Boehringer Mannheim Award lecture. Phosphatidylcholine metabolism: masochistic enzymology, metabolic regulation, and lipoprotein assembly

Phosphatidylcholine is apparently essential for mammalian life, since there are no known inherited diseases in the biosynthesis of this lipid. One of its critical roles appears to be in the structure of the eucaryotic membranes. Why phosphatidylcholine is required and why other phospholipids will not substitute are unknown. The major pathway for the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine occurs via the CDP-choline pathway. Choline kinase, the initial enzyme in the sequence, has been purified to homogeneity from kidney and liver and also catalyzes the phosphorylation of ethanolamine. Most evidence suggests that the next enzyme in the pathway, CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase, catalyzes the rate-limiting and regulated step in phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. This enzyme has also been completely purified from liver. Cytidylyltransferase appears to exist in the cytosol as an inactive reservoir of enzyme and as a membrane-bound form (largely associated with the endoplasmic reticulum), which is activated by the phospholipid environment. There is evidence that the activity of this enzyme and the rate of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis are regulated by the reversible translocation of the cytidylyltransferase between membranes and cytosol. Three major mechanisms appear to govern the distribution and cellular activity of this enzyme. (i) The enzyme is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, which results in release of the enzyme into the cytosol. Reactivation of cytidylyltransferase by binding to membranes can occur by the action of protein phosphatase 1 or 2A. (ii) Fatty acids added to cells in culture or in vitro causes the enzyme to bind to membranes, where it is activated. Removal of the fatty acids dissociates the enzyme from the membrane. (iii) Perhaps most importantly, the concentration of phosphatidylcholine in the endoplasmic reticulum feedback regulates the distribution of cytidylyltransferase. A decrease in the level of phosphatidylcholine causes the enzyme to be activated by binding to the membrane, whereas an increase in phosphatidylcholine mediates the release of enzyme into the cytosol. The third enzyme in the CDP-choline pathway, CDP-choline:1,2-diacylglycerol choline-phosphotransferase, has been cloned from yeast but never purified from any source. In liver an alternative pathway for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis is the methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine by phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase. This enzyme is membrane bound and has been purified to homogeneity. It catalyzes all three methylation reactions involved in the conversion of phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Fatty acids inhibit N-methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine in rat hepatocytes and liver microsomes

Supplementation of rat hepatocytes with various fatty acids in the culture medium reduced the conversion of [3H]phosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine. Unsaturated fatty acids were the most effective inhibitors of phospholipid methylation. The inhibition of phosphatidylethanolamine methylation by oleate (2 mM) was reversed within 1 h after replacement with fatty acid-deficient medium. Fatty acids and their CoA derivatives (0.15-0.5 mM) produced 50% inhibition of phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase in rat liver microsomes. The first methylation reaction was the site of fatty acid inhibition, as methylation of phosphatidyl-N-monomethylethanolamine and phosphatidyl-N,N-dimethylethanolamine was not reduced in the presence of oleate. The inhibition by oleate was reversed by inclusion of bovine serum albumin or by addition of phospholipid liposomes. Thus, while fatty acids stimulate phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in hepatocytes via the CDP-choline pathway, the methylation pathway is inhibited.     

Phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase: evidence for influence of diet fat on selectivity of substrate for methylation in rat brain synaptic plasma membranes

Male weanling rats were fed diets containing 20% (w/w) fat differing in fatty acid composition for 24 days. Synaptic plasma membranes were isolated from the brain and the fatty acid composition of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine was determined. In vitro assays of phosphatidylethanolamine methyl-transferase activity were performed on fresh membrane samples to assess effect of dietary fat on the rate of phosphatidylethanolamine methylation for phosphatidylcholine synthesis via the phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase pathway. Dietary level of n-6 and ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids influenced membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition and activity of the lipid-dependent phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase pathway. Rats fed a diet rich in n-6 fatty acids produced a high ratio of n-6/n-3 fatty acids in synaptosomal membrane phosphatidylethanolamine, and elevated rates of methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine by phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferases, suggesting that the pathway exhibits substrate selectivity for individual species of phosphatidylethanolamine containing long-chain homologues of dietary n-6 and n-3 fatty acids (20:4(n-6), 22:4(n-6), 22:5(n-6) and 22:6(n-3). It may be concluded that diet alters the membrane content of n-6, n-3 and monounsaturated fatty acids, and that change in phosphatidylethanolamine species available for methylation to phosphatidylcholine alters the rate of product synthesis in vivo by the phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase pathway.     

