Synergism between platelet-activating factor-like phospholipids and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists generated during low density lipoprotein oxidation that induces lipid body formation in leukocytes

Lipid droplets diversity and functions in inflammation and immune response

INTRODUCTION

Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic and evolutionary conserved lipid-enriched organelles composed of a core of neutral lipids surrounded by a monolayer of phospholipids associated with a diverse array of proteins that are cell- and stimulus-regulated. Far beyond being simply a deposit of neutral lipids, accumulating evidence demonstrate that LDs act as spatial and temporal local for lipid and protein compartmentalization and signaling organization.

AREAS COVERED

This review focuses on the progress in our understanding of LD protein diversity and LD functions in the context of cell signaling and immune responses, highlighting the relationship between LD composition with the multiple roles of this organelle in immunometabolism, inflammation and host-response to infection.

EXPERT OPINION

LDs are essential platforms for various cellular processes, including metabolic regulation, cell signaling, and immune responses. The functions of LD in infection and inflammatory disease are associated with the dynamic and complexity of their proteome. Our contemporary view place LDs as critical regulators of different inflammatory and infectious diseases and key markers of leukocyte activation.

Structural Elucidation of Irish Ale Bioactive Polar Lipids with Antithrombotic Properties

The structures of bioactive polar lipids (PLs) of Irish ale with potent antithrombotic and cardioprotective properties were elucidated. Ale PL was fractionated by preparative thin layer chromatography (TLC) into subclasses, and their antithrombotic effect was assessed against human platelet aggregation induced by the pro-inflammatory mediator, platelet-activating factor (PAF). The fatty acid content and the overall structures of ale PL were elucidated by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Phosphatidylcholines (PC) and molecules of the sphingomyelin (SM) family exhibited the strongest anti-PAF effects, followed by phosphatidylethanolamines (PE). PC contained higher amounts of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and thus the lowest n-6/n-3 ratio. Bioactive diacyl and alkyl-acyl PC and PE molecules bearing n-3 PUFA at their sn-2 position, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA) but mostly oleic acid (OA), were identified in both PC and PE subclasses. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was present only in bioactive PC molecules and not in PE, explaining the lower anti-PAF effects of PE. Bioactive sphingolipid and glycolipid molecules with reported anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour properties, such as specific ceramides and glucosylcerebrosides with sphingosine, phytosphingosine and dihydrosphingosine bases but also specific monogalactodiglycerides and SM species bearing ALA at their sn-2 position, were identified in the SM subclass, providing a rational for its strong bioactivities against the PAF pathway. Further studies are required on the health benefits of bioactive PL from beer and brewery by-products.

Fat, fight, and beyond: The multiple roles of lipid droplets in infections and inflammation

Increased accumulation of cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs) in host nonadipose cells is commonly observed in response to numerous infectious diseases, including bacterial, parasite, and fungal infections. LDs are lipid-enriched, dynamic organelles composed of a core of neutral lipids surrounded by a monolayer of phospholipids associated with a diverse array of proteins that are cell and stimulus regulated. Far beyond being simply a deposit of neutral lipids, LDs have come to be seen as an essential platform for various cellular processes, including metabolic regulation, cell signaling, and the immune response. LD participation in the immune response occurs as sites for compartmentalization of several immunometabolic signaling pathways, production of inflammatory lipid mediators, and regulation of antigen presentation. Infection-driven LD biogenesis is a complexly regulated process that involves innate immune receptors, transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation, increased lipid uptake, and new lipid synthesis. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that intracellular pathogens are able to exploit LDs as an energy source, a replication site, and/or a mechanism of immune response evasion. Nevertheless, LDs can also act in favor of the host as part of the immune and inflammatory response to pathogens. Here, we review recent findings that explored the new roles of LDs in the context of host-pathogen interactions.

Protective effect of high concentration of BN52021 on retinal contusion in cat eyes

Background

Blunt injuries/contusion on eyes might cause retina blunt trauma. This study is to evaluate the protective function of BN52021 against retinal trauma.

