Lipid binding and activating properties of porcine pancreatic colipase split at the Ile79-Thr80 bond

Evaluation of vitamin D bioaccessibility and mineral solubility from test meals containing meat and/or cereals and/or pulses using in vitro digestion

In this study, we evaluated vitamin D and mineral (iron, zinc, magnesium) transfer to the bolus aqueous phase during the digestion of meals with/without pulses. We performed in vitro digestions using test meals made either of i) beef and/or semolina and/or chickpeas, or of ii) potatoes supplemented or not with fibers, phytates, tannins and saponins. Chickpea presence led to a decrease in vitamin D bioaccessibility (-56%, p ≤ 0.05) and mineral solubility (-28% for iron, p ≤ 0.05) compared with meals with beef and/or semolina only. This effect was largely compensated for vitamin D by the fact that this vitamin was more stable during digestion of meals based on plant foods only than of meals with beef. Tannins were the most deleterious compounds for iron solubility, while phytates and tannins decreased vitamin D bioaccessibility. Agronomical or technical solutions to selectively decrease the amount in pulses of compounds that affect micronutrient bioavailability should be further explored.

The Arg92Cys colipase polymorphism impairs function and secretion by increasing protein misfolding

Colipase is essential for efficient fat digestion. An arginine-to-cysteine polymorphism at position 92 of colipase (Arg92Cys) associates with an increased risk for developing type-2 diabetes through an undefined mechanism. To test our hypothesis that the extra cysteine increases colipase misfolding, thereby altering its intracellular trafficking and function, we expressed Cys92 colipase in HEK293T cells. Less Cys92 colipase is secreted and more is retained intracellularly in an insoluble form compared with Arg92 colipase. Nonreducing gel electrophoresis suggests the folding of secreted Cys92 colipase differs from Arg92 colipase. Cys92 colipase misfolding does not trigger the unfolded protein response (UPR) or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The ability of secreted Cys92 colipase to stimulate pancreatic triglyceride lipase (PTL) is reduced with all substrates tested, particularly long-chain triglycerides. The reaction of Cys92 colipase with triolein and Intralipid has a much longer lag time, reflecting decreased ability to anchor PTL on those substrates. Our data predicts that humans with the Arg92Cys substitution will secrete less functional colipase into the duodenum and have less efficient fat digestion. Whether inefficient fat digestion or another property of colipase contributes to the risk for developing diabetes remains to be clarified.

A polymorphism in the gene encoding procolipase produces a colipase, Arg92Cys, with decreased function against long-chain triglycerides

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a multifactorial and polygenic disorder with increasing prevalence. Recently, a polymorphism in the gene encoding procolipase, a cysteine for arginine substitution at position 92, was associated with type 2 diabetes in two human populations. Because procolipase plays a critical role in dietary fat metabolism, polymorphisms that affect the function of procolipase could influence the development of type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that the Arg92Cys polymorphism has functional consequences. To test our hypothesis, we expressed recombinant cysteine 92 (Cys92) procolipase in a yeast expression system and compared the function and stability of purified Cys92 with that of the more common arginine 92 (Arg92) procolipase. Cys92 fully restored the activity of bile-salt inhibited lipase with short- and medium-chain triglycerides but only had 50% of Arg92 function with long-chain triglycerides. After storage at 4 degrees C, Cys92 lost the ability to restore pancreatic triglyceride lipase activity with medium- and long-chain triglycerides. The loss of function correlated with the inability of Cys92 to anchor lipase on an emulsion surface and oxidation of the cysteine. No detectable degradation or intramolecular disulfide formation occurred in Cys92 after storage. Our findings demonstrate that the Arg92Cys polymorphism decreases the function of Cys92 colipase. This change may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Purification and characterization of human procolipase expressed in yeast cells

