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Farese RV, Walther TC. Glycerolipid Synthesis and Lipid Droplet Formation in the Endoplasmic Reticulum. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2023; 15:a041246. [PMID: 36096640 PMCID: PMC10153804 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
More than 60 years ago, Eugene Kennedy and coworkers elucidated the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-based pathways of glycerolipid synthesis, including the synthesis of phospholipids and triacylglycerols (TGs). The reactions of the Kennedy pathway were identified by studying the conversion of lipid intermediates and the isolation of biochemical enzymatic activities, but the molecular basis for most of these reactions was unknown. With recent progress in the cell biology, biochemistry, and structural biology in this area, we have a much more mechanistic understanding of this pathway and its reactions. In this review, we provide an overview of molecular aspects of glycerolipid synthesis, focusing on recent insights into the synthesis of TGs. Further, we go beyond the Kennedy pathway to describe the mechanisms for storage of TG in cytosolic lipid droplets and discuss how overwhelming these pathways leads to ER stress and cellular toxicity, as seen in diseases linked to lipid overload and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert V Farese
- Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
- Center for Causes and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (CAP-CVD), Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Tobias C Walther
- Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
- Center for Causes and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (CAP-CVD), Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Park Y, Stukey GJ, Jog R, Kwiatek JM, Han GS, Carman GM. Mutant phosphatidate phosphatase Pah1-W637A exhibits altered phosphorylation, membrane association, and enzyme function in yeast. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101578. [PMID: 35026226 PMCID: PMC8819029 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae PAH1-encoded phosphatidate (PA) phosphatase, which catalyzes the dephosphorylation of PA to produce diacylglycerol, controls the bifurcation of PA into triacylglycerol synthesis and phospholipid synthesis. Pah1 is inactive in the cytosol as a phosphorylated form and becomes active on the membrane as a dephosphorylated form by the Nem1-Spo7 protein phosphatase. We show that the conserved Trp-637 residue of Pah1, located in the intrinsically disordered region, is required for normal synthesis of membrane phospholipids, sterols, triacylglycerol, and the formation of lipid droplets. Analysis of mutant Pah1-W637A showed that the tryptophan residue is involved in the phosphorylation-mediated/dephosphorylation-mediated membrane association of the enzyme and its catalytic activity. The endogenous phosphorylation of Pah1-W637A was increased at the sites of the N-terminal region but was decreased at the sites of the C-terminal region. The altered phosphorylation correlated with an increase in its membrane association. In addition, membrane-associated PA phosphatase activity in vitro was elevated in cells expressing Pah1-W637A as a result of the increased membrane association of the mutant enzyme. However, the inherent catalytic function of Pah1 was not affected by the W637A mutation. Prediction of Pah1 structure by AlphaFold shows that Trp-637 and the catalytic residues Asp-398 and Asp-400 in the haloacid dehalogenase-like domain almost lie in the same plane, suggesting that these residues are important to properly position the enzyme for substrate recognition at the membrane surface. These findings underscore the importance of Trp-637 in Pah1 regulation by phosphorylation, membrane association of the enzyme, and its function in lipid synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeonhee Park
- Department of Food Science and the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Geordan J Stukey
- Department of Food Science and the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Ruta Jog
- Department of Food Science and the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Joanna M Kwiatek
- Department of Food Science and the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Gil-Soo Han
- Department of Food Science and the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - George M Carman
- Department of Food Science and the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
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Abstract
My career in research has flourished through hard work, supportive mentors, and outstanding mentees and collaborators. The Carman laboratory has contributed to the understanding of lipid metabolism through the isolation and characterization of key lipid biosynthetic enzymes as well as through the identification of the enzyme-encoding genes. Our findings from yeast have proven to be invaluable to understand regulatory mechanisms of human lipid metabolism. Several rewarding aspects of my career have been my service to the Journal of Biological Chemistry as an editorial board member and Associate Editor, the National Institutes of Health as a member of study sections, and national and international scientific meetings as an organizer. I advise early career scientists to not assume anything, acknowledge others’ accomplishments, and pay it forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- George M Carman
- Department of Food Science and the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
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