Methods

A total of 70 cats, 6 months old, were divided into six groups: Group A to E (n = 12) and normal control (N) group (n = 10). The right eyes in Group A to E were contused. All experiments were performed under general anesthetization. Retrobulbar injections of medication in right eyes were performed. Cats were administrated with 0.5 mL of normal saline (NS), dimethyl sulphoxide, 0.2 g/L BN52021, 1 g/L BN52021 and 5 g/L BN52021, respectively. Cats in Group N were administrated with 0.5 mL of NS. Intraocular pressure (IOP), flash electroretinogram (ERG), and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were measured. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were detected.

Results

No significant difference was observed in IOP levels among groups. Comparing with cats in Group N, those in Group A to E showed significant lower amplitudes of rod a- and b-waves (P < 0.05). Amplitudes of rod a- and b-waves were increased by administration of high concentration of BN52021 (≥1 g/L). Moreover, high concentration of BN52021 decreased the RNFL thickness increased by contusion. Axons in RNFL in Group E arranged neatly at 7 days after modeling.

Conclusions

The degenerated axons caused by contusion were repaired by BN52021. The administration of high concentration of (≥1 g/L) BN52021 could partially repair retinal function in contused cat eyes.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis 19-kDa lipoprotein induces Toll-like receptor 2-dependent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ expression and promotes inflammatory responses in human macrophages

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) enhances its survival in macrophages by suppressing immune responses, in part through its complex cell wall structures. M.tb 19‑kDa lipoprotein (P19), a component of the complex cell wall structures of M.tb, is a Toll‑like receptor (TLR) agonist, and may induce immune responses through TLR2. Furthermore, the activation of peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is also involved in M.tb‑induced immune responses in macrophages. In the present study, specific agonists/antagonists and siRNA were used to investigate the role of PPARγ in P19‑induced immune responses in human macrophages, including TLR2 activation, p38 phosphorylation and cytokine production. In the present study, PPARγ expression, p38 phosphorylation and cytokine production were upregulated following M.tb H37Rv infection or P19 treatment. By pretreating macrophages with a specific PPARγ agonist or antagonist, it was demonstrated that phosphorylation and IL‑6 production are modulated in macrophages by PPARγ activity. Following TLR2 knockdown in macrophages, the expression of PPARγ was significantly decreased in the presence or absence of P19 treatment. Furthermore, p38 phosphorylation and cytokine production were significantly reduced in TLR2 knockdown macrophages following P19 treatment. It was demonstrated in the current study that PPARγ was induced and activated by M.tb infection and that P19‑induced PPARγ expression, p38 phosphorylation and cytokine production in macrophages are dependent on TLR2. These findings suggest a role for PPARγ and TLR2 in P19‑induced p38 phosphorylation and cytokine production, thereby potentially influencing M.tb pathogenesis.

The intriguing ultrastructure of lipid body organelles within activated macrophages

Macrophages are widely distributed immune system cells with essential functions in tissue homeostasis, apoptotic cell clearance, and first defense in infections. A distinguishing feature of activated macrophages participating in different situations such as inflammatory and metabolic diseases is the presence of increased numbers of lipid-rich organelles, termed lipid bodies (LBs) or lipid droplets, in their cytoplasm. LBs are considered structural markers of activated macrophages and are involved in different functions such as lipid metabolism, intracellular trafficking, and synthesis of inflammatory mediators. In this review, we revisit the distinct morphology of LB organelles actively formed within macrophages in response to infections and cell clearance, taking into account new insights provided by ultrastructural studies. We also discuss the LB interactions within macrophages, revealed by transmission electron microscopy, with a focus on the remarkable LB-phagosome association and discuss potential links between structural aspects and function.

