Lipoprotein Lipase Interaction with Synthetic N-Dansyl Fragments of Apolipoprotein C-II

Structure of a biologically active fragment of human serum apolipoprotein C-II in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and dodecylphosphocholine

We have studied the three-dimensional structure of a biologically active peptide of apolipoprotein C-II (apoC-II) in the presence of lipid mimetics by CD and NMR spectroscopy. This peptide, corresponding to residues 44-79 of apoC-II, has been shown to reverse the symptoms of genetic apoC-II deficiency in a human subject. A comparison of alpha-proton secondary shifts and CD spectroscopic data indicates that the structure of apoC-II(44-79) is similar in the presence of dodecylphosphocholine and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The three-dimensional structure of apoC-II(44-79) in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, determined by relaxation matrix calculations, contains two amphipathic helical domains formed by residues 50-58 and 67-75, separated by a non-helical linker centered at Tyr63. The C-terminal helix is terminated by a loop formed by residues 76-79. The C-terminal helix is better defined and has a larger hydrophobic face than the N-terminal helix, which leads us to propose that the C-terminal helix together with the non-helical Ile66 constitute the primary lipid binding domain of apoC-II(44-79). Based on our structure we suggest a new mechanism of lipoprotein lipase activation in which both helices of apoC-II(44-79) remain lipid bound, while the seven-residue interhelical linker extends away from the lipid surface in order to project Tyr63 into the apoC-II binding site of lipoprotein lipase.

Hydrolysis of phospholipids by purified milk lipoprotein lipase. Effect of apoprotein CII, CIII, A and E, and synthetic fragments

Different pyrene-labeled phospholipid monolayer vesicles were used as substrates for the bovine milk lipoprotein lipase activity. The effects of synthetic fragments of apoprotein C II were measured on the hydrolysis of 1-myristoyl-2[9(1pyrenyl)-nonanoyl] phosphatidylcholine in vesicles: The activating capacity of fragments 30-78 and 43-78, 50-78 and 55-78, compared to entire apo CII, were similar to that obtained with hydrolysable triglycerides. Our study shows that the longer the carboxy terminal fragment is, the higher is the activation. The phospholipid hydrolysis activity represents in the presence of apo C II, 36% of the triglycerides hydrolysis activity. Phospholipid hydrolysis is less dependent on activator than triglycerides hydrolysis (100% and 300% of increase with apo CII for phosphatidyl-choline and triglycerides respectively). The ratio hydrolysis without apo C II/hydrolysis with apo CII was different when other phospholipids than myrystoyl-phospatidylcholine were assayed: phosphatidyl-serine, ethanolamine, -choline, -glycerol, or diglycerides and butanoylglycerols. Fragment CIII(1) (1-40) which did not bind to lipids, had no inhibitory effect. The entire sugar moiety and the first 40 amino acids are not required for the total inhibition of LPL. Inhibition was also obtained with Apo A I, A II,C I and fragments of apo E.

A new fluorometric method for measuring the action of C apolipoproteins on milk lipoprotein lipase

Monolayer vesicles containing pyrene-labelled nonanoyltriglyceride (1-2 ditetradecyl 3-pyrene nonanoyl glyceride) were used as a substrate to measure bovine milk lipoprotein lipase activity. The activation of lipoprotein lipase by synthetic fragments of apolipoprotein C II and apo C III was measured. Fragments 30-78 and 43-78 had actions similar to that of the entire apo C II. Fragments 50-78 and 55-78 were 50% active, fragment 60-78 was 10% active and fragment 66-78 was inactive. Thus the activating capacity depended on the length of the carboxyterminal fragment. Replacing tyrosine 62 in apo C II by glycine removed all lipoprotein lipase activating capacity, while making Tyr 62 less accessible for binding to lipids and enzyme decreased apo C II activating capacity. Apo C III1 inhibited both basal lipoprotein lipase activity (no apo C II) and lipoprotein lipase activated by apo C II. Apo C III, fragment A (1-40) which did not bind lipids, had no inhibitory effect, while fragment B(41-79) had the same effect as whole apo C III,. Apo AI, AII and C I also inhibited lipoprotein lipase. The fluorometric assay is easy to perform, and suitable for metabolic studies such as fatty-acid exchanges between lipoproteins, as it produces no alteration in the reaction products. It also avoids the use of a radio-labelled substrate.

