Adioophilin在动脉粥样硬化中的作用机制

adipophilin是脂滴周围相关蛋白,能促进脂质蓄积和细胞内脂滴的形成,在泡沫细胞的形成中起到重要作用,是动脉粥样硬化脂质蓄积的一个标记物。但目前对其脂质蓄积机制的研究不是十分明确。本文对adipophilin在调节脂质蓄积过程中的机制做一综述,以期为动脉粥样硬化治疗提供新的理论依据和药物靶点,推动动脉粥样硬化治疗方法的发展。     

Caged lipids as tools for investigating cellular signaling

Lipid derivatives that can be activated by light, often referred to as ‘caged’ lipids, are useful tools to manipulate intact cells non-invasively. Here we focus on experimental approaches that have made use of caged lipids. Apart from summarizing the recent advances and available tools in the field, we strive to highlight the experimental challenges that arise from lipid-specific biophysical properties and the abundance of an enormous diversity of distinct molecular lipid species in cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Tools to study lipid functions.     

The relationship between alkaline phosphatase activity and intracellular lipid accumulation in murine 3T3-L1 cells and human preadipocytes

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is expressed in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, and its activity increases during adipogenesis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ALP activity could be used as a measure of intracellular lipid accumulation in human preadipocytes and 3T3-L1 cells and which of the factors that induce adipogenesis are responsible for stimulating ALP activity. Adipogenesis was initiated in 3T3-L1 cells by incubation with differentiation medium containing insulin, dexamethasone, and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. The effect of leaving out each of the differentiation medium components was studied. Adipogenesis was also assessed in human preadipocytes and 3T3-L1 cells in the presence of the ALP inhibitor histidine. ALP activity was measured using an automated colorimetric assay and intracellular lipid accumulation was measured using the lipid-specific dye oil red O. Removal of insulin or dexamethasone from the differentiation medium had little effect on either ALP activity or lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells, while removal of IBMX blocked both. Histidine inhibited ALP activity and adipogenesis in human preadipocytes and 3T3-L1 cells. Pearson univariate correlation analysis demonstrated strong correlations between ALP activity and lipid accumulation in human preadipocytes (r=0.78, n=69) and in 3T3-L1 cells (r=0.92, n=27). These data suggest that ALP and fat storage are tightly linked during preadipocyte maturation and that the measurement of ALP activity may be a novel technique for the quantification of intracellular lipid accumulation that is more sensitive and rapid than currently used methods.     

Protein modification by aldehydophospholipids and its functional consequences

Phospholipid aldehydes represent a particular subclass of lipid oxidation products. They are chemically reactive and can form Schiff bases with proteins and aminophospholipids. As chemically bound molecular entities they modulate the functional properties of biomolecules in solution and the surface of supramolecular systems including plasma lipoproteins and cell membranes. The lipid-protein and lipid-lipid conjugates may be considered the active primary platforms that are responsible for the biological effects of aldehydophospholipids, e.g. receptor binding, cell signaling, and recognition by the immune system. Despite the fact that aldehydophospholipids are covalently associated, they are subject to exchange between nucleophiles since their imine conjugates are not stable. As a consequence, aldehydophospholipids exist in a dynamic equilibrium between different "states" depending on the lipid and protein environment. Aldehydophospholipids may also contribute to the systemic administration and activity of oxidized phospholipids by inducing release of microparticles by cells. These effects are lipid-specific. Future studies should help clarify the mechanisms and consequences of these membrane-associated effects of "phospholipid stress". This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Oxidized phospholipids-their properties and interactions with proteins.     

Extension of the GLYCAM06 Biomolecular Force Field to Lipids, Lipid Bilayers and Glycolipids

GLYCAM06 is a generalisable biomolecular force field that is extendible to diverse molecular classes in the spirit of a small-molecule force field. Here we report parameters for lipids, lipid bilayers and glycolipids for use with GLYCAM06. Only three lipid-specific atom types have been introduced, in keeping with the general philosophy of transferable parameter development. Bond stretching, angle bending, and torsional force constants were derived by fitting to quantum mechanical data for a collection of minimal molecular fragments and related small molecules. Partial atomic charges were computed by fitting to ensemble-averaged quantum-computed molecular electrostatic potentials.In addition to reproducing quantum mechanical internal rotational energies and experimental valence geometries for an array of small molecules, condensed-phase simulations employing the new parameters are shown to reproduce the bulk physical properties of a DMPC lipid bilayer. The new parameters allow for molecular dynamics simulations of complex systems containing lipids, lipid bilayers, glycolipids, and carbohydrates, using an internally consistent force field. By combining the AMBER parameters for proteins with the GLYCAM06 parameters, it is also possible to simulate protein-lipid complexes and proteins in biologically relevant membrane-like environments.     

