Partial purification and characterization of a triglyceride lipase from pig adipose tissue.

A triglyceride lipase was extracted from defatted pig adipose tissue powder with dilute ammonia and purified about 230-fold by a combination of ammonium sulfate fractionation, heparin-Sepharose 4B, DEAE-cellulose, and Sephadex G-150 column chromatographies and isoelectrofocusing electrophoresis. The enzyme was distinguishable in physical and kinetic properties from the two previously defined lipases in adipose tissue, lipoprotein lipase, and hormone-sensitive lipase. The purified enzyme was fully active in the absence of serum lipoprotein and was not stimulated by adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase. In marked contrast to the already defined lipases, the enzyme was strongly inhibited by serum albumin. The enzyme had a molecular weigt of about 43,000, a pI of 5.2, and pH optimum of 7.0. The enzyme hydrolyzed triolein to oleic acid and glycerol, and did not exhibit esterase activity. The apparent Km for triolein was 0.05 mM. Physiological roles of this new species of lipase remained to be explored.     

Human milk lipases. I. Serum-stimulated lipase

Lipase activity has previously been demonstrated in human milk. This study shows that there are two separate triglyceride lipases in human milk. One is mainly in the skim milk and is stimulated by bile salts; the other is mainly in the cream and is inhibited by bile salts but stimulated by serum. The serum-stimulated lipase was purified by affinity chromatography on heparin-substituted Sepharose 4B. This gave a 9500-fold purification over whole milk. Although polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the enzyme was not purified to homogeneity, it had the highest specific activity so far reported for a human serum-stimulated lipase. The purified enzyme was free from bile salt-stimulated lipase activity and had the characteristics of other serum-stimulated or so-called lipoprotein lipases. Thus, it was almost completely inhibited by 1 M NaCl. The purified enzyme was active against tributyrylglycerol also in the absence of exogenous serum factors.     

Partial purification and characterization of a triacyglycerol lipase from rat liver cytosol.

A triacyglycerol lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) was purifiec about 60-fold from rat liver cytosol by delipidation with acetone and ethyl ether, hydroxyapatitie and Sephadex G-100 column chromatographies and isoelectrofocusing electrophoresis. The partially purified enzyme had a molecular weight of approximately 42 000 and an isolectric point of 7.2. The Km for trioleylglycerol was 0.33 mM and the pH optimum was around 8.0. The activity of the enzyme was not dependent on serum lipoproteins, but was stimulated about 2-fold by several proteins such as serum albumin, lipoproteins, gamma-globulin and ovalbumin. The lipase hydrolyzed trioleyglycerol to oleic acid and glycerol. NaCl had no effect on the enzymatic activity. Some physical and kinetic properties of the partially purified lipid-free lipase were different from those of crude non-delipidated lipase and also from those of a neutral triacylglycerol lipase which was recently purified partially from pig liver cytosol (Ledford, J.H. and Alaupovic, P. (1975) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 398, 132-148).     

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase inhibitors reduce serum triglyceride levels through modulation of apolipoprotein C-III and lipoprotein lipase.

Statins are hypolipidemic drugs which not only improve cholesterol but also triglyceride levels. Whereas their cholesterol-reducing effect involves inhibition of de novo biosynthesis of cellular cholesterol through competitive inhibition of its rate-limiting enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase, the mechanism by which they lower triglycerides remains unknown and forms the subject of the current study. Treatment of normal rats for 4 days with simvastatin decreased serum triglycerides significantly, whereas it increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol moderately. The decrease in triglyceride concentrations after simvastatin was caused by a reduction in the amount of very low density lipoprotein particles which were of an unchanged lipid composition. Simvastatin administration increased the lipoprotein lipase mRNA and activity in adipose tissue and heart. This effect on lipoprotein lipase was accompanied by decreased mRNA as well as plasma levels of the lipoprotein lipase inhibitor apolipoprotein C-III. These results suggest that the triglyceride-lowering effect of statins involves a stimulation of lipoprotein lipase-mediated clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.     

