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Group IVA Phospholipase A2 Is Necessary for the Biogenesis of Lipid Droplets

Lipid droplets (LD) are organelles present in all cell types, consisting of a hydrophobic core of triacylglycerols and cholesteryl esters, surrounded by a monolayer of phospholipids and cholesterol. This work shows that LD biogenesis induced by serum, by long-chain fatty acids, or the combination of both in CHO-K1 cells was prevented by phospholipase A2 inhibitors with a pharmacological profile consistent with the implication of group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α). Knocking down cPLA2α expression with short interfering RNA was similar to pharmacological inhibition in terms of enzyme activity and LD biogenesis. A Chinese hamster ovary cell clone stably expressing an enhanced green fluorescent protein-cPLA2α fusion protein (EGFP-cPLA2) displayed higher LD occurrence under basal conditions and upon LD induction. Induction of LD took place with concurrent phosphorylation of cPLA2α at Ser505. Transfection of a S505A mutant cPLA2α showed that phosphorylation at Ser505 is key for enzyme activity and LD formation. cPLA2α contribution to LD biogenesis was not because of the generation of arachidonic acid, nor was it related to neutral lipid synthesis. cPLA2α inhibition in cells induced to form LD resulted in the appearance of tubulo-vesicular profiles of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum, compatible with a role of cPLA2α in the formation of nascent LD from the endoplasmic reticulum.

Opposed effects of lithium on the MEK-ERK pathway in neural cells: inhibition in astrocytes and stimulation in neurons by GSK3 independent mechanisms.

Lithium is widely used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, but despite its proven therapeutic efficacy, the molecular mechanisms of action are not fully understood. The present study was undertaken to explore lithium effects of the MEK/ERK cascade of protein kinases in astrocytes and neurons. In asynchronously proliferating rat cortical astrocytes, lithium decreased time‐ and dose‐dependently the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK, with 1 mm concentrations achieving 60 and 50% inhibition of ERK and MEK, respectively, after a 7‐day exposure. Lithium also inhibited [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA and induced a G2/M cell cycle arrest. In serum‐deprived, quiescent astrocytes, pre‐exposure to lithium resulted in the inhibition of cell cycle re‐entry as stimulated by the mitogen endothelin‐1: under this experimental setting, lithium did not affect the rapid, peak phosphorylation of MEK taking place after 3–5 min, but was effective in inhibiting the long‐term, sustained phosphorylation of MEK. Lithium inhibition of the astrocyte MEK/ERK pathway was independent of inositol depletion. Further, compound SB216763 inhibited Tau phosphorylation at Ser396 and stabilized cytosolic β‐catenin, consistent with the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β), but failed to reproduce lithium effects on MEK and ERK phosphorylation and cell cycle arrest. In cerebellar granule neurons, millimolar concentrations of lithium enhanced MEK and ERK phosphorylation in a concentration‐dependent manner, again through an inositol and GSK‐3β independent mechanism. These opposing effects in astrocytes and neurons make lithium treatment a promising strategy to favour neural repair and reduce reactive gliosis after traumatic injury.

Partial lithium-associated protection against apoptosis induced by C2-ceramide in cerebellar granule neurons

PRIMARY cultures of cerebellar granule neurons, maintained in a serum-containing medium, underwent apoptosis when exposed to C2-ceramide, as assessed by mitochondrial reduction of MTT and intranucleosomal DNA fragmentation. After an 8h exposure to 50 μM C2-ceramide, cell viability decreased by 25–40%. Addition of lithium together with C2-ceramide resulted in a partial protection of apoptosis, which was maximal ab mM lithium (37% protection). When lithium was added h before the apoptotic stimulus the neuroprotective effect of the ion was clearly increased (66% protection). This effect was not due to intracellular inositol depletion or inhibition of NMDA receptors. Our data broaden the nature of apoptotic insults being reversed by lithium, stressing the neuroprotective effects of the ion.

