H. Alex Brown

ADP-ribosylation factor, a small GTP-dependent regulatory protein, stimulates phospholipase D activity

The hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine by phospholipase D (PLD) results in the production of phosphatidic acid and choline. An assay that uses an exogenous substrate was developed to measure this activity in membranes and solubilized preparations from HL60 cells. A cytosolic factor markedly enhanced PLD activity in membranes and was essential for GTP gamma S-dependent stimulation of an enriched preparation of PLD. The factor was purified to homogeneity from bovine brain cytosol and identified as a member of the ADP-Ribosylation Factor (ARF) subfamily of small G proteins. Subsequently, recombinant myristoylated ARF1 was found to be a better activator of PLD activity than was the nonmyristoylated form. ARF proteins have been implicated recently as factors for regulation of intracellular vesicle traffic. The current finding suggests that PLD activity plays a prominent role in the action of ARF and that ARF may be a key component in the generation of second messengers via phospholipase D.

Regulated Accumulation of Desmosterol Integrates Macrophage Lipid Metabolism and Inflammatory Responses

Inflammation and macrophage foam cells are characteristic features of atherosclerotic lesions, but the mechanisms linking cholesterol accumulation to inflammation and LXR-dependent response pathways are poorly understood. To investigate this relationship, we utilized lipidomic and transcriptomic methods to evaluate the effect of diet and LDL receptor genotype on macrophage foam cell formation within the peritoneal cavities of mice. Foam cell formation was associated with significant changes in hundreds of lipid species and unexpected suppression, rather than activation, of inflammatory gene expression. We provide evidence that regulated accumulation of desmosterol underlies many of the homeostatic responses, including activation of LXR target genes, inhibition of SREBP target genes, selective reprogramming of fatty acid metabolism, and suppression of inflammatory-response genes, observed in macrophage foam cells. These observations suggest that macrophage activation in atherosclerotic lesions results from extrinsic, proinflammatory signals generated within the artery wall that suppress homeostatic and anti-inflammatory functions of desmosterol.

Design of isoform-selective phospholipase D inhibitors that modulate cancer cell invasiveness

Phospholipase D (PLD) is an essential enzyme responsible for the production of the lipid second messenger phosphatidic acid. Phosphatidic acid participates in both G protein-coupled receptor and receptor tyrosine kinase signal transduction networks. The lack of potent and isoform-selective inhibitors has limited progress in defining the cellular roles of PLD. We used a diversity-oriented synthetic approach and developed a library of PLD inhibitors with considerable pharmacological characterization. Here we report the rigorous evaluation of that library, which contains highly potent inhibitors, including the first isoform-selective PLD inhibitors. Specific members of this series inhibit isoforms with >100-fold selectivity both in vitro and in cells. A subset of inhibitors was shown to block invasiveness in metastatic breast cancer models. These findings demonstrate the power of diversity-oriented synthesis combined with biochemical assays and mass spectrometric lipid profiling of cellular responses to develop the first isoform-selective PLD inhibitors--a new class of antimetastatic agents.

Adiponutrin Functions as a Nutritionally Regulated Lysophosphatidic Acid Acyltransferase

Numerous studies in humans link a nonsynonymous genetic polymorphism (I148M) in adiponutrin (ADPN) to various forms of fatty liver disease and liver cirrhosis. Despite its high clinical relevance, the molecular function of ADPN and the mechanism by which I148M variant affects hepatic metabolism are unclear. Here we show that ADPN promotes cellular lipid synthesis by converting lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) into phosphatidic acid. The ADPN-catalyzed LPA acyltransferase (LPAAT) reaction is specific for LPA and long-chain acyl-CoAs. Wild-type mice receiving a high-sucrose diet exhibit substantial upregulation of Adpn in the liver and a concomitant increase in LPAAT activity. In Adpn-deficient mice, this diet-induced increase in hepatic LPAAT activity is reduced. Notably, the I148M variant of human ADPN exhibits increased LPAAT activity leading to increased cellular lipid accumulation. This gain of function provides a plausible biochemical mechanism for the development of liver steatosis in subjects carrying the I148M variant.

