Lipoprotein lipase: mechanism of action and role in lipoprotein metabolism

Enzymes involved in triglyceride hydrolysis

The lipolytic enzymes LPL and HL play important roles in the metabolism of lipoproteins and participate in lipoprotein interconversions. LPL was originally recognized to be the key enzyme in the hydrolysis of chylomicrons and triglyceride, but it also turned out to be one determinant of HDL concentration in plasma. When LPL activity is high, chylomicrons and VLDL are rapidly removed from circulation and a concomitant rise of the HDL2 occurs. In contrast, low LPL activity impedes the removal of triglyceride-rich particles, resulting in the elevation of serum triglycerides and a decrease of HDL (HDL2). Concordant changes of this kind in LPL and HDL2 are induced by many physiological and pathological perturbations. Finally, the operation of LPL is also essential for the conversion of VLDL to LDL. This apparently clear-cut role of LPL in lipoprotein interconversions is contrasted with the enigmatic actions of HL. The enzyme was originally thought to participate in the catalyses of chylomicron and VLDL remnants generated in the LPL reaction. However, substantial in vitro and in vivo data indicate that HL is a key enzyme in the degradation of plasma HDL (HDL2) in a manner which opposes LPL. A scheme is presented for the complementary actions of the two enzymes in plasma HDL metabolism. In addition, recent studies have attributed a role to HL in the catabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, particularly those containing apo E. However, this function becomes clinically important only under conditions where the capacity of the LPL-mediated removal system is exceeded. Such a situation may arise when the input of triglyceride-rich particles (chylomicrons and/or VLDL) is excessive or LPL activity is decreased or absent.

Activation of trout adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase by trout apoproteins

In rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii) lipoprotein profiles change during the annual sexual cycle. Among other factors, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity might play a role. This enzyme is activated by trout serum suggesting the existence of a cofactor corresponding to apoprotein CII in this species. In the present study, we determined more accurately some characteristics of the enzyme activity inhibited by 0.3 M NaCl. Trout serum and high density lipoproteins (HDL) activated both rat and trout adipose tissue LPLs. A fraction of apo HDL obtained by gel filtration also activated the enzyme. The mean Mr was 10,000. Isoelectric focusing of the same fraction gave several bands of proteins with apparent pI in the range of 4.2-4.9. These results show that in trout, LPL is activated by a cofactor similar to that in mammals, the apo CII. In addition, a fraction mainly containing apo AI (+ traces of apo C) activated trout LPL and reinforced the activation by apo CII. These findings suggest that trout apo AI may promote the activating effect of apo CII on trout LPL.

Lipoprotein lipase in diabetes

Lipoprotein lipase has a central role in the metabolism of both triglyceride-rich particles and high density lipoproteins, and it is one determinant of both serum triglyceride and HDL concentrations. In man the enzyme activity in both adipose tissue and skeletal muscle is insulin dependent, and therefore it varies in diabetes according to ambient insulin level and insulin sensitivity. In insulin deficiency (untreated Type 1 diabetes) the enzyme activity in both adipose tissue and muscle tissue is low but increases upon insulin therapy. In chronically insulin-treated patients with good control, the enzyme activity in postheparin plasma is increased. In untreated Type 2 diabetic patients, the average enzyme activity in adipose tissue and postheparin plasma is normal or subnormal. Therapy with oral agents or insulin, resulting in good glycemic control, is followed by an increase of LPL activity in both adipose tissue and postheparin plasma. In both Types 1 and 2 diabetes, changes of LPL activity are associated with relevant alterations in lipoprotein pattern. In insulin deficiency with low LPL, serum total and VLDL triglyceride levels are elevated, and HDL concentration is reduced. In chronically insulin-treated patients with high LPL activity, VLDL triglyceride concentrations are normal or subnormal, and HDL level is increased. In untreated Type 2 diabetic patients subnormal LPL activity may contribute to the elevation of serum triglycerides and to the reduction of HDL level.