Kinetic and thermodynamic aspects of lipid translocation in biological membranes

A theoretical analysis of the lipid translocation in cellular bilayer membranes is presented. We focus on an integrative model of active and passive transport processes determining the asymmetrical distribution of the major lipid components between the monolayers. The active translocation of the aminophospholipids phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine is mathematically described by kinetic equations resulting from a realistic ATP-dependent transport mechanism. Concerning the passive transport of the aminophospholipids as well as of phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, and cholesterol, two different approaches are used. The first treatment makes use of thermodynamic flux-force relationships. Relevant forces are transversal concentration differences of the lipids as well as differences in the mechanical states of the monolayers due to lateral compressions. Both forces, originating primarily from the operation of an aminophospholipid translocase, are expressed as functions of the lipid compositions of the two monolayers. In the case of mechanical forces, lipid-specific parameters such as different molecular surface areas and compression force constants are taken into account. Using invariance principles, it is shown how the phenomenological coefficients depend on the total lipid amounts. In a second approach, passive transport is analyzed in terms of kinetic mechanisms of carrier-mediated translocation, where mechanical effects are incorporated into the translocation rate constants. The thermodynamic as well as the kinetic approach are applied to simulate the time-dependent redistribution of the lipid components in human red blood cells. In the thermodynamic model the steady-state asymmetrical lipid distribution of erythrocyte membranes is simulated well under certain parameter restrictions: 1) the time scales of uncoupled passive transbilayer movement must be different among the lipid species; 2) positive cross-couplings of the passive lipid fluxes are needed, which, however, may be chosen lipid-unspecifically. A comparison of the thermodynamic and the kinetic approaches reveals that antiport mechanisms for passive lipid movements may be excluded. Simulations with kinetic symport mechanisms are in qualitative agreement with experimental data but show discrepancies in the asymmetrical distribution for sphingomyelin.     

Electron spin resonance investigation of the interaction of the anion and glucose transport inhibitor, p-azidobenzylphlorizin, with the human red cell membrane

The membrane perturbations caused by the interaction of p-azidobenzylphlorizin (p-AzBPhz), a potential photoaffinity labeling agent of the anion and D-glucose transporters in the human erythrocyte, have been studied using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry. Two lipid-specific spin labels have been employed; one of these agents, a hexadecyl-quarternary amine with the nitroxide reporter group covalently attached to the cationic nitrogen, (CAT-16), has been used to monitor changes in the physical state of the membrane's extracellular phospholipid/water interface. The other spin label, 5-doxylstearic acid (5-NS), is designed to examine the order and motion of the lipid bilayer near the cell surface. In separate experiments, intact human red cells labeled with these lipid-specific spin labels were exposed to small amounts of the phlorizin azide. A dose-dependent alteration in CAT-16 motion was observed, but the p-AzBPhz interaction with the membrane had no effect on the spectrum of 5-NS. The half-maximal effect of the phlorizin derivative on the CAT-16 spectrum occurred when about 2 million molecules were bound to each cell. This is also the combined amount of band 3 and band 4.5 present in the red cell membrane and represents the concentration necessary to inhibit both anion and glucose transport. Our results suggest that the first p-AzBPhz molecules binding to the red cell membrane interact with the anion and sugar transporters, and not with the bulk lipid bilayer.     

Effect of endotoxin on lipid order and motion in erythrocyte membranes

Electron paramagnetic resonance employing a lipid-specific spin label has been used to investigate the molecular effects of endotoxin on the physical state of bilayer lipids in rat erythrocyte membranes. When added at a concentration as low as 40 μg/ml to whole blood (plasma plus leukocytes present), decreased membrane lipid motion was found in subsequently washed and spin-labeled intact erythrocytes (P < 0.02). However, if endotoxin were added to washed, plasma plus leukocyte-free intact erythrocytes, no change in the motion of the spin label was found, suggesting that plasma-soluble substances and/or leukocytes are required to produce the change in the physical state of lipids. The decreased lipid motion found in these studies is discussed with reference to the known decreased deformability of endotoxin-treated red cells and to the pathogenesis of sepsis.     