Oxidized LDL and LOX-1 in experimental sepsis

Oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) and the lectin-like oxLDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) are upregulated in inflammation. Because of the importance of inflammation and capillary leakage in the impairment of the microcirculation, which in turn contributes to the development of sepsis and multiorgan failure, the role of oxidized LDL and LOX-1 as players of intestinal inflammation is of great interest. In fact, the blockade of LOX-1 during experimental endotoxemia was effective in reducing leukocyte activation. There are several mechanisms by which oxLDL can participate in local and systemic inflammation, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, capillary perfusion, leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions, and endothelial activation. This review highlights the evidence relating oxLDL and LOX-1 to proinflammatory disease mechanisms. We also indicate situations when oxLDL, because of exposure time, dose, or degree of oxidization, is involved in disease resolution. Modulation of LOX-1 response could be utilized for the treatment of local and systemic inflammation, but the successful use of this target requires further understanding of its broad effects.

Lipid body function in eicosanoid synthesis: an update

Eicosanoids (prostaglandins, leukotrienes and lipoxins) are signaling lipids derived from arachidonic acid metabolism that have important roles in physiological and pathological processes. Lately, intracellular compartmentalization of eicosanoid-synthetic machinery has emerged as a key component in the regulation of eicosanoid synthesis and functions. Over the past years substantial progresses have been made demonstrating that precursors and enzymes involved in eicosanoid synthesis localize at lipid bodies (also known as lipid droplets) and lipid bodies are distinct sites for eicosanoid generation. Here we will review the current knowledge on the functions of lipid bodies as specialized intracellular sites of compartmentalization of signaling with major roles in eicosanoid formation within cells engaged in inflammatory, infectious and neoplastic process.

Lipid bodies in inflammatory cells: structure, function, and current imaging techniques

Lipid bodies (LBs), also known as lipid droplets, have increasingly been recognized as functionally active organelles linked to diverse biological functions and human diseases. These organelles are actively formed in vivo within cells from the immune system, such as macrophages, neutrophils, and eosinophils, in response to different inflammatory conditions and are sites for synthesis and storage of inflammatory mediators. In this review, the authors discuss structural and functional aspects of LBs and current imaging techniques to visualize these organelles in cells engaged in inflammatory processes, including infectious diseases. The dynamic morphological aspects of LBs in leukocytes as inducible, newly formable organelles, elicitable in response to stimuli that lead to cellular activation, contribute to the evolving understanding of LBs as organelles that are critical regulators of different inflammatory diseases, key markers of leukocyte activation, and attractive targets for novel anti-inflammatory therapies.

Pathological aspects of lipid peroxidation

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) product accumulation in human tissues is a major cause of tissular and cellular dysfunction that plays a major role in ageing and most age-related and oxidative stress-related diseases. The current evidence for the implication of LPO in pathological processes is discussed in this review. New data and literature review are provided evaluating the role of LPO in the pathophysiology of ageing and classically oxidative stress-linked diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and atherosclerosis (the main cause of cardiovascular complications). Striking evidences implicating LPO in foetal vascular dysfunction occurring in pre-eclampsia, in renal and liver diseases, as well as their role as cause and consequence to cancer development are addressed.

Genome-wide expression profiling deciphers host responses altered during dengue shock syndrome and reveals the role of innate immunity in severe dengue

Background

Deciphering host responses contributing to dengue shock syndrome (DSS), the life-threatening form of acute viral dengue infections, is required to improve both the differential prognosis and the treatments provided to DSS patients, a challenge for clinicians.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Based on a prospective study, we analyzed the genome-wide expression profiles of whole blood cells from 48 matched Cambodian children: 19 progressed to DSS while 16 and 13 presented respectively classical dengue fever (DF) or dengue hemorrhagic fever grades I/II (DHF). Using multi-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and adjustment of p-values to control the False Discovery Rate (FDR<10%), we identified a signature of 2959 genes differentiating DSS patients from both DF and DHF, and showed a strong association of this DSS-gene signature with the dengue disease phenotype. Using a combined approach to analyse the molecular patterns associated with the DSS-gene signature, we provide an integrative overview of the transcriptional responses altered in DSS children. In particular, we show that the transcriptome of DSS children blood cells is characterized by a decreased abundance of transcripts related to T and NK lymphocyte responses and by an increased abundance of anti-inflammatory and repair/remodeling transcripts. We also show that unexpected pro-inflammatory gene patterns at the interface between innate immunity, inflammation and host lipid metabolism, known to play pathogenic roles in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases associated with systemic vascular dysfunction, are transcriptionnally active in the blood cells of DSS children.

