Covalent binding of arachidonic acid metabolites to human platelet proteins. Identification of prostaglandin H synthase as one of the modified substrates

Platelet-Activating Factor Promotes the Development of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multifaceted clinicopathological syndrome characterised by excessive hepatic lipid accumulation that causes steatosis, excluding alcoholic factors. Platelet-activating factor (PAF), a biologically active lipid transmitter, induces platelet activation upon binding to the PAF receptor. Recent studies have found that PAF is associated with gamma-glutamyl transferase, which is an indicator of liver disease. Moreover, PAF can stimulate hepatic lipid synthesis and cause hypertriglyceridaemia. Furthermore, the knockdown of the PAF receptor gene in the animal models of NAFLD helped reduce the inflammatory response, improve glucose homeostasis and delay the development of NAFLD. These findings suggest that PAF is associated with NAFLD development. According to reports, patients with NAFLD or animal models have marked platelet activation abnormalities, mainly manifested as enhanced platelet adhesion and aggregation and altered blood rheology. Pharmacological interventions were accompanied by remission of abnormal platelet activation and significant improvement in liver function and lipids in the animal model of NAFLD. These confirm that platelet activation may accompany a critical importance in NAFLD development and progression. However, how PAFs are involved in the NAFLD signalling pathway needs further investigation. In this paper, we review the relevant literature in recent years and discuss the role played by PAF in NAFLD development. It is important to elucidate the pathogenesis of NAFLD and to find effective interventions for treatment.

Prostaglandin E2 modifies SMAD2 and promotes SMAD2-SMAD4 complex formation

We report that PGE2 promotes Smad2-Smad4 complex formation and this phenomenon could be blocked by DIDS, an anion transporter inhibitor. Our data suggest that PGE2 had no effects on Smad2 phosphorylation, suggesting that PGE2-mediated Smad2-Smad4 complex formation is independent of TGF-β signaling and that PGE2 induced Smad2 modification which is different from TGF-β-mediated phosphorylation. We demonstrate that in primary human glomerular mesangial cells PGE2 caused modification of Smad2 as detected by Smad2N antibody, raised against a peptide near the N-terminus of Smad2. We hypothesize that Smad2 protein is post-translationaly modified by PGE2. Direct evidence of Smad2 modification by PGE2 was achieved by avidin pulldown assay which showed that endogenous Smad2 and recombinant Smad2 protein were attached by biotin-labeled PGE2. Taken together, our results provided evidence that post-translational modification of Smad2 could be a mechanism for the action of PGE2 in the pathogenesis of human pathologies.

Kinetic models of cyclooxygenase and peroxidase inactivation of prostaglandin-H-synthase during catalysis

Kinetic models of inactivation of cyclooxygenase and peroxidase activities of prostaglandin-H-synthase (PGHS) during cyclooxygenase and peroxidase reactions catalyzed by the enzyme and also on preincubation with H2O2 have been developed; these models account for data obtained by the authors as well as data from the literature. Being rather simple, these models simultaneously describe the processes of cyclooxygenase and peroxidase inactivation of PGHS, using the minimal set of experimental parameters.

Cyclooxygenase and peroxidase inactivation of prostaglandin-H-synthase during catalysis

Prostaglandin-H-synthase (PGHS) is a bifunctional enzyme catalyzing cyclooxygenase and peroxidase reactions and undergoing irreversible inactivation during catalysis. A new method for kinetic studies of both PGHS activities in the course of cyclooxygenase as well as peroxidase reactions and also preincubation with hydroperoxides is suggested. It is shown that peroxidase activity is retained after complete cyclooxygenase inactivation and cyclooxygenase activity is retained after complete peroxidase inactivation. Two-stage cyclooxygenase inactivation occurs on preincubation of PGHS with hydrogen peroxide. Studies on inactivation under various conditions indicate that chemical mechanisms of cyclooxygenase and peroxidase inactivation are different. The data allow development of kinetic models.

Levuglandinyl adducts of proteins are formed via a prostaglandin H2 synthase-dependent pathway after platelet activation

The product of oxygenation of arachidonic acid by the prostaglandin H synthases (PGHS), prostaglandin H(2) (PGH(2)), undergoes rearrangement to the highly reactive gamma-ketoaldehydes, levuglandin (LG) E(2), and LGD(2). We have demonstrated previously that LGE(2) reacts with the epsilon-amine of lysine to form both the levuglandinyl-lysine Schiff base and the pyrrole-derived levuglandinyl-lysine lactam adducts. We also have reported that these levuglandinyl-lysine adducts are formed on purified PGHSs following the oxygenation of arachidonic acid. We now present evidence that the levuglandinyl-lysine lactam adduct is formed in human platelets upon activation with exogenous arachidonic acid or thrombin. After proteolytic digestion of the platelet proteins, and isolation of the adducted amino acid residues, this adduct was identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We also demonstrate that formation of these adducts is inhibited by indomethacin, a PGHS inhibitor, and is enhanced by an inhibitor of thromboxane synthase. These data establish that levuglandinyl-lysine adducts are formed via a PGHS-dependent pathway in whole cells, even in the presence of an enzyme that metabolizes PGH(2). They also demonstrate that a physiological stimulus is sufficient to lead to the lipid modification of proteins through the levuglandin pathway in human platelets.

