Lysophospholipases of Rat Brain

Evidence for two distinct lysophospholipase activities that degrade lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidic acid in neuronal nuclei of cerebral cortex

Neuronal nuclei were isolated from immature rabbit cerebral cortex and nuclear lysophospholipase activities studied using two different 1-acyl lysophospholipids: lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) and lysophosphatidic acid (lysoPA). Our interest in these two lysolipids arose from the observation that lysoPA could promote the acetylation of lysoPC by substantially inhibiting a very active nuclear lysoPC lysophospholipase activity, in a competitive manner (R.R. Baker, H. -y. Chang, Mol. Cell. Biochem. (1999) in press). As there was also evidence for nuclear lysoPA deacylation, it was of interest to see whether one activity could possibly utilize both lysolipid substrates. We now have evidence for two separate lysophospholipase activities in neuronal nuclei. The lysoPC lysophospholipase activity was the more active, more highly enriched in the neuronal nuclei, and showed optimal activity at pH 8.4-9, while the lysoPA lysophospholipase activity was maintained over a much broader pH range. The lysoPC activity was substantially inhibited by free fatty acid, and showed considerable stimulation by serum albumin, while the activity utilizing lysoPA was much less affected by these agents. When lysoPC was added to incubations containing radioactive lysoPA, there was no significant inhibition found in rates of release of radioactive fatty acid, indicating that the lysoPA lysophospholipase activity did not utilize the lysoPC substrate. In incubations with lysoPC, MgATP and CoA brought about a sizable formation of phosphatidylcholine whose radioactivity was equally distributed between the sn-1 and sn-2 positions suggesting labelling both directly from the lysoPC substrate and from fatty acid produced by the lysophospholipase activity. By comparison, with the radioactive lysoPA substrate, MgATP and CoA promoted relatively lower levels of phosphatidic acid formation whose principal labelling came directly from the radioactive lysoPA. Largely because of the high activity of the nuclear lysoPC lysophospholipase, there is considerable potential in the neuronal nucleus to limit the use of lysoPC in other reactions, such as the formation of acylPAF (1-acyl analogue of platelet activating factor). It is of interest that conditions associated with brain ischaemia such as increased free fatty acid levels, falling pH and declines in MgATP may allow a preservation of neuronal nuclear lysoPC levels for acetylation. The existence of a separate lysophospholipase activity for lysoPA allows an independent control of lysoPA which can serve as an important regulator of the nuclear lysoPC lysophospholipase.

Occurrence of phospholipase A2 and lysophospholipase in a gastric H,K-ATPase-containing membrane fraction, and the formation of lysophosphatidylcholine in stimulated pig parietal cells

A membrane fraction containing H,K-ATPase (EC 3.6.1.36) was prepared from pig gastric mucosa and found to contain phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) and lysophospholipase (EC 3.1.1.5) activities. Washing the membranes decreased their protein content by 25%. Recovery profiles of H,K-ATPase, phospholipase A2 and lysophospholipase were similar for membranes washed either with water or with 0.15 or 1.5 M KCl. Nearly identical distribution profiles were obtained for the three enzyme activities after centrifugation of washed vesicle membranes on a linear sucrose gradient. The phospholipase A2 activity was stimulated by calcium and increased further in the presence of calmodulin. The amount of cellular radioactively labelled lysophosphatidylcholine was doubled upon cholinergic stimulation of isolated parietal cells prelabelled with [3H]glycerol or 32Pi. The liberated lyso[32P]phosphatidylcholine had its acyl chain in the sn-1 position, which implies an activation of a phospholipase A2. These findings indicate that secretagogues which increase the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, i.e. acetylcholine, histamine and gastrin, may activate a phospholipase A2 in the parietal cell.