We report the successful, efficient, and large-scale expression of recombinant human procolipase in yeast. Using the full-length cDNA of human procolipase, constructs were made using either the native human procolipase signal peptide sequence or the signal peptide sequence of yeast. These constructs were used to transform yeast cells, and expression was followed. Only minimal expression was seen with the procolipase using the native human signal peptide. Robust secretion of the procolipase occurred when the yeast signal peptide was exchanged for the native signal peptide. Expression yielded more than 30 mg/liter. The recombinant protein was purified from the medium by immunoaffinity chromatography. The highly purified procolipase was free of proteolytic degradation and displayed activity and binding characteristics that were indistinguishable from those of tissue-purified human pancreatic colipase. Expression in yeast cells provides a useful tool for expressing intact, unprocessed recombinant wild-type and mutated procolipase.

Pancreatic lipase structure-function relationships by domain exchange

We designed chimeric mutants by exchanging the lid domains of the classical human pancreatic lipase (HPL) and the guinea pig pancreatic lipase related protein 2 (GPLRP2). This latter enzyme possesses naturally a large deletion within the lid domain and is not activated by lipid/water interfaces. Furthermore, GPLRP2 exhibits phospholipase A1 and lipase activities in the same order of magnitude, whereas HPL has no significant phospholipase activity and displays a clear interfacial activation. An HPL mutant [HPL(-lid)] with GPLRP2 mini-lid domain does not display interfacial activation. Its specific activity toward triglycerides is, however, dramatically reduced. A GPLRP2 mutant [GPLRP2(+lid)] with HPL full-length lid domain is not interfacially activated, and its lid domain probably exists under a permanent open conformation. Therefore, the phenomenon of interfacial activation in HPL is not only due to the presence of a full-length lid domain but also to other structural elements which probably allow the existence of stabilized closed and open conformations of the lid. GPLRP2(+lid) phospholipase activity is significantly reduced as compared to GPLRP2, whereas its lipase activity remains at the same level. Therefore, the lid domain plays a major role in substrate selectivity and can be considered as part of the active site. However, the presence of a full-length lid domain is not sufficient to explain the absence of phospholipase activity in HPL since HPL(-lid) does not display any phospholipase activity. We also produced a chimeric GPLRP2 mutant in which the C-terminal domain was substituted by the HPL C-terminal domain. The colipase effects, i.e., anchoring and stabilization of the lipase at the interface, are clearly observed with the chimera, whereas GPLRP2 is insensitive to colipase. The kinetic characterization of this chimera reveals for the first time that the interfacial stability of pancreatic lipases depends on the structure of the C-terminal domain.

The affinities of procolipase and colipase for interfaces are regulated by lipids

It has been suggested that at physiological pH, the trypsin-catalyzed activation of the lipase cofactor, procolipase, to colipase has no consequence for intestinal lipolysis and serves primarily to release the N-terminal pentapeptide, enterostatin, a satiety factor (Larsson, A., and C. Erlanson-Albertsson 1991. The effect of pancreatic procolipase and colipase on pancreatic lipase activation. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1083:283-288). This hypothesis was tested by measuring the adsorption of [14C]colipase to monolayers of 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-3-glycerophosphocholine and 13, 16-cis, cis-docosadienoic acid in the presence and absence of procolipase. With saturating [14C]colipase in the subphase, the surface excess of [14C]colipase is 29% higher than that of procolipase, indicating that colipase packs more tightly in the interface. With [14C]colipase-procolipase mixtures, the proteins compete equally for occupancy of the argon-buffer interface. However, if a monolayer of either or both lipids is present, [14C]colipase dominates the adsorption process, even if bile salt is present in the subphase. If [14C]colipase and procolipase are premixed for > 12 h at pH approximately 8, this dominance is partial. If they are not premixed, procolipase is essentially excluded from the interface, even if procolipase is added before [14C]colipase. These results suggest that the tryptic cleavage of the N-terminal pentapeptide of procolipase may be of physiological consequence in the intestine.