Fatty acid synthetase complex from the insect Ceratitis capitata

The quaternary structure and activity of newly purified fatty acid synthetase from the Harderian gland of guinea-pig

Fatty acid synthetase was isolated from the Harderian gland of guinea-pig. The fatty acids synthesized by the purified enzyme were analyzed by mass fragmentography. The purified enzyme had an inherent capacity to utilize methylmalonyl-CoA and synthesize methyl-branched fatty acids. Physicochemical studies indicated that an active enzyme was a dimer, consisted of two subunits of Mr = 2.5 X 10(5). The negatively stained enzyme had an electron micrographic image of an ellipsoidal contour with a continuous middle cleft along the major axis. The major and minor axes were approximately equal to 220 and 150 A, respectively. In a dimer, the subunit had a rod-like structure about 220 A long and 50 A wide. The enzyme was inactivated and dissociated into subunits by incubation at 0 degree C. The inactivated enzyme was fully reactivated by raising the temperature of the solution. The relationship between the quaternary structure of the enzyme and the occurrence of enzymatic activity was studied by high-performance liquid chromatography. Neither active monomers nor inactive dimers were found in inactivation and reactivation processes. The initial velocity of reactivation was proportional to the enzyme concentration over a concentration range of 160-800 micrograms/ml, indicating that the rate-determining step in the reactivation reaction was unimolecular.

Biosynthesis of medium chain fatty acids in Drosophila melanogaster

Adult Drosophila melanogaster synthesizes dodecanoic and tetradecanoic acids in vivo, along with the more common 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids. The radiolabeled C12 and C14 fatty acids synthesized from sodium [1-14C]acetate are found primarily in the diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol fractions. Partially purified fatty acid synthetase (FAS) synthesizes C14, C16, and C18 fatty acids (as the free acids) at 0.2 M ionic strength. Increasing the ionic strength to 2.0 M causes partially purified FAS to synthesize primarily C12 and C14 fatty acids. Addition of aliquots of the microsomal pellet and other soluble protein fractions does not alter the pattern of fatty acids synthesized by FAS. The percentage of C12 and C14 fatty acids synthesized at high ionic strength by individual fractions from the FAS peak (Sepharose 6B column) is constant across the peak. None of the soluble protein fractions is able to relieve the inhibition of FAS by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. These results indicate that the FAS of D. melanogaster has the inherent capability to form C12 and C14 fatty acids and that no other soluble protein appears to be involved in their synthesis.

Structure of bacterial fatty acid synthetase from Brevibacterium ammoniagenes

Hydrodynamic measurements and a cross-linking study with dimethyl suberimidate have shown that the native fatty acid synthetase from Brevibacterium ammoniagenes is a hexameric protein having a molecular weight of 1.56 . 10(6). The subunits of the enzyme are identical in size (Mr 2.6 . 10(5). The negatively stained fatty acid synthetase had an electron microscopic image of ellipsoidal structure with major and minor axes approximately equal to 270 A and 180 A, respectively. The electron microscopic image is similar to that of the yeast enzyme, which is quite distinct from the B. ammoniagenes enzyme with respect to the subunit composition. The inactivated enzyme prepared by dialysis against a lower ionic strength solution was partially reactivated by raising the ionic strength. Ellipsoidal images similar to those of the native enzyme were found in the electron micrograph of the reactivated enzyme. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation of the reactivated enzyme sample showed that the active component had almost the same sedimentation coefficient as the native hexamer. These results indicate that the enzyme is active only in its hexameric state.

Effects of palmitoyl-CoA on the structure-function of the fatty acid synthetase complex from Ceratitis capitata

1. The effects of palmitoyl-CoA on the structure and enzyme activity of the fatty acid synthetase from the insect Ceratitis capitata have been examined. 2. The acyl-CoA derivative increases the helical content of the protein from 45 to 60% and inhibits the enzyme activity of the complex. 3. Bovine serum albumin, calf thymus histone H1 and phospholipids protect the enzyme from the inactivation by palmitoyl-CoA. Phospholipids increase also the ellipticity at 220 nm in the enzyme complex. 4. The results obtained show a non specific character for the inhibition and are interpreted in terms of the detergent properties of the long-chain acyl-CoA derivatives.