Effect of albumin on acyl-CoA: lysolecithin acyltransferase, lysolecithin: lysolecithin acyltransferase and acyl-CoA hydrolase from rabbit lung

Acyl-CoA: lysolecithin and lysolecithin: lysolecithin acyltransferases, as well as acyl-CoA hydrolase are important enzymes in lung lipid metabolism. They use amphiphylic lipids as substrates and differ in subcellular localization. In this sense, lipid-protein interactions can be an essential factor in their activity. We have studied the effect of albumin, as lipid-binding protein model, in the activities of these enzymes. Acyl-CoA hydrolase was inhibited in the presence of albumin, whereas acyl-CoA: lysolecithin acyltransferase showed a complex effect of activation depending on both albumin concentration and palmitoyl-CoA/lysolecithin molar ratio. Lysolecithin: lysolecithin acyltransferase was affected differentially on its two activities. Hydrolysis remained unaffected and transacylation was inhibited by albumin. These results are consequence of the interaction of albumin with both lipidic substrates that changes their critical micellar concentration.

Phospholipid-derived choline intermediates and acetylcholine synthesis in mouse brain synaptosomes

Endogenous free choline levels and acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis in nerve terminals were investigated using cerebral cortical synaptosomes of C57BL/6 mice. Endogenous choline was produced at a rate ten-fold faster than ACh to provide levels adequate for the formation of the latter. The combined pool size of the water-soluble intermediates derived from phosphatidylcholine (PhC), such as glycerophosphorylcholine (GpCh) and phosphorylcholine (PCh), increased significantly during the first 10-15 min of incubation and was always higher than that of free choline. These results most likely indicate an effective degradation of PhC by the combined action of phospholipase A2/lysophospholipase, as well as by phospholipase C in synaptosomes. ACh synthesis proceeded at a constant rate in the presence or absence of exogenous free choline (0-10 microM) and was almost entirely abolished in the presence of 10(-6) M hemicholinium-3. These results suggest that ACh is effectively synthesized by free choline generated in synaptosomes by a coupling mechanism involving the high-affinity choline uptake system. No changes in the production rates of choline and ACh were observed between adult and aged mice.

Increased phospholipase A2 and decreased lysophospholipase activity in the small intestinal mucosa after ischaemia and revascularisation

The influence of ischaemia and revascularisation on lipid peroxidation and phospholipid metabolism in the rat small intestinal mucosa was investigated. Two hours of total ischaemia followed by five minutes of revascularisation caused not only accumulation of malondialdehyde in the mucosa, but also increased activity of phospholipase A2, decreased activity of lysophospholipase, and increased ratio between lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine. Pretreatment with the phospholipase A2 inhibitor, quinacrine, prevented the increases in mucosal phospholipase A2 activity and lysophosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylcholine ratio after ischaemia and morphological examinations revealed that the mucosa was then also protected against ischaemic injury. These findings point to the possibility that activation of phospholipase A2 and accumulation of lysophosphoglycerides could be involved in mediating the mucosal injury caused by small intestinal ischaemia.

Lysophospholipase activity in rat brain subcellular fractions

Lysophospholipase activity in brain subcellular fractions was measured by the release of myristic acid from 1-myristoylglycerophosphocholine or through the formation of [32P]glycerophosphocholine from [32P]lysophosphatidylcholine. Although the lysophospholipase activity was highest in microsomes, considerable enzyme activity was also found in other subcellular membrane fractions. The pH optimum for the microsomal enzyme was around 7, whereas the synaptosomes and non-synaptic plasma membranes exhibited a pH maximum around 8. Although the enzyme did not require divalent cations for activity, divalent cations (1 mM) such as Hg2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ inhibited potently the enzyme activity. Enzyme activity was also partially inhibited by both saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (25-200 microM), and the inhibition seemed to be greater in the membrane than in the cytosolic fractions. Ionic detergents such as deoxycholate and taurocholate inhibited the lysophospholipase. On the other hand, the effect of Triton X-100 was biphasic, i.e., stimulation at concentrations below 100 micrograms/mg protein and inhibition at higher concentrations. Addition of cholesterol (50-250 micrograms/ml), but not cholesteryl esters, also potently inhibited enzyme activity. The presence of active lysophospholipase(s) in brain is probably an important mechanism for preventing unnecessary accumulation of lysophospholipids which may exert a deleterious effect on the membranes because of their detergent properties.

