Three mammalian lipins act as phosphatidate phosphatases with distinct tissue expression patterns

We previously identified mutations in the Lpin1 gene, encoding lipin-1, as the underlying cause of lipodystrophy in the fatty liver dystrophy (fld) mutant mouse. Lipin-1 is normally expressed at high levels in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, and deficiency in the fld mouse causes impaired adipose tissue development, insulin resistance, and altered energy expenditure. We also identified two additional lipin protein family members of unknown function, lipin-2 and lipin-3. Han et al. (Han, G. S., Wu, W. I., and Carman, G. M. (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281, 9210-9218) recently demonstrated that the single lipin homolog in yeast, Smp2, exhibits phosphatidate phosphatase type-1 (PAP1) activity, which has a key role in glycerolipid synthesis. Here we demonstrate that lipin-1 accounts for all of the PAP1 activity in white and brown adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. However, livers of lipin-1-deficient mice exhibited normal PAP1 activity, indicating that other members of the lipin protein family could have PAP1 activity. Consistent with this possibility, recombinant lipin-2 and lipin-3 possess PAP1 activity. Each of the three lipin family members showed Mg2+-dependent activity that was specific for phosphatidate under the conditions employed. The different lipins showed distinct tissue expression patterns. Our results establish the three mammalian lipin proteins as PAP1 enzymes and explain the biochemical basis for lipodystrophy in the lipin-1-deficient fld mouse.     

Insulin controls subcellular localization and multisite phosphorylation of the phosphatidic acid phosphatase, lipin 1

Brain, liver, kidney, heart, and skeletal muscle from fatty liver dystrophy (fld/fld) mice, which do not express lipin 1 (lipin), contained much less Mg(2+)-dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) activity than tissues from wild type mice. Lipin harboring the fld(2j) (Gly(84) --> Arg) mutation exhibited relatively little PAP activity. These results indicate that lipin is a major PAP in vivo and that the loss of PAP activity contributes to the fld phenotype. PAP activity was readily detected in immune complexes of lipin from 3T3-L1 adipocytes, where the protein was found both as a microsomal form and a soluble, more highly phosphorylated, form. Fifteen phosphorylation sites were identified by mass spectrometric analyses. Insulin increased the phosphorylation of multiple sites and promoted a gel shift that was due in part to phosphorylation of Ser(106). In contrast, epinephrine and oleic acid promoted dephosphorylation of lipin. The PAP-specific activity of lipin was not affected by the hormones or by dephosphorylation of lipin with protein phosphatase 1. However, the ratio of soluble to microsomal lipin was markedly increased in response to insulin and decreased in response to epinephrine and oleic acid. The results suggest that insulin and epinephrine control lipin primarily by changing localization rather than intrinsic PAP activity.     

The fat and thin of lipin

Mutations in the Lpin1 gene (encoding lipin) cause the lipodystrophy (adipose tissue deficiency) of the fld mouse, but the underlying mechanism has been unclear. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Phan and Reue (2005) show that overexpression of lipin in either muscle or adipose tissue increases adiposity. Interestingly, mice overexpressing lipin in muscle are insulin resistant, while those overexpressing lipin in adipose tissue are insulin sensitive.     

ROS-mediated p53 induction of Lpin1 regulates fatty acid oxidation in response to nutritional stress

The p53 protein is activated by stress signals and exhibits both protective and death-promoting functions that are considered important for its tumor suppressor function. Emerging evidence points toward an additional role for p53 in metabolism. Here, we identify Lpin1 as a p53-responsive gene that is induced in response to DNA damage and glucose deprivation. Lpin1 is essential for adipocyte development and fat metabolism, and mutation in this gene is responsible for the lypodystrophy phenotype in fld mice. We show that p53 and Lpin1 regulate fatty acid oxidation in mouse C2C12 myoblasts. p53 phosphorylation on Ser18 in response to low glucose is ROS and ATM dependent. Lpin1 expression in response to nutritional stress is controlled through the ROS-ATM-p53 pathway and is conserved in human cells. Lpin1 provides a critical link between p53 and metabolism that may be an important component in mediating the tumor suppressor function of p53.     

