Thermophilic phospholipase A2 in the cytosolic fraction from the archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii

Hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii produced phospholipase A² in a cytosolic fraction. The enzyme displayed optimal activity at 90°C and pH 7 and preferentially hydrolyzed sn-2 fatty acids in the following order: linoleoyl> oleoyl>arachidoyl phosphatidylcholine. Phospholipase A₂ had similar activities toward l-α-1-palmitoyl-2-arachidoyl derivatives of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Phospholipase A₂ activity was unaffected by the addition of 0.0001–1 mM calcium, but was inhibited slightly by the addition of 2–10 mM calcium. The activity was enhanced more than 5–18-fold in the presence of 3–20% (vol/vol) glycerol. The activity was unaffected by the addition of 1–5 mM EDTA or 0.01–20 mM dithiothreitol. A caldarchaetidic acid derivative having a molecular weight of 1544 disappeared upon incubation of the cytosolic fraction with total lipid. The phospholipase A₂ was difficult to purify by general chromatography because it existed as an aggregate. Electrophoresis was carried out using 10–15% polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS-PAGE). No activity of phospholipase A₂ activity was observed in the absence of proteins less than 19 kD in size, as fractionated by SDS-PAGE. Portions of this article were presented at the Biocatalysis Symposium at the 91st Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Oil Chemists’ Society in San Diego, CA, April, 2000.     

Study of bound phospholipase activities of fungal mycelia using an organic solvent system

It has been possible to demonstrate and characterize high phospholipase activities in mycelia ofRhizopus arrhizus andMucor javanicus by use of a system in which substrates were dissolved in diisopropyl ether. Such activities were associated with bound enzymes and would have been difficult to detect using aqueous assay systems. In both cases, phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis was by phospholipase A₁ (EC 3.1.1.32) activity followed by the action of lysophospholipase (EC 3.1.1.5). Phospholipase D (EC 3.1.4.4) activity was also detected. The methods used appear to be of general applicability for the detection and study of insoluble phospholipases.     

Effect of ethanol on platelet phospholipase A2

Platelet aggregation is known to be inhibited by ethanol, and this has been suggested to be one of the attenuating effects of ethanol in cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have implicated an inhibition of phospholipase A₂ induced arachidonic acid release, since the production of prostanoids that are formed from arachidonic acid and are involved in the aggregation process has been shown to be diminished by ethanol. Phospholipase A₂ is found in platelets in both a cytosolic form, from where it may translocate to the plasma membrane to release arachidonic acid, and in a secretory form which is released extracellularly upon activition. In the present study, the effect of ethanol on the secretion of phospholipase A₂ and on its activity was determined. It was found that ethanol inhibited trast, the activity of the cytosolic form of phospholipase A₂ was inhibited by ethanol.     

Association of the intestinal brush-border membrane phospholipase A2 and lysophospholipase activities (phospholipase B) with a stalked membrane protein

We have attempted to determine the size and membrane orientation of a recently described rat jejunal brushborder protein possessing phospholipase A₂ and lysophospholipase activities (phospholipase B) (Pind, S. and Kuksis, A. [1988]Biochim. Biophys Acta 938, 211–221). The phospholipase A₂ and lysophospholipase activities were renatured following nonreducing sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the total membrane proteins and were shown to migrate as a component of a protein band having a relative molecular mass of 170 kDa. This band accounted for approximately 1% of the total Coomassie Blue staining proteins. Phospholipase B was also shown to be solubilized from the membranes, in an active form, by a proteolytic digestion with papain. Papain solubilization resulted in a loss of the hydrophobic properties observed for the intact phospholipase. These results suggest that the active site of the phospholipase projects from the luminal surface of the membrane vesicles. In support of this, phospholipase activity towards exogenous, detergent-solubilized phosphatidylcholine was demonstrated under conditions in which the membranes remained intact. We conclude that the phospholipase B has the characteristics of a stalked, brush-border membrane protein and may be considered as another digestive enzyme anchored in this membrane.     