The enzymic deacylation of phospholipids and galactolipids in plants. Purification and properties of a lipolytic acyl-hydrolase from potato tubers

An enzyme preparation that catalyses the deacylation of mono- and di-acyl phospholipids, galactosyl diglycerides, mono- and di-glycerides has been partially purified from potato tubers. The preparation also hydrolyses methyl and p-nitrophenyl esters and acts preferentially on esters of long-chain fatty acids. Triglycerides, wax esters and sterol esters are not hydrolysed. The same enzyme preparation catalyses acyl transfer reactions in the presence of alcohols and also catalyses the synthesis of wax esters from long-chain alcohols and free fatty acids. Gel filtration, DEAE-cellulose chromatography and free-flow electrophoresis failed to achieve any separation of the acyl-hydrolase activities towards different classes of acyl lipids (phosphatidylcholine, monogalactosyl diglyceride, mono-olein, methyl palmitate and p-nitrophenyl palmitate) or any separation of these activities from a major protein component. For each class of lipid the acyl-hydrolase activity was subject to substrate inhibition, was inhibited by relatively high concentrations of di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate and the pH responses were changed by Triton X-100. The hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine was stimulated 30-40-fold by Triton X-100. The specific activities of the potato enzyme with galactolipids were at least 70 times higher than those reported for a homogeneous galactolipase enzyme purified from runner bean leaves. The possibility that a single lipolytic acyl-hydrolase enzyme is responsible for the deacylation of several classes of acyl lipid is discussed.     

Effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 on phospholipid metabolism in chick myoblasts

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D-3 has been shown to increase phosphatidylcholine and decrease phosphatidylethanolamine levels of myoblasts. Recent studies have suggested that the metabolite stimulates the methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine. In addition, the sterol increases the arachidonate content of phosphatidylcholine. Experiments were carried out to identify the steps of muscle cell lipid metabolism affected by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3. Primary cultures of chick embryo myoblasts pretreated with physiological concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 were labelled with [14C]ethanolamine. The sterol increased the incorporation of precursor into dimethylphosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, whereas it decreases the labelling of phosphatidylethanolamine. Prior treatment with cycloheximide and actinomycin D blocked these changes. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D-3 also stimulated the incorporation of [14C]ethanolamine into CDP-ethanolamine. In addition, the sterol increased the incorporation of [3H]arachidonic acid into the phosphatidylcholine fraction but did not affect the incorporation of [14C]palmitic acid. The incorporation of labelled fatty acids into diacylglycerol was not changed by the sterol, whereas it stimulated incorporation of both precursors into triacylglycerol. The data indicate that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 enhances the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine through a stimulation of de novo synthesis and methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine via a nuclear mechanism. The sterol may also increase the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of phosphatidylcholine by means of an activation of its deacylation-reacylation cycle.     

Properties of phospholipase A2 isolated from rat serum

Phospholipase A2 was extensively purified (1300- to 1400-fold) from rat serum using Sephadex G-100 chromatography. It eluted at a position corresponding to a molecular mass of about 15 kDa. This one purification step gave two bands on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The faster component had a molecular mass of 16 kDa and the slower band likely contained an aggregate of the faster component. Activity was associated with protein bands on nondenaturing gels. Enzyme activity was assessed using phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine labelled at sn position 2 with radioactive arachidonate. Phosphatidylethanolamine gave higher specific activities than phosphatidylcholine. The enzyme has an absolute requirement for Ca2+ and a pH optimum at 7.4. This pH optimum was more prominent for phosphatidylethanolamine. Activity was inhibited by oleate or arachidonate when phosphatidylcholine was used as substrate, but added free fatty acid did not significantly affect the hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine. Addition of bovine serum albumin (fatty acid free) to assays increased the rate of release of arachidonate from phosphatidylcholine, but not from phosphatidylethanolamine. Phospholipase A2 is present in serum likely as a consequence of blood coagulation and may release fatty acids from cellular membranes following hemorrhage.     