Apolipoprotein CII from chicken (Gallus domesticus). The amino-terminal domain is different from corresponding domains in mammals

The amino acid sequence of chicken apolipoprotein CII (apoCII) was determined from cDNA sequencing and from partial protein sequencing. The chicken sequence showed an overall identity of around 30% to all the other previously known apoCII sequences. Comparison of the carboxyl-terminal domain (residues 51-79, human numbering) showed at least 50% identity between species. By limiting the region to residues 51-70 the similarity was remarkably high, about 85%. This is in concert with the previous opinion that residues in the region 56-76 are directly engaged in binding to lipoprotein lipase and in activation of this enzyme. In contrast, in the amino-terminal end up to residue 50 (human numbering) less than 24% of the amino acid residues in chicken apoCII were identical to residues of any of the other species. In addition, chicken apoCII is four residues longer than human apoCII (83 versus 79 residues), probably due to an extension at the amino-terminal end. Although the sequence was completely different in the amino-terminal domain, the structures necessary for binding to lipid appear to be present in chicken apoCII. Secondary structure prediction showed that the amino-terminal domain could form two amphipathic alpha-helices in almost similar areas of the sequence as was previously predicted for human apoCII.

Effect of the apolipoprotein C-II/C-III1 ratio on the capacity of purified milk lipoprotein lipase to hydrolyse triglycerides in monolayer vesicles

The effect of the apolipoprotein C-II/C-III1 ratio on the capacity of purified bovine milk lipoprotein lipase to hydrolyse triglycerides was measured in a controlled model of pyrene-labeled nonanoyltriglycerides (1-2 ditetradecyl 3-pyrene nonanoyl glyceride) monolayer vesicles. Monolayer was composed of triglycerides, a non-hydrolysable phospholipid ether and cholesterol, a model system where the quality of the interface can be controlled. LPL released fatty acids from pyrene-triglycerides which were transferred from the lipoprotein structure to albumin. This transfer induces a decrease in the excimer production and in the excimer fluorescence intensity. Apolipoprotein C-II and C-III0 and C-III1 were purified from apolipoprotein VLDL. The 2 fragments, C-III1 A (peptide 1-40) and C-III1 B (peptide 41-79), were obtained after thrombin cleavage. Apolipoproteins C-III0 and C-III1 had a similar inhibitory effect on LPL. Inhibition with apo C-III0 or apo C-III1 was 85% of full LPL activity without inhibitor: Apo C-III1 B inhibited 62% of basal activity. It was 27% less effective than apo C-III1. Fragment C-III1 A did not inhibit LPL. The effect of change in both apo C-II (0-0.6 microM) and apo C-III1 (0-1.0 microM) on triglyceride hydrolysis shows the importance of the apo C-II/C-III1 ratio for the release of free fatty acids from triglycerides by LPL. The activating effect of apo C-II in the absence of the apo C-III inhibitor was maximal at 0.06 microM. No further activation was obtained between 0.06 and 0.30 microM. Higher concentrations decreased LPL activity. Apo C-III1 (0.1 microM) decreased the maximum activation by apo C-II from 0.0196 to 0.063 nmol/min/nmol LPL. Higher concentrations of apo C-III1 (0.1-0.5 microM) required higher apo C-II concentrations (0.30 microM instead of 0.06 microM) for maximal activation than when apo C-III1 was absent. The activity of the enzyme without apo C-II was decreased by 65% by 0.12 microM apo C-III1. Increasing the apo C-II/apo C-III1 ratio from 0.1 to 1, increased the activation of the enzyme by a given apo C-II concentration. Moreover, for a given apo C-II/C-III1 ratio, the LPL activation increased with the apo C-II concentration (between 0 and 0.010 microM), until a plateau was reached. This is important, as the change in the C-II/C-III1 ratio is not the only factor affecting LPL activity, and inhibition by apo C-III1 also depends on the overall quantity of apolipoproteins. Extrapolation of these results suggests that hyperlipoproteinemia seems to be more likely due to overproduction of VLDL, than to a decrease in lipoprotein lipase activity.

