The role of aromatic side chain residues in micelle binding by pancreatic colipase. Fluorescence studies of the porcine and equine proteins

Identification of amino acids in human colipase that mediate adsorption to lipid emulsions and mixed micelles

The adsorption of colipase is essential for pancreatic triglyceride lipase activity and efficient dietary fat digestion. Yet, little is known about which specific amino acids in the hydrophobic surface of colipase influence adsorption. In this study, we systematically substituted alanine or tryptophan at residues implicated in adsorption of colipase to an interface. We expressed, purified recombinant colipase mutants and characterized the ability of each alanine mutant to restore activity to lipase in the presence of bile salts. The functions of L16A, Y55A, I79A and F84A colipase were most impaired with activities ranging from 20 to 60% of wild-type colipase. We next characterized the fluorescence properties of the tryptophan mutants in the absence and presence of bile-salt-oleic acid mixed micelles. We performed steady-state emission spectra to determine peak shift and I330/I350 ratio and acrylamide quenching curves to characterize the environment of the residues. The analysis supports a model of adsorption that includes residues Leu 34 and Leu 36 on the 2nd loop, Tyr 55 and Tyr 59 on the 3rd loop and Ile 75 and Ile 79 on the 4th loop. The analysis confirms that Phe 84 is not part of the adsorption surface and likely stabilizes the conformation of colipase. Contrary to the predictions of computer modeling, the results provide strong support for an essential role of Tyr 55 in colipase adsorption to mixed micelles. The results indicate that the adsorption of colipase to mixed micelles is mediated by specific residues residing in a defined surface of colipase.

Computational study of colipase interaction with lipid droplets and bile salt micelles

Colipase is a key element in the lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of dietary lipids. Although devoid of enzymatic activity, colipase promotes the pancreatic lipase activity in physiological intestinal conditions by anchoring the enzyme at the surface of lipid droplets. Analysis of structures of NMR colipase models and simulations of their interactions with various lipid aggregates, lipid droplet, and bile salt micelle, were carried out to determine and to map the lipid binding sites on colipase. We show that the micelle and the oil droplet bind to the same side of colipase 3D structure, mainly the hydrophobic fingers. Moreover, it appears that, although colipase has a single direction of interaction with a lipid interface, it does not bind in a specific way but rather oscillates between different positions. Indeed, different NMR models of colipase insert different fragments of sequence in the interface, either simultaneously or independently. This supports the idea that colipase finger plasticity may be crucial to adapt the lipase activity to different lipid aggregates.

Critical role of micelles in pancreatic lipase activation revealed by small angle neutron scattering

In the duodenum, pancreatic lipase (PL) develops its activity on triglycerides by binding to the bile-emulsified oil droplets in the presence of its protein cofactor pancreatic colipase (PC). The neutron crystal structure of a PC-PL-micelle complex (Hermoso, J., Pignol, D., Penel, S., Roth, M., Chapus, C., and Fontecilla-Camps, J. C. (1997) EMBO J. 16, 5531-5536) has suggested that the stabilization of the enzyme in its active conformation and its adsorption to the emulsified oil droplets are mediated by a preformed lipase-colipase-micelle complex. Here, we correlate the ability of different amphypathic compounds to activate PL, with their association with PC-PL in solution. The method of small angle neutron scattering with D(2)O/H(2)O contrast variation was used to characterize a solution containing PC-PL complex and taurodeoxycholate micelles. The resulting radius of gyration (56 A) and the match point of the solution indicate the formation of a ternary complex that is similar to the one observed in the neutron crystal structure. In addition, we show that either bile salts, lysophospholipids, or nonionic detergents that form micelles with radii of gyration ranging from 13 to 26 A are able to bind to the PC-PL complex, whereas smaller micelles or nonmicellar compounds are not. This further supports the notion of a micelle size-dependent affinity process for lipase activation in vivo.