Studies on the degradation of human very low density lipoproteins by human milk lipoprotein lipase

Human milk lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was purified by heparin-Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography. The time required for the purification was approximately 2 h. The acetone-diethyl ether powder of milk cream was extracted by a 0.1% Triton X-100 buffer solution and the extract was applied to the heparin-Sepharose 4B column. The partially purified LPL eluted by heparin had a specific activity of 5120 units/mg which represented a 2500-fold purification of the enzyme. The LPL was found to be stable in the heparin solution for at least 2 days at 4 °C. This enzyme preparation was found to be free of the bile salt-activated lipase activity, esterase activity, and cholesterol esterase activity. The LPL had no demonstrable basal activity with emulsified triolein in the absence of a serum cofactor. The enzyme was activated by serum and by apolipoprotein C-II. The application of milk LPL to studies on the in vitro degradation of human very low density lipoproteins can result in a 90–97% triglyceride hydrolysis. The LPL degraded very low density lipoprotein triglyceride and phospholipid without any effect on cholesterol esters. Of the partial glycerides potentially generated by lipolysis with milk LPL, only monoglycerides were present in measurable amounts after 60 min of lipolysis. These results show that the partially purified human milk LPL with its high specific activity and ease of purification represents a very suitable enzyme preparation for studying the kinetics and reaction mechanisms involved in the lipolytic degradation of human triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.     

Characterization of two triacylglycerol lipase activities in pig post-heparin plasma.

Two triacylglycerol lipase activities were characterized after partial purification from pig post-heparin plasma. These two lipase activities were eluted sequentially with a NaCl gradient from columns containing Sepharose with covalently linked heparin. The first lipase activity, which was eluted at 0.75M-NaCl, was not inhibited at 28 degrees C in the presence of 1M-NaCl and was not further activated by plasma apolipoproteins. The absence of this lipase activity from post-heparin plasma from hepatectomized pigs indicates that the liver plays a role in the synthesis of this enzyme. A second lipase activity, which was eluted at 1.2M-NaCl, was inhibited when assayed in the presence of 1.0M-NaCl and was activated 14-fold by an apolipoprotein isolated from human very-low-density lipoprotein. The characteristics are identical with those of lipoprotein lipase purified from pig adipose tissue.     

Characterization of the lipolytic activity of endothelial lipase

Endothelial lipase (EL) is a new member of the triglyceride lipase gene family previously reported to have phospholipase activity. Using radiolabeled lipid substrates, we characterized the lipolytic activity of this enzyme in comparison to lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hepatic lipase (HL) using conditioned medium from cells infected with recombinant adenoviruses encoding each of the enzymes. In the absence of serum, EL had clearly detectable triglyceride lipase activity. Both the triglyceride lipase and phospholipase activities of EL were inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion by the addition of serum. The ratio of triglyceride lipase to phospholipase activity of EL was 0.65, compared with ratios of 24.1 for HL and 139.9 for LPL, placing EL at the opposite end of the lipolytic spectrum from LPL. Neither lipase activity of EL was influenced by the addition of apolipoprotein C-II (apoC-II), indicating that EL, like HL, does not require apoC-II for activation. Like LPL but not HL, both lipase activities of EL were inhibited by 1 M NaCl. The relative ability of EL, versus HL and LPL, to hydrolyze lipids in isolated lipoprotein fractions was also examined using generation of FFAs as an end point. As expected, based on the relative triglyceride lipase activities of the three enzymes, the triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, chylomicrons, VLDL, and IDL, were efficiently hydrolyzed by LPL and HL. EL hydrolyzed HDL more efficiently than the other lipoprotein fractions, and LDL was a poor substrate for all of the enzymes.     

Studies of lipoprotein lipase during the adipose conversion of 3T3 cells.