C-terminal domain of apolipoprotein CII as both activator and competitive inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase

In this study we have prepared peptides of the C-terminal domain of apolipoprotein CII (ApoCII) by a solid-peptide-synthesis technique and demonstrated that the C-terminal tetrapeptide, Lys-Gly-Glu-Glu, represents an inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase. The tetrapeptide not only inhibits the basal activity of lipoprotein lipase, but also blocks the activation effect of native ApoCII. The lengthening of this tetrapeptide resulted in a corresponding increase in affinity for lipoprotein lipase. This suggested that amino acids other than those of the C-terminal tetrapeptide also contribute to the binding affinity of ApoCII for lipoprotein lipase. On the basis of an essential requirement of the ApoCII terminal domain for binding to lipoprotein lipase, we suggest that the initial interaction of ApoCII, mediated via the C-terminal tetrapeptide, promotes the proper alignment of ApoCII with lipoprotein lipase, followed by the weak interaction of the ApoCII activator domain with the lipoprotein lipase activator site, enhancing the lipolysis process.

Interfacial interactions between proteins and mammalian lipases

The effects of proteins, both endogenous and exogenous, on the activity of lipases against water soluble and water insoluble substrates have been reviewed. The enzymes considered are pancreatic and gastric lipases, and lipoprotein, bile-salt-stimulated human milk and pancreatic carboxyl ester lipases. A brief account is given of the function of each enzyme and of the physical properties of the interacting proteins, which include albumins, lysozymes, globulins and immunoglobulins, myoglobin, transferrins, alpha-lactalbumin and melittin. With few exceptions (for example, the effect of colipase on pancreatic lipase), the interaction of proteins with lipases which act at the lipid-water interface of water insoluble substrates results in deactivation of enzymic activity. It seems that the amphiphilic nature of proteins allows them to aggregate at interfaces, thereby altering the nature of the interface and decreasing accessibility of the substrate to the enzyme. This discussion gives consideration to association of the proteins with the enzyme or the interface and to whether the interactions with specific binding sites or interfacial inactivation are responsible for the observations. However, the effect of proteins on lipases acting against water soluble substrates varies from protein to protein. Activation of enzyme-activity occurs if the interacting proteins are able to act as acyl transfer agents and thus introduce another catalytic hydrolysis pathway into the reaction mechanism. Inhibition may be caused by specific interactions between the protein and the enzyme or the substrate.

N-(5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-3-aminobenzene boronic acid as an active-site-directed fluorescent probe of lipoprotein lipase

Resonance energy transfer was used to monitor the interaction of an active-site-directed fluorescent inhibitor, N-(5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-3-aminobenzene boronic acid, and lipoprotein lipase (EC 3.1.1.34). The binding of this probe to the active site of lipoprotein lipase had an association constant, Ka, of 1.1 X 10(6) M-1, indicating a strong interaction. The binding was displaced competitively by benzene boronic acid. The method described provides a sensitive procedure to probe the active site of lipoprotein lipase.

Esterase-type of activity possessed by human plasma apolipoprotein C-II and its synthetic fragments

Human plasma apolipoproteins apo A-I, A-II, C-I, C-II and C-III (with the exception of apoE), porcine pancreatic colipase and procolipase hydrolyze 4-methylumbelliferyloleate. In all cases, liberation of 4-methylumbelliferone could be inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl-fluoride, thus suggesting the involvement of serine residues. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the esterase activities of these peptides. Synthetic fragments of the lipoprotein lipase activator, apoC-II, prepared according to the known sequence, also possessed this esterase-type of activity. Furthermore, the esterase-type of activities of the synthetic apoC-II fragments with different chain lengths bore a relatively good correlation to the reported abilities of these peptides to produce activation of lipoprotein lipase. We propose a model for the mechanism of activation of lipoprotein lipase by apolipoprotein C-II. ApoC-II would enhance the apparent catalytic rate constant of lipoprotein lipase by functioning as a specific acyl-enzyme hydrolase. A similar catalytic mechanism is suggested for other protein co-factors of hydrolytic enzymes.

Inhibition of lipoprotein lipase by benzene boronic acid. Effect of apolipoprotein C-II

The catalytic mechanism of triacylglycerol hydrolysis by lipoprotein lipase was studied. We found lipoprotein lipase to be inhibited by benzene boronic acid, with an apparent Ki of 8.9 micro M at pH 7.4. This indicates the presence of serine and histidine in the active site of the enzyme. Inhibition of lipoprotein lipase by benzene boronic acid is likely to be due to the formation of an inhibitor-enzyme complex having analogous bonding to the active site histidine and serine as the transition-state complex which precedes the formation of an obligatory acyl-enzyme intermediate. The presence of apolipoprotein C-II, the apolipoprotein activator of lipoprotein lipase, partly reverses the inhibition of lipoprotein lipase by benzene boronic acid. This reversal by apolipoprotein C-II has a distinct pH optimum in the range of 8-9.