Enzymatic synthesis of phosphatidylserine on small scale by use of a one-phase system

Isolation and characterization of actinomycetes strains that produce phospholipase D having high transphosphatidylation activity

The present study was conducted to screen microorganisms that produce phospholipase D (PLD), and we especially focused on the strains having high transphosphatidylation activity. Eighty bacterial strains were isolated from soil samples by a screening method utilizing a preliminary selection medium with phosphatidylcholine (PC) as the sole carbon source. The culture supernatants were then assayed for PLD activity. The finding of dual PLD activities in cultures revealed that the hydrolytic and transphosphatidylation activities were correlated. Consequently, six strains were selected as stably producing PLD enzyme(s) during continuous subcultures. The culture supernatants of selected strains synthesized phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine from PC with high conversion rates. These isolated strains will be made available to carry out phospholipid modification through the efficient transphosphatidylation activity of the PLD that they produce.

Comparison of molecular species of various transphosphatidylated phosphatidylserine (PS) with bovine cortex PS by mass spectrometry

The exogenous introduction of a molecular species mixture of bovine cortex phosphatidylserine (BC-PS) has been claimed to improve memory function in subjects suffering from age-associated memory impairment and dementia. However, it has been also reported that oral administration of another molecular species mixture of transphosphatidylated-soybean phosphatidylserine (T-Soy-PS) showed a little effect in older individuals with memory complaints. In this study, a new type of mixture of transphosphatidylated-fish liver phosphatidylserine (T-FL-PS) species, as well as intact molecular species of the two commercial products of T-Soy-PS made in the United States and Europe, were characterized by mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry, and molecular species of various transphosphatidylated PSs, including T-FL-PS, T-Soy-PS and transphosphatidylated-squid skin phosphatidylserine (T-SS-PS) were then compared with those of BC-PS for the first time. The results show that (i) the presence of a relatively high content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-containing species (more than 45%) is remarkable in T-FL-PS, (ii) DHA-ether PS species are found only in T-FL-PS, especially the species (about 17%) made from marine fish liver, rather than BC-PS and T-SS-PS, and (iii) DHA species present in both T-FL-PS and T-SS-PS are significantly enriched, compared with those in BC-PS (about 10%) and T-Soy-PS (no DHA species). We conclude that mixtures of T-FL-PS and T-SS-PS species are considered to be qualified alternatives of BC-PS supplement used as brain nutrients. It is expected that intact structural information on molecular species in current and potential transphosphatidylated PS products provided here will be useful in the further study and development of therapeutic roles of the phospholipid at molecular species level.

Mass spectrometric identification of molecular species of phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine extracted from shark liver

The profile and structural characterization of molecular species of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC) from shark liver using liquid chromatographic/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) are described for the first time in this paper. The presence of (i) a relatively high content of ether PC species, such as 1-O-alkyl- and 1-alk-1'-enyl-2-polyunsaturated PC species (about 20%), and (ii) a high percentage of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-containing LysoPC (about 27%) is the characteristic of this marine material. 1-Hexadecanoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-PC (16:0/22:6; about 24%) and 1-docosahexaenoyl-2-hydroxyl-LysoPC (22:6; about 27%) are the two most abundant species in shark liver. The other polyunsaturated PC species including ether PC are tentatively identified as 1-heptadecanoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-PC (17:0/22:6), 1-octadecyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-PC (alkyl-18:0/22:6), 1-hexadecyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-PC (alkyl-16:0/22:6), 1-octadecenyl-2-eicosapentaenoyl-PC (alkyl-18:1/20:5), 1-octadecenyl-2-eicosatetraenoyl-PC (alkyl-18:1/20:4), 1-hexadecyl-2-docosapentaenoyl-PC (alkyl-16:0/22:5), 1-(1 Z-hexadecenyl)-2-docosahexaenoyl-PC (alkenyl-16:0/22:6), and 1-octadecenoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-PC (18:1/22:6). These results establish that high contents of ether DHA-PC and DHA-LysoPC species can be obtained from shark liver.

Phospholipid and fatty acid specificity of endothelial lipase: potential role of the enzyme in the delivery of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to tissues

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 n-3) is an essential fatty acid required for the normal function of several tissues, especially the brain. Previous studies suggested that lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) is a preferred carrier of DHA to the brain, although the pathways of the formation of DHA-containing lysophospholipids in plasma have not been delineated. We propose that endothelial lipase (EL), a phospholipase A1 that plays an important role in the metabolism of high density lipoproteins, may be responsible for the generation of DHA lysophospholipids in plasma. Here we studied the substrate specificity of EL using deuterium-labeled phospholipids with different polar head groups, as well as DHA-enriched natural phospholipids to test this hypothesis. Glycerol-stabilized phospholipids were treated with recombinant EL, and the products were analyzed by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. EL showed the polar head group specificity in the order of phosphatidylethanolamine>phosphatidylcholine>phosphatidylserine>phosphatidic acid. Within the same phospholipid class, the enzyme showed preference for the species containing DHA at the sn-2 position, and was inactive in the hydrolysis of phospholipids containing an ether linkage. Since EL is known to be secreted by the cells of blood-brain barrier, we suggest that it plays an important role in the delivery of DHA lysophospholipid carriers to the brain.