Evidence that the Major Membrane Lipids, Except Cholesterol, Are Made in Axons of Cultured Rat Sympathetic Neurons

Abstract: Membrane lipids and proteins required for axonal growth and regeneration are generally believed to be synthesized in the cell bodies of neurons and transported into the axons. However, we have demonstrated recently that, in cultured rat sympathetic neurons, axons themselves have the capacity to synthesize phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylethanolamine. In these experiments, we employed a compartment model of neuron culture in which pure axons grow in a fluid environment separate from that containing the cell bodies. In the present study, we again used compartmented cultures to confirm and extend the previous results. We have shown that three enzymes of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis via the CDP-choline pathway are present in axons. We have also shown that the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine by this route in neurons, and locally in axons, is catalyzed by the enzyme CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase. The biosynthesis of other membrane lipids, such as phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine derived by decarboxylation of phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, and fatty acids, also occurs in axons. However, the methylation pathway for the conversion of phosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine appears to be a quantitatively insignificant route for phosphatidylcholine synthesis in neurons. Moreover, our data provided no evidence for the biosynthesis of another important membrane lipid, cholesterol, in axons.     

The Structures of Diethylaminoethylated Glucose and Oligosaccharides Derived from Cationic Starch

Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase, which catalyzes all the three-step methylation from phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine, was purified to homogeneity from the membrane fraction of Zymomonas mobilis. The purified enzyme exhibited a single band on SDS- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its molecular weight was estimated to be 42,000 on comparison with those of marker proteins. The three activities dependent on phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyl-N monomethylethanolamine and phosphatidyl-N Af-dimethylethanolamine of the purified enzyme showed similar pH profiles with an optimum of pH 8.5, and were enhanced in the same manner by Triton X-100 and l-cysteine. The maximal velocities of the three reactions for S-adenosyl-l-methionine were 0.04, 1.36 and 0.69 nmol/mg protein/min with apparent Michaelis constant values of 3.6, 1.9 and 3.9 fiM, respectively, indicating that the first-step methylation is rate-limiting for the pathway in the organism.     

On the substrate specificity of rat liver phospholipase A1

The substrate specificity of purified phospholipase A1 was studied using mixed micelles of phospholipid and Triton X-100. The kinetic analysis employed determined Vmax, Ks (a dissociation constant for the phospholipase A1-mixed micelle complex), and Km (the Michaelis constant for the catalytic step which reflects the binding of the enzyme to the substrate in the interface). The order of Vmax values was phosphatidic acid greater than phosphatidylethanolamine greater than phosphatidylcholine greater than phosphatidylserine. The order of Ks values was phosphatidylcholine greater than phosphatidylethanolamine greater than phosphatidic acid greater than phosphatidylserine; the order of Km values was phosphatidic acid greater than phosphatidylethanolamine = phosphatidylserine greater than phosphatidylcholine. When present together, phosphatidylcholine inhibited the hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine but phosphatidylethanolamine did not affect the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine. Sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine plasmalogen, and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen had no effect on the hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine. The effects of the reaction products, lysolipids and/or fatty acids, were also considered for their influence on phosphatidylethanolamine hydrolysis catalyzed by phospholipase A1. Free fatty acid was found to inhibit, whereas lysophospholipids stimulated hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine. In a mixture of 1,2- and 1,3-diacylglycerides in mixed micelles, only the acyl chain at the sn-1 position of the 1,2 compound was hydrolyzed. Surface charge did not modulate the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine vesicles or mixed micelles. In conclusion, it is hypothesized that steric hindrance at position 3 of the glycerol regulates substrate binding in the active site and that an acyl group in position 1 is favored over a vinyl ether linkage for binding.     

Cyclopropane fatty acid synthase of Escherichia coli. Stabilization, purification, and interaction with phospholipid vesicles.

The cyclopropane fatty acid (CFA) synthase of Escherichia coli catalyzes the methylenation of the unsaturated moieties of phospholipids in a phospholipid bilayer. The methylene donor is S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The enzyme is loosely associated with the inner membrane of the bacterium and binds to and is stabilized by phospholipid vesicles. The enzyme has been purified over 500-fold by flotation with phospholipid vesicles and appears to be a monomeric protein having a molecular weight of about 90 000. The enzyme binds only to vesicles of phospholipids which contain either unsaturated or cyclopropane fatty acid moieties. CFA synthase is active on phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and cardiolipin, the major phospholipids of E. coli, and also has some activity on phosphatidylcholine. The enzyme is equally active on phospholipid vesicles in the ordered or the disordered states of the lipid phase transition. Studies with a reagent that reacts only with the phosphatidylethanolamine molecules of the outer leaflet of a phospholipid bilayer indicate that CFA synthase reacts with phosphatidylethanolamine molecules of both the outer and the inner leaflets of phospholipid vesicles.     