Transmembrane Signaling Through Phospholipase C in Human Cortical Membranes

Stimulation of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) by carbachol, dopamine and serotonin was measured by supplying exogenous [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate to membranes prepared from human cortex dissected and frozen at autopsy. Subjects with Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease or schizophrenia were compared to age-matched controls with no known neurological disorders. Stimulation of PLC by the neurotransmitters was dependent on the presence of GTPγS. Carbachol elicited the greatest stimulations of PLC followed by serotonin and then dopamine. The maximal stimulations of PLC evoked by a neurotransmitter were similar for the various categories of subjects except in Parkinsons patients, where dopamine failed to stimulate PLC beyond the activity attained with carbachol. In the presence of carbachol, the sensitivity of PLC to GTPγS was significantly increased in Alzheimers membranes, but not in age-matched controls or Parkinsons. Overall, the experiments demonstrate the feasibility for using the exogenous substrate assay to study the functionality of the phosphoinositide transmembrane signaling system in human brain.

Lipid droplet biogenesis induced by stress involves triacylglycerol synthesis that depends on group via phospholipase A2

This work investigates the metabolic origin of triacylglycerol (TAG) formed during lipid droplet (LD) biogenesis induced by stress. Cytotoxic inhibitors of fatty acid synthase induced TAG synthesis and LD biogenesis in CHO-K1 cells, in the absence of external sources of fatty acids. TAG synthesis was required for LD biogenesis and was sensitive to inhibition and down-regulation of the expression of group VIA phospholipase A2 (iPLA2-VIA). Induction of stress with acidic pH, C2-ceramide, tunicamycin, or deprivation of glucose also stimulated TAG synthesis and LD formation in a manner dependent on iPLA2-VIA. Overexpression of the enzyme enhanced TAG synthesis from endogenous fatty acids and LD occurrence. During stress, LD biogenesis but not TAG synthesis required phosphorylation and activation of group IVA PLA2 (cPLA2α). The results demonstrate that iPLA2-VIA provides fatty acids for TAG synthesis while cPLA2α allows LD biogenesis. LD biogenesis during stress may be a survival strategy, recycling structural phospholipids into energy-generating substrates.

JNK and Ceramide Kinase Govern the Biogenesis of Lipid Droplets through Activation of Group IVA Phospholipase A2

The biogenesis of lipid droplets (LD) induced by serum depends on group IVA phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α). This work dissects the pathway leading to cPLA2α activation and LD biogenesis. Both processes were Ca2+-independent, as they took place after pharmacological blockade of Ca2+ transients elicited by serum or chelation with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid tetrakis(acetoxymethyl ester). The single mutation D43N in cPLA2α, which abrogates its Ca2+ binding capacity and translocation to membranes, did not affect enzyme activation and formation of LD. In contrast, the mutation S505A did not affect membrane relocation of the enzyme in response to Ca2+ but prevented its phosphorylation, activation, and the appearance of LD. Expression of specific activators of different mitogen-activated protein kinases showed that phosphorylation of cPLA2α at Ser-505 is due to JNK. This was confirmed by pharmacological inhibition and expression of a dominant-negative form of the upstream activator MEKK1. LD biogenesis was accompanied by increased synthesis of ceramide 1-phosphate. Overexpression of its synthesizing enzyme ceramide kinase increased phosphorylation of cPLA2α at Ser-505 and formation of LD, and its down-regulation blocked the phosphorylation of cPLA2α and LD biogenesis. These results demonstrate that LD biogenesis induced by serum is regulated by JNK and ceramide kinase.

Cell Survival during Complete Nutrient Deprivation Depends on Lipid Droplet-fueled β-Oxidation of Fatty Acids

Background: Cellular stress leading to cell death induces the formation of lipid droplets. Results: Nutrient deprivation induces LD biogenesis and mobilization, fueling fatty acid oxidation to sustain cell viability. Conclusion: β-Oxidation requires biogenesis and mobilization of LD. Significance: The role of LD in cell survival and β-oxidation might provide new potential targets for antitumor therapy. Cells exposed to stress of different origins synthesize triacylglycerols and generate lipid droplets (LD), but the physiological relevance of this response is uncertain. Using complete nutrient deprivation of cells in culture as a simple model of stress, we have addressed whether LD biogenesis has a protective role in cells committed to die. Complete nutrient deprivation induced the biogenesis of LD in human LN18 glioblastoma and HeLa cells and also in CHO and rat primary astrocytes. In all cell types, death was associated with LD depletion and was accelerated by blocking LD biogenesis after pharmacological inhibition of Group IVA phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α) or down-regulation of ceramide kinase. Nutrient deprivation also induced β-oxidation of fatty acids that was sensitive to cPLA2α inhibition, and cell survival in these conditions became strictly dependent on fatty acid catabolism. These results show that, during nutrient deprivation, cell viability is sustained by β-oxidation of fatty acids that requires biogenesis and mobilization of LD.