Analytik plasmalogenhaltiger Phosphatide aus Herzgewebe mittels extracellulärer Phospholipase A2

The Analysis of Phospholipids from Cardiac Membranes by Phospholipase A₂. Phospholipase A₂ from snake venom has been employed to analyse the positional distribution of fatty acids in glycerolipids from guinea pig and pig cardiac membranes. It is known that phospholipase A₂ hydrolyses the fatty acids in sn-2 position of 1,2 diacylglycerophospholipids. In cardiac membranes phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine contain along with diacyl esters the corresponding alkenylether analogues of phospholipids. In the present experiments the alkenylether moieties were slowly hydrolysed by phospholipase A₂ from snake venom. We therefore separated by TLC lysophosphatides from fatty acids and unattacked phospholipids. The latter were the plasmalogens. The separated lipids were characterized by GLC. In some experiments the phospholipids were labelled with ¹⁴C-fatty acids before they were hydrolysed by phospholipase A₂. The alkenyl ether chain of plasmalogens seems to negativly influence the hydrolysis of fatty acids in sn-2 position of those phospholipids.     

Transesterification of soy lecithin by lipase and phospholipase

Soy lecithin was modified by enzymatic transesterification in a solvent-free system. 1,3-SpecificRhizomucor miehei lipase was found to be efficient in the transesterification with lauric acid and oleic acid, where oleic acid was more incorporated into soy lecithin. Phospholipase A₂ incorporated lauric acid hardly at all, but it hydrolyzed lecithin efficiently. The mixture of lipase and phospholipase A₂ (1:1, w/w) incorporated lauric acid to the same extent as did 1,3-specific lipase alone at the same total enzyme concentration. The main fatty acids replaced were palmitic and linoleic acids by 1,3-specific lipase and its mixture with phospholipase A₂, and linoleic and linolenic acids by phospholipase A₂ alone, suggesting an improved oxidative stability of the resulting product. Hydrolysis could not be prevented, but it could be regulated by incubation time and by enzyme dosage. The minimal water content for significant incorporation of lauric acid into lecithin was below 0.5% of the weight of the reaction mixture.     

Determination of the phospholipase activity of patatin by a continuous spectrophotometric assay

Patatin is a family of glycoproteins that accounts for 30–40% of the total soluble protein in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers. This protein has been reported to serve as a storage protein and also to exhibit lipid phospholipase activity. This paper describes a simple continuous spectrophotometric method for assaying patatin phospholipase activity. The procedure is based on a coupled enzymatic assay using [1,2-dilinoleoyl]PC as the phospholipase substrate and lipoxygenase as the coupling enzyme. In the procedure developed in this work, lipoxygenase oxidizes the linoleic acid released by the phospholipase activity of patatin. This activity can then be followed spectrophotometrically by recording the increase in absorbance at 234 nm that results from the formation of the corresponding hydroperoxide from linoleic acid by the action of lipoxygenase. The optimal assay concentrations of patatin and lipoxygenase were established. Phospholipase activity varied with pH, reaching its optimal value at pH 9.5. Scans of the deoxycholate concentration pointed to an optimal detergent concentration of 3 mM. Phospholipid hydrolysis followed classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics (V _m=9.8×10⁻³ μmol/min·μg protein, K _m=7.8 μM, V _m/K _m=1.3 min⁻¹·μg protein). This method proved to be specific since there was no activity in the absence of patatin. It also had the advantages of a short analysis time and the use of commercially nonradiolabeled and inexpensive substrates, which are, furthermore, natural substrates of phospholipase.     

Hydrolysis of a fluorescent substance formed from an oxidized phospholipid and an amino compound by phospholipase A2

Phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide produced a fluorescent substance (FS-III) through reaction with 1-aminopentane after preincubation with heme methyl ester as a model system. The FS-III was retained at the 2-position of the glycerol backbone of phosphtidylcholine without breakdown into low molecular weight compounds. Phosphatidylcholine oxidized by catalysis with ferrous ion and ascorbic acid also produced the same fluorescent substance (FS-III). Phospholipase A₂ specifically hydrolyzed the FS-III attached to the phospholipid, making it possible to elute the same fluorescent substance (FS-II) as that obtained from oxidized methyl linoleate. The release of FS-II by hydrolysis of FS-III attached to phospholipid increased with greater phospholipase A₂ activity. It is suggested that, with aging, the accumulation of fluorescent lipofuscin pigments in biomembranes may be related to changes in the peroxidized phospholipid content and that phospholipase A₂ may play a role in decreasing the formation and accumulation of fluorescent phospholipids in biomembranes.     