The kinetics of heparin inhibition of the esterase and basal lipase activities of lipoprotein lipase

The kinetics of inhibition of the esterase and lipase activities of bovine milk lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were compared. The esterase LPL activity against emulsified tributyrylglycerol was not affected by the enzyme activator apolipoprotein C-II (C-II) and amounted to about 15% of the "plus activator" lipase enzyme activity. Heparin at concentrations of 20 micrograms/ml inhibited 25% of the esterase activity. The reaction followed Henri-Michaelis-Menten kinetics and the inhibition by heparin followed a linear, intersecting, noncompetitive kinetic model. On the other hand, the basal lipase activity of LPL against emulsified trioleoylglycerol (TG) was very sensitive to inhibition by heparin: 1 microgram/ml inhibited about 80% of the reaction and 3 micrograms/ml drove the reaction to zero. The velocity curve for the uninhibited basal LPL activity was sigmoidal with an apparent nH(TG) of 2.94. Heparin inhibited the lipase activity competitively: heparin decreased nH(TG) and increased[TG]0.5 6.4-fold, while TG decreased the nH(Heparin) from 2.14 to 0.95 and caused a 3-fold increase in [Heparin]0.5. C-II, at concentrations lower than 2.5 X 10(-8) M (i.e., lower than KA), countered the inhibitory effects of heparin: at constant inhibitor concentrations, C-II increased nH(TG) from 1.78 to 2.52 and decreased [TG]0.5 about 10-fold; it also increased the apparent Vmax. At the lower C-II concentrations, nH(C-II) was approximately equal to 1.0 and increasing the TG concentrations decreased [C-II]0.5 from 3.8 X 10(-8) to 8.5 X 10(-9) M, with no effect on the nH(C-II). At the higher C-II concentrations, nH(C-II) was 2.5 and TG decreased [C-II]0.5 about 2-fold with no effect on the nH(C-II). In the absence of heparin, C-II had no effect on nH(TG) nor on [TG]0.5, but it increased the apparent Vmax. On the other hand, TG had no effect on nH(C-II) nor on [C-II]0.5, but at any given C-II concentration, the reaction velocity increased with increasing TG concentrations. It is concluded that TG and heparin as well as C-II and heparin are mutually exclusive and that lipoprotein lipase is a multisite enzyme, possibly a tetramer, with three high-affinity catalytic sites, and an equal number of sites for C-II and heparin per oligomer. However, LPL differs from classical allosteric enzymes in that its activator has no effect on substrate cooperativity nor on [S]0.5; its only effect is to increase Vmax by increasing the catalytic rate constant kp by inducing conformational changes in the enzyme.

Partial purification of locust flight muscle lipoprotein lipase (LpL): apparent differences from mammalian LpL

1. An attempt was made to purify lipoprotein lipase (LpL) from the flight muscle of the migratory locust based on affinity for heparin, which is known to avidly bind mammalian LpL. 2. However, locust LpL appeared to completely lack this property, which indicates that the suggested membrane-binding of locust LpL is very different from that of mammalian LpL: a heparin-like glycosaminoglycan is not involved. 3. Since locust LpL lacks heparin affinity, other purification methods were assayed. Solubilization of locust LpL was obtained by the detergent Tween 20. 4. Though both anion and cation exchange chromatography resulted in the complete loss of enzyme activity, partial purification of locust LpL was achieved by gel filtration chromatography.

Fatty acyl chain specificity of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis catalyzed by lipoprotein lipase. Effect of apolipoprotein C-II and its (56-79) synthetic fragment

Mixed acyl chain phosphatidylcholine molecules in Triton N-101 micelles were employed as substrates for lipoprotein lipase to test which substrate acyl chain has the greatest effect on activation of the enzyme by apolipoprotein C-II. The phospholipase A1 activity of lipoprotein lipase was measured by pH-stat. The activation factor (lipoprotein lipase activity plus apolipoprotein C-II/activity minus apolipoprotein C-II) increased monotonically with apolipoprotein C-II concentration up to 1 microM apolipoprotein C-II at an enzyme concentration of 0.01 microM. The maximal activation factor for phosphatidylcholine substrate molecules with sn-2 acyl chain lengths of 14 averages 14.8. By contrast, for sn-2 acyl chain lengths of 16 the activation factor was 29.2. Varying the sn-1 acyl chain length had no significant effect on the activation factor. The chain-length dependence of the activation factor is similar with the apolipoprotein C-II peptide fragment comprising residues 56-79, which does not include the lipid-binding region of apolipoprotein C-II. These data are consistent with a model for activation of lipoprotein lipase in which residues 56-79 bind to lipoprotein lipase and alter the interaction of the sn-2 acyl chain of the phosphatidylcholine (PC) substrate or the lysoPC product within the activated state complex.

