Inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and phosphatidic acid.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and phosphatidic acid (PA) were found to inhibit strongly the citrulline formation activity of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS; EC 1.14.13.39). Such inhibition was not observed with any other phospholipid examined. A kinetic analysis of purified nNOS showed no significant change in apparent K(m) for L-Arg or NADPH caused by these inhibitory phospholipids. Electron paramagnetic resonance analysis revealed no significant spectral perturbation of the ferriheme or flavin semiquinone upon the addition of PIP2. On the other hand, a lower enhancement of the NADPH diaphorase activity by Ca(2+)-calmodulin was observed in the presence of PIP2 and PA, and the citrulline formation activity was protected from phospholipid inhibition by preincubation with Ca(2+)-calmodulin. Moreover, trypsin digestion analysis showed that the cleavage site within the calmodulin-binding site of nNOS was specifically protected from trypsin by the addition of PIP2 and PA. These results strongly suggest that PIP2 and PA inhibit the citrulline formation activity of nNOS by blocking the interaction of the enzyme with Ca(2+)-calmodulin.     

Pulmonary phosphatidic acid phosphatase. Properties of membrane-bound phosphatidate-dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase in rat lung.

1. The membrane-bound phosphatidate-dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity of rat lung has been investigated in cytosol and microsomal fractions using as a substrate [32P]phosphatidate bound to heat inactivated rat liver microsomes. Both activities demonstrated broad pH optima with a maximum of 7.4--8 for the cytosol and a maximum of 6.5--7.5 with microsomal preparations. 2. At low concentrations (0--5 mM) Mg2+ produced a slight stimulation of the cytosol activity but at higher concentrations an inhibition was observed. Low concentrations (1.0--2.0 mM) of EDTA abolished the cytosol activity and reduced the microsomal activity to half. In both cases, the addition of Mg2+ in the presence of EDTA resulted in an activity which was more than 2-fold greater than that observed in the absence of chelator or divalent cation. 3. The cytosol activity was relatively resistant to the addition of ionic and nonionic detergents. In general, the addition of a number of phosphate esters increased rather than decreased the release of 32Pi, indicating a relative specificity for phosphate groups associated with a hydrophobic environment. The addition of aqueous dispersions of phosphatidate, lysophosphatidic acid or phosphatidylglycerophosphate markedly reduced the hydrolysis of membrane-bound [32P]phosphatidate. The cytosol activity was slightly inhibited by the addition of phosphatidylcholine. 4. In an attempt to estimate the relative contributions of the cytosol and microsomal activities in vivo, these activities were assayed using [32P]phosphatidate endogenously generated on rat lung microsomes. With the 32P-labelled microsomes, the hydrolysis remained linear over the 45 min of the experiment. Addition of high speed supernatant produced a rapid release of 32Pi during the first 10 min followed by a more gradual release similar to that oberved with the microsomes alone. The cytosol activity remained greater than the microsomal activity at all times studied. 5. When [14C]phosphatidate-labelled microsomes were incubated in the presence of nonradioactive CDPcholine, the addition of cytosol markedly stimulated the incorporation of radioactivity into phosphatidylcholine. This observation suggests that the phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity associated with the cytosol has a role in phosphatidylcholine (and presumably surfactant) biosynthesis in rat lung.     

Pulmonary phosphatidic acid phosphatase. A comparative study of the aqueously dispersed phosphatidate-dependent and membrane-bound phosphatidate-dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase activities of rat lung.