Purification and characterization of human procolipase expressed in yeast cells

We report the successful, efficient, and large-scale expression of recombinant human procolipase in yeast. Using the full-length cDNA of human procolipase, constructs were made using either the native human procolipase signal peptide sequence or the signal peptide sequence of yeast. These constructs were used to transform yeast cells, and expression was followed. Only minimal expression was seen with the procolipase using the native human signal peptide. Robust secretion of the procolipase occurred when the yeast signal peptide was exchanged for the native signal peptide. Expression yielded more than 30 mg/liter. The recombinant protein was purified from the medium by immunoaffinity chromatography. The highly purified procolipase was free of proteolytic degradation and displayed activity and binding characteristics that were indistinguishable from those of tissue-purified human pancreatic colipase. Expression in yeast cells provides a useful tool for expressing intact, unprocessed recombinant wild-type and mutated procolipase.

The lipase/colipase complex is activated by a micelle: neutron crystallographic evidence

The catalytic activity of most lipases depends on the aggregation state of their substrates. It is supposed that lipase activation requires the unmasking and structuring of the enzyme's active site through conformational changes involving the presence of oil-in-water droplets. This phenomenon has been called interfacial activation. Here, we report the crystal structure of the pancreatic activated lipase/colipase/micelle complex as determined using the D2O/H2O contrast variation low resolution neutron diffraction method. We find that a disk-shaped micelle interacts extensively with the concave face of colipase (CL) and the distal tip of the C-terminal domain of lipase away from the active site of the enzyme. Such interaction appears to help stabilizing the lipase-CL interaction. Consequently, we conclude that lipase activation is not interfacial but occurs in the aqueous phase and it is mediated by CL and a micelle.

Neutron crystallographic evidence of lipase-colipase complex activation by a micelle

The concept of lipase interfacial activation stems from the finding that the catalytic activity of most lipases depends on the aggregation state of their substrates. It is thought that activation involves the unmasking and structuring of the enzyme's active site through conformational changes requiring the presence of oil-in-water droplets. Here, we present the neutron structure of the activated lipase-colipase-micelle complex as determined using the D2O/H2O contrast variation low resolution diffraction method. In the ternary complex, the disk-shaped micelle interacts extensively with the concave face of colipase and the distal tip of the C-terminal domain of lipase. Since the micelle- and substrate-binding sites concern different regions of the protein complex, we conclude that lipase activation is not interfacial but occurs in the aqueous phase and is mediated by colipase and a micelle.

Lipid binding and activating properties of porcine pancreatic colipase split at the Ile79-Thr80 bond

Porcine colipase, the protein cofactor of pancreatic lipase, was isolated from pancreas freshly collected on animals and from a side fraction from the production of insulin (Novo Nordisk A/S). Samples of purified colipase were analyzed for homogeneity by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RPLC), quantitative N-terminal sequence determination and mass spectrometry. The activating properties of colipase preparations were assayed against tributyrin, triolein or the commercial Intralipid emulsion, in presence of bile salt. Two fractions of colipase with the same specific activity were purified from fresh pancreas. The major fraction (85%) contained one single protein corresponding to fragment 1-93 of the 95-residue form of colipase (procolipase) previously characterized in porcine pancreatic juice. The other fraction (15%) corresponded to fragment 1-91 of procolipase. Also, two fractions of colipase were purified from the side fraction supplied by Novo. These fractions consisted of the 95-residue proform of colipase and of fragment 1-93, respectively, both specifically cleaved at the Ile79-Thr80 peptide bond with partial removal of isoleucine at position 79 and serine at position 78. Procolipase split at the 79-80 bond retained full activity on tributyrin and triolein and on the Intralipid emulsion but the kinetics of hydrolysis of triacylglycerol substrates showed much longer lag periods than those observed with native procolipase. Also, all forms of procolipase split at the 79-80 bond showed one peak in RPLC but their retention time was markedly decreased as compared to that of native procolipase which indicated a weaker hydrophobic binding capacity. The value of the retention time was of the same order of magnitude as that of inactive reduced procolipase. Treatment of native procolipase by pancreatic endopeptidases showed that elastase is likely responsible for specific cleavage at the 79-80 bond of procolipase purified from the Novo extract. Limited proteolysis by trypsin of the proforms of colipase split at the 79-80 bond reduced the lag period. Results presented in this communication provide the first direct evidence showing that the finger-shaped peptide segment between half-cystine residues at positions 69 and 87 is involved in colipase-lipid interaction as previously hypothesized from the three-dimensional structure of the protein.