Lipoprotein lipase activity is negligible in exponentially growing 3T3-L1 cells and 3T3-F442A cells, but develops in both lines when they reach a confluent state and undergo adipose conversion. 3T3-C2 cells, which undergo adipose conversion with extremely low frequency, do not develop the enzyme. The lipase activity of 3T3-L1 and 3T3-F442A is greatly enhanced by insulin and increases 80–180 fold during the adipose conversion. The lipase has the following characteristics in common with lipoprotein lipase from adipose and other tissues: it is dependent upon serum, is inhibited by 0.5–1.0 M sodium chloride, is recovered from acetone powders, has an alkaline pH optimum and is released from the cells by heparin. Like the lipoprotein lipase of tissue adipose cells, the enzyme of 3T3-L1 decays in the presence of cycloheximide with a half-time of about 25 min at 37°C.The ability of 3T3-F442A and 3T3-L1 to take up triglyceride from the medium depends almost completely upon lipoprotein lipase. They incorporate the fatty acids of a large fraction of a triglyceride emulsion added to the medium, and this utilization is stimulated by heparin. Very little of the glycerol portion of the triglyceride is incorporated. 3T3-C2, which lacks lipoprotein lipase, utilizes very little of either the fatty acid or the glycerol portion of triglyceride.The relevance of external lipid or lipoprotein to both the adipose conversion and the appearance of lipoprotein lipase was tested using confluent cultures in medium depleted of these components. In the presence of serum whose lipoproteins have been removed by flotation, lines 3T3-F442A and 3T3-L1 undergo adipose conversion as completely as in the presence of untreated serum, and lipoprotein lipase activity appears at essentially the same rate. In medium whose serum supplement has been extracted with acetone:ethanol, 3T3-F442A cells undergo adipose conversion to nearly the same extent as in untreated serum, and develop nearly the same increase in lipoprotein lipase activity.Unless even very low concentrations of lipids or lipoprotein are saturating it can be concluded that the adipose conversion does not depend upon external lipids or lipoproteins for its induction; rather the differentiation program is built into the cell type and comes into operation when growth is arrested even in their absence. The source of fatty acids utilized for triglyceride synthesis, however, may be affected by the amount of lipid provided to the cells.     

Characterization of rat adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase using a monospecific antibody

An antibody to a highly pure enzyme preparation was developed to facilitate detailed studies of rat adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase regulation. Lipoprotein lipase was purified by heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography followed by preparative isoelectric focusing. The enzyme migrated as a single broad band on SDS disc gel and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with an apparent molecular mass of 67 000 and 62 000 Da, respectively. The amino acid composition of the purified rat enzyme was virtually identical to that of bovine milk. A major protein component with no lipase activity co-eluted with the enzyme from the affinity column, but was separated by the isoelectric focusing step. The molecular mass was slightly lower (58 000 Da) but the amino acid composition of this protein was similar to that of the enzyme. An antibody raised against the purified rat enzyme was highly potent and was effective in inhibiting rat heart lipoprotein lipase, but not the salt-resistant hepatic lipase. Analysis of crude acetone-ether adipose tissue preparation on SDS slab polyacrylamide gel coupled to Western blotting revealed five protein bands = (62 000, 56 000, 41 700, 22 500, 20 000 Da). Similarly, following affinity purification by immunoadsorption, the purified antibody reacted with five equivalent protein bands. Fluorescent concanavalin A binding data indicated that the 56 kDa band is a glycosylated form of lipoprotein lipase. Pretreatment of adipose tissue with proteinase inhibitors revealed that the lower molecular mass proteins (41 700 and 20 000 Da) were degradation products of lipoprotein lipase, and the 22 500 Da band could be accounted for by non-specific binding.     