1. The properties of the aqueously dispersed phosphatidate-dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.4) activities of rat lung have been studied in microsomal and cytosol preparations and compared with the properties of the membrane-bound phosphatidate-dependent activities. 2. The microsomal phosphatidic acid phosphatase displayed a prominent pH optimum at 6.5 with a minor peak which varied between 7.5--8 in different experiments. With the cytosol, the major activity was at the higher pH (7.5--8.0) but a distinct optimum was also observed at pH 6.0--6.5. With the membrane-bound substrate, a single broad optimum was observed between pH 7.4 and 8.0 with the cytosol and 6.5--7.5 with the microsomal fraction. 3. Subcellular fractionation studies revealed that the microsomal fraction possessed the greatest proportion of the total phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity and the highest relative specific activity. However, studies with marker enzymes indicated that the aqueously dispersed phosphatidate-dependent activity could be present in plasma membrane, lysosomes and osmiophilic lamellar bodies as well as in the endoplasmic reticulum. 4. The aqueously dispersed phosphatidic acid-dependent activities present in the microsomal and supernatant fractions were inhibited by Ca2+, Mn2+, F- and by high concentrations of Mg2+. In contrast to the membrane-bound phosphatidate-dependent activities, there was little Mg2+ stimulation and only a very slight inhibitory effect was noted with EDTA. A small EDTA-dependent Mg2+ stimulation could be observed with the microsomal fraction but only at the lower pH optimum (6.5). 5. The presence of a number of phosphate esters tended to stimulate rather than inhibit the microsomal activity, indicating that the hydrolase is relatively specific for lipid substrates. Marked inhibitions were noted with lysophosphatidic acid and phosphatidylglycerol phosphate. Phosphatidylcholine produced a slight inhibition. 6. The results indicate that the bulk of the aqueously dispersed phosphatidate-dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase activities of rat lung microsomes and cytosol is not related to the activities observed with membrane-bound phosphatidate. The Mg2+-dependent hydrolase activities may be synonymous. However, unequivocal conclusions will only be possible when the polypeptide or polypeptides responsible for these activities can be purified.     

Inhibition of alkaline phosphatase by sialic acid.

The interaction of human organ alkaline phosphatases (orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolases (alkaline optimum), EC 3.1.3.1) with sugars was studied. Hexosamines, N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA or sialic acid), N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylglycolylneuraminic acid inhibited human organ alkaline phosphatase activities. Of these, sialic acid was the most effective inhibitor. The pH profiles for the enzymes in the absence and presence of sialic acid were similar. The sialic acid - enzyme complex was more heat stable than the free enzyme between 20 and 45 degrees C. Lineweaver-Burk plots of 1/v versus 1/S at various concentrations of sialic acid showed intersecting straight lines indicating that the mechanism of inhibition was a mixed type. The Ki value obtained from the plots of 1/v versus the square of sialic acid concentration was 0.07 mM for the hepatic, sialidase-treated hepatic, and intestinal alkaline phosphatases. The respective Hill coefficients varied somewhat with the alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme. Hyperbolic curves were obtained when the percentage of remaining activity was plotted against the substrate concentration at different concentrations of sialic acid. The Hill coefficient was lowered in the presence of sialic acid. The sialidase-treated hepatic enzymes used gave the most effective conversion. Partial denaturation of the enzyme with urea, or pronase digestion had a little if any effect on the sialic acid inhibition with constant time.     

Molecular characterization of the type 2 phosphatidic acid phosphatase.

Phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) converts phosphatidic acid to diacylglycerol, thus regulating the de novo synthesis of glycerolipids and also signal transduction mediated by phospholipase D. We initially succeeded in the cDNA cloning of the mouse 35 kDa PAP bound to plasma membranes (type 2 enzyme). This work subsequently led us to the identification of two human PAP isozymes designated 2a and 2b. A third human PAP isozyme (2c) has also been described. The cloned enzymes are, in common, N-glycosylated and possess six transmembrane domains. The transmembrane dispositions of these enzymes are predicted and the catalytic sites are tentatively located in the 2nd and 3rd extracellular loops, thus suggesting that the type 2 PAPs may act as ecto-enzymes dephosphorylating exogenous substrates. Furthermore, the type 2 PAPs have been proposed to belong to a novel phosphatase superfamily consisting of a number of soluble and membrane-bound enzymes. In vitro enzyme assays show that the type 2 PAPs can dephosphorylate lyso-phosphatidate, ceramide-1-phosphate, sphingosine-1-phosphate and diacylglycerol pyrophosphate. Although the physiological implications of such a broad substrate specificity need to be further investigated, the type 2 PAPs appear to metabolize a wide range of lipid mediators derived from both glycero- and sphingolipids.     

Pulmonary phosphatidic acid phosphatase and lipid phosphate phosphohydrolase

The lung contains two distinct forms of phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP). PAP1 is a cytosolic enzyme that is activated through fatty acid-induced translocation to the endoplasmic reticulum, where it converts phosphatidic acid (PA) to diacylglycerol (DAG) for the biosynthesis of phospholipids and neutral lipids. PAP1 is Mg(2+) dependent and sulfhydryl reagent sensitive. PAP2 is a six-transmembrane-domain integral protein localized to the plasma membrane. Because PAP2 degrades sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide-1-phosphate in addition to PA and lyso-PA, it has been renamed lipid phosphate phosphohydrolase (LPP). LPP is Mg(2+) independent and sulfhydryl reagent insensitive. This review describes LPP isoforms found in the lung and their location in signaling platforms (rafts/caveolae). Pulmonary LPPs likely function in the phospholipase D pathway, thereby controlling surfactant secretion. Through lowering the levels of lyso-PA and S1P, which serve as agonists for endothelial differentiation gene receptors, LPPs regulate cell division, differentiation, apoptosis, and mobility. LPP activity could also influence transdifferentiation of alveolar type II to type I cells. It is considered likely that these lipid phosphohydrolases have critical roles in lung morphogenesis and in acute lung injury and repair.     