Cell vesiculation and immunopathology: implications in cerebral malaria

Microparticles are plasma membrane fragments that are generated and released under physiological conditions. They are also released when tissue and/or systemic homeostasis is disrupted. These microparticles display different physiological features of the cells from which they originate. They are detected in some pathological conditions, but rarely suspected of participating in the disease's pathogenesis. In the present review, we summarise data about the production of the microparticles, their biological significance and potential role during microorganism-driven processes, especially in cerebral malaria.

Functional analysis of the purified anandamide-generating phospholipase D as a member of the metallo-beta-lactamase family

In animal tissues, bioactive N-acylethanolamines including the endocannabinoid anandamide are formed from their corresponding N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs) by the catalysis of a specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) that belongs to the metallo-beta-lactamase family. Despite its potential physiological importance, NAPE-PLD has not yet been characterized with a purified enzyme preparation. In the present study we expressed a recombinant NAPE-PLD in Escherichia coli and highly purified it. The purified enzyme was remarkably activated in a dose-dependent manner by millimolar concentrations of Mg2+ as well as Ca2+ and, hence, appeared to be constitutively active. The enzyme showed extremely high specificity for NAPEs among various glycerophospholipids but did not reveal obvious selectivity for different long chain or medium chain N-acyl species of NAPEs. These results suggested the ability of NAPE-PLD to degrade different NAPEs without damaging other membrane phospholipids. Metal analysis revealed the presence of catalytically important zinc in NAPE-PLD. In addition, site-directed mutagenesis studies were addressed to several histidine and aspartic acid residues of NAPE-PLD that are highly conserved within the metallo-beta-lactamase family. Single mutations of Asp-147, His-185, His-187, Asp-189, His-190, His-253, Asp-284, and His-321 caused abolishment or remarkable reduction of the catalytic activity. Moreover, when six cysteine residues were individually mutated to serine, only C224S showed a considerably reduced activity. The activities of L207F and H380R found as single nucleotide polymorphisms were also low. Thus, NAPE-PLD appeared to function through a mechanism similar to those of the well characterized members of this family but play a unique role in the lipid metabolism of animal tissues.

Lactadherin binds selectively to membranes containing phosphatidyl-L-serine and increased curvature

Lactadherin, a milk protein, contains discoidin-type lectin domains with homology to the phosphatidylserine-binding domains of blood coagulation factor VIII and factor V. We have found that lactadherin functions, in vitro, as a potent anticoagulant by competing with blood coagulation proteins for phospholipid binding sites [J. Shi and G.E. Gilbert, Lactadherin inhibits enzyme complexes of blood coagulation by competing for phospholipid binding sites, Blood 101 (2003) 2628-2636]. We wished to characterize the membrane-binding properties that correlate to the anticoagulant capacity. We labeled bovine lactadherin with fluorescein and evaluated binding to membranes of composition phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylethanolamine/phosphatidylcholine, 4:20:76 supported by 2 mum diameter glass microspheres. Lactadherin bound saturably with an apparent KD of 3.3+/-0.4 nM in a Ca++ -independent manner. The number of lactadherin binding sites increased proportionally to the phosphatidylserine content over a range 0-2% and less rapidly for higher phosphatidylserine content. Inclusion of phosphatidylethanolamine in phospholipid vesicles did not enhance the apparent affinity or number of lactadherin binding sites. The number of sites was at least 4-fold higher on small unilamellar vesicles than on large unilamellar vesicles, indicating that lactadherin binding is enhanced by membrane curvature. Lactadherin bound to membranes with synthetic dioleoyl phosphatidyl-L-serine but not dioleoyl phosphatidyl-D-serine indicating stereoselective recognition of phosphatidyl-L-serine. We conclude that lactadherin resembles factor VIII and V with stereoselective preference for phosphatidyl-L-serine and preference for highly curved membranes.

Translocation of pyrene-labeled phosphatidylserine from the plasma membrane to mitochondria diminishes systematically with molecular hydrophobicity: implications on the maintenance of high phosphatidylserine content in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane

To study the translocation of phosphatidylserine (PS) from plasma membrane to mitochondria, dipyrene PS molecules (diPyr(n)PS; n=acyl chain length) were introduced to the plasma membrane of baby hamster kidney cells (BHK cells) using either cyclodextrin-mediated monomer transfer or fusion of cationic vesicles. Translocation of diPyr(n)PS to mitochondria was assessed based on decarboxylation by mitochondrial PS decarboxylase (PSD). It was found that the rate of translocation diminishes systematically with acyl chain length (molecular hydrophobicity) of diPyr(n)PS. Using an in vitro assay, it was shown that the spontaneous translocation rates of long-chain diPyr(n)PS species are similar to those of common natural PS species, thus supporting the biological relevance of the data. These results, and other data arguing against the involvement of vesicular traffic and lipid transfer proteins, imply that spontaneous monomeric diffusion via the cytoplasm is the main mechanism of PS movement from the plasma membrane to mitochondria. This finding could explain why a major fraction of PS synthesized by BHK cells consists of hydrophobic species: such species have little tendency to efflux from the plasma membrane to mitochondria where they would be decarboxylated. Thus, adequate molecular hydrophobicity seems to be crucial for the maintenance of high PS content in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane.