Immunological studies on bovine milk lipoprotein lipase. Effects of Fab fragments on enzyme activity

Rabbit antiserum was prepared against purified bovine mild lipoprotein lipase. Immunoelectrophoresis of lipoprotein lipase gave a single precipitin line against the antibody which was coincident with enzyme activity. The gamma-globulin fraction inhibited heparin-releasable lipoprotein lipase activity of bovine arterial intima, heart muscle and adipose tissue. The antibody also inhibited the lipoprotein lipase activity from adipose tissue of human and pig, but not that of rat and dog. Fab fragments were prepared by papain digestion of the gamma-globulin fraction. Fab fragments inhibited the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles and trioleoylglycerol emulsions to the same extent. The Fab fragments also inhibited the lipolysis of human plasma very low density lipoproteins. The change of the kinetic parameters for the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of trioleoylglycerol by the Fab fragments was accompanied with a 3-fold increase in Km and a 10-fold decrease in Vmax. Preincubation of lipoprotein lipase with apolipoprotein C-II, the activator protein for lipoprotein lipase, did not prevent inhibition of enzyme activity by the Fab fragments. However, preincubation with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine-emulsified trioleoylglycerol or Triton X-100-emulsified trioleoylglycerol had a protective effect (remaining activity 7.0 or 25.8%, respectively, compared to 1.0 or 0.4% with no preincubation). The addition of both apolipoprotein C-II and substrate prior to the incubation with the Fab fragments was associated with an increased protective effect against inhibition of enzyme activity; remaining activity with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine-emulsified trioleoylglycerol was 40.6% and with Triton X-100-emulsified trioleoylglycerol, 45.4%. Human plasma very low density lipoproteins also protected against the inhibition of enzyme activity by the Fab fragments. These immunological studies suggest that the interaction of lipoprotein lipase with apolipoprotein C-II in the presence of lipids is associated with a conformational change in the structure of the enzyme such that the Fab fragments are less inhibitory. The consequence of a conformational change in lipoprotein lipase may be to facilitate the formation of an enzyme-triacylglycerol complex so as to enhance the rate of the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed turnover of substrate to products.     

Isolation and properties of triglyceride lipase from the rabbit liver

Using affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose 4B, triglyceride lipase was isolated from rabbit liver tissue and purified. The specific activity of the enzyme isolated from the usual homogenate was equal to (3.8 +/- 1.2) x 10(3) mumol/hour/mg protein. After treatment of liver tissue homogenates with liquid nitrogen the enzyme activity increased severalfold as compared to the enzyme isolated from the usual homogenate. The dependences of the triglyceride lipase activity on the concentrations of the protein (enzyme), substrate (triglyceride), albumin (fatty acid acceptor) and pH were studied. The isolated form of liver triglyceride lipase was found to have two pH optima at 6.5 and 8.5.     

The effects of bovine serum albumin and oleic acid on rat pancreatic lipase and bovine milk lipoprotein lipase

The effects of bovine serum albumin on rat pancreatic lipase and bovine milk lipoprotein lipase were studied in a system of triacylglycerol emulsions stabilized by 1 1 mg/ml albumin. At concentrations greater than 1 mg/ml, albumin inhibited the activity of pancreatic lipase and interfered with enzyme binding to emulsified triacylglycerol particles. These effects could be countered by occupying five fatty acid binding sites on albumin with oleic acid. Following an initial lag period which increased with albumin concentrations, enzyme activity escaped from inhibition presumably due to saturation of fatty acid sites on albumin with oleic acid. Pancreatic lipase was active at 1 mg/ml albumin and 1 mM emulsion-bound oleic acid in the system. The effects of albumin on lipoprotein lipase were diametrically opposed to the above; enzyme activity was completely inhibited by 0.1 mM oleic acid, it increased with increasing fatty acid-free albumin concentrations and decreased as the fatty acid sites on albumin were filled. At 1 mM oleic acid and no added albumin the enzyme failed to bind at the oil water interface, whereas fatty acid-free or saturated albumin had no effect on binding. It is concluded that if the inhibition of pancreatic lipase by albumin is due to the inaccessibility of the enzyme to an oil-water interface blocked by denatured albumin, then albumin saturated with oleic acid would seem to be protected from unfolding at the interface and more readily displaced by the lipase. Pancreatic lipase and lipoprotein lipase, although sharing a number of common features, are distinct enzymes both functionally and mechanistically.     

