Fatty acid oxygenase activity of human hair roots

Distribution of glycolipid and unsaturated fatty acids in human hair

It has been recognized that human hair lipids play crucial roles in the integrity of cells and matrices, while the details of distribution and structure of the minor lipids are hardly known. Here we investigated the lipids at the hair surface, at the interface between cuticle and cortex and in the interior of hair (cortex, medulla and melanin granules). Hair lipids and fatty acids and their metabolites were detected and characterized by using infrared spectroscopy and several mass spectrometry techniques (FTIR, ToF-SIMS, GCMS, and ESI-MS). As a result, it was found that unsaturated fatty acids were present more in the cortex of hair than at the hair surface. At the interface between cuticle and cortex, it is suggested that steryl glycoside-like lipids containing N-acetylglucosamine were present, and contributing to the adhesion between the cuticle and cortex of hair. Oxidative metabolites derived from integral fatty acids such as linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids were found in the hair bulb and melanin granules. Especially the oxidative metabolites of alpha-linolenic acid were integrated into the lipids non-covalently and tightly bound to melanin granules (namely, melanin lipids) and suggested as being involved in the biosynthetic processes of melanosome.

The importance of the lipoxygenase-hepoxilin pathway in the mammalian epidermal barrier

This review covers the background to discovery of the two key lipoxygenases (LOX) involved in epidermal barrier function, 12R-LOX and eLOX3, and our current views on their functioning. In the outer epidermis, their consecutive actions oxidize linoleic acid esterified in ω-hydroxy-ceramide to a hepoxilin-related derivative. The relevant background to hepoxilin and trioxilin biochemistry is briefly reviewed. We outline the evidence that linoleate in the ceramide is the natural substrate of the two LOX enzymes and our proposal for its importance in construction of the epidermal water barrier. Our hypothesis is that the oxidation promotes hydrolysis of the oxidized linoleate moiety from the ceramide. The resulting free ω-hydroxyl of the ω-hydroxyceramide is covalently bound to proteins on the surface of the corneocytes to form the corneocyte lipid envelope, a key barrier component. Understanding the role of the LOX enzymes and their hepoxilin products should provide rational approaches to ameliorative therapy for a number of the congenital ichthyoses involving compromised barrier function. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled The Important Role of Lipids in the Epidermis and their Role in the Formation and Maintenance of the Cutaneous Barrier. Guest Editors: Kenneth R. Feingold and Peter Elias.

12(R)-Hydroxy-5(Z),8(Z),10(E),14(Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid [12(R)-HETE], an arachidonic acid derivative, is an activator of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-regulated transcription factor that can be activated by structurally diverse chemicals, ranging from environmental carcinogens to dietary metabolites. Evidence supporting a necessary role for the AHR in normal biology has been established; however, identification of key endogenous ligand/activator remains to be established. Here, we report the ability of 12(R)-hydroxy-5(Z),8(Z),10(E), 14(Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid [12(R)-HETE], an arachidonic acid metabolite produced by either a lipoxygenase or cytochrome P-450 pathway, to act as a potent indirect modulator of the AHR pathway. In contrast, structurally similar HETE isomers failed to demonstrate significant activation of the AHR. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays, together with ligand competition binding experiments, have demonstrated the inability of 12(R)-HETE to directly bind or directly activate the AHR to a DNA binding species in vitro. However, cell-based xenobiotic-responsive element-driven luciferase reporter assays indicate the ability of 12(R)-HETE to modulate AHR activity, and quantitation of induction of an AHR target gene confirmed 12(R)-HETE's ability to activate AHR-mediated transcription, even at high nanomolar concentrations in human hepatoma (HepG2)- and keratinocyte (HaCaT)-derived cell lines. One explanation for these results is that a metabolite of 12(R)-HETE is acting as a direct ligand for the AHR. However, several known metabolites failed to exhibit AHR activity. The ability of 12(R)-HETE to activate AHR target genes required receptor expression. These results indicate that 12(R)-HETE can serve as a potent activator of AHR activity and suggest that in normal and inflammatory disease conditions in skin, 12(R)-HETE is produced, perhaps leading to AHR activation.