Specificity of soluble phospholipid binding sites on human factor Xa

We explore here the specificities of lipid regulatory sites on factor X(a) that affect the rate of factor X(a)-catalyzed prothrombin activation. We examined a series of 11 phosphatidylserine (PS) analogues in order to map the structural features of a lipid molecule that are needed to elicit both the structural response and the full increase in activity that can be obtained with the PS molecule. Our observations are interpreted in terms of a model in which factor X(a) is regulated by sequential occupancy of a pair of linked lipid binding sites, each of which have different minimum ligand structural requirements to induce structural changes. The first site is apparently of higher affinity and recognizes diacylglycerol (DAG) as a minimal binding structure. The second site is occupied with an affinity slightly less than the first site only when the first is occupied, but binds PS with very low affinity otherwise. It recognizes glycerophosphorylserine (GPS) as the minimal ligand. To test this interpretation, experiments were performed in which more than one lipid species was present. It was necessary to invoke the existence of factor X(a) species containing different lipids at each site, each having different structural and functional responses. For optimal activity enhancement, both binding sites must be occupied, the first by PS, although the second can be occupied with other lipids.

Conversion to docosahexaenoic acid-containing phosphatidylserine from squid skin lecithin by phospholipase D-mediated transphosphatidylation

Phospholipase D (PLD)-mediated transphosphatidylation of squid skin lecithin with L-serine was examined to prepare docosahexaenoic acid-containing phosphatidylserine (DHA-PS). When a biphasic system with organic solvent and 0.2 M acetate buffer (pH 5.5) was used, PS synthesis was significantly affected by the amount of 3.4 M L-serine-containing acetate buffer. L-Serine concentration in the acetate buffer and choice of organic solvent were also crucial. In a typical reaction with 0.8 unit of PLD (Streptomyces sp.), 2.5 mL of ethyl acetate substrate solution containing 30 mg of squid skin lecithin in combination with 3 mL of 3.4 M L-serine-containing 0.2 M acetate buffer (pH 5.5), PS content in the recovered phospholipid fraction increased to 43.1% after 24 h. DHA composed 37.6% of fatty acids in the converted PS. This was the same DHA level as in the substrate. Phosphatidylcholine (squid skin PC, DHA 44.2%) in the squid skin lecithin was more effectively converted to PS than phosphatidylethanolamine.

Flow cytometric detection of transbilayer movement of fluorescent phospholipid analogues across the boar sperm plasma membrane: elimination of labeling artifacts

Reliable protocols were established for investigating asymmetric distributions of 6-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino-caproyl (C6NBD) phospholipids in the plasma membrane of boar sperm cells under physiological conditions. A method based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer was used to ensure that incorporation of the fluorescent phospholipids into the sperm proceeded via monomeric transfer. The total amount of incorporated phospholipid fluorescence and the proportion of translocated phospholipid fluorescence were determined by flow cytometric analysis before, and after, dithionite destruction of outer leaflet fluorescence. Catabolism of incorporated fluorescent phospholipids was blocked with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Membrane-damaged cells were detected with impermeant DNA stains, thereby enabling their exclusion from subsequent analyses of the flow cytometric data, whence it could be demonstrated that the labeled phospholipids were incorporated only via the outer plasma membrane leaflet in living sperm cells. Phospholipid uptake and internalization was followed at 38 degrees C. After 1 hr of labeling, about 96% of the incorporated C6NBD-phosphatidylserine, 80% of C6NBD-phosphatidylethanolamine, 18% of C6NBD-phosphatidylcholine, and 4% of C6NBD-sphingomyelin were found to have moved across the plasma membrane bilayer to the interior of the spermatozoa. These inward movements of fluorescent phospholipids were ATP-dependent and could be blocked with sulfhydryl reagents. Movements from the inner to the outer leaflet of the sperm plasma membrane were minimal for intact fluorescent phospholipids, but were rapid and ATP-independent for fluorescent lipid metabolites. The described method enables, for the first time, assessment of changes in lipid asymmetry under fertilizing conditions.