Normal human adipose tissue functions and differentiation in patients with biallelic LPIN1 inactivating mutations

Lipin-1 is a Mg²⁺-dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) that in mice is necessary for normal glycerolipid biosynthesis, controlling adipocyte metabolism, and adipogenic differentiation. Mice carrying inactivating mutations in the Lpin1 gene display the characteristic features of human familial lipodystrophy. Very little is known about the roles of lipin-1 in human adipocyte physiology. Apparently, fat distribution and weight is normal in humans carrying LPIN1 inactivating mutations, but a detailed analysis of adipose tissue appearance and functions in these patients has not been available so far. In this study, we performed a systematic histopathological, biochemical, and gene expression analysis of adipose tissue biopsies from human patients harboring LPIN1 biallelic inactivating mutations and affected by recurrent episodes of severe rhabdomyolysis. We also explored the adipogenic differentiation potential of human mesenchymal cell populations derived from lipin-1 defective patients. White adipose tissue from human LPIN1 mutant patients displayed a dramatic decrease in lipin-1 protein levels and PAP activity, with a concomitant moderate reduction of adipocyte size. Nevertheless, the adipose tissue develops without obvious histological signs of lipodystrophy and with normal qualitative composition of storage lipids. The increased expression of key adipogenic determinants such as SREBP1, PPARG, and PGC1A shows that specific compensatory phenomena can be activated in vivo in human adipocytes with deficiency of functional lipin-1.     

The fatty liver dystrophy (fld) mutation. A new mutant mouse with a developmental abnormality in triglyceride metabolism and associated tissue-specific defects in lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase activities

An autosomal recessive mutation, termed fatty liver dystrophy (fld), can be identified in neonatal mice by their enlarged and fatty liver (Sweet, H. O., Birkenmeier, E. H., and Davisson, M. T. (1988) Mouse News Letter 81, 69). We have examined the underlying metabolic abnormalities in fld/fld mice from postnatal days 3-40. Serum and hepatic triglyceride levels were elevated 5-fold in suckling fld/fld mice compared to their +/? littermates but abruptly resolved at the suckling/weaning transition. Blot hybridization analysis of liver and intestinal RNAs revealed a liver-specific increase in apolipoprotein (apo) A-IV and C-II mRNA concentrations (100- and 6-fold, respectively) that was limited to the suckling and early weaning stages in fld/fld mice. Resolution of these differences during the weaning period could not be delayed by prolonging suckling to the 20th postnatal day nor could the mutant phenotype be elicited in young adult animals with a high fat diet. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was reduced 16-fold in the white adipose tissue of fld/fld mice until the onset of weaning. Heart activity was decreased less than 2-fold, but there were no deficits in brown adipose tissue or liver. Hepatic lipase (HL) mRNA levels and activity were significantly reduced in fld/fld livers and sera, respectively, during the suckling period. Mapping studies show the fld locus to be distinct from loci encoding LPL, HL, and apoA-IV, and those responsible for the combined lipase deficiencies in cld/cld and W/Wv mice. These data suggest that the fld mutation is associated with developmentally programmed tissue-specific defects in the neonatal expression of LPL and HL activities and provide evidence for a new regulatory locus which affects these lipase activities. This mutation could serve as a useful model for (i) analyzing the homeostatic mechanisms controlling lipid metabolism in newborn mice and (ii) understanding and treating certain inborn errors in human triglyceride metabolism.     

Adipose tissue deficiency, glucose intolerance, and increased atherosclerosis result from mutation in the mouse fatty liver dystrophy (fld) gene

The fatty liver dystrophy (fld) mutant mouse is characterized by neonatal fatty liver and hypertriglyceridemia that resolve at weaning, and neuropathy affecting peripheral nerve in adulthood. We now report additional significant manifestations of this single gene mutation, which include adipose tissue deficiency, glucose intolerance, and increased susceptibility to atherosclerosis. In adult fld/fld mice, both white and brown fat pads exhibit an 80% reduction in mass compared with wild-type controls, and consist of immature adipocytes as assessed by morphological and molecular criteria. The lack of lipid accumulation in fld/fld adipose tissue could be attributed, in part, to a failure to induce expression of lipoprotein lipase and enzymes involved in fatty acid synthesis, such as fatty acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Related to the deficiency of adipose tissue, fld/fld mice were also found to exhibit profound glucose intolerance, modest hyperinsulinemia, and reduced tissue response to insulin. As insulin resistance is a important risk factor in vascular disease, we examined susceptibility of fld/fld mice to diet-induced atherosclerosis. Mutant mice fed an atherogenic diet developed 2-fold greater aortic lesions than their wild-type counterparts, despite having a less atherogenic lipoprotein cholesterol profile. The fld adipose-deficient phenotype has both similarities to and distinctions from the group of rare human diseases known as lipodystrophies.     