Mechanism of modification of rat brain lysophospholipase A activity by cationic amphiphilic drugs

The three psychotropic cationic amphiphilic drugs, chlorpromazine, desmethylimipramine and propranolol were found to have biphasic effects on rat brain lysophospholipase A, stimulating the enzyme at low, and inhibiting it non-competitively at higher concentrations. Low concentrations (less than or equal to 50 microM) of the drugs prevented the formation of micelles of lysophosphatidylcholine, whereas high concentrations caused a phase transition of the substrate with formation of a highly ordered membranous lattice. A possible mechanism of stimulation and inhibition of the enzyme activity by cationic amphiphilic drugs is proposed. Stimulation is explained by a decrease in the concentration of substrate micelles, which are inhibitory for the activity, whereas inhibition may be caused by adsorption of the enzyme onto the membranous lattice formed by the substrate in the presence of high cationic amphiphilic drug concentrations.

Lipids of nervous tissue: composition and metabolism

As indicated in the Introduction, the many significant developments in the recent past in our knowledge of the lipids of the nervous system have been collated in this article. That there is a sustained interest in this field is evident from the rather long bibliography which is itself selective. Obviously, it is not possible to summarize a review in which the chemistry, distribution and metabolism of a great variety of lipids have been discussed. However, from the progress of research, some general conclusions may be drawn. The period of discovery of new lipids in the nervous system appears to be over. All the major lipid components have been discovered and a great deal is now known about their structure and metabolism. Analytical data on the lipid composition of the CNS are available for a number of species and such data on the major areas of the brain are also at hand but information on the various subregions is meagre. Such investigations may yet provide clues to the role of lipids in brain function. Compared to CNS, information on PNS is less adequate. Further research on PNS would be worthwhile as it is amenable for experimental manipulation and complex mechanisms such as myelination can be investigated in this tissue. There are reports correlating lipid constituents with the increased complexity in the organization of the nervous system during evolution. This line of investigation may prove useful. The basic aim of research on the lipids of the nervous tissue is to unravel their functional significance. Most of the hydrophobic moieties of the nervous tissue lipids are comprised of very long chain, highly unsaturated and in some cases hydroxylated residues, and recent studies have shown that each lipid class contains characteristic molecular species. Their contribution to the properties of neural membranes such as excitability remains to be elucidated. Similarly, a large proportion of the phospholipid molecules in the myelin membrane are ethanolamine plasmalogens and their importance in this membrane is not known. It is firmly established that phosphatidylinositol and possibly polyphosphoinositides are involved with events at the synapse during impulse propagation, but their precise role in molecular terms is not clear. Gangliosides, with their structural complexity and amphipathic nature, have been implicated in a number of biological events which include cellular recognition and acting as adjuncts at receptor sites. More recently, growth promoting and neuritogenic functions have been ascribed to gangliosides. These interesting properties of gangliosides wIll undoubtedly attract greater attention in the future.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Phosphatidylcholine as a source of diacylglycerols in neuronal nuclei incubated in the presence of EGTA and CMP