Conclusions/Significance

We provide a global while non exhaustive overview of the molecular mechanisms altered in of DSS children and suggest how they may interact to lead to final vascular homeostasis breakdown. We suggest that some mechanisms identified should be considered putative therapeutic targets or biomarkers of progression to DSS.

Lipid droplets in inflammation and cancer

Accumulation of lipid droplets (also known as lipid bodies or adiposomes) within leukocytes, epithelial cells, hepatocytes and other non-adipocytic cells is a frequently observed phenotype in infectious, neoplastic and other inflammatory conditions. Lipid droplet biogenesis is a regulated cellular process that culminates in the compartmentalization of lipids and of an array of enzymes, protein kinases and other proteins, suggesting that lipid droplets are inducible organelles with roles in cell signaling, regulation of lipid metabolism, membrane trafficking and control of the synthesis and secretion of inflammatory mediators. Enzymes involved in eicosanoid synthesis are localized at lipid droplets and lipid droplets are sites for eicosanoid generation in cells during inflammation and cancer. In this review, we discuss the current evidence related to the biogenesis and function of lipid droplets in cell metabolism and signaling in inflammation and cancer. Moreover, the potential of lipid droplets as markers of disease and targets for novel anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic therapies will be discussed.

Leukocyte lipid bodies - Biogenesis and functions in inflammation

Lipid body accumulation within leukocytes is a common feature in both clinical and experimental infectious, neoplasic and other inflammatory conditions. Here, we will review the contemporary evidence related to the biogenesis and structure of leukocyte lipid bodies (also known as lipid droplets) as inflammatory organelles. Studies of leukocyte lipid bodies are providing functional, ultrastructural and protein compositional evidences that lipid bodies are not solely storage depots of neutral lipid. Over the past years substantial progresses have been made to demonstrate that lipid body biogenesis is a highly regulated process, that culminate in the compartmentalization of a specific set of proteins and lipids, that place leukocyte lipid bodies as inducible cytoplasmic organelles with roles in cell signaling and activation, regulation of lipid metabolism, membrane trafficking and control of the synthesis and secretion of inflammatory mediators. Pertinent to the roles of lipid bodies in inflammation and cell signaling, enzymes involved in eicosanoid synthesis are localized at lipid bodies and lipid bodies are sites for eicosanoid generation. Collectively, lipid bodies in leukocytes are emerging as critical regulators of different inflammatory diseases, key markers of leukocyte activation and attractive targets for novel anti-inflammatory therapies.

Neutrophils recruited to the site of Mycobacterium bovis BCG infection undergo apoptosis and modulate lipid body biogenesis and prostaglandin E production by macrophages

Neutrophil influx to sites of mycobacterial infections is one of the first events of tuberculosis pathogenesis. However, the role of early neutrophil recruitment in mycobacterial infection is not completely understood. We investigated the rate of neutrophil apoptosis and the role of macrophage uptake of apoptotic neutrophils in a pleural tuberculosis model induced by BCG. Recruited neutrophils were shown to phagocyte BCG and a large number of neutrophils undergo apoptosis within 24 h. Notably, the great majority of apoptotic neutrophils were infected by BCG. Increased lipid body (lipid droplets) formation, accompanied by prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and TGF-beta1 synthesis, occurred in parallel to macrophage uptake of apoptotic cells. Lipid body and PGE(2) formation was observed after macrophage exposure to apoptotic, but not necrotic or live neutrophils. Blockage of BCG-induced lipid body formation significantly inhibited PGE(2) synthesis. Pre-treatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD inhibited BCG-induced neutrophil apoptosis and lipid body formation, indicating a role for apoptotic neutrophils in macrophage lipid body biogenesis in infected mice. In conclusion, BCG infection induced activation and apoptosis of infected neutrophils at the inflammatory site. The uptake of apoptotic neutrophils by macrophages leads to TGF-beta1 generation and PGE(2)-derived lipid body formation, and may have modulator roles in mycobacterial pathogenesis.