Roles of phosphatidate phosphatase enzymes in lipid metabolism

Phosphatidate phosphatase (PAP) enzymes catalyze the dephosphorylation of phosphatidate, yielding diacylglycerol and inorganic phosphate. In eukaryotic cells, PAP activity has a central role in the synthesis of phospholipids and triacylglycerol through its product diacylglycerol, and it also generates and/or degrades lipid-signaling molecules that are related to phosphatidate. There are two types of PAP enzyme, Mg(2+) dependent (PAP1) and Mg(2+) independent (PAP2), but only genes encoding PAP2 enzymes had been identified until recently, when a gene (PAH1) encoding a PAP1 enzyme was found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This discovery has revealed a molecular function of the mammalian protein lipin, a deficiency of which causes lipodystrophy in mice. With molecular information now available for both types of PAP, the specific roles of these enzymes in lipid metabolism are being clarified.     

Alternatively spliced lipin isoforms exhibit distinct expression pattern, subcellular localization, and role in adipogenesis

We recently identified mutations in the Lpin1 (lipin) gene to be responsible for lipodystrophy in the fatty liver dystrophy (fld) mouse strain. Previous studies revealed that lipin plays a critical role in adipogenesis, explaining the adipose-deficient phenotype of the fld mouse. In the current study, we demonstrate that alternative mRNA splicing generates two lipin isoforms, lipin-alpha and lipin-beta, which are differentially expressed during adipocyte differentiation. Lipin-alpha expression peaks at day 2 of 3T3-L1 cell differentiation, after which its levels gradually decrease. In contrast, lipin-beta expression is transiently elevated at 10 h, followed by a drop to background levels at 20 h and a gradual increase between days 2 and 6 of differentiation. The two lipin isoforms also exhibit differences in subcellular localization. Lipin-alpha is predominantly nuclear, whereas lipin-beta is primarily located in the cytoplasm of 3T3-L1 adipocytes, suggesting distinct cellular functions. Using primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts expressing either lipin-alpha or lipin-beta, we demonstrate functional differences between the two isoforms. Whereas lipin-alpha is required for adipocyte differentiation, the predominant effect of lipin-beta expression is the induction of lipogenic genes. In vivo, overexpression of lipin-beta specifically in mature adipocytes leads to elevated expression of lipogenic genes and adipocyte hypertrophy, confirming a role of lipin-beta in the regulation of lipogenesis. In conclusion, our data suggest that the two lipin isoforms have distinct, but complementary, functions in adipogenesis, with lipin-alpha playing a primary role in differentiation and lipin-beta being predominantly involved in lipogenesis.     

Characterization of the peripheral neuropathy in neonatal and adult mice that are homozygous for the fatty liver dystrophy (fld) mutation

In a previous report (Langner, C. A., Birkenmeier, E. H., Ben-Zeev, O., Schotz, M. C., Sweet, H. O., Davisson, M. T., and Gordon, J. I. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 7994-8003), we characterized the early developmental phenotype of mice that were homozygous for the autosomal recessive fatty liver dystrophy (fld) mutation. Shortly after birth, these mice can be distinguished from their +/? littermates by large pale livers, hypertriglyceridemia, elevations in hepatic apolipoprotein A-IV and apoC-II mRNA levels, and tissue-specific decreases in lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase activities. These traits resolve by the early weaning period. We have now characterized a second feature of this mutation: a peripheral neuropathy that becomes manifest by an abnormal gait at the end of the second postnatal week and persists through adulthood. Electron microscopic studies of sciatic nerves from 4-day-to 1-year-old fld/fld mice demonstrated a variety of abnormalities including thin, poorly compacted myelin sheaths, active myelin breakdown, and enlarged Schwann cell mitochondria and nuclei. Western blot analysis of sciatic nerve homogenates prepared from 1 to 3-month-old fld/fld mice and their +/? littermates indicated that homozygous animals have striking reductions in two peripheral nerve myelin-associated proteins, P0 and P2. The steady-state level of apoE, a protein induced during nerve regeneration, is markedly elevated. Furthermore, two axon-specific proteins, neurofilament 68K and growth-associated 43 protein, display altered expression in adult fld/fld sciatic nerves. High performance thin-layer chromatography revealed deficiencies in phospholipids, glycosphingolipids, and some neutral lipids in fld/fld sciatic nerves harvested during the first several months of life (compared to their +/? littermates). Cholesterol esters were elevated in homozygotes. By contrast, no differences in brain lipids were noted between fld/fld animals and their +/? littermates. These data suggest that the fld mutation is associated with an abnormality of myelin formation (dysmyelination) as well as demyelination and axonal degeneration that persists despite apparent resolution of the neonatal hypertriglyceridemia and associated lipase abnormalities. These findings establish the fld/fld mouse as an excellent model system for analyzing homeostatic mechanisms that modulate lipid metabolism in newborn mice and for examining the pathogenesis of peripheral neuropathies associated with dyslipidemias.     