A neuronal nuclear fraction (N1), isolated from immature rabbit cerebral cortex, was preincubated with 1-[14C]palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine and oleoyl-CoA. Most of the radioactivity was recovered in N1 phosphatidylcholine, and subsequent incubations in the presence of EGTA and CMP indicated an increase in radioactivity in N1 diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol which was matched by a decline in the labelling of N1 phosphatidylcholine. N1 phosphatidylcholine was also prelabelled using [14C]oleate and 1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine in vitro, or by intrathecal injection of [3H]oleate prior to N1 isolation. In the following incubations with EGTA and CMP there was a good correspondence between the radioactive decline in N1 phosphatidylcholine and the increase in radioactivity in N1 diacylglycerol. In all these experiments the generation of radioactive diacylglycerol depended upon the presence of EGTA and CMP in the incubations and could be largely inhibited by the addition of CDP-choline. During the prelabelling procedures noted above, other complex lipids had less of the total radioactivity than phosphatidylcholine and showed little or no decline in radioactivity in the presence of EGTA and CMP. In N1 preincubations with [14C]oleate and lysophosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine could be more highly labelled than phosphatidylcholine, but in subsequent incubations with EGTA and CMP no decline was seen in phosphatidylethanolamine radioactivity. It is concluded that the back reaction of cholinephosphotransferase in N1 represents an active route for the production of diacylglycerols bearing palmitate and/or oleate.

On the status of lysolecithin in rat cerebral cortex during ischemia

Lysolecithin (lysoglycerophosphocholine, LPC) was isolated from rat cerebral cortex and quantitatively analyzed at various times after postdecapitative ischemic treatment. In addition, different procedures for extraction and analysis of the LPC in brain were evaluated. Results indicated that LPC can be quantitatively extracted into the organic phase using the conventional extraction procedure with chloroform-methanol (2:1, vol/vol). However, care should be taken to avoid using strong acids, which can hydrolyze the alkenylether side chain of the plasmalogens, resulting in the release of 2-acylphospholipids. Quantitative GLC analysis using myristoyl-LPC as internal standard revealed a level of 1.8 nmol LPC/mg protein in brain with acyl groups comprised mainly of 16:0, 18:0, and 18:1. The acyl group profile reflects that the LPC are derived mainly from phospholipase A2 action. An increase of 46% in the LPC level was observed at 1 min after ischemic treatment, but this was followed by a steady decline. Ischemia induced an increase in the LPC species that are enriched in 18:0 and 18:1 fatty acids. The transient appearance of LPC during ischemia further suggests that this phospholipid is undergoing active turnover, possibly hydrolysis by the lysophospholipase. This mechanism of action may account, at least in part, for the increase in both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids during the early phase of the ischemic treatment.

Choline and cholinergic neurons

Mammalian neurons can synthesize choline by methylating phosphatidylethanolamine and hydrolyzing the resulting phosphatidylcholine. This process is stimulated by catecholamines. The phosphatidylethanolamine is synthesized in part from phosphatidylserine; hence the amino acids methionine (acting after conversion to S-adenosylmethionine) and serine can be the ultimate precursors of choline. Brain choline concentrations are generally higher than plasma concentrations, but depend on plasma concentrations because of the kinetic characteristics of the blood-brain-barrier transport system. When cholinergic neurons are activated, acetylcholine release can be enhanced by treatments that increase plasma choline (for example, consumption of certain foods).

Age-dependency of vascular phospholipid deacylation-reacylation in spontaneously hypertensive rats

We have studied the temporal relation of phospholipid turnover and prostaglandin synthesis to the evolution of hypertensive vascular disease in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. The incorporation of arachidonate into aortic phospholipids, its release by phospholipase A2 and its utilization for prostaglandin synthesis were compared in spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats aged 7, 20 and 42 weeks. When expressed per mg of protein in the assay medium, arachidonate incorporation into aortic phospholipids decreased, while prostaglandin synthesis increased, with age in both rat strains. No significant differences were noted between hypertensive and normotensive animals at 7 weeks of age whereas both enhanced phospholipid turnover and prostaglandin synthesis was demonstrated in hypertensive rats at 20 and 42 weeks of age. The higher phospholipase activity in hypertensive aortas was associated with a significant increase in the capacity for exogenous lysophosphatide hydrolysis. Transacylation and reacylation of lysolecithin, however, were not significantly enhanced in hypertensive aortas. These biochemical changes accompany, and may be related to, structural modifications of the aortic wall in the course of hypertension.