The lipid whisker model of the structure of oxidized cell membranes

An essential feature of the innate immune system is maintaining cellular homeostasis by identifying and removing senescent and apoptotic cells and modified lipoproteins. Identification is achieved through the recognition of molecular patterns, including structurally distinct oxidized phospholipids, on target cells by macrophage receptors. Both the structural nature of the molecular patterns recognized and their orientation within membranes has remained elusive. We recently described the membrane conformation of an endogenous oxidized phospholipid ligand for macrophage scavenger receptor CD36, where the truncated oxidized sn-2 fatty acid moiety protrudes into the aqueous phase, rendering it accessible for recognition. Herein we examine the generality of this conformational motif for peroxidized glycerophospholipids within membranes. Our data reveal that the addition of a polar oxygen atom on numerous peroxidized fatty acids reorients the acyl chain, whereby it no longer remains buried within the membrane interior but rather protrudes into the aqueous compartment. Moreover, we show that neither a conformational change in the head group relative to the membrane surface nor the presence of a polar head group is essential for CD36 recognition of free oxidized phospholipid ligands within membranes. Rather, our results suggest the following global phenomenon. As cellular membranes undergo lipid peroxidation, such as during senescence or apoptosis, previously hydrophobic portions of fatty acids will move from the interior of the lipid bilayer to the aqueous exterior. This enables physical contact between pattern recognition receptor and molecular pattern ligand. Cell membranes thus "grow whiskers" as phospholipids undergo peroxidation, and many of their oxidized fatty acids protrude at the surface.

Leptin induces macrophage lipid body formation by a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase- and mammalian target of rapamycin-dependent mechanism

Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone/cytokine that links nutritional status with neuroendocrine and immune functions. Lipid bodies (lipid droplets) are emerging as dynamic organelles with roles in lipid metabolism and inflammation. Here we investigated the roles of leptin in signaling pathways involved in cytoplasmic lipid body biogenesis and leukotriene B(4) synthesis in macrophages. Our results demonstrated that leptin directly activated macrophages and induced the formation of adipose differentiation-related protein-enriched lipid bodies. Newly formed lipid bodies were sites of 5-lipoxygenase localization and correlated with an enhanced capacity of leukotriene B(4) production. We demonstrated that leptin-induced macrophage activation was dependent on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity, since the lipid body formation was inhibited by LY294002 and was absent in the PI3K knock-out mice. Leptin induces phosphorylation of p70(S6K) and 4EBP1 key downstream signaling intermediates of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in a rapamycin-sensitive mechanism. The mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, inhibited leptin-induced lipid body formation, both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, rapamycin inhibited leptin-induced adipose differentiation-related protein accumulation in macrophages and lipid body-dependent leukotriene synthesis, demonstrating a key role for mTOR in lipid body biogenesis and function. Our results establish PI3K/mTOR as an important signaling pathway for leptin-induced cytoplasmic lipid body biogenesis and adipose differentiation-related protein accumulation. Furthermore, we demonstrate a previously unrecognized link between intracellular (mTOR) and systemic (leptin) nutrient sensors in macrophage lipid metabolism. Leptin-induced increased formation of cytoplasmic lipid bodies and enhanced inflammatory mediator production in macrophages may have implications for obesity-related cardiovascular diseases.