Phospholipid methyltransferase asymmetry in synaptosomal membranes

The sequential methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine to form phosphatidylcholine is carried out by two methyltransferases in rat brain synaptosomes. The first enzyme methylates phosphatidylethanolamine to form phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine. The second enzyme methylates the monomethylated phospholipid two additional times, forming phosphatidylcholine. Experiments comparing the rate of methylation between intact and lysed synaptosomes indicate that synaptosomes accumulateS-adenosyl-l-methionine and that the first methylation takes place on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Studies comparing trypsin digestion of proteins in intact and lysed synaptosomes indicate that the first enzyme is localized on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane and the second enzyme faces the external surface. Phospholipase C hydrolyzed phosphatidylcholine formed by methylation, suggesting its localization in the external layer of the phospholipid bilayer. A mechanism for an enzyme-mediated flip-flop of phospholipids from the cytoplasmic side to the outer surface of the synaptosomal plasma membrane is presented.     

Evidence that only newly made phosphatidylethanolamine is methylated to phosphatidylcholine and that phosphatidylethanolamine is not significantly deacylated-reacylated in rat hepatocytes

The metabolism of the molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine derived from [3H]ethanolamine and molecular species of phosphatidylcholine derived from [3H]ethanolamine or [methyl-3H]choline has been studied in rat hepatocytes. After an initial pulse of radioactivity for 1 h and a chase for up to 24 h, the cells were harvested and the incorporation of label into the various molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine was determined. The incorporation and metabolism of choline- and ethanolamine-labeled phosphatidylcholine was consistent with deacylation of some species of phosphatidylcholine and reacylation to form molecular species of phosphatidylcholine with different fatty acyl components. In contrast, such remodeling of ethanolamine-labeled phosphatidylethanolamine was not evident. Radioactivity disappeared from all molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine without an increase in any of the species of phosphatidylethanolamine. This radioactivity was recovered in water-soluble metabolites in the cells and medium. Phosphatidylethanolamine (16:0-22:6) had an initial turnover rate (5.8 nmol/h) which was two or more times that of any of the other major molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine. The molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine displayed biphasic turnover profiles. The second rate of decay of radioactivity between 12 and 24 h was 2-4 times slower than the initial decay rate. During the first 2 h of the chase period, phosphatidylcholine was a major metabolite of labeled phosphatidylethanolamine. Subsequently, there was minimal conversion of phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine which suggests that only newly made phosphatidylethanolamine is available as a substrate for methylation to phosphatidylcholine.     

Phenobarbital-induced alterations in phosphatidylcholine and triglyceride synthesis in hepatic endoplasmic reticulum

Biosynthetic pathways of phosphatidylcholine and triglyceride were studied in proliferating hepatic endoplasmic reticulum of rats pretreated with phenobarbital. Phosphatidylcholine accounted for the major increment in membrane phospholipid. In vitro measurements of hepatic microsomal enzymes which catalyze phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis revealed a significant increase in specific activity of the enzyme governing phosphatidylcholine synthesis by sequential methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine. The specific activity of phosphorylcholine-glyceride transferase, which catalyzes phosphatidylcholine synthesis from d-1,2-diglyceride and CDP-choline, was not altered. Specific activity of diglyceride acyltransferase, which catalyzes triglyceride biosynthesis, was increased to a degree comparable to the increase in specific activity found in the phenobarbital-induced drug-metabolizing enzyme which oxidatively demethylates aminopyrine. In vivo incorporation of methyl-(3)H from l-methionine-methyl-(3)H into microsomal phosphatidylcholine was significantly increased, resulting in an increased methyl-(3)H to choline-1,2-(14)C incorporation ratio of more than three times that found in control animals. A comparable increase in this incorporation ratio was noted in serum phospholipids. The in vitro enzyme studies, in agreement with in vivo incorporation data, indicate that the increase in phosphatidylcholine content of phenobarbital-induced proliferating endoplasmic reticulum is related to increased activity of the pathway of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis involving the sequential methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine.     