The hepoxilin connection in the epidermis

The recent convergence of genetic and biochemical evidence on the activities of lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes has implicated the production of hepoxilin derivatives (fatty acid epoxyalcohols) in the pathways leading to formation of the water-impermeable barrier of the outer epidermis. The enzymes 12R-LOX and eLOX3 are mutated in a rare form of congenital ichthyosis, and, in vitro, the two enzymes function together to convert arachidonic acid to a specific hepoxilin. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest an involvement of these enzymes and their products in skin barrier function in all normal subjects. The natural occurrence of the specific hepoxilin products, and their biological role, whether structural or signaling, remain to be defined.

Complicating the role of p53 in aging

The p53 tumor suppressor protein plays a pivotal role in integrating various DNA damage response pathways and has been shown to be mutated in a variety of human cancers. In an effort to study the effects of a mutant p53 protein in a mouse model we generated a p53 targeting vector with a mutation in codon 245, equivalent to the mutational hot spot (codon 248) in humans. However, due to an aberrant gene targeting event in ES cells, we developed a p53 mutant mouse model that expressed a truncated p53 transcript that lacked the first six exons while retaining the intended mutation in exon 7. This mouse model was shown to exhibit serendipitous phenotypes that resembled premature aging as well as increased resistance to spontaneous tumors. Based on the genetic and molecular information available at that time, we hypothesized that the truncated p53 allele (m-allele) and its effect on wt p53 activity might be responsible for the observed phenotypes. However, the availability of the mouse genome data has allowed us to further characterize the genetic deletion present in the p53+/m mouse model. Our analyses indicate that there are 24 genes (including the p53 truncation) deleted in the p53+/m mouse model. These results suggest that the p53 tumor suppressor protein may not be solely responsible for the various phenotypes exhibited by p53+/m mouse model [corrected]

15-Lipoxygenase-2 expression in benign and neoplastic sebaceous glands and other cutaneous adnexa

15-Lipoxygenase-2 has a limited tissue distribution in epithelial tissues, with mRNA detected in skin, cornea, lung, and prostate. It was originally cloned from human hair rootlets. In this study the distribution of 15-lipoxygenase-2 was characterized in human skin using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Strong uniform 15-lipoxygenase-2 in situ hybridization (n = 6) and immunostaining (n = 16) were observed in benign cutaneous sebaceous glands, with expression in differentiated secretory cells. Strong 15-lipoxygenase-2 immunostaining was also observed in secretory cells of apocrine and eccrine glands. Variable reduced immunostaining was observed in skin-derived sebaceous neoplasms (n = 8). In the eyelid, Meibomian glands were uniformly negative for 15-lipoxygenase-2 in all cases examined (n = 9), and sebaceous carcinomas apparently derived from Meibomian glands were also negative (n = 12). The mechanisms responsible for differential expression in cutaneous sebaceous vs eyelid Meibomian glands remain to be established. In epidermis, positive immunostaining was observed in the basal cell layer in normal skin, whereas five examined basal cell carcinomas were negative. Thus, the strongest 15-lipoxygenase-2 expression is in the androgen regulated secretory cells of sebaceous, apocrine, and eccrine glands. This compares with the prostate, in which 15-lipoxygenase-2 is expressed in differentiated prostate secretory cells (and reduced in the majority of prostate adenocarcinomas). The product of 15-lipoxygenase-2, 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, may be a ligand for the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma, which is expressed in sebocytes, and contribute to secretory differentiation in androgen regulated tissues such as prostate and sebaceous glands.