Lysophospholipase activity of bovine adrenal medulla. A reevaluation

1. Chromaffin granule preparations isolated from bovine adrenal medulla hydrolyzed endogenous lysophosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC) and generated lysophosphatidylethanolamine when dialyzed at pH 7.5. 2. Undialyzed granule preparations hydrolyzed exogenously added [1-14C]palmitoyl-lyso-PC maximally (12-16 nmol/min per mg) at pH 7.5. At a given concentration of protein, activity increased with increasing concentrations of substrate lyso-PC to a maximum beyond which substrate inhibited activity up to 95%. 3. More than 95% of the lysophospholipase activity of fresh granule preparations toward exogenously added lyso-PC was inactivated irreversibly by dialysis. 4. By contrast, fresh microsomal preparations from adrenal medulla had similar substrate requirements for maximal lysophospholipase activity, but more than 35% of the activity was retained at high substrate concentrations or after extensive dialysis. 5. We conclude that adrenal organelles, other than microsomes, contain potent membrane-associated lysophospholipase activity that is inactivated preferentially by high detergent-substrate concentrations and/or dialysis. These observations suggest that lysophospholipase activity (and perhaps phospholipase A activity) is more widely distributed in organelle membranes of the adrenal medulla than was reported previously.

On the mechanisms of fatty acid transformations in membranes

Concentrations of albumin in excess of 1% in the incubation mixture inhibited the elongation of added fatty acids and their incorporation into microsomal lipids whereas these reactions were not inhibited with endogenous microsomal membrane fatty acids. The results of these and other studies support the idea that such reactions of membrane lipid fatty acids with membrane-bound enzymes normally occur entirely within the membrane without release of free fatty acids to equilibrate with the fatty acid pool during the process.

A comparison of acyl-oxyester and acyl-thioester substrates for some lipolytic enzymes

1. A comparison of 2-hexadecanoylthio-ethane-1-phosphocholine and 3-hexadecanoylthio-propane-1-phosphocholine and their oxyester counterparts as substrates for some lipolytic enzymes was made. 2. The critical micelle concentration and the transition temperature of the synthetic substrates were compared with the values for 1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. 3. All above-mentioned compounds were deacylated by lysophospholipases. Phospholipase A2 hydrolyzed only the acyl- sulfur- and oxygenester bond in 2-hexadecanoyl-ethane-1-phosphocholine. 4. Kinetic parameters, Km and V, for hydrolysis of these substrates were determined. Km values for thioester substrates were 5--10 fold lower than for the corresponding oxyesters. Maximal hydrolysis rates were 2--5 times higher for the thioesters. 5. Hydrolysis of thioesters by phospholipase A2, lipase and lysophospholipase was shown to proceed by an S-acyl cleavage mechanism. 6. Beef liver lysophospholipase II was rapidly and stoichiometrically inactivated by diisopropylfluorophosphate and bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate. Inactivation by the latter inhibitor showed burst-like kinetics. 7. Attempts to show burst-kinetics during the pre-steady state hydrolysis of 2-hexadecanoylthio-ethane-1-phosphocholine by lysophospholipase II were negative. These results are interpreted to indicated that a step prior to deacylation of the enzyme is rate-determining.