PDR16 and PDR17, two homologous genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, affect lipid biosynthesis and resistance to multiple drugs

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae open reading frame YNL231C was recently found to be controlled by the multiple drug resistance regulator Pdr1p. Here we characterize YNL231C (PDR16) and its homologue YNL264C (PDR17). Deletion of PDR16 resulted in hypersensitivity of yeast to azole inhibitors of ergosterol biosynthesis. While no increase in drug sensitivity was found upon deletion of PDR17 alone, a Deltapdr16,Deltapdr17 double mutant was hypersensitive to a broad range of drugs. Both mutations caused significant changes of the lipid composition of plasma membrane and total cell extracts. Deletion of PDR16 had pronounced effects on the sterol composition, whereas PDR17 deletion mainly affected the phospholipid composition. Thus, Pdr16p and Pdr17p may regulate yeast lipid synthesis like their distant homologue, Sec14p. The azole sensitivity of the PDR16-deleted strain may be the result of imbalanced ergosterol synthesis. Impaired plasma membrane barrier function resulting from a change in the lipid composition appears to cause the increased drug sensitivity of the double mutant strain Deltapdr16,Deltapdr17. The uptake rate of rhodamine-6-G into de-energized cells was shown to be almost 2-fold increased in a Deltapdr16,Deltapdr17 strain as compared with wild-type and Deltapdr5 strains. Collectively, our results indicate that PDR16 and PDR17 control levels of various lipids in various compartments of the cell and thereby provide a mechanism for multidrug resistance unrecognized so far.

Out-to-in translocation of butanetriol-containing phospholipid analogs in human erythrocyte membrane

Fluorescent butanetriol-containing phospholipid analogs were synthesized by replacing the glycerol moiety in 1-hexadecanoyl-2-[6-N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) aminohexanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, -phosphoethanolamine, -phosphoserine and 1-hexadecanoyl-2-[12-N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diazol-4-yl)aminododecanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, -phosphoethanolamine, -phosphoserine by the 1,3,4-butanetriol residue, and their out-to-in translocation in the human erythrocyte membrane studied by 'back exchanging' the outer surface-incorporated phospholipids using bovine serum albumin. The results of these studies indicate that the replacement of the glycerol moiety by the 1,3,4-butanetriol residue in aminophospholipids does not effect their out-to-in translocation in the human erythrocyte membrane. Furthermore, since earlier study by Arora and Gupta (Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1324 (1997) 47-60) has shown that the conformation of the 1,3,4-butanetriol phospholipids possess the backbone conformation similar to that of glycerophospholipids, it is suggested that besides the normal phospholipid polar head-group, a normal phospholipid interface conformation may also be required for the aminophospholipid-translocase interactions.

Preferential decarboxylation of hydrophilic phosphatidylserine species in cultured cells. Implications on the mechanism of transport to mitochondria and cellular aminophospholipid species compositions

In baby hamster kidney and other cultured cells the majority of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is synthesized from phosphatidylserine (PS) in a process which involves transport of PS from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria and decarboxylation therein by PS decarboxylase. To study the mechanism of this transport process, we first determined the molecular species composition of PE and PS from baby hamster kidney and Chinese hamster ovary cells. Interestingly, the hydrophilic diacyl molecular species were found to be much more abundant in PE than in PS, suggesting that hydrophilic PS species may be more readily transported to mitochondria than the hydrophobic ones. To study this, we compared the rates of decarboxylation of different PS molecular species in these cells. The cells were pulse labeled with [3H]serine whereafter the distribution of the labels among PS and PE molecular species was determined by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and liquid scintillation counting. The hydrophilic PE species contained relatively much more 3H label than those of PS, which indicates that they are more readily decarboxylated than the hydrophobic ones. Control experiments showed that differences in [3H]PS and -PE molecular species profiles are not due to (i) incorporation of 3H label to some PE species via alternative pathways, (ii) differences in degradation or remodeling among species, or (iii) selective decarboxylation of PS molecular species by the enzyme. Therefore, hydrophilic PS species are indeed decarboxylated faster than the hydrophobic ones. The rate of decarboxylation decreased systematically with hydrophobicity, strongly suggesting that formation of so called activated monomers, i.e. lipid molecules perpendicularly displaced from the membrane (Jones, J. D., and Thompson, T. E. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 1593-1600), is the rate-limiting step in the transport of PS from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria. The formation of activated monomers and thus the rate of transfer is probably greatly enhanced by frequent collisions between the two membranes which tend to be closely associated. The present data also provides a feasible explanation why hydrophilic molecular species in these cells are much more abundant in PE as compared with PS, its immediate precursor.

12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate inhibits aminophospholipid translocase activity and modifies the lateral motions of fluorescent phospholipid analogs in the plasma membrane of bovine aortic endothelial cells