Purification of biologically active apolipoproteins by chromatofocussing

Chromatofocussing has been used to isolate homogeneous apolipoproteins (apo) from human very-low-density lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins with protein recovery of 70%. The inclusion of sulfhydryl-reducing agent (dithiothreitol) was required during solubilization of the lipoproteins (following delipidation) to achieve reproducible elution profiles. Removal of polyvalent buffers from apoproteins was rapidly accomplished on small columns of hydroxylapatite. The biological activity of purified apo AI and apo CII was confirmed by assessment of their ability to activate lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase or lipoprotein lipase, respectively. Functional properties of isolated apo E were assessed by in vitro interaction with the low-density lipoprotein receptor expressed by cultured fibroblasts. Apolipoproteins purified by this rapid procedure exhibit identical physical, chemical and biological properties to those purified by other, more tedious techniques.

The lipoprotein lipase of white adipose tissue. Studies on the intracellular distribution of the adipocyte-associated enzyme

The separation of rat epididymal adipocytes into plasma-membrane, mitochondrial, microsomal and cytosol fractions is described. The fractions, which were characterized by marker-enzyme analysis and electron-micrographic observation, from the cells of fed and 24 h-starved animals were used to prepare acetone/diethyl ether-dried powders for the measurement of lipoprotein lipase activities. The highest specific activities and proportion of recovered lipoprotein lipase activity were found in the plasma-membrane and microsomal fractions. The two fractions from the cells of fed rats showed similar activities and enrichments of the enzyme, these activities being higher than the plasma-membrane and lower than the microsomal activities recovered from the cells of starved animals. Chicken and guinea-pig anti-(rat lipoprotein lipase) sera were prepared, and an indirect labelled-second-antibody cellular immunoassay, using 125I-labelled rabbit anti-(chicken IgG) or 125I-labelled sheep anti-(guinea-pig IgG) antibodies respectively, for the detection of cell-surface enzyme was devised and optimized. The amount of immunodetectable cell-surface lipoprotein lipase was higher for cells isolated from fed animals than for cells from 24 h-starved animals, when either anti-(lipoprotein lipase) serum was used in the assay. The amount of immunodetectable cell-surface lipoprotein lipase fell further when starvation was extended to 48 h. The lipoprotein lipase of plasma-membrane vesicles was shown to be a patent activity and to be immunodetectable in a modification of the cellular immunoassay. Although the functional significance of the adipocyte surface lipoprotein lipase is not known, the possibility of it forming a pool of enzyme en route to the capillary endothelium is advanced.

Interaction of synthetic peptides of apolipoprotein C-II and lipoprotein lipase at monomolecular lipid films

The triacylglycerol hydrolyase and phospholipase A1 activities of bovine milk lipoprotein lipase toward long-chain fatty acyl ester substrates were investigated with monomolecular lipid films containing trioleoylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine. In a monolayer of egg phosphatidylcholine containing 3 mol% [14C]trioleoylglycerol, and in the presence of apolipoprotein C-II, a 79 amino acid activator protein for lipoprotein lipase, enzyme activity was maximal at a surface pressure of 21-22 mN X m-1 (37 mumol oleic acid released/h per mg enzyme); enzyme activity was enhanced 9-fold by apolipoprotein C-II. At surface pressures between 22 and 30 mN X m-1, lipoprotein lipase activity decreased over a broad range and was nearly zero at 30 mN X m-1. Apolipoprotein C-II and the synthetic fragments of the activator protein containing residues 56-79, 51-79 and 44-79 were equally effective at 20 mN X m-1 in enhancing lipoprotein lipase catalysis. However, at surface pressures between 25 and 29 mN X m-1, only apolipoprotein C-II and the phospholipid-associating fragment containing residues 44-79 enhanced enzyme catalysis. The effect of apolipoprotein C-II and synthetic peptides on the phospholipase A1 activity of lipoprotein lipase was examined in sphingomyelin:cholesterol (2:1) monolayers containing 5 mol% di[14C]myristoylphosphatidylcholine. At 22 mN X m-1, apolipoprotein C-II and the synthetic fragments containing residues 44-79 or 56-79 enhanced lipoprotein lipase activity (70-80 nmol/h per mg enzyme). In contrast to trioleoylglycerol hydrolysis, the synthetic fragments were not as effective as apolipoprotein C-II enhancing enzyme activity towards di[14C]myristoylphosphatidylcholine at higher surface pressures. We conclude that the minimal amino acid sequence of apolipoprotein C-II required for activation of lipoprotein lipase is dependent both on the lipid substrate and the packing density of the monolayer.