Solution structure of porcine pancreatic procolipase as determined from 1H homonuclear two-dimensional and three-dimensional NMR

Procolipase is the precursor of colipase, which acts as protein cofactor for the activity of pancreatic lipase. The solution structure of procolipase has been determined by 1H NMR using two- and three-dimensional measurements. The secondary structure determination identified two separate three-stranded beta-sheet regions with concomitant hydrogen bond patterns. The tertiary structure of the protein was determined using 863 non-trivial proton--proton distance constraints, 14 hydrogen bond distance constraints and 55 phi and 25 X1 dihedral constraints. The structure that was obtained from distance geometry and energy refinement contains three highly disordered loops as well as a disordered N- and C-terminal region. The remaining part of the structure is well defined with a root-mean-square deviation (rmsd) relative to the average of 0.09 +/- 0.02 nm for backbone atoms (residues 11-30, 37-50, 57-69, 83-89). The protein comprises two identical domains, each containing a three-strand beta-sheet and two disulfide bonds: a 15-residue region in each domain superimposes with 0.07 nm rmsd, measured on backbone atoms. The solution structure is nearly identical to the crystal structure. It is in agreement with previous NMR data and, in combination with these data, supports the current model of procolipase micelle interaction and the lipase activation by colipase.

Crystallographic study of the structure of colipase and of the interaction with pancreatic lipase

Colipase (Mr 10 kDa) confers catalytic activity to pancreatic lipase under physiological conditions (high bile salt concentrations). Previously determined 3-A-resolution X-ray structures of lipase-colipase complexes have shown that, in the absence of substrate, colipase binds to the noncatalytic C-terminal domain of pancreatic lipase (van Tilbeurgh H, Sarda L, Verger R, Cambillau C, 1992, Nature 359:159-162; van Tilbeurgh et al., 1993a, Nature 362:814-820). Upon lipid binding, conformational changes at the active site of pancreatic lipase bring a surface loop (the lid) in contact with colipase, creating a second binding site for this cofactor. Covalent inhibition of the pancreatic lipase by a phosphonate inhibitor yields better diffracting crystals of the lipase-colipase complex. From the 2.4-A-resolution structure of this complex, we give an accurate description of the colipase. It confirms the previous proposed disulfide connections (van Tilbeurgh H, Sarda L, Verger R, Cambillau C, 1992, Nature 359:159-162; van Tilbeurgh et al., 1993a, Nature 362:814-820) that were in disagreement with the biochemical assignment (Chaillan C, Kerfelec B, Foglizzo E, Chapus C, 1992, Biochem Biophys Res Commun 184:206-211). Colipase lacks well-defined secondary structure elements. This small protein seems to be stabilized mainly by an extended network of five disulfide bridges that runs throughout the flatly shaped molecule, reticulating its four finger-like loops. The colipase surface can be divided into a rather hydrophilic part, interacting with lipase, and a more hydrophobic part, formed by the tips of the fingers. The interaction between colipase and the C-terminal domain of lipase is stabilized by eight hydrogen bonds and about 80 van der Waals contacts. Upon opening of the lid, three more hydrogen bonds and about 28 van der Waals contacts are added, explaining the higher apparent affinity in the presence of a lipid/water interface. The tips of the fingers are very mobile and constitute the lipid interaction surface. Two detergent molecules that interact with colipase were observed in the crystal, covering part of the hydrophobic surface.

Monoclonal antibodies to human pancreatic procolipase: production and characterization by competitive binding studies

Hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for human pancreatic colipase were established and 11 clones were selected by using a dot immunobinding assay. Characterization of the MAbs was carried out by using direct and competitive epitope mapping methods, including ELISA and inactivation of colipase-dependent pancreatic lipase. Monoclonal antibodies showed four distinct patterns of reactivity. Monoclonal antibody 5.30 (group I) inhibited colipase-dependent lipase activity. The dissociation constant of the inactive antibody-antigen complex was 10(-9) M. Monoclonal antibodies 48.30, 66.24, and 153.23 (group II) had no effect on activity although they bound competitively with MAb 5.30 to antigen as shown by their capacity to displace MAb 5.30 from the antibody-antigen complex and by ELISA additivity test. Dissociation constants calculated from the displacement curves were 0.9 10(-9) M, 0.6 10(-9) M, and 2 10(-9) M, respectively. Noninhibitory MAbs 13.29, 16.25, and 33.30 bound competitively with MAbs of group II but not with MAb 5.30 (group I). Monoclonal antibodies of group IV (MAbs 17.6, 18.1, 37.39, and 169.29) had no effect on activity and did not react with immobilized antigen. None of the MAbs reacted in ELISA with reduced and carboxymethylated human procolipase, indicating that epitopes involved conformationally dependent determinants on protein antigen. Anti-human colipase MAbs showed no cross-reactivity with porcine or equine procolipases. Monoclonal antibodies described here appear to be useful tools for studying surface hydrophobic domain of colipase and/or interaction between colipase and lipase in its active conformation (open lid).