Human monocytes in culture synthesize and secrete lipoprotein lipase

Within the first day in culture, human monocytes begin to synthesize and secrete a triglyceride lipase. The designation of this activity as lipoprotein lipase is based upon: 1) a requirement of serum or apolipoprotein C-II for full activity; 2) inhibition by 1M NaCl or apolipoprotein C-III₂; 3) a pH optimum of 8; and 4) binding to endothelial cells that is releasable by heparin. The enzyme also exhibits immunological cross reactivity with antibody to purified bovine milk lipoprotein lipase as does human postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase. Lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes do not appear to contain this enzyme.     

The effect of altered thyroid status on lipid metabolism in Nubian goats

The effects of triiodothyronine (T3)-induced hyperthyroidism and of carbimazole (CZ)-produced hypothyroidism on lipid metabolism were studied in Nubian goats (Capra hircus). T3 treatment decreased the serum, liver and heart triglyceride, cholesterol and phospholipid concentrations. These changes were accompanied by an increase in the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the heart and skeletal muscles. CZ treatment at a dose of 90 mg/goat significantly increased the serum triglyceride, liver cholesterol and heart phospholipid. CZ treatment significantly increased the liver and heart triglyceride concentration but the activity of LPL was not affected.     

The effects of chemically modifying serum apolipoproteins on their ability to activate lipoprotein lipase.

Lipoprotein lipase activity was measured in an acetone-dried-powder preparation from rat epididymal adipose tissue using pig serum or pig serum lipoprotein, which had been chemically modified, as activator. Modification of acidic amino acids of lipoproteins with NN-dimethyl-1,3-diamine resulted in a complete loss of ability to activate lipoprotein lipase. Modification of 34% of lipoprotein arginine groups with cyclohexanedione resulted in the loss of 75% of the activation of lipoprotein lipase; approx. 42% of the original activity was recovered after reversal of the modification. This effect was dependent on the cyclohexanedione concentration. Modification of 48% of lipoprotein lysine groups with malonaldehyde decreased the maximum activation by 20%, but three times as much lipoprotein was required to achieve this. Non-enzymic glycosylation of lipoprotein with glucose, under a variety of conditions resulting in up to 28 nmol of glucose/mg of protein, had no effect upon the ability to activate lipoprotein lipase. In contrast non-enzymic sialylation resulted in a time-dependent loss of up to 60% of ability to activate lipoprotein lipase. Reductive methylation and acetoacetylation of serum did not affect the ability to activate lipoprotein lipase. The results are compared to the effects of similar modifications to low density lipoproteins on receptor-mediated endocytosis.     

Lipoprotein lipase in rat lung. The effect of fasting.

We measured lipoprotein lipase activity in dried defatted preparations of rat lung using doubly labeled chylomicron triglyceride as substrate. The enzyme activity was linear for the first hour of incubation at 37 degrees C, had a pH optimum of 8.1 and was completely inhibited by 0.5 M NaC1. Lungs from fed rats hydrolyzed chylomicron triglyceride at a rate of 13.00 mumoles/g per h; the activity rate was unchanged by fasting 8-72 h. Heparin infusion into isolated lungs caused immediate release of lipoprotein lipase to the venous effluent. The activity released was equivalent to about 10% of total lung lipoprotein lipase activity in both fed and fasted rats. Since the ability to remove blood triglyceride is directly related to the level of lipoprotein lipase activity, these findings indicate that the lung is one of the few tissues able to remove efficiently blood triglyceride during fasting.     

The role of glucagon in the regulation of myocardial lipoprotein lipase activity

The role of glucagon in regulating the lipoprotein lipase activities of rat heart and adipose tissue was examined. When starved rats were fed glucose, heart lipoprotein lipase activity decreased while that of adipose tissue increased. Glucagon administration to these animals at the time of glucose feeding prevented the decline in heart lipoprotein lipase activity, but had no effect on the adipose tissue enzyme. When glucagon was administered to fed rats, heart lipoprotein lipase activity increased to levels found in starved animals but there was no change in the adipose tissue enzyme. It is suggested that the reciprocal lipoprotein lipase activities in heart and adipose tissue of fed and starved animals may be regulated by the circulating plasma insulin and glucagon concentrations.     