Comparison of apolipoprotein C-II-deficient triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins and trioleoylglycerol/phosphatidylcholine-stabilized particles as substrates for lipoprotein lipase

The effect of apolipoproteins C-II and C-III on the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of apolipoprotein C-II-deficient triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins and particles of trioleoylglycerol stabilized with a phosphatidylcholine monolayer was investigated. For both triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins and artificial lipid particles, maximal lipoprotein lipase activity occurred at a constant apolipoprotein C-II/phospholipid mol ratio of 2.0 X 10(-4) and was independent of particle size, indicating that the amount of apolipoprotein C-II bound to the surface of the substrate is important for enzyme activation. The effect of apolipoprotein C-II on lipoprotein lipase activity with apolipoprotein C-II-deficient lipoproteins as substrate was to decrease the apparent Michaelis constant (Kmapp) from 7.1 to 1.0 mM with minor changes on the apparent maximal velocity (Vmax) (22.2 mmol free fatty acid released/h per mg enzyme). In contrast, apolipoprotein C-II increased the apparent Vmax from 2.4 to 20.0 mmol free fatty acid/h per mg enzyme for the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of trioleoylglycerol/phospholipid particles with little change in Kmapp (1.0 mM). Addition of apolipoprotein C-II-deficient triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins or high-density lipoproteins to trioleoylglycerol/phospholipid particles in the presence of apolipoprotein C-II inhibited lipoprotein lipase activity. Lipoprotein lipase activity was also inhibited by the addition of a large excess of lipid-free apolipoprotein C-III to the artificial particles. The decrease in lipoprotein lipase activity correlated with the amount of bound apolipoprotein C-II. We suggest that the reported discrepancies on the effect of apolipoproteins C-II and C-III on lipoprotein lipase catalysis is related to differences in substrates and to the amount of added apolipoproteins.

Heparin-binding apoproteins. Effects on lipoprotein lipase and hepatic uptake of remnants

Apoprotein-free heparin-binding and non-binding chylomicrons were used as substrates to test the effects on lipoprotein lipase activity of (a) chylomicron protein I; (b) the mixture of proteins I, II and apoprotein E and (c) human beta 2-glycoprotein I. No activation of the enzyme was observed with any of those apoproteins. When rats were injected simultaneously with [3H]cholesterol-labelled heparin-binding chylomicrons (containing proteins I and II) and [14C]cholesterol-labelled non-binding chylomicrons, no differences were detected between the rates of removal from circulation of those two types of particles. Clearance of chylomicrons from circulation was accompanied by the incorporation of 3H and 14C labels into the livers at similar rates. It is concluded that proteins I, II and apoprotein E have no effect on the degradation of chylomicrons by lipoprotein lipase and that the hepatic recognition of remnants does not appear to be affected by proteins I and II.

Phenyl-n-butylborinic acid is a potent transition state analog inhibitor of lipolytic enzymes

The cholesterol esterase and lipoprotein lipase catalyzed hydrolyses of the water-soluble substrate p-nitrophenyl butyrate are competitively inhibited by butaneboronic acid and phenylboronic acid. Phenyl-n-butylborinic acid has been synthesized and characterized as an ultrapotent transition state analog inhibitor: Ki = 2.9 +/- 0.6 nM and 1.7 +/- 0.3 microM for the cholesterol esterase and lipoprotein lipase reactions, respectively. These results are interpreted in terms of transition state structure and stabilization.

Distribution of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase between plasma and tissues: effect of hypertriglyceridemia

Lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase were measured in rat plasma using specific antisera. Mean values for lipoprotein lipase in adult rats were 1.8-3.6 mU/ml, depending on sex and nutritional state. Values for hepatic lipase were about three times higher. Lipoprotein lipase activity in plasma of newborn rats was 2-4-times higher than in adults. In contrast, hepatic lipase activity was lower in newborn than in adult rats. Following functional hepatectomy there was a progressive increase in lipoprotein lipase activity in plasma, indicating that transport of the enzyme from peripheral tissues to the liver normally takes place. Lipoprotein lipase, but not hepatic lipase, increased in plasma after a fat meal. An even more marked increase, up to 30 mU/ml, was seen after intravenous injection of Intralipid. Plasma lipase activity decreased in parallel with clearing of the injected triacylglycerol. 125I-labeled lipoprotein lipase injected intravenously during the hyperlipemia disappeared somewhat slower from the circulation than in fasted rats, but the uptake was still primarily in the liver. Hyperlipemia, or injection of heparin, led to increased lipoprotein lipase activity in the liver. This was seen even when the animals had been pretreated with cycloheximide to inhibit synthesis of new enzyme protein. These results suggest that during hypertriglyceridemia lipoprotein lipase binds to circulating lipoproteins/lipid droplets which results in increased plasma levels of the enzyme and increased transport to the liver.