Lipolytic enzymes in bovine thyroid tissue. III. Lysophospholipase activity

Lysophospholipids are formed during phospholipid breakdown as a result of the action of phospholipases A. At certain concentrations these lysoderivatives destabilise biological membranes. Therefore, their concentration is of critical importance for membrane integrity. Prevention of lysophosphoglycerides accumulation may be the important role for lysophospholipases and is probably the explanation for their widespread occurrence in nature. Lysophospholipase activities were found in molds (Fairbairn, 1948), rice bran (Contardi & Ercoli, 1933), several microorganisms (Brockerhoff & Jensen, 1974), snake and bee venoms (Doery & Pearson, 1964; Mohamed et al., 1969; Shiloah et al., 1973), insects (Khan & Hodgson, 1967; Rao & Subrahmanyam, 1969), fish muscle (Yurkovski & Brockerhoff, 1965; Cohen et al., 1967) and in various animal tissues (Marples & Thompson, 1960). In mammalian tissue the enzyme was first described in beef pancreas (Shapiro, 1953). Relatively high levels were detected in intestine, lung, spleen, liver and pancreas, while lower levels were present in muscle, kidney, testes, brain and blood (Marples & Thompson, 1960). The presence of lysophospholipase activity in both supernatant and sediment of bovine thyroid was reported previously in relation to possible interference of this enzyme with the phospholipase A activity assay (De Wolf et al., 1976). The subcellular localization of bovine thyroid lysophospholipase and some properties of the membrane bound enzyme activity are discussed in this paper.

Magnesium-dependent sphingomyelinase of infantile brain. Effect of detergents and a heat-stable factor

The properties of the Mg2+-dependent sphingomyelinase, whose pH optimum is between 7 and 8, were investigated using post-mortem infantile brain. The enzyme could be extracted with 0.2% Triton X-100 and remained soluble when centrifuged at 170,000 X g. Subsequent removal of the detergent with SM2-Biobeads resulted in resedimentation of the enzyme at 80,000 X g. A detergent was needed for assaying enzymatic activity; either Triton X-100 or bile salts could be used. With increasing concentrations of detergent, the rates of hydrolysis of sphinomyelin increased, reached an optimum and then decreased, suggesting inhibition of the enzyme. The concentrations of detergent which resulted in optimal reaction rates were directly related to the protein concentration of the enzymatic preparation. A heat-stable factor which counteracts inhibition by the above detergents is present in brain as well as several other tissues. A lipid extract of the enzymatic preparation, or several purified lipids could not mimic the effect of the heat-stable factor. The interrelationship between enzyme, detergent and the heat-stable factor was investigated.

Phospholipid-deacylating enzymes of rat stomach mucosa

1. Rat stomach mucosa exhibited three distinguishable phospholipid-deacylating enzyme activities: lysophospholipase, phospholipase A1 and phospholipase A2. 2. The lysophospholipase hydrolyzed 1-palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine to free fatty acid and glycerophosphorylcholine. This enzyme had an optimum pH of 8.0, was heat labile, did not require Ca2+ for maximum activity and was not inhibited by bile salts or buffers of high ionic strength. 3. Phospholipase A2 and phospholipase A1 deacylated dipalmitoyl phophatidylcholine to the corresponding lyso compound and free fatty acid. The specific activity of phospholipase A2 was 2--4-fold higher than that of phospholipase A1 under all the conditions tested. Both activities were enhanced 4--7.5-fold in the presence of bile salts at alkaline pH and 11-18-fold at acidic pH. 4. In the absence of bile salts, phospholipase A1 exhibited pH optima at 6.5 and 9.5 and phospholipase A2 at pH 6.5, 8.0 and 9.5. The pH optima for phospholipase A1 were shifted to pH 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 in presence of sodium taurocholate; the activity was detected only at a single pH of 9.5 in the presence of sodium deoxycholate and at pH 10.0 in the presence of sodium glycocholate. Phospholipase A2 optimum activity was displayed at pH 3.0, 6.0 and 8.0 in presence of taurocholage, pH 7.5 and 9.0, in presence of glycocholate and only at pH 9.0 in presence of deoxycholate. 5. Ca2+ was essential for optimum activity of phospholipases A1 and A2. But phospholipase A1 lost complete activity in presence of 0.5 mM ethyleneglycolbis-(beta-aminoethylether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) at pH 6.0, whereas phospholipase A2 lost only 50%. 6. Phospholipases A1 and A2 retained about 50% of their activities by heating at 75 degrees for 10 min. At 100 degrees, phospholipase A1 retained 22% of its activity, whereas phospholipase A2 retained only 7%.

