The inositide cycle in bovine photoreceptor membranes

Phosphoinositides in Retinal Function and Disease

Phosphatidylinositol and its phosphorylated derivatives, the phosphoinositides, play many important roles in all eukaryotic cells. These include modulation of physical properties of membranes, activation or inhibition of membrane-associated proteins, recruitment of peripheral membrane proteins that act as effectors, and control of membrane trafficking. They also serve as precursors for important second messengers, inositol (1,4,5) trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. Animal models and human diseases involving defects in phosphoinositide regulatory pathways have revealed their importance for function in the mammalian retina and retinal pigmented epithelium. New technologies for localizing, measuring and genetically manipulating them are revealing new information about their importance for the function and health of the vertebrate retina.

Retinal changes in magnesium-deficient rats

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the retina in magnesium (Mg) deficiency and elucidate the local functions of trace elements. After delivery, mother Wistar Kyoto rats were fed a low Mg diet containing 0.1 mg Mg per 100 g diet with all other nutrients and distilled and deionized water. Infant rats were suckled by their mother rats for 21 days and then fed the same Mg-deficient diet. Control mother rats were fed commercial rat pellets containing 24 mg Mg per 100 g diet and all other nutrients. The retinas were examined by electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) microscopy at 6 weeks of age. In the Mg-deficient rats serum Mg levels were significantly lower and calcium (Ca) levels higher than in the control rats. The retinas of Mg-deficient rats showed multifocal necrosis in the pigment epithelial cells; photoreceptor cell outer segments were deformed near the necrotic cells, and some pigment epithelial cells contained many lamellar bodies. Many photoreceptor cell nuclei showed pyknotic (apoptosis-like) changes. SIMS images showed lower Mg concentration throughout the retina of the Mg-deficient rats, and the ratio of Ca to Mg concentration was significantly higher than in the control rats. Mg deficiency induces multifocal necrosis in the retinal pigment epithelial cells and pyknotic (apoptosis-like) changes in the photoreceptor cell nuclei. The changes in Mg-deficient retinas may be due to an imbalance in the distribution of Mg and Ca trace elements.

Do phosphatidylinositides modulate vertebrate phototransduction?

Mammalian rod cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) channels (i.e., alpha plus beta subunits) are strongly inhibited by phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)) when they are expressed in Xenopus oocytes and studied in giant membrane patches. Cytoplasmic Mg-ATP inhibits CNG currents similarly, and monoclonal antibodies to PIP(2) reverse the effect and hyperactivate currents. When alpha subunits are expressed alone, PIP(2) inhibition is less strong; olfactory CNG channels are not inhibited. In giant patches from rod outer segments, inhibition by PIP(2) is intermediate. Other anionic lipids (e.g., phosphatidyl serine and phosphatidic acid), a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, and full-length diacylglycerol have stimulatory effects. Although ATP also potently inhibits cGMP-activated currents in rod patches, the following findings indicate that ATP is used to transphosphorylate GMP, generated from cGMP, to GTP. First, a phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor, Zaprinast, blocks inhibition by ATP. Second, inhibition can be rapidly reversed by exogenous regulator of G-protein signaling 9, suggesting G-protein activation by ATP. Third, the reversal of ATP effects is greatly slowed when cyclic inosine 5'-monophosphate is used to activate currents, as expected for slow inosine 5' triphosphate hydrolysis by G-proteins. Still, other results remain suggestive of regulatory roles for PIP(2). First, the cGMP concentration producing half-maximal CNG channel activity (K(1/2)) is decreased by PIP(2) antibody in the presence of PDE inhibitors. Second, the activation of PDE activity by several nucleotides, monitored electrophysiologically and biochemically, is reversed by PIP(2) antibody. Third, exogenous PIP(2) can enhance PDE activation by nucleotides.

Characterization of phospholipase D activity in bovine photoreceptor membranes

Phospholipase D (E.C. 3.1.4.4.) was detected in isolated bovine rod outer segments (ROS) and its properties determined. The enzyme activity was assayed using either a sonicated microdispersion of 1,2-diacyl-sn-[2(3)H]glycerol-3-phosphocholine (PC), or [14C]ethanol. Using [3H]PC and ethanol as a substrate, we were able to detect the hydrolytic properties as well as the transphosphatidylation reaction catalyzed by phospholipase D (PLD): formation of [3H]phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylethanol [3H]PtdEt; whereas with [14C]ethanol or [3H]glycerol in the absence of exogenous PC, only transphosphatidylation reactions were detected (formation of [14C]PtdEt or [3H]phosphatidylglycerol, respectively). The use of varying concentrations of [3H]PC and 400 mM of ethanol gave an apparent Km value for PC of 0.51 mM and a Vmax value of 111 nmol x h(-1) x (mg protein)(-1). The activity was linear up to 60 min of incubation and up to 0.2 mg of protein. The optimal ethanol concentration was determined to be 400 mM, with an apparent Km of 202 mM and a Vmax value for ethanol of 125 nmol x h(-1) x (mg protein)(-1). A clear pH optimum was observed around 7. PLD activity was increased in the presence of 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propane-sulfonate or sodium deoxycholate and inhibited with Triton X-100. The enzyme activity was also activated in the presence of Ca2+ or Mg2+ (1 mM) although these ions were not required for measuring PLD activity. The high specific activity of PLD found in purified ROS compared to the activity found in other subcellular fractions of the bovine retina suggests that this enzymatic activity is native to ROS. The present report is the first evidence of PLD activity associated with photoreceptor ROS.