Specificity and localisation of lipoprotein lipase in the flight muscles of Locusta migratoria

Using natural lipoproteins as substrates, lipase activity has been measured in leg muscle, fat body, midgut and flight muscles of Locusta migratoria. The enzymic activity in the flight muscles is higher than in those other tissues tested, confirming the potential of the flight muscles to utilise lipids at high rates. In addition, a membrane-bound lipoprotein lipase can be extracted from flight muscle. The flight muscle enzyme activity shows a marked substrate specificity; at lipoprotein concentrations equivalent to those found normally in flown or resting locusts respectively, the enzyme hydrolyses diacylglycerols associated with lipoprotein A+ (present in the haemolymph of flown or adipokinetic hormone-injected locusts) at about 4 times the rate of those associated with lipoprotein Ayellow (which is the major lipoprotein in resting locusts). In addition, the hydrolysis of lipids carried by lipoprotein Ayellow is dramatically reduced in the presence of lipoprotein A+. These observations indicate that the enzyme plays a specific role in the uptake of lipids at the flight muscles to ensure a smooth transition from carbohydrate to lipid based metabolism during flight.

Studies on inactivation of lipoprotein lipase: role of the dimer to monomer dissociation

Sedimentation equilibrium analysis demonstrated that preparations of bovine lipoprotein lipase contain a complex mixture of dimers and higher oligomers of enzyme protein. Enzyme activity profiles from sedimentation equilibrium as well as from gel filtration indicated that activity is associated almost exclusively with the dimer fraction. To explore if the enzyme could be dissociated into active monomers, 0.75 M guanidinium chloride was used. Sedimentation velocity measurements demonstrated that this treatment led to dissociation of the lipase protein into monomers. Concomitant with dissociation, there was an irreversible loss of catalytic activity and a moderate change in secondary structure as detected by circular dichroism. The rate of inactivation increased with decreasing concentrations of active lipase, but addition of inactive lipase protein did not slow down the inactivation. This indicates that reversible interactions between active species precede the irreversible loss of activity. The implication is that dissociation initially leads to a monomer form which is in reversible equilibrium with the active dimer, but which decays rapidly into an inactive form, and is therefore not detected as a stable component in the system.

Solvent isotope effects for lipoprotein lipase catalyzed hydrolysis of water-soluble p-nitrophenyl esters

Solvent deuterium isotope effects on the rates of lipoprotein lipase (LpL) catalyzed hydrolysis of the water-soluble esters p-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA) and p-nitrophenyl butyrate (PNPB) have been measured and fall in the range 1.5-2.2. The isotope effects are independent of substrate concentration, LpL stability, and reaction temperature and hence are effects on chemical catalysis and not due to a medium effect of D2O on LpL stability and/or conformation. pL (L = H or D) vs. rate profiles for the Vmax/Km of LpL-catalyzed hydrolysis of PNPB increase sigmoidally with increasing pL. Least-squares analysis of the profiles gives pKaH2O = 7.10 +/- 0.01, pKaD2O = 7.795 +/- 0.007, and a solvent isotope effect on limiting velocity at high pL of 1.97 +/- 0.03. Because the pL-rate profiles are for the Vmax/Km of hydrolysis of a water-soluble substrate, the measured pKa's are intrinsic acid-base ionization constants for a catalytically involved LpL active-site amino acid side chain. Benzeneboronic acid, a potent inhibitor of LpL-catalyzed hydrolysis of triacylglycerols [Vainio, P., Virtanen, J. A., & Kinnunen, P. K. J. (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 711, 386-390], inhibits LpL-catalyzed hydrolysis of PNPB, with Ki = 6.9 microM at pH 7.36, 25 degrees C. This result and the solvent isotope effects for LpL-catalyzed hydrolysis of water-soluble esters are interpreted in terms of a proton transfer mechanism that is similar in many respects to that of the serine proteases.

Diethyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate: an active site titrant for lipoprotein lipase

Diethyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate is an active site-directed irreversible inhibitor of bovine milk lipoprotein lipase catalyzed hydrolysis of the water-soluble substrate, p-nitrophenyl butyrate. Interaction of lipoprotein lipase and the inhibitor in the absence of substrate gives a biphasic kinetics profile, which is consistent with rapid formation of a phosphoryl-lipoprotein lipase intermediate which hydrolyzes slowly. The magnitude of the absorbance increase accompanying formation of the intermediate provides an analytical method for determining lipoprotein lipase active site concentration.