Purification and properties of phosphatidic acid phosphatase from porcine thymus membranes.

We purified phosphatidic acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.4) 2300-fold from porcine thymus membranes. The enzyme was solubilized with beta-octyl glucoside and Triton X-100 and fractionated with ammonium sulfate. The purification was then achieved by chromatography in the presence of Triton X-100 with Sephacryl S-300, hydroxylapatite, heparin-Sepharose, and Affi-Gel Blue. The final enzyme preparation gave a single band of M(r) = 83,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing and nonreducing conditions. The native enzyme, on the other hand, was eluted at M(r) = 218,000 in gel filtration chromatography with Superose 12 in the presence of Triton X-100. The enzyme was judged to be specific to phosphatidic acid, since excess amounts of dicetylphosphate or lysophosphatidic acid did not inhibit the enzyme activity. In this respect, the enzyme was inhibited by 1,2-diacylglycerol but not by 1- or 2-monoacylglycerol and triacylglycerol. The enzyme required Triton X-100 or deoxycholate for its activity. Although the enzyme appeared to be an integral membrane protein, we could not detect its phospholipid dependencies. The activity was independent of Mg2+, and other cations were strongly inhibitory. The specific enzyme activity was 15 mumol/min/mg of protein when assayed using phosphatidic acid as Triton X-100 mixed micelles. The Km for the surface concentration of phosphatidic acid was 0.30 mol%. The enzyme was inhibited by sphingosine and chloropromazine, and less potently, by propranolol and NaF. The enzyme was insensitive to thio-reactive reagents like N-ethylmaleimide.     

Activation of rat liver cytosolic phosphatidic acid phosphatase by nucleoside diphosphates

Phosphatidic acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.4) was purified 30-fold by ammonium sulfate fractionation and hydroxyapatite chromatography from the soluble fraction of rat liver. ADP was found to stimulate the enzyme activity with half-maximal stimulation at 0.2 mM. Similar effects were seen when ADP was replaced by GDP or CDP. In contrast, ATP inhibited the enzyme; half-maximal inhibition observed at 0.2 mM. Again, the degree of inhibition did not differ when GTP or CTP replaced ATP. Thus, the structure of the base part of the nucleotide was not critical for mediating these effects. The positions of the phosphate groups in the nucleotide structure were however found to be of importance for the enzyme activity. Variations in the structure of the phosphate ester bound at the 5'-position had a pronounced effect on phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity. The effect of nucleotides depended on pH, and the inhibition by ATP was more pronounced at pH levels lower than 7.0, whereas the stimulatory effect of ADP was virtually the same from pH 6.0 to pH 8.0. The enzyme showed substrate saturation kinetics with respect to phosphatidic acid, with an apparent Km of 0.7 mM. Km increased in the presence of ATP, whereas both apparent Vmax and Km increased in the presence of ADP, suggesting different mechanisms for the action of the two types of nucleotides. The results indicated that physiological levels of nucleotides with a diphosphate or a triphosphate ester bound at the 5'-position of the ribose moiety influenced the activity of phosphatidic acid phosphatase. The possibility is discussed that these effects might be of importance for the regulation of triacylglycerol biosynthesis.     