The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) is a potent mitogenic factor which can replace the growth promoting activity of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on bovine aortic endothelial cells. However, TPA-treated cells lose their strict contact inhibition at confluence, which is a characteristic of cells grown in the presence of bFGF. We have examined whether these changes could be related to modifications of the transbilayer and lateral motions of fluorescent lipids, namely 1-acyl-2-[6-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]caproyl]-p hosphatidylcholine (C6-NBD-PC), -phosphatidylserine (C6-NBD-PS), and -phosphatidylethanolamine (C6-NBD-PE) inserted in the outer leaflet of the cell plasma membrane. In TPA-treated cells, the three fluorescent phospholipids remained located in the outer leaflet for at least 1 h at 20 degrees C after their insertion, indicating a blockade of the aminophospholipid translocase activity which is normally present in the plasma membrane of bFGF-treated cells. TPA also induced a large increase in the percentage of C6-NBD-PC and C6-NBD-PE probes which were free to diffuse laterally. The mobile fractions M reached values of approximately 100% for the two lipids, while for bFGF-treated cells they were found around 85 and 75%, respectively. For the C6-NBD-PS probe, M remained unchanged in bFGF and TPA-treated cells, at around 85%. TPA treatment also induced a twofold increase in the lateral diffusion coefficients of C6-NBD-PC and C6-NBD-PE, while that of C6-NBD-PS remained nearly unchanged. These effects of TPA may be related to the observed loss of differentiated properties of vascular endothelial cells and not to its mitogenic properties.

Characterization of a non-specific lipid transfer protein associated with the peroxisomal membrane of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A lipid transfer protein with a broad substrate specificity is associated with the peroxisomal membrane of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The protein catalyzes in vitro the transfer of various phospholipids, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine being translocated at the highest rates. The transfer protein can be released from peroxisomal membranes by treatment with 0.25 M KCl and highly enriched using conventional chromatographic techniques. It is inactivated by heat, detergents, divalent cations and proteinases. During various steps of purification this lipid transfer protein co-fractionated with peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase (Pox1p). In a pox1 disruptant peroxisomal lipid transfer activity was still present, although at a reduced level. The peroxisomal lipid transfer protein from the pox1 mutant exhibited different chromatographic properties as compared to the wild-type strain suggesting that acyl-CoA oxidase and the peroxisomal lipid transfer protein may from a complex.

Hemoglobin oxidation products extract phospholipids from the membrane of human erythrocytes

Hydrogen peroxide oxidation of human erythrocytes induces a transfer of phospholipid from the membrane into the cytosol [Brunauer, L.S., Moxness, M.S., & Huestis, W.H. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 4527-4532]. The current study examines the mechanism of lipid reorganization in oxidized cells. Exogenous phosphatidylserine was introduced into the inner monolayer of erythrocytes, and its distribution was monitored by microscopy and radioisotopic labeling. Pretreatment of cells with carbon monoxide prevented both hemoglobin oxidation and the transfer of phosphatidyserine into the cytosolic compartment. The roles of the various hemoglobin oxidation products in lipid extraction were investigated using selective oxidants. Nitrite treatment of intact cells produced almost complete conversion to methemoglobin, but no detectable lipid extraction. Treatments designed to produce the green hemoglobin derivatives, sulfhemoglobin and choleglobin, resulted in cytosolic extraction of phosphatidylserine. Ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography of oxidized cytosolic components revealed a lipid-hemoglobin complex. The interaction between lipid and hemoglobin oxidation products was verified in a model system. Purified hemoglobin, enriched in sulfhemoglobin and choleglobin by treatment with H2O2, H2S, or ascorbate, extracted phospholipid from small unilamellar phospholipid vesicles. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies demonstrated that hemoglobin oxidation products also adsorb fatty acids from solution. This newly described activity of hemoglobin may play a role in the clearance of oxidatively damaged and senescent cells from circulation.

Activation of the factor VIIIa-factor IXa enzyme complex of blood coagulation by membranes containing phosphatidyl-L-serine

Factor IXa, a serine protease of blood coagulation, functions at least 100,000 times more efficiently when bound to factor VIIIa on a phospholipid membrane than when free in solution. We have utilized the catalytic activity of the factor VIIIa-factor IXa complex to report the effect of phospholipid membranes on binding of factor IXa to factor VIIIa and on enzymatic cleavage of the product. The apparent affinity of factor IXa for factor VIIIa was 10-fold lower in the absence of phospholipid membranes with a KD of 46 nM versus 4.3 nM with phospholipid membranes. The Km for activation of factor X by the factor VIIIa-factor IXa complex was 1700 nM in solution, 70-fold higher than the value of 28 nM when bound to membranes containing phosphatidyl-L-serine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine at a ratio of 4:20:76. The largest effect of phosphatidyl-L-serine-containing membranes on the factor VIIIa-factor IXa complex was the accelerated rate of peptide bond cleavage, with the k(cat) increased by 1,500-fold from 0.022 to 33 min-1. Membranes in which phosphatidyl-L-serine was replaced by phosphatidyl-D-serine, phosphatidic acid, or phosphatidylglycerol were at least 10-fold less effective for enhancing the k(cat). Thus, while membranes containing phosphatidyl-L-serine enhance condensation of the enzyme with its cofactor and substrate, their largest effect is activation of the assembled factor VIIIa-factor IXa enzyme complex.