Fluorescence studies on the lipoprotein complex of the fatty acid synthetase from the insect Ceratitis capitata

The fatty acid synthetase complex from the insect Ceratitis capitata forms a stable lipoprotein complex. The intrinsic fluorescence of the complex was studied by observing the emission spectra with different excitation wavelengths, both in the native complex and after temperature with sodium cholate and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The excitation spectrum of the native form also was recorded. The fluorescence behavior of the native enzyme showed two families of tryptophan residues. Cholate influenced the fluorescence, suggesting that phospholipids are the conformational support at this level. The two families of fluorescing tryptophan residues were similarly accessible to quenching by acrylamide. Thermal changes in the fluorescence characteristics were observed; warming caused a decrease in the quantum yield as well as a red shift in the emission maximum. The high fluorescence remaining after the thermal transition suggested that the lipid-protein interaction was affected but maintained shielding of the fluorophore by the lipids. Fluorescent probe molecules 1,6-diphenyl-hexa-1,3,5-triene (DPH) and dansylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPE) also were used. DPH uptake was temperature dependent, with a middle point consistent with the thermal conformation transition, indicating that internal lipids are nonrandomly distributed within the complex. DPE uptake did not reach the saturation of the complex, suggesting that its solubilization sites would be located on the lipoprotein surface.

Fatty acid synthetase complex from the insect Ceratitis capitata. Structural studies

The involvement of lipids in the structure and the activity of the fatty acid synthetase from the insect Ceratitis capitata has been previously established. Lipid-protein interactions were examined by circular dichroism. A thermal transition for both the structure and the activity of the enzyme complex takes place at about 50 degrees C; as the temperature is raised alpha-helix content decreases considerably and, concomitantly, the enzyme undergoes a marked inactivation. After 180 min at 37 degrees C, the secondary structure of the enzyme complex is 20% alpha-helix, 33% beta structure and 47% of not ordered structure against 43%, 26% and 31% as respective percentages for the native form of the complex. Lipolytic digestion of the complex was carried out with either lipase or phospholipase A2 or a mixture of both enzymes. Any of the lipolytic treatments induces a decrease of [theta]220 and the simultaneous digestion with lipase plus phospholipase during 90 min account for a limit structure with 8% of alpha-helix. The secondary structure of the complex after treatment with proteolytic enzymes, trypsin or chymotrypsin, had 15% alpha-helix, 20% beta structure and 57% of not ordered structure. The preservation of the alpha-helix content indicates that lipids protect certain of the bonds cleavable in the absence of lipids. The structural organization of the complex was studied through sequences of lipolytic and proteolytic treatments; final organization was dependent on the initial lipolytic digestion in agreement with the peptide bond shielding by the lipid component. Nitration of the complex with tetranitromethane modified almost completely all tyrosine residues of the polypeptide chains.

Mechanism of chain length determination in biosynthesis of milk fatty acids

Fatty acid synthetases isolated from all mammalian tissues synthesize predominately palmitic acid. However, in vivo the mammary gland fatty acid synthetases of some species are responsible for the synthesis of medium chain fatty acids. The objective of this presentation is to outline the mechanism which regulates the product specificity of fatty acid synthetases in general and to illustrate how this control is modified in the mammary gland. Fatty acid synthetases isolated from mammalian tissues are composed of two similar, probably identical, polypeptides, each carrying as many as seven enzyme components. Thioesterase I, the component which functions to terminate growth of acyl chains on the multienzyme, is located at one terminus of each polyfunctional polypeptide and can be detached by limited proteolysis with trypsin. By studying separately the kinetics of chain elongation by the core of the trypsinized complex and of chain termination by the isolated thioesterase I component, it has been possible to establish that the specificities of the elongation and termination reactions account for the synthesis of predominantly the carbon-16 fatty acid by purified fatty acid synthetases. Mammary glands of some species contain an additonal enzyme, thioesterase II, which can modify the product specificity of fatty acid synthetase by hydrolyzing medium chain acyl moieties from thioester linkage to the 4'phosphopantetheine of the multienzyme. At all stages of development of rat mammary gland, the amount of theoesterase II present correlates well with the proportion of medium chain fatty acids synthesized by the gland. This mammary gland-specific thioesterase appears responsible for the ability of this tissue to synthesize medium chain fatty acids characteristic of milk fat.