A Mouse Macrophage Lipidome

We report the lipidomic response of the murine macrophage RAW cell line to Kdo2-lipid A, the active component of an inflammatory lipopolysaccharide functioning as a selective TLR4 agonist and compactin, a statin inhibitor of cholesterol biosynthesis. Analyses of lipid molecular species by dynamic quantitative mass spectrometry and concomitant transcriptomic measurements define the lipidome and demonstrate immediate responses in fatty acid metabolism represented by increases in eicosanoid synthesis and delayed responses characterized by sphingolipid and sterol biosynthesis. Lipid remodeling of glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, and prenols also take place, indicating that activation of the innate immune system by inflammatory mediators leads to alterations in a majority of mammalian lipid categories, including unanticipated effects of a statin drug. Our studies provide a systems-level view of lipid metabolism and reveal significant connections between lipid and cell signaling and biochemical pathways that contribute to innate immune responses and to pharmacological perturbations.

Phospholipase D - enzymology, functionality, and chemical modulation

Phosphatidic acid (PA) is a critical phospholipid constituent in eukaryotic cell membranes, that accounts for 1–4 % of the total lipid.1 This lipophilic glycerophospholipid has a phosphate head group, and as such serves not only a structural capacity in lipid bilayers, but also participates as an intermediate in lipid metabolism and as a signaling molecule. Because of the small head group, PA facilitates changes in lipid bilayer curvature that are important for membrane fusion events, such as vesicular trafficking and endocytosis.2 PA is also a precursor to other lipid signaling molecules including diacylglycerol (DAG) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). As a lipid second messenger, PA activates signaling proteins and acts as a node within the membrane to which signaling proteins translocate. Several signaling proteins, including Raf-13,4 and mTOR,5 directly bind PA to mediate translocation or activation, respectively. PA has been implicated in signaling cascades involving cell growth, proliferation, and survival. Aberrant PA signaling has been identified in multiple cancers,6 neurodegeneration,7 and platelet aggregation,8 which makes proteins that mediate cellular levels of PA attractive as potential therapeutic targets. PA can be generated de novo9,10,11 by sequential enzyme-catalyzed acylations of glycerol-3-phosphate, or in response to cell signaling pathways (Figure 1). Every glycerophospholipid generated in eukaryotic membranes transitions through PA, a pathway characterized by Eugene Kennedy and his colleagues more than half a century ago.11,12 Signal generated PA is formed by enzymes that modify existing lipids. These enzymes include lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT) which acylates LPA, DAG kinase which phosphorylates DAG at the sn-3 position, and phospholipase D (PLD) which hydrolyzes the headgroup of a phospholipid, generally phosphatidylcholine (PC), triggering the release of choline. Figure 1 PLD activity, an enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis of a phosphodiester bond, was first described in plants,13,14,15,16 and subsequently many enzymes from a range of viral, prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms have been described as possessing PLD activity. To date, more than 4000 PLD enzymes have been entered in NCBI GenBank. The majority of these enzymes hydrolyze phosphodiester bonds within phospholipids such as PC (classified as EC 3.1.4.417), but there are other enzymes ascribed to having PLD activity that hydrolyze neutral lipids and even polynucleotide backbone. A large subset of enzymes with PLD activity share a conserved HxKxxxxDx6GSxN motif (HKD),18 or a variation thereof, that is responsible for catalytic activity. These enzymes are members of the PLD superfamily, and are proposed to follow a similar reaction mechanism. Non-HKD enzymes exhibiting PLD activity have divergent structures and catalytic mechanisms. These non-HKD enzymes are discussed here as a means of comparison. In this comprehensive review of the PLD superfamily, specific emphasis is given to the conventional mammalian isoforms, PLD1 and PLD2, and the tools with which these enzymes are studied. The merits of PLD as a potential therapeutic target are also reviewed, as are implications for modulation of PLD activity in cell signaling pathways, whole organisms, and aberrant or disease-related models.

PLD1 Regulates mTOR Signaling and Mediates Cdc42 Activation of S6K1

BACKGROUND The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulates cell growth and proliferation via the downstream targets ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1). We have identified phosphatidic acid (PA) as a mediator of mitogenic activation of mTOR signaling. In this study, we set out to test the hypotheses that phospholipase D 1 (PLD1) is an upstream regulator of mTOR and that the previously reported S6K1 activation by Cdc42 is mediated by PLD1. RESULTS Overexpression of wild-type PLD1 increased S6K1 activity in serum-stimulated cells, whereas a catalytically inactive PLD1 exerted a dominant-negative effect on S6K1. More importantly, eliminating endogenous PLD1 by RNAi led to drastic inhibition of serum-stimulated S6K1 activation and 4E-BP1 hyperphosphorylation in both HEK293 and COS-7 cells. Knockdown of PLD1 also resulted in reduced cell size, suggesting a critical role for PLD1 in cell growth control. Using a rapamycin-resistant S6K1 mutant, Cdc42s action was demonstrated to be through the mTOR pathway. When Cdc42 was mutated in a region specifically required for PLD1 activation, its ability to activate S6K1 in the presence of serum was hindered. However, when exogenous PA was used as a stimulus, the PLD1-inactive Cdc42 mutant behaved similarly to the wild-type protein. CONCLUSIONS Our observations reveal the involvement of PLD1 in mTOR signaling and cell size control, and provide a molecular mechanism for Cdc42 activation of S6K1. A new cascade is proposed to connect mitogenic signals to mTOR through Cdc42, PLD1, and PA.