Zinc deficiency and the activities of lipoprotein lipase in plasma and tissues of rats force-fed diets with coconut oil or fish oil

The present study was performed to investigate the effect of zinc deficiency on the activities of lipoprotein lipase in postheparin serum and tissues of rats fed diets containing either coconut oil or fish oil as dietary fat, using a bifactorial experimental design. To ensure an adequate food intake, all the rats were force-fed by gastric tube. Experimental diets contained either 0.8 mg zinc/kg (zinc-deficient diets) or 40 mg zinc/kg (zinc-adequate diets). The effects of zinc deficiency on the activities of lipoprotein lipase in postheparin serum and postprandial triglyceride concentrations and distribution of apolipoproteins in serum lipoproteins depended on the type of dietary fat. Zinc-deficient rats fed the coconut oil diet exhibited a reduced activity of lipoprotein lipase in postheparin serum and adipose tissue, markedly increased concentrations of triglycerides in serum, and a markedly reduced content of apolipoprotein C in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins compared with zinc-adequate rats fed coconut oil. By contrast, zinc-deficient rats fed the fish oil diet did not exhibit reduced activities of lipoprotein lipase in postheparin serum and adipose tissue and increased concentrations of serum lipids compared with zinc-adequate rats fed the fish oil diet. This study suggests that a reduced activity of lipoprotein lipase might contribute to increased postprandial concentrations of serum triglycerides observed in zinc-deficient animals. However, it also demonstrates that the effects of zinc deficiency on lipoprotein metabolism are influenced by dietary fatty acids.     

Effect of an anti-lipoprotein lipase serum on plasma triglyceride removal.

Anti-lipoprotein lipase sera injected intravenously in roosters blocked quantitatively the catabolism of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) triglyceride. Antibodies were produced in rabbits immunized with highly purified lipoprotein lipase (LPL, glycerol ester hydrolase, E C 3.1.1.3) prepared from chicken adipose tissue. Following anti-LPL serum injection there was a linear increase in plasma triglyceride concentration. The rate of entry of triglyceride in plasma was estimated from the rate of triglyceride accumulation in the plasma of animals injected with anti-LPL serum, or from the disappearance curve of biologically labelled VLDL. In instances where both measurements were conducted in the same animals there was very close agreement between the two procedures. Inhibition of VLDL triglyceride catabolism of anti-LPL serum provided a way to characterize newly secreted VLDL that exhibited a broad spectrum of particle sizes with a median of 625 A degrees. They contained 76.2 +/- 1.2% triglyceride and had a high ratio of free to ester cholesterol (2.46 +/- 0.45). In control VLDL samples there was 46.1% triglyceride, and the ratio of free to ester cholesterol was 1.19. The complete inhibition of triglyceride removal by an antiserum prepared against adipose tissue LPL demonstrates that the NaCl-inhibited, serum-activated lipase prepared by affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose and concanavalin A-Sepharose columns is the enzyme responsible in vivo for the catabolism of VLDL triglyceride. Further, the kinetics of triglyceride accumulation in the plasma provide evidence that the site of degradation of VLDL triglyceride is within the plasma compartment.     

Lipoprotein lipase in heart and myocytes: characteristics with intralipid as substrate.

1. Intralipid is a suitable substrate for measuring lipoprotein lipase activity in the presence of other triacylglycerol lipases in heart and myocytes. 2. Triacylglycerol lipase activity in heart and myocytes was increased 10-fold in the presence of serum at pH 7.4 and 8.1. The serum-stimulated activity in myocytes was 95% inhibited by saturating concentrations of antiserum to lipoprotein lipase. 3. Both heparin-releasable and non-releasable lipoprotein lipase fractions had similar Km values for Intralipid and a similar pattern of inhibition by high density lipoprotein but different responses to heparin. 4. Isoproterenol did not alter lipoprotein lipase activity in cardiac myocytes.