Binding of active and inactive forms of lipoprotein lipase to heparin. Effects of pH

Lipoprotein lipase has been shown to bind to, be internalized by, and perhaps be transferred through, a variety of cells. These processes may involve a heparin-like cell-surface receptor and passage through acidified cell compartments. We have therefore studied effects of low pH on the binding of the lipase to heparin and on its catalytic activity. The rate of inactivation of the lipase in solution was found to increase as the pH was lowered. Addition of heparin stabilized the enzyme. Binding of active lipoprotein lipase to heparin-Sepharose could be demonstrated at pH down to 6.5. At pH below 6, binding could not be studied directly because the lipase was too unstable in solution. Lipase bound to heparin-Sepharose could, however, be exposed to pH 4.5 at 10 degrees C with little loss of activity. Binding to heparin-Sepharose also stabilized under physiological conditions (37 degrees C, 0.15 M-NaCl, pH 5.5-7.4). Catalytically inactive lipoprotein lipase retained the ability to bind to heparin-Sepharose. Higher concentrations of salt were needed to displace both active and inactive lipase from heparin-Sepharose at lower pH, indicating that the affinity increased as pH was lowered. The inactive lipase was, however, displaced by lower concentrations of salt than was active lipase.

Hepatic and extrahepatic uptake of intravenously injected lipoprotein lipase

Rats were injected intravenously with 125I-labeled bovine lipoprotein lipase. The lipase disappeared within minutes from the blood due to uptake both in the liver (about 50% of the injected dose) and in extrahepatic tissues. Lipase enzyme activity disappeared in parallel to the 125I radioactivity. Thus, there was no inactivation of lipase in the circulating blood. Similar results were obtained when lipoprotein lipase purified from guinea pigs was injected into guinea pigs. Using supradiphragmatic rats we could show that the extrahepatic uptake was saturable and that the amounts of lipase that could be bound far exceeded the amounts of endogenous lipase expected to be present on the endothelium. When the lipase was denatured before injection, its removal in supradiaphragmatic rats became slower, and in intact rats the fraction of the uptake that occurred in extrahepatic tissues was much decreased. It is concluded that recognition by the extrahepatic receptors depends on the native conformation of the lipase. The extrahepatic uptake was strongly impeded by injection of heparin prior to injection of the lipase, and the uptake could to a large extent be reversed by injection of heparin after the lipase. Even after 1 h lipase that had been taken up by extrahepatic tissues reappeared immediately in the blood on injection of heparin. This was true both for enzyme activity and for enzyme radioactivity. Thus, internalization-inactivation-degradation occur only slowly in extrahepatic tissues. It is possible that the extrahepatic binding occurs to the enzyme's physiological receptors. The hepatic uptake was not dependent on the native conformation of the lipase, was less sensitive to heparin, could not be reversed by heparin and was not saturable. The enzyme was not rapidly inactivated after uptake; its activity could be detected in liver homogenates even after 1 h. Degradation to acid-soluble products in the liver was relatively slow; the t1/2 for native lipase was about 1 h. In comparison, in parallel experiments asialofetuin was degraded with a t1/2 of about 15 min.

Comparison of acyl-oxyester and acyl-Thioester lipids as substrates for bovine milk lipoprotein lipase

The dithioester analog of dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine, rac-1,2-S,S-dihexanoyl-3-phosphocholine-1,2-dimercapto-3-propanol was synthesized and compared to the corresponding acyl-oxyester lipid as a substrate for bovine milk lipoprotein lipase. The apparent maximal reaction velocity (Vmax) for dihexanoyldithiophosphatidylcholine was considerably lower than that for dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine (0.12 vs. 5.0 mumol product released/min per mg lipoprotein lipase, respectively). The apparent Km values were 1.9 and 4.0 mM, respectively. 3-Butyrylthio-1,2-dibutyryloxypropane was also compared to tributyrylglycerol as a substrate for lipoprotein lipase; hydrolysis of the acyl-thioester bond was insignificant when compared to the corresponding oxyester derivative. Apolipoprotein C-II, the activator protein of lipoprotein lipase for long-chain fatty acyl substrates, had no effect on the hydrolysis of either the thio- or oxyester short-chain substrates. The low lipoprotein lipase activity for the thioester substrates is discussed in relation to the structure of the lipid and the active site of the enzyme.

