL/HTG) phenotype. As enzymes that hydrolyze triglyceride-rich lipoproteins are associated with a modulation of both HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, we have tested the hypothesis that mutations in the genes encoding lipoprotein lipase (LPL) or hepatic lipase (HTGL) may contribute to the formation of coronary atherosclerosis and, thus, of coronary heart disease (CHD). The entire coding and boundary regions of LPL and HTGL genes were analyzed by direct sequencing in 20 patients with both LHDL/HTG and diagnosed CHD. In the LPL gene six different polymorphisms were identified with same frequencies observed in the general population. In the HTGL gene, besides several polymorphisms, we identified three missense mutations: Asn37His, Val73Met, and Ser267Phe. Population screening using allele specific PCR identified Val73Met as a polymorphism while the two others were absent from 100 control individuals. One of the mutations (Ser267Phe) is known to cause HTGL deficiency and is associated with type III hyperlipoproteinemia. Since this dyslipoproteinemia meets the criteria of LHDL/HTG, it is intriguing to speculate that missense mutations in HTGL may play a role in the pathogenesis of this atherogenic phenotype.

Adult↗

Enhanced aortic atherosclerosis in transgenic Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits expressing lipoprotein lipase.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to address the effects of increased lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity on atherosclerosis in the setting of LDL receptor deficiency. METHODS: We generated transgenic (Tg) Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits overexpressing human LPL and compared their plasma lipids and aortic atherosclerosis with non-Tg WHHL rabbits. RESULTS: Increased expression of LPL significantly ameliorated hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia in Tg WHHL rabbits [64% reduction in total cholesterol (TC) and 91% reduction in triglycerides (TG) vs. non-Tg]. In spite of this beneficial effect of LPL, Tg WHHL rabbits had two-fold greater aortic atherosclerosis than non-Tg WHHL rabbits. Analysis of plasma lipoprotein profiles revealed that increased LPL activity in Tg WHHL rabbits resulted in the dramatic reduction of large TG-rich lipoproteins (VLDL, d<1.006 g/ml and IDL, d=1.006-1.02) but concomitant increases in LDL fractions, especially those of small and dense LDL particles (d=1.04-1.06, 2.6-fold over non-Tg). Using apoB-containing lipoproteins, we found that small-sized LDL from Tg WHHL rabbits contained more oxidizable substrate and exhibited higher affinity to biglycan than large TG-rich LDL of non-Tg WHHL rabbits. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in the absence of LDL receptor function, increased LPL activity accelerates the catabolism of large TG-rich VLDL (possibly via the LRP pathway) and subsequently improves hyperlipidemia. However, LPL may also enhance the generation and accumulation of small dense LDLs, which are more atherogenic.

Animals↗

Medium-chain versus long-chain triacylglycerol emulsion hydrolysis by lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase: implications for the mechanisms of lipase action.

To explore how enzyme affinities and enzyme activities regulate hydrolysis of water-insoluble substrates, we compared hydrolysis of phospholipid-stabilized emulsions of medium-chain (MCT) versus long-chain triacylglycerols (LCT). Because substrate solubility at the emulsion surface might modulate rates of hydrolysis, the ability of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine to solubilize MCT was examined by NMR spectroscopy. Chemical shift measurements showed that 11 mol % of [13C]carbonyl enriched trioctanoin was incorporated into phospholipid vesicles as a surface component. Similar methods with [13C]triolein showed a maximum solubility in phospholipid bilayers of 3 mol % (Hamilton & Small, 1981). Line widths of trioctanoin surface peaks were half that of LCT, and relaxation times, T1, were also shorter for trioctanoin, showing greater mobility for MCT in phospholipid. In assessing the effects of these differences in solubility on lipolysis, we found that both purified bovine milk lipoprotein lipase and human hepatic lipase hydrolyzed MCT at rates at least 2-fold higher than for LCT. With increasing concentrations of MCT, saturation was not reached, indicating low affinities of lipase for MCT emulsions, but with LCT emulsion incubated with lipoprotein lipase, saturation was reached at relatively low concentration, demonstrating higher affinity of lipase for LCT emulsions. Differences in affinity were also demonstrated in mixed incubations where increasing amounts of LCT emulsion resulted in decreased hydrolysis of MCT emulsions. Increasing MCT emulsion amounts had little or no effect on LCT emulsion hydrolysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