Cytokine secretion requires phosphatidylcholine synthesis

Choline cytidylyltransferase (CCT) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the phosphatidylcholine biosynthetic pathway. Here, we demonstrate that CCTα-mediated phosphatidylcholine synthesis is required to maintain normal Golgi structure and function as well as cytokine secretion from the Golgi complex. CCTα is localized to the trans-Golgi region and its expression is increased in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated wild-type macrophages. Although LPS triggers transient reorganization of Golgi morphology in wild-type macrophages, similar structural alterations persist in CCTα-deficient cells. Pro–tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin-6 remain lodged in the secretory compartment of CCTα-deficient macrophages after LPS stimulation. However, the lysosomal-mediated secretion pathways for interleukin-1β secretion and constitutive apolipoprotein E secretion are unaltered. Exogenous lysophosphatidylcholine restores LPS-stimulated secretion from CCTα-deficient cells, and elevated diacylglycerol levels alone do not impede secretion of pro–tumor necrosis factor α or interleukin-6. These results identify CCTα as a key component in membrane biogenesis during LPS-stimulated cytokine secretion from the Golgi complex.

Noradrenaline Stimulation Unbalances the Phosphoinositide Cycle in Rat Cerebral Cortical Slices

Abstract: Muscarinic cholinergic and α1‐adrenoceptor‐mediated stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat cerebral cortex were compared by measuring carbachol‐ and noradrenaline‐induced accumulation of various intermediates of the phosphoinositide cycle. Unlike carbachol, noradrenaline in the presence of guanosine 5′‐O‐(3‐thiotriphosphate) did not stimulate phospholipase C activity in brain cortical membranes. In cortical slices, the efficacy of noradrenaline to stimulate accumulation of 3H‐inositol phosphates and [32P]phosphatidic acid was 2.5 to threefold that of carbachol. However, noradrenaline was less effective than carbachol in stimulating accumulation of [3H]CDP‐diacylglycerol and resynthesis of phosphatidylinositol. This was not due to calcium inhibition of CTP:phosphatidate cytidyltransferase or to different lithium requirements for carbachol‐ and noradrenaline‐stimulated accumulation of [3H]CDP‐diacylglycerol. The noradrenaline‐induced unbalance of the phosphoinositide cycle, which was most apparent at relatively high concentrations of calcium (2.5 mM) in the incubation buffer, was qualitatively reproduced with ionomycin. The use of the α1a‐subtype‐selective adrenoceptor antagonists WB4101 and 5‐methylurapidil revealed a single α1a‐like component mediating the effects of noradrenaline. Our results suggest that the primary mechanism for phospholipase C activation by brain α1 adrenoceptors involves an increase in intracellular calcium concentration.

Phosphoinositide hydrolysis mediated by histamine H1-receptors in rat brain cortex

Histamine stimulated the accumulation of [3H]inositol 1-phosphate in the presence of lithium in [3H]inositol-prelabelled slices from rat brain cortex in a concentration-dependent manner, with an EC50 value of 94.7 microM. High concentrations of antagonists of histamine H2 receptors, muscarinic receptors, alpha 1-adrenoceptors and serotonin receptors did not inhibit the effect. The histamine H1-receptor antagonists mepyramine, triprolidine, promethazine, d-chlorpheniramine and the tricyclic antidepressant doxepin inhibited the response with Ki values corresponding to an interaction with histamine H1-receptors. The EC50 for the response was about three times lower than the Ki value (approximately 300 microM) for the inhibition by histamine of [3H]mepyramine binding to membranes from rat brain cortex. Partial inactivation of H1-receptors with the alkylating antagonist phenoxybenzamine resulted in similar reductions in [3H]mepyramine binding sites and in the maximal histamine-induced [3H]inositol 1-phosphate accumulation, without affecting the KD for the radioligand or the EC50 for the response. The apparent dissociation constant for histamine calculated from these experiments (KA = 92.2 microM) was not different from the EC50 value. The present results indicate that histamine-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat brain cortex is mediated by H1-receptors and that no receptor reserve is present.