The activation of surface films of lecithin by amphipathic molecules

Reminiscence of phospholipase B in Penicillium notatum

Since the phospholipase B (PLB) was reported as a deacylase of both lecithin and lysolecithin yielding fatty acids and glycerophosphocholine (GPC), there was a question as to whether it is a single enzyme or a mixture of a phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and a lysophospholipase (LPL). We purified the PLB in Penicillium notatum and showed that it catalyzed deacylation of sn-1 and sn-2 fatty acids of 1,2-diacylphospholipids and also sn-1 or sn-2 fatty acids of 1- or 2-monoacylphospholipids (lysophospholipids). Further, it also has a monoacyllipase activity. The purified PLB is a glycoprotein with m.w. of 91,300. The sugar moiety is M9 only and the protein moiety consists of 603 amino acids. PLB, different from PLA2, shows other enzymatic activities, such as transacylase, lipase and acylesterase. PLB activity is influenced by various substances, e.g. detergents, deoxycholate, diethylether, Fe(3+), and endogenous protease. Therefore, PLB might have broader roles than PLA2 in vivo. The database shows an extensive sequence similarity between P. notatum PLB and fungal PLB, cPLA2 and patatin, suggesting a homologous relationship. The catalytic triad of cPLA2, Ser, Asp and Arg, is also present in P. notatum PLB. Other related PLBs, PLB/Lipases are discussed.

Formation of ceramide phosphorylethanolamine from phosphatidylethanolamine in the rumen protozoon Entodinium caudatum (Short Communication)

From ;pulse'-labelling experiments of Entodinium caudatum with [(14)C]ethanolamine and by incubating the organism with [(32)P]phosphatidylethanolamine it is concluded that phosphatidylethanolamine can act as a direct precursor of the phosphorylethanolamine moiety of ceramide phosphorylethanolamine. The phosphorylethanolamine is probably never liberated in the free form but is transferred directly to a ceramide or ceramide-containing acceptor. The results are also in agreement with previous conclusions that phosphatidylethanolamine is the direct lipid precursor of N-(1-carboxyethyl)phosphatidylethanolamine.

Liposomes: the Babraham connection

A chronological history is given of the experimental work carried out at The Institute of Animal Physiology, Babraham, Near Cambridge (UK) prior to and after the first description of liposomes in 1965. A convergence of worldwide interest in membrane structure and function coupled with the coexistence of physiologists, biochemists and electron microscopists provided a unique opportunity for the development of a useful model system. As well as defining their properties, such as composition, dimensions, perm-selectivity, permeating pathways and response to solutes (oil and/or water soluble), temperature and pressure, attention is drawn to a number of ideas investigated over the years relating to in vivo 'invisibility' of foreign particles, the trapping of ions in small vesicles the origins of life, to the mechanisms of anaesthesia and formulation of an effective lung surfactant.

A study of the membrane attachment site of the membrane-form variant surface glycoprotein from Trypanosoma brucei brucei using lipid vesicles as a model of the plasma membrane

The incorporation of the membrane form and the soluble form of variant surface glycoprotein (mfVSG and sVSG) from Trypanosoma brucei brucei into liposomes has been investigated. It was found that selective incorporation of mfVSG into liposomes was possible in the presence of 8 M urea as a denaturing agent; sVSG, by contrast, was incorporated only poorly into liposomes. After proteolysis of mfVSG incorporated into liposomes, a compound was isolated from the liposomes which carries with it constituents of the glyophospholipid membrane anchor: ethanolamine, di-14:0-diglyceride and phosphatidylinositol were identified by electron impact and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, thus providing direct confirmation of the earlier findings of Holder [Holder, A.A. (1983) Biochem. J. 209, 261-262] and Ferguson et al. [Ferguson, M.A.J., Haldar, K. and Cross, G.A.M. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 4963-4968; Ferguson, M.A.J., Low, M.G. and Cross, G.A.M. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14547-14555].

Activation of bee venom phospholipase A2 by oleoyl imidazolide produces a thiol- and proteinase-resistant conformation

Assay methods for bee venom phospholipase A2 are presented which respond to different aspects of enzymic behaviour and which allow basal activity, fatty acid activation and acyl-group activation to be distinguished. The stability of the enzyme to thiols and proteinases is dramatically increased by activation with the selective acylating agent, oleoyl imidazolide. These results support the model of activation by conformation change. Limited-fixation studies indicate that enzyme conformation is determined by interaction with the substrate. The oleoyl-enzyme is partially inactivated by trypsin, but its electrophoretic mobility is unchanged. This protective effect is highly selective and only one other component of the venom is protected against trypsin by oleoyl imidazolide. Combination of trypsin and thiol treatment produces a large fragment of the activated enzyme which could be used for structural studies of the activation site.