Rate equations and simulation curves for enzymatic reactions which utilize lipids as substrates. I. Interaction of enzymes with the monomers and micelles of soluble, amphiphilic lipids

Theoretical aspects of the kinetics of interaction of enzymes with lipid substrates are presented. Rate equations were written and used to simulate v versus S curves for interaction of enzymes with "monomers" (i.e. a molecular solution) or micelles (aggregated form) of the "soluble", amphiphilic lipids. The rate equations were written assuming separate kinetic parameters for the interaction of the enzyme with these two forms. Although the rate equations are based on the kinetic theory of Michaelis and Menten, most of the simulated v vs. S curves were not hyperbolic. A procedure is suggested for determining the kinetic parameters with the aid of a graphic method.

Rate equations and simulation curves for enzymatic reactions which utilize lipids as substrates. II. Effect of adsorption of the substrate or enzyme on the steady-state kinetics

Theoretical aspects of the kinetics of interaction of enzymes with lipid substrates are presented. Rate equations were written and used to simulate v versus S curves for the following cases: (a) The substrate is adsorbed onto non-catalytic sites of the enzyme or to other proteins accompanying the enzyme. (b) The enzyme is adsorbed, via non-catalytic sites to aggregated forms of the substrate. (c) The substrate is adsorbed onto an externally added protein such as albumin. Although all rate equations are based on the Michaelis-Menten kinetic theory, most of the simulated v vs. S curves were not hyperbolic and some of the v vs. E curves not linear.

Synthesis and turnover of brain phosphoglycerides- results, methods of calculation and interpretation

The important problem of membrane assembly and disassembly can be studied by measurements of rates of tunrover of labeled components. After intracerebral injections of ethanolamine and glycerol into mice, we have found rapid and slow turnover pools of 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylethanolamine (diacyl-GPE) and 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (diacyl-GPC). We have described the methods for calculation of half-lives for two or more pools and for the calculation of the relative size of the pools. For mice injected between 5 and 8 weeks of age, the rapid turnover pools have a half-life of 1.5 and 1.8 days for diacyl-GPC and diacyl-Ge respectively. Corresponding half-lives for the slow turnover pools are 20 and 27 days. The slow turnover pools include 74% of the diacyl-GPC and 86% of the diacyl-Ge. These turnover rates are in agreement with the flux of fatty acids through the diacylglycerol pools. We have proposed that the rapid turnover pool may be the phosphoglycerides that are exchangable with cytosol carrier proteins and that the slow turnover may represent the catabolism of membrane segments including the intrinsic proteins.

Studies on lysophospholipases, V. The action of lysolecithin-hydrolyzing enzymes on lecithins and 1-acyl lysolecithins with varying fatty acid chain-length

The activity of two purified lysolecithin-hydrolyzing enzymes on homologous series of synthetic lecithins containing two identical fatty acyl chains and of 1-acyl-lysolecithins has been measured as a function of substrate concentration. In general, enzymatic activity toward lecithins decreased with increasing chain length. Maximal hydrolysis rates for the lysolecithin series were measured with 1-dodecanoyllysolecithin. In this series increased affinities for substrates with increasing acyl-chain length was noticed. In the substrate concentration versus enzymatic velocity curves no breaks were observed at the critical micelle concentration of the various substrates. The initial site of attack during hydrolysis of short-chain lecithins was determined using 1-octanoyl-2pentanoyl-lecithin, 1-hexanoyl-2-hexyllecithin and 1 -hexyl-2-hexanoyllecithin. Both enzymes exhibited a pronounced preference for hydrolysis of the acyl ester bond at the 1-position. Especially the enzyme from beef pancreas seems to be suitable for the enzymatic preparation of 2-acyl lysolecithins from the corresponding short-chain lecithins.