Phosphatidylethanolamine induces high affinity binding sites for factor VIII on membranes containing phosphatidyl-L-serine

Synthetic membranes of phosphatidylcholine require inclusion of at least 5% phosphatidylserine (Ptd-L-Ser) to form binding sites for factor VIII. The relatively high requirement for Ptd-L-Ser suggests that stimulated platelets may contain another membrane constituent that enhances expression of factor VIII-binding sites. We report that phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), which is exposed in concert with Ptd-L-Ser in the course of platelet stimulation, induces high affinity binding sites for factor VIII on synthetic membranes containing 1-15% Ptd-L-Ser. The affinity of factor VIII for binding sites on membranes of Ptd-L-Ser/PE/phosphatidylcholine in a 4:20:76 ratio was 10.2 +/- 3.5 nM with 180 +/- 33 phospholipid molecules/site. PE did not induce binding sites on membranes of 4% Ptd-D-Ser, indicating that the induced binding sites require the correct stereochemistry of Ptd-L-Ser as well as PE. Egg PE and dimyristoyl-PE were equivalent for inducing factor VIII-binding sites, indicating that hexagonal phase-inducing properties of PE are not important. We conclude that PE induces high affinity factor VIII-binding sites on membranes with physiologic mole fractions of Ptd-L-Ser, possibly including those of stimulated platelets.

Colocalization of Rh polypeptides and the aminophospholipid transporter in dilauroylphosphatidylcholine-induced erythrocyte vesicles

Cytoskeleton-free vesicles released from human red blood cells (RBC) transport exogenously supplied aminophospholipid analogues from the vesicle's outer to inner leaflet at rates comparable to those of normal RBC (Beleznay et al. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 3146-3152). Because polypeptides associated with the Rh blood group system have been implicated in the transbilayer movement of phosphatidylserine (PS), we investigated the relationship and co-localization of the aminophospholipid translocase and Rh in dilauroylphosphatidylcholine-induced RBC vesicles. The transbilayer movement of fluorescent (NBD-PS) and photoactivatable (125I-N3-PS) PS in RBC vesicles was ATP-and temperature-dependent. Inhibition of PS transport by sulfhydryl reagents could be accomplished by direct vesicle treatment or by treating RBC before vesiculation. In the case of diamide- and pyridyldithioethylamine-mediated inhibition, NBD-PS transport could be restored by reduction with dithiothreitol, indicating that the movement of the PS transporter into the emerging vesicle was independent of the oxidative status of membrane sulfhydryls. The presence of Rh polypeptides in the vesicles was verified by direct immunoprecipitation of isotopically-labeled Rh and semi-quantified by antibody adsorption assays. Similar to the movement of the PS transporter, localization of Rh polypeptides in the vesicle membrane was independent of the red cell's oxidative status. These results show that the PS translocase and Rh-related proteins colocalize in RBC vesicles suggesting that these proteins may be members of a multicomponent complex that plays a role in lipid movement and the generation of membrane lipid asymmetry.

The interaction between protein kinase C and lipid cofactors studied by simultaneous observation of lipid and protein fluorescence

The interaction of protein kinase C (PKC) with lipids was probed by a dual approach. Pyrene-labeled lipid analogues of diacylglycerol, phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP), and phosphatidylcholine (PC) were used both as acceptors of tryptophan excitation energy of PKC and as membrane probes for intra- and intermolecular lipid chain collisions by measuring the ratio of excimer-to-monomer fluorescence intensity (EM). Both in micelles of polyoxyethylene 9-lauryl ether and in dioleoyl-PC vesicles, interaction of PKC with monopyrenyl PS (pyr-PS) in the absence of calcium resulted in a relatively slow decrease of the EM value. This effect on the lipid dynamics was accompanied by quenching of the tryptophan fluorescence of PKC. Addition of calcium resulted in a rapid further decrease of the EM ratio of pyr-PS and in additional quenching of the tryptophan fluorescence. When 4 mol % of pyr-PS was replaced by 0.5 mol % of dipyrenyl-labeled diacylglycerol a decrease of the intramolecular excimer formation rate and tryptophan fluorescence could only be detected in the presence of calcium and PS. Strong binding was also observed with dipyrenyl-labeled PIP (dipyr-PIP), but not with the other dipyrenyl-labeled lipids: PI, PS, or PC. In addition, the EM ratios of dipyr-PIP were not affected by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, indicating that phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and dipyr-PIP can bind simultaneously to PKC.

Calcium-induced transbilayer scrambling of fluorescent phospholipid analogs in platelets and erythrocytes

The non-random distribution of phospholipids in the plasma membrane of human platelets and erythrocytes is at least partially maintained by the ATP-dependent aminophospholipid translocase, but can be disturbed by a calcium-induced scrambling of lipids. Using fluorescent NBD-phospholipid analogs, we demonstrate that in both cells the aminophospholipid translocase has a slightly higher preference for the naturally occurring L-isomer of the polar headgroup of phosphatidylserine as compared to the D-isomer. Calcium-induced outward movement of internalized phosphatidylserine probe, however, is not affected by the stereochemical configuration of the serine headgroup and is virtually identical to both the inward and outward movement of the phosphatidylcholine probe. The data also indicate that both in platelets and red blood cells the calcium-induced transbilayer movement is bidirectional and involves all major phospholipid classes, with reorientation rates of sphingomyelin being appreciably lower than that of the other phospholipid classes. While our results largely support earlier observations on red cells, they clearly differ from a recent study on platelets which suggested that calcium-induced scrambling is restricted to aminophospholipids and would not involve cholinephospholipids. The present results indicate that the same mechanism is responsible for calcium-induced lipid scrambling in red blood cells and platelets.