The activation of porcine pancreatic lipase by cis-unsaturated fatty acids

In the presence of taurodeoxycholate, cis-unsaturated fatty acids increase porcine pancreatic lipase activity 15-fold at pH 7.5. This effect is saturable with a low proportion of fatty acid to substrate. The overall angle of the fatty acid, the position of its double bond and the presence of a carboxyl group were critical factors in whether the fatty acid effectively increased lipase activity. When the substrate is emulsified by taurodeoxycholate, the pH optimum for lipase ranges from 6.2 to 7.0. In the presence of cis-unsaturated fatty acids, the overall activity of lipase increases, the pH optimum shifts, and the pH-activity curve becomes biphasic, with one optimum around pH 7.7, and the other around pH 8.8. Fluorescence studies indicate that fatty acids bind near aromatic residues in lipase, particularly tryptophan. Using the fluorescent fatty acid cis-parinaric acid, it was determined that multiple binding sites are present with Kd values of approx. 10(-6) M. Far-UV circular dichroism (CD) studies indicate that in addition to a high affinity fatty acid binding site with a Kd of approx. 10(-6) M, there is also a low affinity binding site with a Kd of approx. 10(-4) M. The far-UV CD data also show that cis-unsaturated fatty acids change the conformation of lipase. It is calculated that the percentage of alpha helix decreases, and the amount of beta sheet and beta turn structure increases. Because the three-dimensional crystal structure of lipase is known, a model is proposed to describe how cis-unsaturated fatty acids increase lipase activity.

Structure of the pancreatic lipase-procolipase complex

Interfacial adsorption of pancreatic lipase is strongly dependent on the physical chemical properties of the lipid surface. These properties are affected by amphiphiles such as phospholipids and bile salts. In the presence of such amphiphiles, lipase binding to the interface requires a protein cofactor, colipase. We obtained crystals of the pancreatic lipase-procolipase complex and solved the structure at 3.04 A resolution. Here we describe the structure of procolipase, which essentially consists of three 'fingers' and is topologically comparable to snake toxins. The tips of the fingers contain most of the hydrophobic amino acids and presumably form the interfacial binding site. Lipase binding occurs at the opposite side to this site and involves polar interactions. Determination of the three-dimensional structure of pancreatic lipase has revealed the presence of two domains: an amino-terminal domain, at residues 1-336 containing the active site and a carboxy-terminal domain at residues 337-449 (ref. 6). Procolipase binds exclusively to the C-terminal domain of lipase. No conformational change in the lipase molecule is induced by the binding of procolipase.

Conformational prediction studies on pancreatic colipase

Comparison of the primary structures of pancreatic colipases from man, pig, horse and rat shows a high degree of homology between proteins. Fifty-two out of the 95 residues of the polypeptide are identical. All colipases contain 10 half-cystines which are located at invariant positions. The secondary structure of colipases has been predicted from the sequence using the statistical method of Chou and Fasman and the method of Gibrat, Garnier and Robson based on information theory. Predictions indicate that colipases have a low content of alpha-helix and beta-strand structure. The two segments at positions 7-10 and 56-59, assumed to be part of the lipid binding domain, have predicted beta-sheet conformation and should be in close spatial vicinity to each other in the proteins. Four beta-turns are predicted in all colipases at positions 3-6, 46-49, 61-64, and 81-84. They might contribute, with the five disulfide bridges, to a tight packing of the protein molecule. Surface residues and major sequential antigenic determinants of mammalian colipases have been predicted using methods based either on hydrophilicity/hydropathy scales or amino acid mutability. From these studies, it appears that colipases exhibit large conformational homologies. In the absence of data on the tertiary structure of colipase, predictive methods, together with physico-chemical and immunological studies, provide valuable information on the conformation of the protein in relation to the topology of residues involved in the functional and antigenic sites.