Diacylglycerol analogs inhibit the rod cGMP-gated channel by a phosphorylation-independent mechanism

The electrical response to light in retinal rods is mediated by cyclic nucleotide-gated, nonselective cation channels in the outer segment plasma membrane. Although cGMP appears to be the primary light-regulated second messenger, cellular levels of other substances, including Ca2+ and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate, are also sensitive to the level of illumination. We now show that diacylglycerol (DAG) analogs reversibly suppress the cGMP-activated conductance in excised patches from frog rod outer segments. This suppression did not require nucleoside triphosphates, indicating that a phosphorylation reaction was not involved. DAG was more effective at low than at high [cGMP]: with 50 microM 8-Br-cGMP, the DAG analog 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (1,2-DiC8) reduced the current with an IC50 of approximately 22 microM (Hill coefficient, 0.8), whereas with 1.2 microM 8-Br-cGMP, only approximately 1 microM 1,2-DiC8 was required to halve the current. DAG reduced the apparent affinity of the channels for cGMP: 4 microM 1,2-DiC8 produced a threefold increase in the K1/2 for channel activation by 8-Br-cGMP, as well as a threefold reduction in the maximum current, without changing the apparent stoichiometry or cooperativity of cGMP binding. Inhibition by 1,2-DiC8 was not relieved by supersaturating concentrations of 8-Br-cGMP, suggesting that DAG did not act by competitive inhibition of cGMP binding. Furthermore, DAG did not seem to significantly reduce single-channel conductance. A DAG analog similar to 1,2-DiC8--1,3-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (1,3-DiC8)--suppressed the current with the same potency as 1,2-DiC8, whereas an ethylene glycol of identical chain length (DiC8-EG) was much less effective. Our results suggest that DAG allosterically interferes with channel opening, and raise the question of whether DAG is involved in visual transduction.

Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase activity in isolated rod outer segments from bovine retina

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) can be synthesized in isolated rod outer segments from bovine retina by successive transfer of methyl groups from S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), with the intermediate formation of phosphatidyl-N-monomethylethanolamine (PMME) and phosphatidyl-N,N-dimethylethanolamine (PDME). This reaction is time-protein-and SAM concentration-dependent. Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PE N-MTase) has two pH optima, 8.5 and 10, at low (10 microM) and high (200 microM) SAM concentrations and requires magnesium ions for full activity. When ROS membranes were incubated at 5 to 200 microM SAM concentrations at pH 8.5 or pH 10, the major methylated product was PMME, followed by PC and PDME. The apparent Kms for SAM at pH 8.5 and at pH 10 were similar (37 and 38 microM, respectively). The Vmax was 13 pmol h-1 (mg protein)-1 at pH 8.5 and 12.50 pmol h-1 (mg protein)-1 at pH 10. Pulse-chase experiments demonstrated a precursor-product relationship with [3H]PC as the end product. The level of PE N-Mtase activity in the purified ROS preparation obtained from crude ROS fractions by discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation, was as high as 65% of the level found in the microsomal fraction obtained from the remainder of the retinas. The presence of microsomal and mitochondrial marker enzymes, however, was minimal in the ROS preparation. The radioactivity incorporated into ROS PC was measured in an upper and lower band of PC obtained by two-dimensional TLC. We found that the amount of [methyl-3H] groups incorporated into the upper PC band was 2.5-fold greater than that incorporated into the lower one. The fatty acid composition of the upper band was very different from that of the lower band, the former being enriched in very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and the latter in saturated fatty acids. Phosphatidyl-ethanolamine N-methyltransferase activity increased in the presence of exogenous phospholipid substrates. PDME being augmented ten-fold and PC eight-fold when the incubations were carried out in the presence of PMME and PDME, respectively. At a 2 mM concentration, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) inhibited the methyl groups' incorporation into the endogenous phospholipids by 40%. When ROS membranes were selectively depleted of soluble or peripheral and soluble proteins, the PE N-MTase activity remained mainly associated to the membrane, suggesting that this enzyme (s) is an intrinsic membrane protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Light evoked inositol trisphosphate release in the rat retina in vitro

Light exposure not only elicits a photic response but may also alter the metabolism and functional properties of the retina. This may be evoked by the stimulation of phospholipid derived second messenger systems. In this study, we investigated the light-evoked release of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate in the isolated rat retina in vitro by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detection. After prelabelling of isolated retinae with tritiated myo-inositol in darkness, they were exposed to no light or to white fluorescent light of 10,000 lux illuminance for 3,5 and 10 sec, respectively. We observed a 200% increase in the release of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate compared to basal values in darkness after 3 sec of light exposure with a decline after 5 sec and a return to basal values after 10 sec indicating a rapid breakdown of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. Our data confirm previous studies in the amphibian retina and photoreceptors and demonstrate for the first time a light evoked inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate release in the mammalian retina.

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate phospholipase C in bovine rod outer segments

Preparations of rod outer segments from cattle retinas contained soluble and particulate phospholipase C activities which hydrolyzed phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and the other phosphoinositides. Ca2+ was required for PIP2 hydrolysis, but high (greater than 300 microM) concentrations were inhibitory. Mg2+ and spermine at low concentrations stimulated the particulate activity but inhibited the soluble. Mn2+ inhibited both. High (greater than 100 microM) concentrations of the nonhydrolyzable GTP analogue guanylyl beta,gamma-methylenediphosphonate inhibited PIP2 hydrolysis by both the soluble and particulate activities, but guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S), fluoride, and cholera and pertussis toxins were without effect. Overall phospholipase C activity in ROS was unaffected by light. Evidence was found for multiple forms of the enzyme, requiring isolation and separate characterization before ruling out regulation by light or G-protein.