Detection and characterization of the onset of bilayer packing defects by nanosecond-resolved intramolecular excimer fluorescence spectroscopy

Bilayer packing defects in binary dilinoleoylphosphatidylethanolamine and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (DLPE/POPC) lipid mixtures have been studied by the use of nanosecond-resolved intramolecular excimer fluorescence spectroscopy. Frequency-domain fluorescence intensity decays of dual-chain labelled dipyrenyl lipids of different chain lengths in DLPE/POPC mixtures were acquired at both the monomer (392 nm) and excimer (475 nm) emission channels and at 20 degrees C. On the basis of a new intramolecular excimer formation kinetic model, the extent of aggregation and the rotational mobility, in terms of the equilibrium constant of the monomer to aggregated state and the excimer association rate constant, respectively, of the intralipid pyrenes were calculated from the frequency-domain data. Within the range of 60-100% DLPE where bilayer defects are known to coexist with bilayer and non-bilayer states, a prominent peak in the equilibrium constant and a concomitant dip in the excimer association constant at approximately 80% DLPE were observed. Our nanosecond-resolved fluorescence results suggest that the intramolecular excimer kinetic parameters of dipyrenyl lipids are very sensitive to the onset of bilayer packing defects in lipid membranes. Moreover, the onset of bilayer defect state is characterized by the greater extent of aggregation and more hindered rotational mobility of the acyl chains as compared with the bilayer (0% DLPE) and non-bilayer inverted hexagonal (100% DLPE) states of the lipid membranes.

Erythrocyte band 3 protein strongly interacts with phosphoinositides

85% of the phosphorus coisolated with band 3 protein during separation of the intrinsic proteins of the human erythrocyte membrane by zonal electrophoresis in high concentrations of acetic acid was found to be derived from phosphoinositides, mainly phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. When native band 3 protein and pyrene-labelled phospholipids were present in micelles of the nonionic detergent nonaethyleneglycol lauryl ether, strong resonance energy transfer was observed between the tryptophan residues and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and, to a smaller degree, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate. We conclude that band 3 protein strongly interacts with phosphoinositides, in particular with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate.

Hydrogen peroxide oxidation induces the transfer of phospholipids from the membrane into the cytosol of human erythrocytes

The effects of oxidative damage on membrane phospholipid organization were examined in human erythrocytes. Exposure to H2O2 induced shape changes in these cells; normal discocytes became echinocytic, and stomatocytes generated by foreign phosphatidylserine incorporation reverted to discoid morphology. H2O2 treatment also inhibited phosphatidylserine transport from the outer to inner membrane monolayer, consistent with earlier reports on oxidative sensitivity of the aminophospholipid translocator. The morphological changes are consistent with movement of inner monolayer lipids to the outer monolayer, as might be expected if aminophospholipid sequestration is compromised. However, lipid extraction and prothrombinase activation assays showed no increased exposure of phosphatidylserine on the cell surface. Instead, phosphatidylserine was found associated with the cytosolic fraction of H2O2-treated cells. These observations suggest that oxidative damage alters the lipid organization of erythrocyte membranes, not by randomizing the lipid classes within the bilayer, but by inducing extraction of inner monolayer components into the cytosol.

Formation of membrane domains by the envelope proteins of vesicular stomatitis virus

The properties of the two envelope-associated proteins of vesicular stomatitis virus, the glycoprotein (G) and the matrix protein (M), were investigated in order to understand the mechanism of virus budding and domain formation in membranes. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer was used to study the interaction between the G protein and specific phospholipids. The protein had the highest affinity for phosphatidic acid among the phospholipids tested. Fluorescence digital imaging microscopy also was used to determine how the protein could alter the lateral distribution of phospholipids in membranes. Large domains enriched in phosphatidic acid were observed when the protein was incorporated into phospholipid vesicles. The G protein colocalized with the phosphatidic acid-enriched domains. Similar experiments carried out with the M protein showed that the M protein induced the formation of domains enriched not only in phosphatidic acid but also in phosphatidylserine. The phosphatidic acid-enriched domains induced by either the G or M proteins were similar in terms of the degree of enrichment of phosphatidic acid and the size of the domains. When the two proteins were reconstituted in vesicles at the same time, the domains were condensed. There was a greater degree of phosphatidic acid enrichment, and the size of the domains was reduced. The formation of domains enriched in the viral proteins and specific phospholipids may mimic the first steps that occur during budding of the virus from the plasma membrane of infected cells.