Lipoprotein lipase- and phospholipase A2-catalyzed hydrolysis of phospholipid vesicles with an encapsulated fluorescent dye effects of apolipoproteins

The self-quenching dye, 6-carboxyfluorescein, has been encapsulated into sonicated vesicles of egg phosphatidylcholine. Porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 and bovine milk lipoprotein lipase catalyze the hydrolysis of the phosphatidylcholine resulting in the release of the encapsulated dye and a large increase in 6-carboxyfluorescein fluorescence. The fluorescence increase occurs in parallel with the formation of lysophosphatidylcholine and is strongly dependent on Ca2+ for phospholipase A2 catalysis and on apolipoprotein C-II for hydrolysis by lipoprotein lipase. Other apolipoproteins, including apolipoproteins C-III, C-I, and A-I, do not enhance lipoprotein lipase activity towards this substrate. We conclude that the enhancement of lipoprotein lipase activity by apolipoprotein C-II is a specific property of the activator protein due to its interaction with lipoprotein lipase or an enzyme/lipid interface and not a characteristic of lipid-binding proteins in general.

Rat liver retinyl palmitate hydrolase activity. Relationship to cholesteryl oleate and triolein hydrolase activities

Studies were conducted to explore relationships in rat liver between retinyl palmitate hydrolase activity and the hydrolytic activities against cholesteryl oleate and triolein. Previous studies have shown positive correlations between these three lipid ester hydrolase activities. In order to extend this work, the hydrolase activities were further purified and characterized. The activities against cholesteryl oleate and triolein resembled retinyl palmitate hydrolase activity in showing great variability from rat to rat as assayed in vitro. The relative levels of the three activities were highly correlated with each other over a 50-fold range of activity in a series of 66 liver homogenates. Partial purification (approx. 200-fold) in the absence of detergents was achieved by sequential chromatography of an acetone powder extract of liver on columns of phenyl-Sepharose, DEAE-Sepharose and heparin-Sepharose. The three hydrolase activities copurified during each of these chromatographic steps. The properties of the three copurifying activities were similar with regard to stimulation of activity by trihydroxy bile salts, pH optimum (near 8.0), and observance of Michaelis-Menten-type saturation kinetics. The three activities were different in their sensitivity towards the serine esterase inhibitors diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, and in their solubility properties in 10 mM sodium acetate, pH 5.0. Thus, triolein hydrolase activity was much less sensitive than the other two activities to the two inhibitors. In addition, the activity against cholesteryl oleate could be separated from the other two activities by extraction of an acetone powder with acetate buffer, pH 5.0. These results indicate that the three lipid hydrolase activities are due to at least three different catalytically active centers, and at least two distinct and separable enzymes. It is likely that three separate but similar enzymes, that appear to be coordinately regulated, are involved.

Modification of apolipoprotein C-II with 1,2-cyclohexanedione and 2,3-butanedione. Role of arginine in the activation of lipoprotein lipase

Apolipoprotein C-II, the activator protein of lipoprotein lipase, contains 78 amino acids with a single residue of arginine at position 49. Chemical modification of apolipoprotein C-II with 1,2-cyclohexanedione or 2,3-butanedione results in a loss of both the arginine residue and the ability of the protein to enhance the activity of bovine milk lipoprotein lipase toward a trioleoylglycerol substrate; removal of the modifying group restores arginine and more than 70% of the activating property of the apolipoprotein. Arginine modification of apolipoprotein C-II does not effect its lipid-binding properties as assessed by its association to sonicated vesicles of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine. Furthermore, secondary structure associated with complex formation with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine are nearly identical for the unmodified, 1,2-cyclohexanedione-modified or modified-reversed proteins. These results suggest that arginine-49 of apolipoprotein C-II is situated at or near an amino acid sequence domain involved in the activation of lipoprotein lipase. However, a guanidinium group is not required for lipid binding.

Lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine. Effect of lipid organization and apolipoprotein C-II on enzyme activity

The effect of phospholipid organization on the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine was examined with sonicated vesicles and Triton X-100 or lysomyristoylphosphatidylcholine solubilized lipid. Triton X-100-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine substrates were prepared at various ratios of detergent to phospholipid so as to produce lipid structures varying from bilayers to micelles. Apolipoprotein C-II, the activator protein for lipoprotein lipase, enhanced the rate of the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine for each substrate tested. Although the absolute rate of lipoprotein lipase catalysis was different for each, the factor (the ratio of lipoprotein lipase activity with apolipoprotein C-II to that without the activator protein) was nearly constant, with a value of approximately 16. We conclude that the enhancement of lipoprotein lipase activity by apolipoprotein C-II is independent of the physical form of the phospholipid substrate.