Impairment of endothelium-dependent aorta relaxation by phospholipid components of oxidized low-density lipoprotein

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a major component in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and plays a role in the changes of vascular reactivity observed in this disease. Herein the authors investigate the potential involvement of platelet-activating factor (PAF)-like phospholipid components of oxidized LDL in rabbit aorta reactivity. Aortic rings were precontracted with noradrenaline (0.5 microM) and relaxation was induced by subsequent stimulation with sequential additions of acetylcholine (1 nM to 3 microM). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractions (6- and 7-min) obtained from phospholipids extracted from oxidized LDL inhibited relaxation evoked by acetylcholine, but not the relaxation induced by sodium nitroprusside. This effect was not antagonized either by incubation of the fractions with PAF acetylhydrolase or by incubation of the aortic rings with a PAF receptor antagonist. Authentic PAF or C4-PAF, a PAF mimetic previously found in fractions 6 and 7 did not inhibit acetylcholine-induced relaxation. In contrast, lyso-PAF inhibited acetylcholine, but not sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation. The authors conclude that phospholipids of oxidized LDL impair vascular reactivity to endothelium-dependent agonists. This effect is not due to oxidatively generated proinflammatory PAF mimetics, but rather to a metabolite of these phospholipids, lysoPAF.

Leukocyte lipid bodies regulation and function: contribution to allergy and host defense

Lipid bodies are lipid-rich organelles found in the cytoplasm of a variety of cells, including leukocytes. Lipid body morphology, its ability to interact with other organelles and its functions are dictated by its lipid arrangement, as well as its protein composition. Both may vary according to the cell type and with the specific lipid body biogenic stimulatory pathways. Nascent lipid bodies, which are formed in vivo in the course of a variety of immunopathological conditions, are sites of enzyme localization, eicosanoid production, as well as, sites for cytokine storage in inflammatory leukocytes, suggesting that lipid bodies function as inducible intracellular platforms for spatial segregation and organization of signaling leading to inflammatory mediator secretion during inflammation. The emerging role of lipid bodies as inflammatory organelles raises lipid body status to critical regulators of different inflammatory diseases, key markers of leukocyte activation and attractive targets for novel anti-inflammatory therapies.

The rat brain hippocampus proteome

The hippocampus is crucial in memory storage and retrieval and plays an important role in stress response. In humans, the CA1 area of hippocampus is one of the first brain areas to display pathology in Alzheimer's disease. A comprehensive analysis of the hippocampus proteome has not been accomplished yet. We applied proteomics technologies to construct a two-dimensional database for rat brain hippocampus proteins. Hippocampus samples from eight months old animals were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and the proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The database comprises 148 different gene products, which are in the majority enzymes, structural proteins and heat shock proteins. It also includes 39 neuron specific gene products. The database may be useful in animal model studies of neurological disorders.

Allergic challenge-elicited lipid bodies compartmentalize in vivo leukotriene C4 synthesis within eosinophils

Eosinophils are an important source of leukotriene (LT)C(4), which can be synthesized within lipid bodies-cytoplasmic organelles where eicosanoid formation may take place. Allergy-driven lipid body formation and function have never been investigated. Here, we studied the in vivo induction and role of lipid bodies within eosinophils recruited to sites of allergic inflammation. Using two murine models of allergic inflammation (asthma and pleurisy), we verified that parallel to the eosinophil influx, allergic challenge also induced lipid body formation within recruited eosinophils. Neutralizing antibodies to eotaxin/CCL11, RANTES/CCL5, or CCR3 partially inhibited lipid body formation within recruited eosinophils in the allergic pleurisy model. Likewise, intrapleural administration of RANTES or eotaxin also induced significant influx of eosinophils loaded with lipid bodies. By immunolabeling, we detected the presence of a key enzyme involved in the leukotriene metabolism-5-lipoxygenase-within eosinophil lipid bodies formed in vivo after allergen challenge. Furthermore, specific immunolocalization of newly formed LTC(4) demonstrated that lipid bodies were the sites of formation of this eicosanoid within infiltrating eosinophils. Therefore, allergic inflammation triggers in vivo formation of new lipid bodies within infiltrating eosinophils, a phenomenon largely mediated by eotaxin/RANTES acting via CCR3 receptors. Such in vivo allergen-driven lipid bodies function as intracellular compartments of LTC(4) synthesis.