Intramitochondrial distribution and transport of phosphatidylserine and its decarboxylation product, phosphatidylethanolamine. Application of pyrene-labeled species

To investigate the mechanism of intramitochondrial translocation of phosphatidylserine and its decarboxylation product, phosphatidylethanolamine, the distribution of these lipids between the outer (OM) and inner (IM) mitochondrial membranes, as well as their transversal and lateral distribution in OM were studied. Fluorescent, pyrenyl derivatives of phosphatidylserine (PyrxPS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PyrxPE) species were employed because they allow: (i), direct monitoring of PS (and PE) loading to the mitochondria; (ii) assay of PS decarboxylation by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and (iii), determination of the lateral distributions of PS and PE within the mitochondrial membranes. All PyrxPS species tested were efficiently decarboxylated by the solubilized decarboxylase and thus the distribution of the endogenous PE could be also studied. When the PyrxPS species were loaded to isolated mitochondria very little, if any, of the loaded PyrxPS or of the PyrxPE product was found in IM independent of the time and temperature of incubation, strongly suggesting that these lipids either never enter IM or their residence there is only transient. When mitochondria preloaded with Pyr4PS were incubated with an excess of acceptor vesicles in the presence of the lipid transfer protein, 80% of Pyr4PS and 30-40% of the Pyr4PE product were transported to the acceptor vesicles, indicating that at least corresponding fractions of these lipid were located in, or were in rapid equilibrium with the outer leaflet of OM. Since the decarboxylase is located in the inner membrane, these results signify that both PS and PE must be able to move readily across OM. Determination of the excimer to monomer ratio as the function of pyrenyl lipid concentration in mitochondria (i.e., OM) gave parallel results for PyrxPS and -PE species suggesting the lateral distribution of PS and PE in OM is similar and thus there is no specific enrichment of PS to the contact sites. To investigate the mechanism of PS transport from the outer leaflet to the decarboxylation site, the influence of PyrxPS hydrophobicity, i.e., pyrenylacyl chain length, on the rate of decarboxylation was determined. The variation of the length of the pyrenyl acyl chain from 4 to 12 carbons did not significantly affect the rate of PyrxPS decarboxylation in intact mitochondria, indicating that the transport of PS from the outer leaflet of OM to the site of decarboxylation takes place by lateral diffusion rather than by spontaneous or protein-mediated transport. The implications of these findings on the mechanism of intramitochondrial transport of PS and PE are discussed in terms of alternative models.

Novel radioactive phospholipid probes as a tool for measurement of phospholipid translocation across biomembranes

In an attempt to develop a new method to measure transbilayer phospholipid translocation, with a higher sensitivity and higher temporal resolution, novel radioactive phospholipid probes (*C5-PC, *C5-PE, and *C5-PS) with a short acyl chain at the 2-position were synthesized. The *C5-PC probe was made by coupling lysophosphatidylcholine with [14C]pentanoic acid, using N,N-carbonyldiimidazole as a coupling agent (yield 37%), and *C5-PE and *C5-PS were synthesized by exchanging the choline moiety of *C5-PC for ethanolamine and L-serine, respectively, as catalyzed by phospholipase D. The usefulness of the probes was confirmed by measuring phospholipid translocation across the human erythrocyte plasma membrane, in which the presence of aminophospholipid translocase was revealed using EPR techniques (Zachowski, A., Farve, E., Cribier, S., Herve, P. and Devaux, P.F. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 2585-2590). Using the present probes, ATP-dependent and SH-reagent-inhibitable translocation of *C5-PS and *C5-PE from outer to inner leaflets, which is characteristic to the translocation mediated by aminophospholipid translocase, was detected with a higher sensitivity than seen with the EPR technique. These radioactive phospholipid probes will be useful to measure phospholipid translocation with a high sensitivity and have the potential for application in measurements of transbilayer lipid-translocation for a wide variety of membranes.

A novel fluorescent fatty acid, 5-methyl-BDY-3-dodecanoic acid, is a potential probe in lipid transport studies by incorporating selectively to lipid classes of BHK cells

The 5-methyl-BDY-3-dodecanoic acid (B12FA) labelling of BHK cell lipids was analyzed by thin layer and reverse phase column chromatography. Incorporation to phospholipids was selective: over 90% of B12FA label was enriched in phosphatidylcholine. The major molecular species of PC was that containing palmitate as the unlabelled fatty acid. Small amounts of label was also found in other phosphoglycerides, but not in sphingomyelin. Triglycerides and diglycerides constituted the main B12FA-labelled neutral lipid classes; however, no label was found in cholesterol esters. B12FA was degraded to shorter homologues, which had significantly slower lipid incorporation rates. B12FA-labelled cells displayed in a microscope initially green reticular type fluorescence, but later red spherical structures, representing neutral lipid droplets, could also be seen. It is concluded that B12FA does not incorporate indiscriminately to all lipid classes of BHK cells, but is enriched to PC, diglycerides and triglycerides, which could be utilized in studies on lipid transport as well as metabolism.