An interaction of aminoglycoside antibiotics with Ca binding to lipid monolayers and to biomembranes

Thirteen aminoglycoside antibiotics were investigated with respect to their ability to replace Ca from phosphatidylserine monolayers. The affinities of the glycosides for the Ca-binding sites depended on the pH and the Ca2+ concentration of the aqueous subphase. At a Ca2+ concentration of 1.2 X 10(-5)M and a pH of 7.5 the half maximum concentrations to replace Ca were found to range from 0.4 X 10(-6) (sisomicin) to 6 X 10(-6)M (streptomycin). The interaction between the streptomycins and Ca were of a competitive nature, whereas the aminoglycoside antibiotics with higher affinities displayed unusual steep dose-response curves suggesting positive cooperativity. The aminoglycoside antibiotics were also able to replace Ca from biomembranes (red cell ghosts and isolated sarcolemma of cardiac muscle) in a dose-dependent manner. The high affinity of aminoglycoside antibiotics to a phospholipid is considered to be involved in the toxic side effects of these antibiotics, e.g. nephrotoxicity and impairment of contractile force.

Preparation of phosphatidyl[2-3H]inositol from yeast grown in medium containing myo[2-3H]inositol

Phosphatidyl[2-3H]inositol was prepared from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (YSC-2), grown in synthetic medium containing myo[2-3H]inositol. Over 44 microCi (or 81%) of the radiolabeled inositol was taken up by the organism, with 34 microCi incorporated into phosphatidylinositol. Upon purification by silicic acid pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC), a final yield of 24 to 26 microCi of phosphatidyl[2-3H]inositol with a specific radioactivity of 40 X 10(3) dpm/nmole was obtained. The purified phosphatidyl[2-3H]inositol was found to be a suitable for phospholipase C from human platelets.

Observations on membranes of Mycoplasma laidlawii strain B

The cytoplasmic membrane of Mycoplasma laidlawii strain B is solubilized by anionic and nonionic detergents, succinylation, phospholipase A, alkaline phosphatase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin. Cationic detergents are without effect, as are chelating agents, even in the presence of high concentrations of monovalent cation. The detergent-solubilized membrane exhibits one peak in the analytical ultracentrifuge, but the sedimentation coefficient is dependent upon concentration of detergent. Simple dialysis does not remove all of the sodium dodecylsulfate except from lipid-depleted membrane particles. Membranes bind sodium dodecylsulfate but acetone powders of membranes do not. Sulfated alcohols with chain lengths of C(14) and C(16) are more tightly bound than dodecylsulfate. A constant amount of di- and trivalent cation is bound by the membrane upon aggregation. Only a portion of this cation is removable with chelating agents. No chelating agent is bound by these aggregates. A portion of the lipid-depleted membrane particles is solubilized by negatively charged lipids and detergents, giving rise to aggregates in the presence of divalent cation. Fractionations of detergent-solubilized membranes by preparative gel electrophoresis and ammonium sulfate were inconclusive. Density gradient centrifugation of succinylated membranes yielded at least five fractions which exhibited homogeneity by ultracentrifugation. Analytical gel electrophoresis of these fractions demonstrated heterogeneity. The composition of these five fractions suggested separation of protein from lipid.

The hydrolysis of monolayers of phosphatidyl(Me-14C)choline by phospholipase D

1. The hydrolysis of monolayers of phosphatidyl[Me-(14)C]choline at the air/water interface by phospholipase D (phosphatidylcholine phosphatidohydrolase) was investigated by a surface-radioactivity technique by using a flow counter. 2. Phosphatidylcholine of high specific radioactivity was prepared biosynthetically in good yield from [Me-(14)C]choline by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 3. At initial monolayer pressures between 12 and 25 dynes/cm. the hydrolysis occurred in two stages, an initial slow hydrolysis followed by a rapid hydrolysis. Below 3dynes/cm. and above 28dynes/cm. no enzymic hydrolysis of pure phosphatidylcholine monolayers could be detected. 4. The rapid hydrolysis was proportional to the enzyme concentration in the subphase, its pH optimum was 6.6, and 0.2mm-Ca(2+) was required for maximal activity. 5. Hydrolysis of the film was accompanied by a pronounced fall in the surface pressure even though the phosphatidic acid formed did not leave the film. When the pressure fell to low values the hydrolysis ceased even if the film was only partially hydrolysed. 6. Above monolayer pressures of 28dynes/cm. enzymic hydrolysis could be initiated by inclusion of phosphatidic acid (and less effectively stearyl hydrogen sulphate) in the film, although the rates were not appreciably higher than those observed at 25dynes/cm. with a pure phosphatidylcholine film. 7. The initiation of the hydrolysis by phosphatidic acid was facilitated by the inclusion of high Ca(2+) concentrations and certain carboxylic acid buffer anions in the subphase, although these did not activate by themselves. 8. The initiation of the hydrolysis at high pressures could not be related to any change in the surface potential brought about by the addition of the long-chain anions to the film, nor could it be ascribed to a surface dilution effect. 9. The results are discussed in relation to previous studies on the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine particles by the enzyme and also similar investigations on phosphatidylcholine monolayers with other phospholipases.