Thromboxane B2 biosynthesis and phospholipids hydrolysis in platelets from hypercholesterolemic rabbits

Thromboxane B₂ biosynthesis from arachidonic acid was increased in platelets from hypercholesterolemic rabbits. The enzymic activity of phospholipase A₂ which releases arachidonic acid, the precursor for the biosynthesis of thromboxane B₂, showed hardly any change in hypercholesterolemic platelets. Phospholipase C and diglyceride lipase activities also were not changed in platelets from hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Furthermore, phospholipid concentration in platelets were not increased in this state. Thus, we conclude that the supply of precursor for thromboxane B₂ biosynthesis was not increased in platelets from hypercholesterolemic rabbits as compared to controls. These results suggest that the enzyme activity of thromboxane B₂ biosynthesis may be enhanced in platelets from hypercholesterolemic rabbits.     

Metabolism of epoxidized phosphatidylcholine by phospholipase A2 and epoxide hydrolase

The isolation and measurement of phospholipid epoxides as major peroxidation products in biomembrane preparations prompted an investigation of enzymatic mechanisms which may be responsible for their elimination. Analysis of microsomal epoxide hydrolase and phospholipase A₂ activity against a phospholipid epoxide commonly encountered in tissues indicated it to be a poor substrate for epoxide hydrolase, but rapidly hydrolyzed by phospholipase A₂. Microsomal and purified phospholipase A₂ preparations hydrolyzed the phospholipid epoxide at rates 2-fold greater than were observed with a monoenoic phospholipid from which the epoxide would be derived. The product fatty acid epoxide,cis-9,10-epoxystearic acid, was rapidly hydrated by microsomal and cytosolic epoxide hydrolase. On the basis of earlier reports demonstrating increased phospholipase activity against oxidized phospholipids, and on the results of the present study, a model for the metabolism of oxidized membrane phospholipids is proposed.     

On the specificity of a phospholipase A2 purified from the 106,000×g pellet of bovine brain

Assessment has been made of the specificity of a purified phospholipase A₂ from the 106,000×g pellet (microsomal fraction) of bovine grey matter which shows strong activity toward phosphatidylinositol (PI). In the first series of experiments involving the utilization as substrates of PI with different¹⁴C- or³H-labeled fatty acids in the 2-position, the purified phospholipase A₂ most readily removed 16∶0 palmitic acid, followed by 18∶0 stearic acid, 18∶1 oleic acid and 20∶4 arachidonic acid. In the second series of experiments, the purified phospholipase A₂ showed preferential action toward PI (100%) compared to phosphatidylcholine (PC, 62.5%), phosphatidic acid (PA, 32.6%), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, 25.1%) and phosphatidylserine (PS, 21.5%), where each phosphoglyceride was labeled in the 2-position with [1-¹⁴C] oleic acid. In the third series of experiments, fatty acids were shown to cause inhibition of action of the purified phospholipase A₂ on 1-acyl, 2-[1-¹⁴C] oleoyl PI in the order 20∶4>18∶1>18∶0>16∶0 which is the reverse order to that just noted. In the final series of experiments, the addition of the phosphoglycerides PC, PE, PS and PA in amounts of 5 or 10 μM caused either no inhibition (PE, 2%), slight inhibition (PC, 15%) or reasonably significant inhibition (PA, 20% and PS, 40%) of action of the purified phospholipase A₂ on 1-acyl, 2-[1-¹⁴C]-oleoyl PI. The pattern of specificity observed for the purified phospholipase A₂ combined with its microsomal location are the expected properties of a phospholipase A₂ that might function in a deacylation-reacylation cycle for modifying the fatty acid distribution in PI.     

