Rapid hydrolysis of diacylglycerol formed during phosphatidate phosphatase assay by lipase activities in rat liver cytosol and microsomes

Age-related changes in the metabolization of phosphatidic acid in rat cerebral cortex synaptosomes

In this study, phosphatidic acid (PA) metabolization is found to generate diacylglycerol (DAG), monoacylglycerol (MAG) and glycerol by the sequential action of lipid phosphate phosphatase (LPP), diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL), and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) in cerebral cortex (CC) synaptosomes. It is also demonstrated that PA is metabolized by phospholipases A (PLA)/lysophosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase (LPAPase) in synaptic endings. Age-related changes in the metabolization of PA have been observed in rat cerebral cortex synaptosomes in the presence of the alternative substrates for LPP, namely LPA, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P). In addition, LPA and C1P up to concentrations of about 50 microM favor the metabolism in the direction of MAG and glycerol in aged and adult synaptosomes, respectively. At equimolecular concentrations with PA, LPA decreases DAG formation in adult and aged synaptosomes, whereas S1P decreases it and C1P increases it only in aged synaptosomes. Sphingosine (50 microM) or ceramide (100 microM) increase PA metabolism by the pathway that involves LPP/DAGL/MAGL action in aged membranes. Using RHC-80267, a DAGL inhibitor, we could observe that 50% and 33% of MAG are produced as a result of DAGL action in adult and aged synaptosomes, respectively. Taken together, our findings indicate that the ageing modifies the different enzymatic pathways involved in PA metabolization.

Difficulties in the assay of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activity. Influence of ionic strength, detergent, and selection of substrate

In the present paper, problems in connection with assay of the activity of magnesium-dependent rat liver phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAP) are discussed. PAP activity is usually measured by following the production of diacylglycerol or inorganic phosphate from the substrate phosphatidate. These two methods may give widely different results due to a number of factors that may affect the assay. One such factor is the composition of the substrate. Higher apparent enzyme activity was observed with dioleoyl-phosphatidate than with dipalmitoyl-phosphatidate. This substrate-dependent difference in apparent PAP activity was 2-2.5-fold in the absence and 10-fold in the presence of Triton X-100, respectively. Triton X-100 reduced the activity as measured with the dipalmitoyl-phosphatidate substrate. In contrast, the activity of PAP as measured with dioleoyl-phosphatidate was stimulated by Triton X-100. The stimulatory effect of Triton was reduced or abolished when the ionic strength in the assay mixture was increased. Assays based on 32P-labeled substrate are rapid and sensitive. It is shown here that 33P can be used as an alternative. This radionuclide has a longer half-life and also emits particles with lower energy, thus posing less potential health hazards for the user.

Phosphatidate phosphatases of mammals, yeast, and higher plants

Phosphatidate phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.4) catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphatidate to yield sn-1,2-diacylglycerol and inorganic phosphate. In mammalian systems, forms of phosphatidate phosphatase involved in glycerolipid synthesis and signal transduction have been identified. Forms of the enzyme involved in signal transduction have been purified and partially characterized. In yeast, phosphatidate phosphatases associated with the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria have also been purified and partially characterized. Information on phosphatidate phosphatases from mammals and yeast is useful in characterizing the enzyme from plant systems. This review examines progress on the characterization of phosphatidate phosphatases from mammals, yeast, and higher plants. The purification and characterization of the phosphatidate phosphatase involved in glycerolipid synthesis in developing oilseeds may lead to the identification of the encoding gene. Increasing our understanding of the enzymes of lipid synthesis in developing seeds will aid in the development of biotechnological strategies for seed oil modification.

The activity of the metabolic form of hepatic phosphatidate phosphohydrolase correlates with the severity of alcoholic fatty liver in human beings

Increased esterification of fatty acids to triglyceride is common to most of the mechanisms proposed to explain the causation of alcoholic fatty liver. However, it is unclear whether this is caused by increased substrate supply or whether direct stimulation of the enzymes of the esterification pathway occurs after excessive alcohol intake. The rate-limiting step in triglyceride synthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, which is present in the cytosol and microsomes and is sensitive to inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide. This enzyme is physically distinct from a second form of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase that is located predominantly in the plasma membrane, is insensitive to N-ethylmaleimide inhibition and has a putative role in cell-signaling. We have investigated whether the activity of the N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive ("metabolic") form of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase is increased in patients with alcoholic liver disease and whether any increased activity correlates with the severity of steatosis. N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive and -insensitive phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activities were measured in needle liver biopsy specimens from 42 alcoholic patients and 6 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and in wedge biopsy specimens from 6 normal patients undergoing routine cholecystectomy. Steatosis was "scored" on coded slides from 0 to 3. N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive activity was higher in alcoholic biopsy specimens scoring 3 (3.25 +/- 0.4 units/mg protein, n = 10) than in those scoring either 0 (1.21 +/- 0.2, n = 14) or 1 to 2 (1.58 +/- 0.2, n = 18), and it was also higher than in biopsy specimens from normal and primary biliary cirrhosis patients (1.65 +/- 0.3, n = 12; p < 0.0001, analysis of variance).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Studies on triglyceride metabolism: phosphatidate phosphohydrolase from guinea pig harderian gland