The enzymology of prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthases-1 and -2

We summarize the enzymological properties of prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthases (PGHs)-1 and -2, the enzymes that catalyze the committed step in prostaglandin biosynthesis. These isoenzymes are closely related structurally and mechanistically. Each catalyzes a peroxidase and a cyclooxygenase reaction at spatially separate but neighboring, electronically interrelated active sites. The peroxidase is necessary to activate the cyclooxygenase; oxidation of the heme group of the peroxidase by peroxide leads to oxidation of a cyclooxygenase active site tyrosine. The tyrosine radical abstracts hydrogen from arachidonic acid to form an arachidonate radical which reacts sequentially with two oxygen molecules forming the intermediate product PGG2. PGG2 is then reduced by the peroxidase activity to PGH2. Based on the crystal structure of PGHS-1 arachidonate complex, it is now possible to envision how arachidonate is bound and oxygenation occurs. Recently, it has become possible to distinguish kinetically between the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase suicide inactivation reactions.

Characterization of the lysyl adducts of prostaglandin H-synthases that are derived from oxygenation of arachidonic acid

These investigations characterize the covalent binding of reactive products of prostaglandin H-synthases (PGHSs) to the enzyme and to other molecules. The intermediate product of oxygenation of arachidonic acid by the PGHSs, prostaglandin (PG) H2, undergoes rearrangement to the highly reactive gamma-keto aldehydes, levuglandin (LG) E2 and D2. We previously have demonstrated that LGE2 reacts with the epsilon-amine of lysine to form both the lysyl-levuglandin Shiff base and the pyrrole-derived lysyl-levuglandin lactam adducts. We now demonstrate that these lysyl-levuglandin adducts are formed on the PGHSs following the oxygenation of arachidonic acid; after reduction of the putative Schiff base, proteolytic digestion of the enzyme, and isolation of the adducted amino acid residues, these adducts were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The reactivity of the LGs is reflected by the finding that virtually all of the LG predicted to be formed from PGH2 can be accounted for as adducts of the PGH-synthase and that oxygenation of arachidonic acid by PGH-synthases also leads to the formation of adducts of other proteins present in the reaction solution. The reactivity of the PGH-synthase adducts themselves is demonstrated by the formation of intermolecular cross-links.

Cyclooxygenases: structural, cellular, and molecular biology

The prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthases-1 and 2 (PGHS-1 and PGHS-2; also cyclooxygenases-1 and 2, COX-1 and COX-2) catalyze the committed step in prostaglandin synthesis. PGHS-1 and 2 are of particular interest because they are the major targets of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including aspirin, ibuprofen, and the new COX-2 inhibitors. Inhibition of the PGHSs with NSAIDs acutely reduces inflammation, pain, and fever, and long-term use of these drugs reduces fatal thrombotic events, as well as the development of colon cancer and Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we examine how the structures of these enzymes relate mechanistically to cyclooxygenase and peroxidase catalysis, and how differences in the structure of PGHS-2 confer on this isozyme differential sensitivity to COX-2 inhibitors. We further examine the evidence for independent signaling by PGHS-1 and PGHS-2, and the complex mechanisms for regulation of PGHS-2 gene expression.

Characterization of the lysyl adducts formed from prostaglandin H2 via the levuglandin pathway

Prostaglandin H(2) has been demonstrated to rearrange to gamma-ketoaldehyde prostanoids termed levuglandins E(2) and D(2). As gamma-dicarbonyl molecules, the levuglandins react readily with amines. We sought to characterize the adducts formed by synthetic levuglandin E(2) and prostaglandin H(2)-derived levuglandins with lysine. Using liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry, we found that the reaction predominantly produces lysyl-levuglandin Schiff base adducts that readily dehydrate to form lysyl-anhydrolevuglandin Schiff base adducts. These adducts were characterized by examination of their mass spectra, by analysis of the products of their reaction with sodium cyanide, sodium borohydride, and methoxylamine and by the mass spectra derived from collision-induced dissociation in tandem mass spectrometry. The Schiff base adducts also are formed on peptide-bound lysyl residues. In addition, synthetic levuglandin E(2) and prostaglandin H(2)-derived levuglandins produced pyrrole-derived lactam and hydroxylactam adducts upon reaction with lysine as determined by tandem mass spectrometry. A marked time dependence in the formation of these adducts was observed: Schiff base adducts formed very rapidly and robustly, whereas the lactam and hydroxylactam adducts formed more slowly but accumulated throughout the time of the experiment. These findings provide a basis for investigating protein modification induced by oxygenation of arachidonic acid by the cyclooxygenases.