LAT displacement from lipid rafts as a molecular mechanism for the inhibition of T cell signaling by polyunsaturated fatty acids

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) suppress immune responses and inhibit T cell activation through largely unknown mechanisms. The displacement of signaling proteins from membrane lipid rafts has recently been suggested as underlying PUFA-mediated T cell inhibition. We show here that PUFA treatment specifically interferes with T cell signal transduction by blocking tyrosine phosphorylation of LAT (linker for activation of T cells) and phospholipase Cgamma1. A significant fraction of LAT was displaced from rafts by PUFA treatment along with other signaling proteins. However, retaining LAT alone in lipid rafts effectively restored phospholipase Cgamma1/calcium signaling in PUFA-treated T cells. These data reveal LAT displacement from lipid rafts as a molecular mechanism by which PUFAs inhibit T cell signaling and underline the predominant importance of LAT localization in rafts for efficient T cell activation.     

Distinct MHC Class II Molecules Are Associated on the Dendritic Cell Surface in Cholesterol-dependent Membrane Microdomains

Very small amounts of MHC class II-peptide complexes expressed on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are capable of stimulating antigen-specific CD4 T cells. There is intense interest to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these small amounts of MHC-II can cluster, cross-link T cell receptors, and promote T cell proliferation. We now demonstrate that a significant fraction of the total pool of MHC-II molecules on the surface of dendritic cells is physically associated in macromolecular aggregates. These MHC-II/MHC-II interactions have been probed by co-immunoprecipitation analysis of the MHC-II I-A molecule with the related I-E molecule. These molecular associations are maintained in gentle detergents but are disrupted in harsh detergents such as Triton X-100. MHC-II I-A/I-E interactions are disrupted when plasma membrane cholesterol is extracted using methyl β-cyclodextrin, suggesting that lipid raft microdomains are important mediators of these MHC-II interactions. Although it has been proposed that tetraspanin proteins regulate molecular clustering, aggregation, and co-immunoprecipitation in APCs, genetic deletion of the tetraspanin family members CD9 or CD81 had no effect on MHC-II I-A/I-E binding. These data demonstrate that the presence of distinct forms of MHC-II with plasma membrane lipid rafts is required for MHC-II aggregation in APCs and provides a molecular mechanism allowing dendritic cells expressing small amounts of MHC-II-peptide complexes to cross-link and stimulate CD4 T cells.     

Calcium-Lipid Interactions Observed with Isotope-Edited Infrared Spectroscopy

Calcium ions bind to lipid membranes containing anionic lipids; however, characterizing the specific ion-lipid interactions in multicomponent membranes has remained challenging because it requires nonperturbative lipid-specific probes. Here, using a combination of isotope-edited infrared spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, we characterize the effects of a physiologically relevant (2 mM) Ca²⁺ concentration on zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine and anionic phosphatidylserine lipids in mixed lipid membranes. We show that Ca²⁺ alters hydrogen bonding between water and lipid headgroups by forming a coordination complex involving the lipid headgroups and water. These interactions distort interfacial water orientations and prevent hydrogen bonding with lipid ester carbonyls. We demonstrate, experimentally, that these effects are more pronounced for the anionic phosphatidylserine lipids than for zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine lipids in the same membrane.     

Effect of docosahexaenoic acid on interleukin-2 receptor signaling pathway in lipid rafts

Recent studies have shown that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) regulated the functions of membrane receptors in T cells and suppressed T cell-mediated immune responses. But the molecular mechanisms of immune regulation are not yet elucidated. Lipid rafts are plasma membrane microdomains, in which many receptors localized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of DHA on IL-2R signaling pathway in lipid rafts. We isolated lipid rafts by discontinuous sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation, and found that DHA could change the composition of lipid rafts and alter the distribution of key molecules of IL-2R signaling pathway, which transferred from lipid rafts to detergent-soluble membrane fractions. These results revealed that DHA treatment increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids especially n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in lipid rafts and changed the lipid environment of membrane microdomains in T cells. Compared with controls, DHA changed the localization of IL-2R, STAT5a and STAT5b in lipid rafts and suppressed the expression of JAK1, JAK3 and tyrosine phosphotyrosine in soluble membrane fractions. Summarily, this study concluded the effects of DHA on IL-2R signaling pathway in lipid rafts and explained the regulation of PUFAs in T cell-mediated immune responses.     