Construction and expression of synthetic wild-type and mutant genes encoding porcine pancreatic colipase: tryptophan fluorescence studies

Based on the known (95-residue) amino acid (aa) sequence of porcine pancreatic colipase (CLP), a cofactor of pancreatic lipase, a 297 bp gene was designed and assembled from eight synthetic, overlapping DNA fragments. Optimized for expression in bacteria, the CLP-encoding gene (CLP) was inserted into the lacZ gene fragment contained in the small expression vector, pUC8, and cloned in Escherichia coli JM109. Expression of this construct yielded a protein approx. 11 kDa in size, equivalent to CLP, with an Mr of 10,336, plus ten additional amino acids at the N-terminus. The recombinant CLP (reCLP) was solubilized from bacterial inclusion bodies and then purified and refolded. A mutant CLP gene, changing Tyr-55 to Trp, was then constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. Since porcine CLP contains no Trp, this strategy provided a protein with an internal fluorescent probe for biophysical studies. The presence of Trp in the mutant protein was confirmed using fluorescence spectroscopy. Both wild-type (wt) and mutant reCLP reacted on Western blots with an affinity-purified rabbit anti-CLP antibody, raised against native CLP. The Tyr-55 to Trp exchange did not affect the activity of reCLP. Fluorescence studies of the interaction between reCLP and the bile salt, taurodeoxycholate (TDOC), showed that Trp-55 in the hydrophobic binding site of mutant reCLP inserted into the interior of the bile salt micelle.

The interaction of bile salt micelles with the dansyltyrosine derivatives of porcine colipase

The interaction of bile salt micelles with the tyrosines of pancreatic colipase was assessed by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence techniques. Dansyltyrosine fluorescence showed that Tyr-55 was located in the proposed interface recognition site. In support of this claim was a 70 nm blue shift and 4.3-fold quantum yield increase in emission spectrum due to taurodeoxycholate (TDOC) micelle-complex formation. Complex formation also caused a shift in the center of the major lifetime distribution from 11.7 to 15.1 ns, and more than doubled the polarization and anisotropy decay parameters. These data supported an earlier model of colipase-micelle binding that suggested that Tyr-55 was inserted into the interior of the TDOC micelle upon binding (J.C. McIntyre, P. Hundley and W.D. Behnke, Biochem. J. 245 (1987) 821). Identical experiments on a DNS-Tyr-59 derivative of colipase showed that Tyr-59 did not specifically interact with micelles. Moreover, acrylamide quenching data suggest an alteration in the protein environment surrounding DNS-Tyr-59 such that during complex formation, the efficiency of quenching of DNS-Tyr-59 increases.

Synthesis and characterization of the dansyltyrosine derivatives of porcine pancreatic colipase

Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence techniques were used to study dansyltyrosine derivatives of porcine pancreatic colipase. Nitration, reduction, acylation, and dansylation reactions were utilized to synthesize two fluorescently labeled colipases: (o-aminodansyltyrosine 55 porcine colipase) (DNStyr55PC) and o-aminodansyltyrosine 59 porcine colipase (DNStyr59PC). DNStyr55PC was 200% active, while the DNStyr59 derivative maintained 80% activity in a pH stat assay. Emission spectra, lifetime analysis, acrylamide quenching, polarization, and anisotropy decay studies indicated that Tyr55 was located on the solvent-exposed surface of the protein, where the fluorophore experienced free rotation. Identical experiments done on DNStyr59PC indicated that Tyr59 was in a partially buried environment and the motion of the dansyl tyrosine group was hindered. The double-exponential decay of the fluorescence emission of N-acetyl-o-aminodansyltyrosine ethyl ester (DNStyr) and the DNStyr derivatives of colipase was investigated with pH, temperature, solvent, and emission-resolved-lifetime experiments. The existence of excited-state processes was eliminated in both pH and emission-resolved-lifetime experiments, whereas temperature studies indicated either a rotational isomer or a differential solvent quenching mechanism for multiple decay kinetics. These experiments also showed that DNStyr was a sensitive probe of solvent polarity and viscosity, but not of pH.