Phospholipid composition of Rickettsia prowazeki grown in chicken embryo yolk sacs.

The phospholipid composition and phospholipid fatty acid composition of purified Rickettsia prowazeki were determined. The lipid phosphorous content was 6.8 +/- 1.3 microgram/mg of total rickettsial protein. The major phospholipid was phosphatidylethanolamine (60 to 70%); phosphatidylglycerol constituted 20%, and phosphatidylcholine constituted 15%. Small amounts of phosphatidylserine and cardiolipin were detected. The principal fatty acids were 18:1, 16:1, and 16:0. The fatty acid composition of the phosphatidylcholine in the rickettsial extracts was very different than that of the other rickettsial phosphatides and very similar to that of normal yolk sac phosphatidylcholine. The specific of the phosphatidylcholine of rickettsiae grown in the presence of 32P was markedly lower than that of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. It is suggested that the phosphatidylcholine in the rickettsial extract is yolk sac derived and either tightly absorbed or exchanged into the rickettsial membrane.     

Modulation by phospholipids of the activity of monoamine oxidase purified from pig liver

Monoamine oxidase was purified from pig liver mitochondria to homogeneity. The enzyme sample contained a large amount of phospholipids. Depletion of lipids from the enzyme sample resulted in a decrease in its activity, while activity was restored by the binding of the lipid-depleted enzyme to phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, or mitochondrial lipids. Upon binding the lipid-depleted enzyme to the mixture of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine (molar ratio, 1 : 1), the enzymatic activity toward serotonin was elevated over that of the purified enzyme, but not toward benzylamine, suggesting a change in substrate specificity. Upon lipid depletion, inhibition by deprenyl became weaker, while that by clorgyline became stronger. This alteration was reversed by the binding to lipids. By the binding of the lipid-depleted enzyme to some lipids such as the mixture of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine (molar ratio, 1 : 1), inhibition by clorgyline became even weaker than for the original enzyme sample.     

Purification of phospholipid methyltransferase from rat liver microsomal fraction.

Phospholipid methyltransferase, the enzyme that converts phosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine with S-adenosyl-L-methionine as the methyl donor, was purified to apparent homogeneity from rat liver microsomal fraction. When analysed by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis only one protein, with molecular mass about 50 kDa, is detected. This protein could be phosphorylated at a single site by incubation with [alpha-32P]ATP and the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. A less-purified preparation of the enzyme is mainly composed of two proteins, with molecular masses about 50 kDa and 25 kDa, the 50 kDa form being phosphorylated at the same site as the homogeneous enzyme. After purification of both proteins by electro-elution, the 25 kDa protein forms a dimer and migrates on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis with molecular mass about 50 kDa. Peptide maps of purified 25 kDa and 50 kDa proteins are identical, indicating that both proteins are formed by the same polypeptide chain(s). It is concluded that rat liver phospholipid methyltransferase can exist in two forms, as a monomer of 25 kDa and as a dimer of 50 kDa. The dimer can be phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Diacylglycerol kinase from pig brain. Purification and phospholipid dependencies

Diacylglycerol kinase (EC 2.7.1.-) was purified 1,650-fold from pig brain cytosol. The purified enzyme showed a single protein band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The molecular weight of the kinase was estimated to be 78,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A similar value (76,000) was obtained by Sephadex G-150 gel filtration. The activity of the purified enzyme was markedly enhanced by either deoxycholate or phospholipids. The extent of activation by phospholipids was in the order of phosphatidylcholine greater than lysophosphatidylcholine greater than phosphatidylethanolamine approximately equal to phosphatidylserine greater than sphingomyelin. Other phospholipids and unsaturated fatty acids were ineffective. Phosphatidylcholines from egg yolk and pig brain, and dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine were similarly effective. Saturated phosphatidylcholines with acyl chain lengths shorter than palmitate also gave a considerable activation. The activity with phosphatidylcholine was from 1.5- to 2.5-fold higher than that measured with deoxycholate. A very small amount of phosphatidylinositol or phosphatidylglycerol potently inhibited the phosphatidylcholine-dependent (but not deoxycholate-dependent) kinase activity. The inhibition by phosphatidylinositol was varied according to its molar ratio to phosphatidylcholine. As little as about 2.5 mol per cent of phosphatidylinositol resulted in 50% inhibition of the phosphatidylcholine-dependent kinase activity. The deoxycholate- and phosphatidylcholine-dependent kinase activities showed almost the same Km values for the substrates. In both cases, the apparent Km values for ATP and diacylglycerol were 300 microM and about 60 microM, respectively. The kinase required Mg2+ for its activity. When compared to deoxycholate, phosphatidylcholine was more effective at higher Mg2+ concentrations. The deoxycholate-dependent activity showed a broad pH optimum at around 8.0, whereas the phosphatidylcholine-dependent activity formed a clear peak at pH 7.4.     