Sodium butyrate in combination with insulin or dexamethasone can terminally differentiate actively proliferating Swiss 3T3 cells into adipocytes

Sodium butyrate arrests the growth of actively proliferating Swiss 3T3 cells. A previous report from our laboratory describes the pattern of expression of a representative group of growth-associated genes following treatment of Swiss 3T3 cells with sodium butyrate. The results of this study suggest that sodium butyrate-induced growth arrest involves events which lead to adipocyte differentiation (Toscani, A., Soprano, D.R., and Soprano, K.J. (1988) Oncogene Res. 3, 233-238). However, while sodium butyrate by itself could apparently initiate adipogenesis, it alone was not sufficient to maintain this differentiation state. We now wish to further characterize the role of sodium butyrate in adipocyte differentiation. Subconfluent cultures of Swiss 3T3 cells were treated with sodium butyrate in combination with other agents known to induce Swiss 3T3 cell adipogenesis (e.g. 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine, insulin, and dexamethasone) and then analyzed at various times thereafter for: (a) the presence of high concentrations of intracellular lipid as detected by microscopic examination of treated cells following staining with lipid-specific dyes and (b) the expression of four genes known to be modulated during the differentiation of preadipocytes into mature adipocytes (actin, adipsin, lipoprotein lipase, and adipocyte P2). Our results show that sodium butyrate in combination with either insulin or dexamethasone can fully differentiate Swiss 3T3 cells into adipocytes, at least as determined by accumulation of high levels of intracellular lipid. Moreover, the sodium butyrate-mediated process of differentiation can occur in subconfluent, actively proliferating cells. Thus, these experiments describe a new, previously unidentified activity of sodium butyrate and also suggest that this model system may be a useful one to study the relationship between growth arrest and differentiation.     

T-cell trafficking in asthma: lipid mediators grease the way

Recruitment of T cells to the airways is crucial in the pathogenesis of asthma, and it is thought to be mediated mainly by peptide chemokines. By contrast, lipid mediators such as leukotrienes and prostaglandins have classically been thought to contribute to asthma pathogenesis by other mechanisms. However, as we discuss here, the recent molecular identification of leukotriene and prostaglandin receptors, as well as the generation of mice that are genetically deficient in them, has revealed that two of these lipids - leukotriene B(4) and prostaglandin D(2) - also direct T-cell migration and seem to cooperate with chemokines in a non-redundant, sequential manner to recruit T cells to the airways in asthma.     

Lipid-specific fluorescent probes in studies of biological membranes

Lipid-specific fluorescent probes are natural lipids carrying an apolar fluorophore in one of the hydrocarbon chains. Since such probes retain the head groups and resemble the molecular shape of native membrane lipids, they largely mimic the behaviour of their natural prototypes in biological membranes. Information provided by the lipid-specific probes is more differentiated and easier to interpret than that obtained from non-lipid probes. The principles of design of lipid-specific probes are formulated and the relative advantages and disadvantages of various fluorophores are discussed. In order to reduce ambiguities caused by perturbation of the probe environment, it is proposed to use, in a comparative manner, two or more lipid-specific probes resembling each other in all aspects except the polar head groups (the 'two probes' concept). Two types of fluorophores, the anthrylvinyl group and the perylenoyl group, were found to be well suited for the synthesis of lipid-specific probes. Use of both types of probes 'in tandem' opens new possibilities for studying lipid-protein and lipid-lipid interactions in biological membranes. The anthrylvinyl- and perylenoyl-labeled lipids were applied in studies of serum lipoproteins and erythrocyte membranes. A new highly sensitive ligand-receptor binding assay and a new approach to biological signal amplifying based on the use of lipid-specific probes are described.     

Recent progress on lipid lateral heterogeneity in plasma membranes: From rafts to submicrometric domains

The concept of transient nanometric domains known as lipid rafts has brought interest to reassess the validity of the Singer–Nicolson model of a fluid bilayer for cell membranes. However, this new view is still insufficient to explain the cellular control of surface lipid diversity or membrane deformability. During the past decades, the hypothesis that some lipids form large (submicrometric/mesoscale vs nanometric rafts) and stable (> min vs s) membrane domains has emerged, largely based on indirect methods. Morphological evidence for stable submicrometric lipid domains, well-accepted for artificial and highly specialized biological membranes, was further reported for a variety of living cells from prokaryot es to yeast and mammalian cells. However, results remained questioned based on limitations of available fluorescent tools, use of poor lipid fixatives, and imaging artifacts due to non-resolved membrane projections. In this review, we will discuss recent evidence generated using powerful and innovative approaches such as lipid-specific toxin fragments that support the existence of submicrometric domains. We will integrate documented mechanisms involved in the formation and maintenance of these domains, and provide a perspective on their relevance on membrane deformability and regulation of membrane protein distribution.     