The guinea pig Harderian gland, located in the orbit, is characterized by a high production of lipids. However, little is known about the regulation of the metabolic pathways involved. In the present paper the properties of guinea pig Harderian gland phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, a key enzyme in triglyceride biosynthesis, was investigated. The enzyme was present both in the cytosolic and the microsomal fraction from the gland. Cytosolic phosphatidate phosphohydrolase was purified by hydroxylapatite chromatography. The enzyme was dependent on magnesium ions and inhibited in the presence of fluoride. The dependence on the substrate phosphatidate was investigated and the apparent Km for phosphatidate was about 0.6 mM. Phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activity was influenced by different phospholipids. As is the case for the rat liver enzyme, phosphatidylethanolamine was found to stimulate the enzyme activity. The results indicate that Harderian gland phosphatidate phosphohydrolase has similar properties as the corresponding enzyme from rat liver, suggesting that it may be of regulatory importance.

Physical evidence for the presence of two forms of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase in rat liver

Phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAP)-catalysed dephosphorylation of phosphatidic acid to diacylglycerol is an important step in glycerolipid metabolism and cell-signalling. Gel filtration chromatography on Superose 6 and anion-exchange chromatography on Mono Q of rat liver subcellular fractions has provided physical evidence for the presence of two distinct forms of PAP activity. One form was sensitive to inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), had an apparent M(r) of 540,000 and was eluted from the anion-exchange column by 0.35 M NaCl, while the other was insensitive to inhibition by NEM, had an apparent M(r) of 240,000 and was eluted from the anion-exchange column by 0.15 M NaCl. Studies on the subcellular distribution of these two enzymes, using 5'-nucleotidase as a plasma membrane marker, demonstrated that the NEM-sensitive form was predominantly cytosolic but translocated to the microsomal membranes in response to oleate. The NEM-insensitive form was predominantly located in the plasma membrane but a small proportion (approx. 10%) of total cell activity was present on the endoplasmic reticulum. The implications of these results for the likely roles of the two different forms of PAP in fatty acid esterification and cell-signalling are discussed.

Diacylglycerol generated in the phospholipid vesicles by phospholipase C is effectively utilized by diacylglycerol lipase in rat liver cytosol

Diacylglycerol was generated in phosphatidylcholine vesicles by incubation with Clostridium welchii phospholipase C. Newly formed diacylglycerol was rapidly converted to monoacylglycerol and glycerol when rat liver cytosol fraction was present in the incubation mixture, suggesting the presence of di- and monoacylglycerol lipase activities in this subcellular fraction. On the other hand, 3H-labeled diacylglycerol co-emulsified with non-radioactive phosphatidylcholine was found to be a poor substrate for the diacylglycerol lipase. These results indicate that enzymatic generation of diacylglycerol provide a substrate having a suitable physical state for the expression of diacylglycerol lipase activity. It was also found that the rate of diacylglycerol hydrolysis was dependent upon the rate of diacylglycerol generation, but not upon the absolute concentration in the incubation mixture. When the rate of diacylglycerol hydrolysis was plotted against the rate of diacylglycerol generation, a saturation curve was obtained and the double-reciprocal plot gave a straight line. It is not known why a relationship similar to Michaelis-Menten type kinetics was obtained between the rate of diacylglycerol hydrolysis and diacylglycerol generation instead of diacylglycerol concentration, but it may be best explained by the following assumptions: (1) diacylglycerol molecules are generated at the surface of the lipid vesicles where they are readily accessible to diacylglycerol lipase; (2) soon after the generation, diacylglycerol molecules migrate into inside the vesicles where they are inaccessible to the enzyme; (3) the effective concentration of diacylglycerol, i.e., the concentration of diacylglycerol located in the surface layer of the vesicles is proportional to the rate of diacylglycerol generation.