Purification of plasmalogens usingRhizopus delemar lipase andNaja naja naja phospholipase A2

Bovine heart ChoGpl (choline glycerophospholipid) and bovine brain EtnGpl (ethanolamine glycerophospholipid) contain diacyl, alkenylacyl and alkylacyl analogs. Purification of plasmalogens was achieved usingR. delemar lipase andN. naja naja phospholipase A₂ digestion. TheR. delemar lipase hydrolyzes the acyl bond at the 1-position of 1,2-diacyl glycerophospholipids. TheN. naja naja phospholipase A₂ has greater activity with diacyl and alkylacyl than with alkenylacyl glycerophospholipids. These enzymes were mainly used to remove diacyl and alkylacyl analogs respectively. When the diacyl types were removed by double incubation withR. delemar lipase, the plasmalogen content was 94.2%±0.21% (mean±S.E.M., n=4) for PlsCho (plasmenylcholine) and 94.9%±0.19% (mean±S.E.M., n=3) for PlsEtn (plasmenylethanolamine). Recoveries were 74% and 88% respectively. These partially purified plasmalogens were treated withN. naja naja phospholipase A₂. Finally, 97.7%±0.24% (mean±S.E.M., n=4) and 98.8%±0.27% (mean±S.E.M., n=3) pure plasmalogens were obtained for PlsCho and PlsEtn respectively. Plasmalogens were recovered in an overall yield of 7.7%±0.7% (mean±S.E.M., n=4) and 10.2%±1.2% (mean±S.E.M., n=3) for PlsCho and PlsEtn.     

Action of cobra venom phospholipase A2 on large unilamellar vesicles: Comparison with small unilamellar vesicles and multibilayers

Phospholipase A₂ (Naja naja naja) catalyzes the hydrolysis of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine in small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) with a faster initial rate than in large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and multilamellar vesicles (MLVs). For the SUVs, the hydrolysis was initially faster for gel phase than liquid crystalline phase phospholipid. For both LUVs and MLVs, hydrolysis was low except in a small temperature range around the thermotropic phase transition of the phospholipid. In this temperature range, the reaction time course of phospholipase action on dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine in LUVs and MLVs included a lag period. With SUVs, a lag period also was observed above the phase transition temperature, but it was not observed below it.     

Phorbol ester stimulates PAF synthesisvia the activation of protein kinase C in rat leukocytes

When rat pleural mononuclear leukocytes were stimulated with 1 μM phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), platelet-activating factor (PAF)-like activity was detected in the supernatant and the cellular fractions of the incubation mixture, as measured by rabbit platelet aggregation. C₁₆PAF activity peaked at 30 min in both fractions. Acetyltransferase activity in the microsomal fraction of the stimulated cells also increased rapidly and showed a peak at 10 min. A protein kinase C inhibitor, staurosporine, and an inhibitor of phospholipase A₂,p-bromophenacylbromide, inhibited stimulated PAF formation in both fractions. Staurosporine also inhibited PMA induced acetyltransferase activity. The data suggest that PMA stimulates PAF synthesis by the remodeling pathway in rat pleural cells through activation of both phospholipase A₂ and acetyltransferase, and that the acetyltransferase, in turn, may be activated through activation of protein kinase C. Based on a paper presented at the Third International Conference on Platelet-Activating Factor and Structurally Related Alkyl Ether Lipids, Tokyo, Japan, May 1989.     

Dietary induced alterations in swelling characteristics and endogenous phospholipase A2 activity of rat liver mitochondria

The present study describes the rapid alterations in the fatty acid patterns of phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine from rat liver mitochondria induced by corn oil feeding to EFA-deficient rats. Simultaneous changes occurring with comparable rates were observed in the swelling properties and phospholipase A₂ activity of the mitochondria. Mitochondria isolated from the liver of EFA-deficient rats exhibited a high tendency to swell and a high phospholipase A₂ activity in comparison with those prepared from normal rat liver. Feeding of corn oil for 48 hr to the EFA-deficient rats completely reduced this high rate of swelling and phospholipase A₂ activity to the normal level. In the same time eicosatrienoic acid, a characteristic fatty acid constituent of phospholipids from EFA-deficient animals, was replaced by the more common fatty acids, linoleic and arachidonic. The possible relationship between fatty acid constituents of phospholipids, swelling properties and phospholipase A₂ activity in rat liver mitochondria are discussed.     

Changes in fatty acid composition of phospholipids from liver microsomes and nuclei in rats fed a choline-free diet

Male F-344 rats were fed a choline-free (CF) diet, and changes in phospholipid content, phospholipid fatty acids and phospholipase A₂ activity in liver nuclei and microsomes were examined during the first 72 hr. Both nuclei and microsomes showed a decrease in phosphatidylcholine (PC) content. Microsomes showed an increase in PC arachidonate while nuclei showed a decrease. Also, microsomes showed increased activity of phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) while nuclei did not. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the absence of diene conjugates in liver microsomes in the rats on the CF diet may reflect the increased rate of removal of peroxidized fatty acids by phospholipase A₂.     