Deciphering the Role of CD1e Protein in Mycobacterial Phosphatidyl-myo-inositol Mannosides (PIM) Processing for Presentation by CD1b to T Lymphocytes

Lipids are important antigens that induce T cell-mediated specific immune responses. They are presented to T lymphocytes by a specific class of MHC-I like proteins, termed CD1. The majority of the described CD1-presented mycobacterial antigens are presented by the CD1b isoform. We previously demonstrated that the stimulation of CD1b-restricted T cells by the hexamannosylated phosphatidyl-myo-inositol (PIM(6)), a family of mycobacterial antigens, requires a prior partial digestion of the antigen oligomannoside moiety by α-mannosidase and that CD1e is an accessory protein absolutely required for the generation of the lipid immunogenic form. Here, we show that CD1e behaves as a lipid transfer protein influencing lipid immunoediting and membrane transfer of PIM lipids. CD1e selectively assists the α-mannosidase-dependent digestion of PIM(6) species according to their degree of acylation. Moreover, CD1e transfers only diacylated PIM from donor to acceptor liposomes and also from membranes to CD1b. This study provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms by which CD1e contributes to lipid immunoediting and CD1-restricted presentation to T cells.     

T-cell signaling pathways inhibited by the tick saliva immunosuppressor, Salp15

The Ixodes scapularis salivary protein Salp15 inhibits the activation of T cells through its interaction with the coreceptor CD4. Salp15 prevents the activation of Lck upon TCR engagement and the formation of lipid rafts. We have now analyzed the signaling pathways that are inhibited by the tick salivary protein in CD4(+) T cells. Salp15 affects tyrosine phosphorylation of several early signal components downstream of Lck, including LAT and Vav1, which results in improper actin polymerization. The effect of Salp15 is due to its interaction with CD4, as no effect was observed in CD4-negative T cells. Finally, we demonstrate that the peptide that mediates the interaction of Salp15 with CD4, P11, is able to recapitulate the immunosuppressive activity of the whole protein. These results clarify the molecular mechanisms of action of Salp15 on T cells and suggest that binding to CD4 is sufficient to elicit its immunosuppressive effect.     

Vav1/Rac-dependent actin cytoskeleton reorganization is required for lipid raft clustering in T cells.

Formation of the immunological synapse (IS) in T cells involves large scale molecular movements that are mediated, at least in part, by reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Various signaling proteins accumulate at the IS and are localized in specialized membrane microdomains, known as lipid rafts. We have shown previously that lipid rafts cluster and localize at the IS in antigen-stimulated T cells. Here, we provide evidence that lipid raft polarization to the IS depends on an intracellular pathway that involves Vav1, Rac, and actin cytoskeleton reorganization. Thus, lipid rafts did not translocate to the IS in Vav1-deficient (Vav1-/-) T cells upon antigen stimulation. Similarly, T cell receptor transgenic Jurkat T cells also failed to translocate lipid rafts to the IS when transfected with dominant negative Vav1 mutants. Raft polarization induced by membrane-bound cholera toxin cross-linking was also abolished in Jurkat T cells expressing dominant negative Vav1 or Rac mutants and in cells treated with inhibitors of actin polymerization. However, Vav overexpression that induced F-actin polymerization failed to induce lipid rafts clustering. Therefore, Vav is necessary, but not sufficient, to regulate lipid rafts clustering and polarization at the IS, suggesting that additional signals are required.     

T-cell recognition of glycolipids presented by CD1 proteins

The most well-known molecular paradigm of antigen recognition by T cells involves partial digestion of proteins to generate small peptides, which bind to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. Recent studies of CD1, an MHC class I homolog encoded outside the MHC, have revealed that it presents diverse glycolipids to T cells. The molecular mechanism for lipid antigen recognition involves insertion of the lipid portion of antigens into a hydrophobic groove to form CD1-lipid complexes, which contact T-cell receptors (TCRs). Here, we examine the known antigen structures presented by CD1, the majority of which have sugar moieties that are capable of interacting with TCRs. Recognition of carbohydrate epitopes is precise, and lipid-reactive T cells alter systemic immune responses in models of infectious and autoimmune disease. These findings provide a previously unrecognized mechanism by which the cellular immune system can recognize alterations in many types of carbohydrate structures.