Carbocations in the synthesis of prostaglandins by the cyclooxygenase of PGH synthase? A radical departure!

Evidence already available is used to demonstrate that although prostaglandin G/H synthase hydroxylates arachidonic acid through radical intermediates, it effects cyclizations through a carbocation center at C-10. This is produced following migration of H to the initial radical at C-13 and a 1epsilon oxidation. Under orbital symmetry control, the cyclizations can give only the ring size and trans stereochemistry actually observed. After cyclization, the H-shift reverses to take the sequence back into current radical theory for hydroxylation at C-15. Thus 10,10-difluoroarachidonic acid cannot be cyclized, although it can be hydroxylated. Acetylation of Ser516 in the isoform synthase-2 is considered to oppose carbocation formation and/or H-migration and so prevent cyclizations while permitting hydroxylations; the associated inversion of chirality at C-15 can then readily be accommodated without the change in conformation required by other schemes. Suicide inhibition occurs when carbocations form stable bonds upon (thermal) contact with adjacent heteroatoms, etc. Because the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase functions operate simultaneously through the same heme, phenol acts as reducing cosubstrate for the cyclooxygenase, thus enabling it to promote PGG2 production and protect the enzyme from oxidative destruction.

Posttranslational modification of proteins with fatty acids in platelets

Direct modification of proteins by fatty acid can occur as cotranslational N-myristoylation of an N-terminal glycine residue or as posttranslational thioesterification of cysteine residue(s). Platelets provide an excellent model system for studying the posttranslational type of modification in the absence of active protein synthesis and in the absence of protein synthesis-related protein modifications with lipids. Using this model system it was shown that thioesterification of proteins with fatty acid is less specific for palmitate than it was thought earlier and that other saturated, mono- and even polyunsaturated long chain fatty acids can also participate. The chain length and the extent of unsaturation of the protein-linked fatty acid moiety can, very likely, modulate hydrophobic protein-membrane lipid and protein-protein interactions. CD9, HLA class I glycoprotein, glycoproteins Ib, IX and IV, P-selectin and alpha subunits of G proteins have been demonstrated unequivocally as S-fatty acid acylated platelet proteins.

Suicide inactivation of porcine leukocyte 12-lipoxygenase associated with its incorporation of 15-hydroperoxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid derivative

Two isozymes of arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase, platelet-type and leukocyte-type, which were distinguished by their substrate specificities and primary structures, were investigated with reference to 'suicide' inactivation. Upon reaction with arachidonic acid the leukocyte-type enzyme was inactivated rapidly during the catalysis, whereas the platelet-type enzyme did not show such a rapid inactivation. The two 12-lipoxygenase isozymes were incubated with various hydroperoxy and hydroxy products from arachidonic acid. (15S)-Hydroperoxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid (15-HPETE) was found to be a unique substrate of the leukocyte-type 12-lipoxygenase as follows. (1) 15-HPETE was an active substrate for porcine leukocyte 12-lipoxygenase, and converted anaerobically to a 14,15-epoxy compound (14,15-leukotriene A4). (2) A rapid inactivation of the enzyme was observed within 2 min upon aerobic and anaerobic incubations with 15-HPETE. (3) 15-HPETE was rapidly incorporated into the enzyme in a nearly equimolar amount under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. (4) Several findings suggested a covalent binding of 15-HPETE or its derivative to the enzyme. (5) Such a rapid and stoichiometric incorporation of 15-HPETE was not observed with the platelet-type 12-lipoxygenase. On the basis of these findings we presumed that 15-HPETE was transformed to 14,15-leukotriene A4, which was covalently bound to the leukocyte-type 12-lipoxygenase leading to the suicide inactivation of the enzyme.

Antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs in coronary vascular disease

The stimulation of platelets, activation of the coagulation cascade, release of platelet-derived vasoconstrictors, and endothelial dysfunction all contribute to the thrombotic vascular occlusion that results in myocardial infarction. Despite the importance of platelets in the initiation of this process, they are activated by multiple endogenous mediators. Thus, one might anticipate that redundancy in the system would confound the efficacy of antiplatelet drugs that were mediator-specific. The success of aspirin in clinical trials is likely to reflect the role of thromboxane A2 (TxA2) as an amplification signal for other platelet agonists. Activated platelets provide a substrate for assembly of the prothrombinase complex and both heparin and warfarin also reduce the mortality due to thrombotic vascular disease. The relative efficacy of these compounds versus aspirin and the safety of their combination, particularly in the setting of therapeutic thrombolysis, are under investigation. Novel antiplatelet agents, particularly those directed against the glycoprotein 11b/111a complex, are more potent than aspirin in animal models. Similarly, direct thrombin inhibitors seem superior to heparin. Whether such compounds can be administered safely in effective doses to humans is under study. It is hoped that the success of aspirin does not impede the clinical evaluation of theoretically more attractive antithrombotic drugs.