Effect of human high density lipoproteins, anti-apolipoproteins CII and CIII, and hydrolysis of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol ester on VLDL catabolism in vitro

Lipolysis of human very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was inhibited in the presence of high density lipoproteins (HDL), anti-apolipoprotein (apo) CII, and by increasing the VLDL free cholesterol content but not with anti-apo CIII or lipoprotein-free plasma. The experiments lend direct evidence that the composition of VLDL and their milieu are important determinants of lipolysis by LPL. Apo CIII may not be critical in LPL mediated VLDL catabolism.

Effect of monolayer lipid structure and composition on the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of triacylglycerol

The effect of lipid composition and structure on the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of triacylglycerols was determined in a monolayer system consisting of purified bovine milk lipoprotein lipase and fatty acid-free albumin. In a monolayer of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine containing 1-6 mol% of either tri[14C]oleoylglycerol or tri[14C] palmitoylglycerol , lipoprotein lipase catalyzed the hydrolysis of the unsaturated triacylglycerol at a higher rate than the saturated lipid and in either the presence or absence of apolipoprotein C-II, the activator protein for the enzyme. For example, with 3 mol% triacylglycerol and in the presence of apolipoprotein C-II, the rate of the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of tri[14C]oleoylglycerol was 27 mumol oleic acid produced/h per mg enzyme vs. 12 mumol for tri[14C] palmitoylglycerol . The effect of phospholipid fatty acyl chain length and unsaturation/saturation, polar head group and surface density on the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of tri[14C]oleoylglycerol was determined. The rate of enzyme hydrolysis of triacylglycerol was similar whether the phospholipid was a diester or diether lipid or the polar head group was ethanolamine or choline. In general, phospholipids with shorter and unsaturated fatty acyl chains gave higher rates of lipoprotein lipase hydrolysis of triacylglycerol than the corresponding longer and saturated lipids. However, with all phospholipids tested, the rate of enzyme hydrolysis decreased with increasing surface density. Lipoprotein lipase showed no activity toward triacylglycerol in a monolayer of sphingomyelin; addition of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine to the monolayer enhanced the rate of enzyme catalysis. Cholesterol (50 mol%) in a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine monolayer increased the rate of the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of tri[14C]oleoylglycerol, whereas cholesterol decreased the rate in a dioleoylphosphatidylcholine monolayer. The effect of phospholipid structure and surface density on lipoprotein lipase activity could not be accounted for by the amount of apolipoprotein C-II which was present at the interface. Based on these findings and other reports in the literature, we suggest that the catalytic activity of lipoprotein lipase toward tri[14C] oleylglycerol in various monolayers is dependent on the conformation or appropriate physical state of the triacylglycerol substrate at the lipid interface.

Hydrolysis of a fluorescent phospholipid substrate by phospholipase A2 and lipoprotein lipase

The fluorescent phospholipid 1-acyl-2-[6-[(7-nitro-2,1,3benzoxadiazol-4 -yl) amino]-caproyl] phosphatidylcholine (C6-NBD-PC) was used as a substrate for porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 (PA2) and bovine milk lipoprotein lipase (LpL). Hydrolysis of C6-NBD-PC by either enzyme resulted in a greater than 50-fold fluorescence enhancement with no shift in the emission maximum at 540 nm; Ca++ was required for PA2 catalysis. Identification of the products of hydrolysis showed cleavage at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions for LpL and PA2, respectively. For PA2, but not for LpL, there was a marked enhancement of enzyme catalysis at lipid concentrations above the critical micellar concentration of the lipid. Furthermore, apolipoprotein C-II, the activator protein of LpL for long-chain fatty acyl substrates, did not enhance the rate of catalysis of the water-soluble fluorescent phospholipid for either enzyme.

Lipoprotein lipase--the molecule and its interactions

The lipoprotein lipase molecule carries several functional sites. Three of these sites, for interaction with lipid interfaces, with activator protein, and with fatty acids, regulate the action of the enzyme's active site. Another, independent, site on the molecule anchors it to cell surface heparan sulfate and thus holds it in place at the endothelium. Together these properties allow for a fine-tuned regulation of the lipoprotein lipase reaction so that lipids are transported from the right particles, into the right tissues at the right rate.

Effect of apolipoprotein C-II on the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of dihexanoyl- and diheptanoyl-phosphatidylcholine

The effect of apolipoprotein C-II (apoC-II) on the lipoprotein lipase (LpL)-catalyzed hydrolysis of phospholipids was studied using purified bovine milk LpL and dihexanoyl (diC6) and diheptanoyl (diC7) phosphatidylcholine. In contrast to porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2, the LpL-catalyzed hydrolysis of these short-chain lecithins was not enhanced at substrate concentrations above the critical micelle concentration of the lipids. Furthermore, apoC-II had no effect on enzyme catalysis.