A PPAR response element regulates transcription of the gene for human adipose differentiation-related protein

Lipid droplets are cytoplasmic organelles which serve as storage sites for neutral lipids. Adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP) is intrinsically associated with the surface of lipid droplets and is believed to play a major role in the maintenance of lipid stores in non-adipocytes. ADRP abundance is intimately linked to the amount of lipid found within cells and agents which increase the levels of intracellular lipid, such as certain agonists of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), also are capable of modulating ADRP gene transcription. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms and promoter control elements, which regulate the transcription of the human gene. Using a reporter system to investigate ADRP transcription, we have identified a PPAR response element (PPRE) with the sequence 5'-AGGTGA A AGGGCG-3' within its promoter region. Mutational analysis revealed that the ADRP PPRE specifically mediated the upregulation of transcription in response to activation by agonists of PPAR subtypes alpha and delta in both rat and human hepatocyte-derived cell lines. These findings offer insight into the mechanisms which serve to regulate ADRP transcription and intracellular lipid storage.

Mechanisms of leukocyte lipid body formation and function in inflammation

An area of increasingly interest for the understanding of cell signaling are the spatio-temporal aspects of the different enzymes involved in lipid mediator generation (eicosanoid-forming enzymes, phospholipases and their regulatory kinases and phosphatases) and pools of lipid precursors. The compartmentalization of signaling components within discrete and dynamic sites in the cell is critical for specificity and efficiency of enzymatic reactions of phosphorilation, enzyme activation and function. We hypothesized that lipid bodies--inducible non-membrane bound cytoplasmic lipid domains--function as specialized intracellular sites of compartmentalization of signaling with major roles in lipid mediator formation within leukocytes engaged in inflammatory process. Over the past years substantial progresses have been made demonstrating that all enzymes involved in eicosanoid synthesis localize at lipid bodies and lipid bodies are distinct sites for eicosanoid generation. Here we will review our current knowledge on the mechanisms of formation and functions of lipid bodies pertinent to inflammation.

Occurence of lipid bodies in canine type II pneumocytes during hypothermic lung ischemia

Type II pneumocytes defend the pulmonary alveolus by synthesis and secretion of surfactant and by contributing to alveolar epithelial regeneration. Lipid bodies are regarded as intracellular domains for the synthesis of eicosanoid mediators that can be induced by inflammatory stimuli. The aim of the present study was to establish whether hypothermic ischemic lung storage without further preservation measures leads to an induction of lipid body formation in canine type II pneumocytes. The lungs of 18 dogs were fixed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) immediately after cardiac arrest (six double lungs) and after ischemic storage in Tutofusin solution at 4 degrees C for 20 min, 4 hr, 8 hr, and 12 hr (six single lungs, respectively). Type II pneumocytes were analyzed qualitatively by conventional TEM (CTEM) and quantitatively by stereology. The relative phosphorus content of surfactant containing lamellar bodies, lipid bodies, and intermediate forms was investigated by energy-filtering TEM (EFTEM). By CTEM, lipid bodies as well as forms intermediate between lipid bodies and lamellar bodies were already noted in the control group but were more pronounced in the ischemia groups. Beginning at 20 min of ischemic storage, a significant increase in the volume density of lipid bodies was noted in the ischemic groups as compared to the control group. By EFTEM, the highest intracellular phosphorus signals were recorded over lamellar bodies and lamellar areas of intermediate forms in all experimental groups, while lipid bodies and homogeneous areas of intermediate forms did not show a clear phosphorus signal. These results indicate that the formation of lipid bodies in canine type II pneumocytes is induced early during ischemic lung storage.

Fatty acids as gatekeepers of immune cell regulation

Fatty acids have diverse roles in all cells. They are important as a source of energy, as structural components of cell membranes, as signalling molecules and as precursors for the synthesis of eicosanoids. Recent research has suggested that the organization of fatty acids into distinct cellular pools has a particularly important role in cells of the immune system and that forms of lipid trafficking exist, which are as yet poorly understood. This Review examines the nature and regulation of cellular lipid pools in the immune system, their delivery of fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives to specific locations and their potential role in health and disease.