Inhibition of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase by phosphatidic acid

The lipid second messenger, phosphatidic acid, inhibits the intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor in detergent-lipid mixed micelles or in reconstituted membranes. Enzymatic studies revealed that this lipid second messenger inhibits the catalytic activity of partially purified insulin receptor without affecting the affinity of the receptor for insulin. Selectivity in the protein-lipid interaction is suggested by the inability of several other acidic lipids to affect the kinase activity of the receptor and by the relative insensitivity of the inhibition to increasing ionic strength and, in some cases, micelle surface charge. Lysophosphatidic acid and phosphatidic acids with short acyl chains do not affect significantly the receptor's kinase activity, suggesting that hydrophobic interactions are involved in the inhibition. Thus, both a high affinity interaction of the insulin receptor with the phosphate headgroup and a stabilizing hydrophobic interaction with the acyl chains contribute to the inhibitory protein-lipid interaction. The selective sensitivity of the insulin receptor to phosphatidic acid suggests that the receptor-mediated generation of this lipid in the plasma membrane could negatively modulate insulin receptor function. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Regulation of CDP-diacylglycerol synthase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The addition of ethanolamine or choline to inositol-containing growth medium resulted in a reduction of CTP:phosphatidate cytidylyltransferase (CDP-diacylglycerol synthase; EC 2.7.7.41) activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The reduction of activity did not occur in the absence of inositol. CDP-diacylglycerol synthase activity was not regulated in a S. cerevisiae mutant strain (opi1; an inositol biosynthesis regulatory mutant) by the addition of phospholipid precursors to the growth medium.     

Regulation of cell-cell interactions by phosphatidic acid phosphatase 2b/VCIP

We identified vascular endothelial growth factor and type I collagen inducible protein (VCIP), also known as phosphatidic acid phosphatase 2b (PAP2b), in a functional assay of angiogenesis. VCIP/PAP2b exhibits an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) cell adhesion sequence. Immunoprecipitation and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analyses demonstrated that VCIP-RGD is exposed to the outside of the cell surface. Retroviral transduction of VCIP induced cell aggregation/cell- cell interactions, modestly increased p120 catenin expression and promoted activation of the Fak, Akt and GSK3beta protein kinases. Furthermore, expression of recombinant VCIP promoted adhesion, spreading and tyrosine phosphorylation of Fak, Shc, Cas and paxillin in endothelial cells. GST-VCIP-RGD, but not GST-VCIP-RGE, specifically interacted with a subset of integrins, and these interactions were effectively blocked by anti-alpha(v)beta(3) and anti-alpha(5)beta(1) integrin antibodies, and by PAP2b/VCIP-derived peptides. Interestingly, PAP2b/VCIP is expressed in close proximity to vascular endothelial growth factor, von Willebrand factor and alpha(v)beta(3) integrin in tumor vasculatures. These findings demonstrate an unexpected function of PAP2b/VCIP, and represent an important step towards understanding the molecular mechanisms by which PAP2b/VCIP-induced cell-cell interactions regulate specific intracellular signaling pathways.     

The discovery of the fat-regulating phosphatidic acid phosphatase gene

Phosphatidic acid phosphatase is a fat-regulating enzyme that plays a major role in controlling the balance of phosphatidic acid (substrate) and diacylglycerol (product), which are lipid precursors used for the synthesis of membrane phospholipids and triacylglycerol. Phosphatidic acid is also a signaling molecule that triggers phospholipid synthesis gene expression, membrane expansion, secretion, and endocytosis. While this important enzyme has been known for several decades, its gene was only identified recently from yeast. This discovery showed the importance of phosphatidic acid phosphatase in lipid metabolism in yeast as well as in higher eukaryotes including humans.     

Regulation of CDP-diacylglycerol synthesis and utilization by inositol and choline in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

CDP-diacylglycerol (CDP-DG) is an important branchpoint intermediate in eucaryotic phospholipid biosynthesis and could be a key regulatory site in phospholipid metabolism. Therefore, we examined the effects of growth phase, phospholipid precursors, and the disruption of phosphatidylcholine (PC) synthesis on the membrane-associated phospholipid biosynthetic enzymes CDP-DG synthase, phosphatidylglycerolphosphate (PGP) synthase, phosphatidylinositol (PI) synthase, and phosphatidylserine (PS) synthase in cell extracts of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. In complete synthetic medium containing inositol, maximal expression of CDP-DG synthase, PGP synthase, PI synthase, and PS synthase in wild-type cells occurred in the exponential phase of growth and decreased two- to fourfold in the stationary phase of growth. In cells starved for inositol, this decrease in PGP synthase, PI synthase, and PS synthase expression was not observed. Starvation for inositol resulted in a twofold derepression of PGP synthase and PS synthase expression, while PI synthase expression decreased initially and then remained constant. Upon the addition of inositol to inositol-starved cells, there was a rapid and continued increase in PI synthase expression. We examined expression of these enzymes in cho2 and cho1 mutants, which are blocked in the methylation pathway for synthesis of PC. Choline starvation resulted in a decrease in PS synthase and CDP-DG synthase expression in cho1 but not cho2 cells. Expression of PGP synthase and PI synthase was not affected by choline starvation. Inositol starvation resulted in a 1.7-fold derepression of PGP synthase expression in cho2 but not cho1 cells when PC was synthesized. PS synthase expression was not depressed, while CDP-DG synthase and PI synthase expression decreased in cho2 and cho1 cells in the absence of inositol. These results demonstrate that (i) CDP-DG synthase, PGP synthase, PI synthase, and PS synthase are similarly regulated by growth phase; (ii) inositol affects the expression of PGP synthase, PI synthase, and PS synthase; (iii) disruption of the methylation pathway results in aberrant patterns of regulation of growth phase and phospholipid precursors. Important differences between S. pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae with regard to regulation of these enzymes are discussed.     