Chronic overexpression of PNPLA3 I148M in mouse liver causes hepatic steatosis

A genetic variant in PNPLA3 (PNPLA3(I148M)), a triacylglycerol (TAG) hydrolase, is a major risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, the mechanism underlying this association is not known. To develop an animal model of PNPLA3-induced fatty liver disease, we generated transgenic mice that overexpress similar amounts of wild-type PNPLA3 (PNPLA3(WT)) or mutant PNPLA3 (PNPLA3(I148M)) either in liver or adipose tissue. Overexpression of the transgenes in adipose tissue did not affect liver fat content. Expression of PNPLA3(I148M), but not PNPLA3(WT), in liver recapitulated the fatty liver phenotype as well as other metabolic features associated with this allele in humans. Metabolic studies provided evidence for 3 distinct alterations in hepatic TAG metabolism in PNPLA3(I148M) transgenic mice: increased formation of fatty acids and TAG, impaired hydrolysis of TAG, and relative depletion of TAG long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. These findings suggest that PNPLA3 plays a role in remodeling TAG in lipid droplets, as they accumulate in response to food intake, and that the increase in hepatic TAG levels associated with the I148M substitution results from multiple changes in hepatic TAG metabolism. The development of an animal model that recapitulates the metabolic phenotype of the allele in humans provides a new platform in which to elucidate the role of PNLPA3(I148M) in NAFLD.

Spatial and temporal alterations of phospholipids determined by mass spectrometry during mouse embryo implantation

Molecular events involved in successful embryo implantation are not well understood. In this study, we used MALDI imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) technologies to characterize the spatial and temporal distribution of phospholipid species associated with mouse embryo implantation. Molecular images showing phospholipid distribution within implantation sites changed markedly between distinct cellular areas during days 4–8 of pregnancy. For example, by day 8, linoleate- and docosahexaenoate-containing phospholipids localized to regions destined to undergo cell death, whereas oleate-containing phospholipids localized to angiogenic regions. Arachidonate-containing phospholipids showed different segregation patterns depending on the lipid class, revealing a strong correlation of phosphatidylethanolamines and phosphatidylinositols with cytosolic phospholipase A2&agr; and cyclooxygenase-2 during embryo implantation. LC-ESI-MS/MS was used to validate MALDI IMS phospholipid distribution patterns. Overall, molecular images revealed the dynamic complexity of lipid distributions in early pregnancy, signifying the importance of complex interplay of lipid molecules in uterine biology and implantation.

Subcellular organelle lipidomics in TLR-4-activated macrophages

Lipids orchestrate biological processes by acting remotely as signaling molecules or locally as membrane components that modulate protein function. Detailed insight into lipid function requires knowledge of the subcellular localization of individual lipids. We report an analysis of the subcellular lipidome of the mammalian macrophage, a cell type that plays key roles in inflammation, immune responses, and phagocytosis. Nuclei, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), plasmalemma, and cytoplasm were isolated from RAW 264.7 macrophages in basal and activated states. Subsequent lipidomic analyses of major membrane lipid categories identified 229 individual/isobaric species, including 163 glycerophospholipids, 48 sphingolipids, 13 sterols, and 5 prenols. Major subcellular compartments exhibited substantially divergent glycerophospholipid profiles. Activation of macrophages by the Toll-like receptor 4-specific lipopolysaccharide Kdo2-lipid A caused significant remodeling of the subcellular lipidome. Some changes in lipid composition occurred in all compartments (e.g., increases in the levels of ceramides and the cholesterol precursors desmosterol and lanosterol). Other changes were manifest in specific organelles. For example, oxidized sterols increased and unsaturated cardiolipins decreased in mitochondria, whereas unsaturated ether-linked phosphatidylethanolamines decreased in the ER. We speculate that these changes may reflect mitochondrial oxidative stress and the release of arachidonic acid from the ER in response to cell activation.