Structural modifications of rat serum high density lipoprotein by pancreatic phospholipase A2

An important and unusual aspect of the high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the rat is its tendency to undergo marked alterations in structure in response to physiological perturbations. In this study, the role of the surface lipids for maintenance of HDL integrity were investigated. Hydrolysis by pancreatic phospholipase A₂ of the phospholipids of rat HDL in the presence of the d>1.21 g/ml fraction of rat serum results in an increase in the particle diameter and an uptake of apo-E and apo A-IV from the lipoprotein-free fraction; augmentation of the albumin concentration in the incubation mixture intensified the observed changes, probably due to enhancement of the compositional changes brought about by phospholipase treatment. Phospholipase A₂ treatment of the d<1.21 g/ml fraction of rat serum produces only minor changes in the properties of the isolated HDL. These data suggest that changes in apoprotein content reflect an uptake of A-IV and E by the rat HDL, rather than a net loss of apo A-I. Likewise, titration of the action of pancreatic phospholipase A₂ on HDL apoprotein composition showed that initially a modest increase in apo A-IV content occurred, but with more extensive phospholipolysis there was a considerably greater increase in the apo-E content of the particle. The data suggest that hydrolysis of phospholipids such as occurs physiologically through the action of lecithin: cholesterol acyl transferase and hepatic lipase may alter the HDL structure independently from changes effected in the neutral lipid core.     

Characterization of phospholipase A2 from rabbit lung microsomes

A phospholipase A₂ activity associated with the microsomal fraction of rabbit lung homogenates was studied. The enzyme showed specificity for thesn ⁻² ester bond of phosphatidylcholine, had an alkaline pH optimum and required Ca²⁺ for activity. Other divalent cations were unable to support hydrolysis. In the absence of detergents, exogenous phosphatidylethanolamine was deacylated at a rate sevenfold higher than phosphatidylcholine. The activity toward both substrates could be enhanced by sodium deoxycholate or, more effectively, by sodium taurodeoxycholate. Phosphatidylethanolamine required higher detergent/phospholipid molar ratios than phosphatidylcholine. Under these conditions, the preference for the former substrate over the latter was nearly abolished. The zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) and the nonionic detergent Triton X-100 were either ineffective (phosphatidylcholine) or inhibitory (phosphatidylethanolamine). Addition of KCl produced opposite effects on the activity depending on the bile salt used to disperse the substrate. The phospholipase A₂ activity was inhibited byp-bromophenacyl bromide but remained unaffected after treatment with diisopropylfluorophosphate or NaF. N-Ethylmaleimide, but not other thiol reagents, partially inhibited the activity. Presented in part at the 29th CFBS meeting, Guelph, Canada, June 1986, and at the symposium “25 Years Lipids and Biomembranes,” Utrecht, The Netherlands, June 1986.     

Phospholipase a activity of cultured rat ventricular myocyte is affected by the nature of cellular polyunsaturated fatty acids

Fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids of cultured cardiomycotes can be modified by the type of polyunsaturated fatty acids (n−3 or n−6 PUFA) constituting the culture medium. In this study, we investigated the effect of fatty acid modification on the activities of the key enzymes involved in the deacylation-reacylation cycle of membrane phospholipids. Results showed that cardiomyocytes grown in the presence of n−6 PUFA exhibited a higher specific alkaline phospholipase A (mainly A₂) activity (+34%) and a moderately lower lysophospholipase activity(−17%) than when incubated with n−3 PUFA. AcylCoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase, acid lysosomal phospholipase A₁ and acylCoA synthetase activities were not significantly altered by changes in cellular PUFA composition. It was demonstrated that the differences between phospholipase A activities of the two types of cultured cells were linked neither to a differential leakage of enzyme nor to oxidative injury to the enzyme through blockage of essential sulfhydryl groups. One likely explanation is that the PUFA-induced changes in membrane composition alter membrane physical properties which, in turn, affect membrane-bound phospholipase A activity. Possible beneficial effects of the n−3 PUFA-induced changes on membrane stability are discussed.