Inhibition of acetohydroxy acid synthase by leucine

The enzymatic reaction of acetohydroxy acid synthase in crude extracts of Escherichia coli K-12 is inhibited by leucine. Inhibition is most pronounced at low pH values and is low at pH values higher than 8.0. Both isoenzymes of acetohydroxy acid synthase present in E. coli K-12 (isoenzyme I and isoenzyme III) are inhibited by leucine. Isoenzyme I, which is responsible for the majority of acetohydroxy acid synthase activity in E. coli K-12 at physiological pH, is inhibited almost completely by 30 mM leucine at pH 6.25-7.0 and is not affected at all at pH values higher than 8.4. Inhibition of isoenzyme I by leucine is a mixed noncompetitive process. Leucine inhibition of isoenzyme III is pH-independent and reaches only 40% at 30 mM leucine. The inhibition of acetohydroxy acid synthase by leucine at physiological pH, observed in vitro in this study, correlates with the idea that acetohydroxy acid synthase is a target for the toxicity of the abnormally high concentrations of leucine in E. coli K-12.     

Pulmonary phosphatidic acid phosphatase: evidence for a membrane-bound phosphatidic acid-dependent activity associated with the high speed supernatant of rat lung.

The 104,000 × g supernatant fraction from rat lung contains a greater proportion of the phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity toward membrane-bound phosphatidic acid than the microsomal fraction. The microsomal fraction is more effective in hydrolyzing aqueously dispersed phosphatidic acid. The effects of various ions and chelators, particularly Mg²⁺ and EDTA, suggest that these two activities are distinct. These results indicate that the supernatant fraction of rat lung contains a phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity which may play an important role in pulmonary glycerolipid synthesis.     

Stimulatory effect of mevinolin on rat liver phosphatidic acid phosphatase

The activity of the soluble form of phosphatidic acid phosphatase in rat liver was stimulated about 2.5-fold by inclusion of mevinolin, a competitive hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor, in the diet (0.1%). The stimulatory effect of mevinolin was present also after dietary addition of cholestyramine (5%) or intraperitoneal administration of ethanol. Addition of cholesterol (2%) to the diet totally abolished the stimulation by mevinolin on phosphatidic acid phosphatase. The results support a correlation between the synthesis of the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis and the activity of the apparent rate-limiting enzyme in triacylglycerol biosynthesis.     

Purification and characterization of CDP-diacylglycerol synthase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The membrane-associated phospholipid biosynthetic enzyme CDP-diacylglycerol synthase (CTP:phosphatidate cytidylyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.41) was purified 2,300-fold from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The purification procedure included Triton X-100 solubilization of mitochondrial membranes, CDP-diacylglycerol-Sepharose affinity chromatography, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. The procedure resulted in a nearly homogeneous enzyme preparation as determined by native and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Radiation inactivation of mitochondrial associated and purified CDP-diacylglycerol synthase suggested that the molecular weight of the native enzyme was 114,000. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme preparation yielded two subunits with molecular weights of 56,000 and 54,000. Antibodies prepared against the purified enzyme immunoprecipitated CDP-diacylglycerol synthase activity and subunits. CDP-diacylglycerol synthase activity was dependent on magnesium ions and Triton X-100 at pH 6.5. Thio-reactive agents inhibited activity. The activation energy for the reaction was 9 kcal/mol, and the enzyme was thermally labile above 30 degrees C. The Km values for CTP and phosphatidate were 1 and 0.5 mM, respectively, and the Vmax was 4,700 nmol/min/mg. Results of kinetic and isotopic exchange reactions suggested that the enzyme catalyzes a sequential Bi Bi reaction mechanism.