Detection and cellular localization of 12R-lipoxygenase in human tonsils

Formation of the 12R-lipoxygenase product, 12R-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12R-HPETE), has been detected previously only in human skin (Boeglin et al. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 6744). The unexpected appearance of an EST sequence (AA649213) for human 12R-lipoxygenase from germinal center B lymphocytes purified from human tonsils prompted our search for the existence of the enzyme in this novel source. Incubation of [1-14C]arachidonic acid with homogenates of human tonsillar tissue yielded mixtures of radiolabeled 12-HETE and 15-HETE. Stereochemical analysis showed varying ratios of 12S- and 12R-HETE, while 15-HETE was exclusively of the S-configuration. Using stereospecifically labeled [10S-3H]- and [10R-3H]arachidonic acid substrates we detected pro-R hydrogen abstraction at carbon 10 associated with formation of 12R-HETE. This mechanistic evidence implicates a 12R-lipoxygenase in the biosynthesis of 12R-HETE. The mRNA for the enzyme was identified in tonsils by RT-PCR and Northern analysis. The cellular distribution was established by in situ hybridization. Unexpectedly, hybridization was not observed in the lymphocytes of the germinal centers. Specific reaction was restricted to squamous epithelial cells, including the epithelium lining the tonsillar crypts. In this location the 12R-lipoxygenase might help regulate differentiation of the epithelium or participate in lymphocyte- epithelial cell interactions.

A 12R-lipoxygenase in human skin: mechanistic evidence, molecular cloning, and expression

A recognized feature of psoriasis and other proliferative dermatoses is accumulation in the skin of the unusual arachidonic acid metabolite, 12R-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12R-HETE). This hydroxy fatty acid is opposite in chirality to the product of the well-known 12S-lipoxygenase and heretofore in mammals is known only as a product of cytochrome P450s. Here we provide mechanistic evidence for a lipoxygenase route to 12R-HETE in human psoriatic tissue and describe a 12R-lipoxygenase that can account for the biosynthesis. Initially we demonstrated retention of the C-12 deuterium of octadeuterated arachidonic acid in its conversion to 12R-HETE in incubations of psoriatic scales, indicating the end product is not formed by isomerization from 12S-H(P)ETE via the 12-keto derivative. Secondly, analysis of product formed from [10R-3H] and [10S-3H]-labeled arachidonic acids revealed that 12R-HETE synthesis is associated with stereospecific removal of the pro-R hydrogen from the 10-carbon of arachidonate. This result is compatible with 12R-lipoxygenase-catalyzed formation of 12R-HETE and not with a P450-catalyzed route to 12R-HETE in psoriatic scales. We cloned a lipoxygenase from human keratinocytes; the cDNA and deduced amino acid sequences share 98% 12R in configuration. The 12R-lipoxygenase cDNA is detectable by PCR in psoriatic scales and as a 2.5-kilobase mRNA by Northern analysis of keratinocytes. Identification of this enzyme extends the known distribution of R-lipoxygenases to humans and presents an additional target for potential therapeutic interventions in psoriasis.

Discovery of a second 15S-lipoxygenase in humans

The lipoxygenase metabolism of arachidonic acid occurs in specific blood cell types and epithelial tissues and is activated in inflammation and tissue injury. In the course of studying lipoxygenase expression in human skin, we detected and characterized a previously unrecognized enzyme that at least partly accounts for the 15S-lipoxygenase metabolism of arachidonic acid in certain epithelial tissues. The cDNA was cloned from human hair roots, and expression of the mRNA was detected also in prostate, lung, and cornea; an additional 16 human tissues, including peripheral blood leukocytes, were negative for the mRNA. The cDNA encodes a protein of 676 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 76 kDa. The amino acid sequence has approximately 40% identity to the known human 5S-, 12S-, and 15S-lipoxygenases. When expressed in HEK 293 cells, the newly discovered enzyme converts arachidonic acid exclusively to 15S-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid, while linoleic acid is less well metabolized. These features contrast with the previously reported 15S-lipoxygenase, which oxygenates arachidonic acid mainly at C-15, but also partly at C-12, and for which linoleic acid is an excellent substrate. The different catalytic activities and tissue distribution suggest a distinct function for the new enzyme compared with the previously reported human 15S-lipoxygenase.