The apparent transfer of fatty acid from phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine in human erythrocytes

In previous studies an apparent transfer of (14)C-labeled fatty acid from phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine was observed in prelabeled human erythrocytes reincubated in fresh serum. These data could have been explained by direct fatty acid transfer from phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine or by an apparent transfer simulated by either demethylation of labeled phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine or base-exchange of phosphatidylcholine with ethanolamine. To explore these possibilities, RBC containing phosphatidylcholine doubly labeled with palmitic acid-9,10-(3)H and with choline-1,2-(14)C were prepared. Upon reincubation in fresh serum, incorporation of (3)H (fatty acid) into phosphatidylethanolamine was observed without incorporation of (14)C (choline). In similar experiments in which RBC labeled with (3)H-labeled fatty acid alone were used, (14)C-ethanolamine added to the incubation was not incorporated into the isolated phosphatidylethanolamine which again showed incorporation of the fatty acid-(3)H. The data indicate that direct transfer of fatty acid from phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine can occur in human erythrocytes incubated in fresh serum.     

Estradiol- and testosterone-induced alterations in phosphatidylcholine and triglyceride synthesis in hepatic endoplasmic reticulum

Pathways of phosphatidylcholine and triglyceride biosynthesis were studied in hepatic endoplasmic reticulum from castrated and noncastrated male rats pretreated with estradiol or testosterone. In vitro measurements of hepatic microsomal enzymes which catalyze phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis revealed a significant increase in the specific activity of the enzyme governing phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by the sequential methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine in the estradiol-treated castrate animals. The specific activity of phosphorylcholine-glyceride transferase was decreased by estradiol treatment in both castrate and noncastrate animals. The specific activity of diglyceride acyltransferase, which catalyzes triglyceride biosynthesis, was decreased by estradiol pretreatment in both castrate and noncastrate animals and was increased by testosterone in the castrate animals. The changes in specific activity of the enzymes governing phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis may account for the previously noted increased in vivo incorporation of methyl groups of l-methionine into hepatic phosphatidylcholine in female and estradiol-treated animals; the data suggest that in female and estradiol-treated rats a greater proportion of hepatic phosphatidylcholine is synthesized by the stepwise methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine. The decrease in diglyceride acyltransferase specific activity seen after estradiol administration may account for the lipotropic-like effect of estradiol.     

Physiological regulation of phospholipid methylation alters plasma homocysteine in mice

Biological methylation reactions and homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism are intimately linked. In previous work, we have shown that phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase, an enzyme that methylates phosphatidylethanolamine to form phosphatidylcholine, plays a significant role in the regulation of plasma Hcy levels through an effect on methylation demand (Noga, A. A., Stead, L. M., Zhao, Y., Brosnan, M. E., Brosnan, J. T., and Vance, D. E. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 5952-5955). We have further investigated methylation demand and Hcy metabolism in liver-specific CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase-alpha (CTalpha) knockout mice, since flux through the phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase pathway is increased 2-fold to meet hepatic demand for phosphatidylcholine. Our data show that plasma Hcy is elevated by 20-40% in mice lacking hepatic CTalpha. CTalpha-deficient hepatocytes secrete 40% more Hcy into the medium than do control hepatocytes. Liver activity of betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase and methionine adenosyltransferase are elevated in the knockout mice as a mechanism for maintaining normal hepatic S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine levels. These data suggest that phospholipid methylation in the liver is a major consumer of AdoMet and a significant source of plasma Hcy.