Altered gene expression pattern in the fatty liver dystrophy mouse reveals impaired insulin-mediated cytoskeleton dynamics.

The mouse fatty liver dystrophy (fld) mutation is characterized by transient hypertriglyceridemia and fatty liver during the neonatal period, followed by development of a peripheral neuropathy. To uncover the metabolic pathway that is disrupted by the fld mutation, we analyzed the altered pattern of gene expression in the fatty liver of fld neonates by representational difference analysis of cDNA. Differentially expressed genes detected include a novel member of the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins, a novel Ser/Thr kinase, and several actin cytoskeleton-associated proteins including actin, profilin, alpha-actinin, and myosin light chain. Because these proteins have a potential functional link in the propagation of hormone signals, we investigated cytoskeleton dynamics in fld cells in response to hormone treatment. These studies revealed that preadipocytes from fld mice exhibit impaired formation of actin membrane ruffles in response to insulin treatment. These findings suggest that the altered mRNA expression levels detected in fld tissue represent a compensatory response for the nonfunctional fld gene and that the fld gene product may be required for development of normal insulin response.     

Fld1p, a functional homologue of human seipin, regulates the size of lipid droplets in yeast

Lipid droplets (LDs) are emerging cellular organelles that are of crucial importance in cell biology and human diseases. In this study, we present our screen of approximately 4,700 Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants for abnormalities in the number and morphology of LDs; we identify 17 fld (few LDs) and 116 mld (many LDs) mutants. One of the fld mutants (fld1) is caused by the deletion of YLR404W, a previously uncharacterized open reading frame. Cells lacking FLD1 contain strikingly enlarged (supersized) LDs, and LDs from fld1Delta cells demonstrate significantly enhanced fusion activities both in vivo and in vitro. Interestingly, the expression of human seipin, whose mutant forms are associated with Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy and motoneuron disorders, rescues LD-associated defects in fld1Delta cells. Lipid profiling reveals alterations in acyl chain compositions of major phospholipids in fld1Delta cells. These results suggest that an evolutionally conserved function of seipin in phospholipid metabolism and LD formation may be functionally important in human adipogenesis.     

A role of lipin in human obesity and insulin resistance: relation to adipocyte glucose transport and GLUT4 expression

The mouse lipin gene, Lpin1, is important for adipose tissue development and is a candidate gene for insulin resistance. Here, we investigate the adipose tissue expression levels of the human LPIN1 gene in relation to various clinical variables as well as adipocyte function. LPIN1 gene expression was induced at an early step in human preadipocyte differentiation in parallel with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma. Lipin mRNA levels were higher in fat cells than in adipose tissue segments but showed no difference between subcutaneous and omental depots. Moreover, LPIN1 expression levels were reduced in obesity, improved following weight reduction in obese subjects, and were downregulated in women with the metabolic syndrome. With respect to adipocyte function, adipose LPIN1 gene expression was strongly associated with both basal and insulin-mediated subcutaneous adipocyte glucose transport as well as mRNA levels of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4). We show that body fat accumulation is a major regulator of human adipose LPIN1 expression and suggest a role of LPIN1 in human preadipocyte as well as mature adipocyte function.     

Investigation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lpin1</Emphasis> as a candidate gene for fat deposition in pigs

Lpin1 deficiency prevents normal adipose tissue development and remarkably reduces adipose tissue mass, while overexpression of the Lpin1 gene in either skeletal muscle or adipose tissue promotes adiposity in mice. However, little is known about the porcine Lpin1 gene. In the present study, a 5,559-bp cDNA sequence of the porcine Lpin1 gene was obtained by RT-PCR and 3′RACE. The sequence consisted of a 111-bp 5′UTR, a 2,685-bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 894 amino acids and a 2,763-bp 3′UTR. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that Lpin1 had a high level of expression in the liver, spleen, skeletal muscle and fat, a low level of expression in the heart, lung and kidney. The porcine Lpin1 gene was assigned to 3q21-27 by using the somatic cell hybrid panel (SCHP) and the radiation hybrid (IMpRH) panel. One C93T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was identified and genotyped using the TaqI PCR-RFLP method. Association analysis between the genotypes and fat deposition traits suggested that different genotypes of the Lpin1 gene were associated with percentage of leaf fat and intramuscular fat.