Purification and positional specificity of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase from Escherichia coli membranes.

SN-Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase was solubilized from membranes of Escherichia coli B and K-12 and purified on an affinity column of Sepharose 4B coupled with 6-phosphogluconic acid. Phosphatidylglycerol was required for activation and stabilization of the purified enzyme. The acyl residues were exclusively transferred to the position 1 of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate by the enzyme, regardless of whether the acyl-CoA was saturated or unsaturated.     

Structural characterization of ordered arrays of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase from Escherichia coli.

Overproduction of the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase in Escherichia coli leads to incorporation of this integral membrane protein into ordered tubular arrays within the cell. Freeze-fracture-etch shadowing was performed on suspensions of partially purified tubules and whole bacteria. This procedure revealed the presence of ridges and grooves defining a set of long-pitch left-handed helical ridges. The long-pitch helices represented chains of acyltransferase dimers. Tubules observed within the cell were often closely packed, with an apparent alignment of grooves and ridges in adjacent tubules. Fracture planes passing through the tubules indicated the presence of a bilayer structure, with some portion of the enzyme being associated with the membrane. The major portion of the enzyme extended from the hydrophilic surface, forming a large globular structure that, in favorable views, displayed a central cavity facing the cytoplasm. Computer analysis of shadowed tubules revealed that the left-handed helices were six stranded, with a pitch of 1,050 A (105.0 nm) and a spacing of 75 A (7.5 nm) between acyltransferase dimers along the chains. Analysis of the predicted secondary structure failed to reveal obvious transmembrane segments, suggesting that very little of the protein was inserted into the bilayer.     

Localization and characterization of the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase in Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides

The membrane localization and properties of the Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase have been examined utilizing enzymatically prepared acyl-acyl carrier protein (acyl-ACP) substrates as acyl donors for sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acylation. Studies conducted with membranes prepared from chemotrophically and phototrophically grown cells show that sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity is predominantly (greater than 80%) associated with the cell's cytoplasmic membrane. Enzyme activity associated with the intracytoplasmic membranes present in phototrophically grown R. sphaeroides was within the range attributable to cytoplasmic membrane contamination of this membrane fraction. Enzyme activity was optimal at 40 degrees C and pH 7.0 to 7.5, and required the presence of magnesium. No enzyme activity was observed with any of the long-chain acyl-CoA substrates examined. Vaccenoyl-ACP was the preferred acyl-ACP substrate and vaccenoyl-ACP and palmitoyl-ACP were independently utilized to produce lysophosphatidic and phosphatidic acids. With either vaccenoyl-ACP or palmitoyl-ACP as sole acyl donor substrate, the lysophosphatidic acid formed was primarily 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate and the Km(app) for sn-glycerol-3-phosphate utilization was 96 microM. The implications of these results to the mode and regulation of phospholipid synthesis in R. sphaeroides are discussed.     

Glycerolipid biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: sn-glycerol-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase activities.

Yeast acyl-coenzyme A:dihydroxyacetone-phosphate O-acyltransferase (DHAP acyltransferase; EC 2.3.1.42) was investigated to (i) determine whether its activity and that of acyl-coenzyme A:sn-glycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase (glycerol-P acyltransferase; EC 2.3.1.15) represent dual catalytic functions of a single membranous enzyme, (ii) estimate the relative contributions of the glycerol-P and DHAP pathways for yeast glycerolipid synthesis, and (iii) evaluate the suitability of yeast for future genetic investigations of the eucaryotic glycerol-P and DHAP acyltransferase activities. The membranous DHAP acyltransferase activity showed an apparent Km of 0.79 mM for DHAP, with a Vmax of 5.3 nmol/min per mg, whereas the glycerol-P acyltransferase activity showed an apparent Km of 0.05 mM for glycerol-P, with a Vmax of 3.4 nmol/min per mg. Glycerol-P was a competitive inhibitor (Ki, 0.07 mM) of the DHAP acyltransferase activity, and DHAP was a competitive inhibitor (Ki, 0.91 mM) of the glycerol-P acyltransferase activity. The two acyltransferase activities exhibited marked similarities in their pH dependence, acyl-coenzyme A chain length preference and substrate concentration dependencies, thermolability, and patterns of inactivation by N-ethylmaleimide, trypsin, and detergents. Thus, the data strongly suggest that yeast glycerol-P and DHAP acyltransferase activities represent dual catalytic functions of a single membrane-bound enzyme. Furthermore, since no acyl-DHAP oxidoreductase activity could be detected in yeast membranes, the DHAP pathway for glycerolipid synthesis may not operate in yeast.     

Purification and cDNA sequencing of an oleate-selective acyl-ACP:sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase from pea chloroplasts

The soluble acyl-ACP:sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase from chloroplasts of chilling-sensitive and -resistant plants differ in their fatty acid selectivity. Enzymes from resistant plants discriminate against non-fluid palmitic acid and select oleic acid whereas the acyltransferase from sensitive plants accepts both fatty acids. To use this difference for improving plant chilling resistance by biotechnology the gene for an oleate-selective enzyme is required. Therefore, the oleate-selective enzyme from pea seedlings was purified to apparent homogeneity. Tryptic peptides of internal origin were sequenced. Polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbits were used for an immunological screening of a pea leaf cDNA expression library in gt11. A positive clone of 1800 bp was selected showing an open reading frame which codes for 457 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence coincides perfectly with the tryptic sequences. A tentative assignment of the processing site was made which divides the preprotein into a mature protein of 41 kDa in accordance with experimental findings and a transit peptide of 88 amino acids. At present the comparison between a selective (pea) and an unselective (squash) acyltransferase sequence does not provide a clue for recognizing the structural differences resulting in different selectivities.     

Purification of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Trypanosoma brucei brucei.

A protein has been purified from the membranes of bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei brucei. The purified material contained a single polypeptide chain of molecular mass 67 kilodaltons as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; under "native" conditions it migrated through a Sephacryl S-300 column with a similar molecular mass. The purified protein catalysed electron transfer from sn-glycerol 3-phosphate to oxygen with the subsequent formation of water. Electron transfer by the purified enzyme to O2 was dependent on the presence of low concentrations of the mediator phenazine methosulfate. This protein is clearly the major membrane-bound sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, but it also has some characteristics suggestive of the trypanosome alternative oxidase activities.     

Rat sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase: molecular cloning and characterization of the cDNA and expressed protein.

Rat mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) cDNA was cloned and characterized. We identified a cDNA containing an open reading frame of 828 amino acids that had an 89% homology with the coding region of the previously characterized mouse mitochondrial GPAT and a predicted amino acid sequence that was 96% identical. The rat 5' UTR was only 159 nucleotides, in contrast to the 926 nucleotide 5' UTR of the mouse cDNA and had an internal deletion of 167 nucleotides. GPAT was expressed in Sf21 insect cells, and specific inhibitors strongly suggest that, like the Escherichia coli GPAT, the recombinant mitochondrial GPAT and the mitochondrial GPAT isoform in rat liver contain critical serine, histidine, and arginine residues.     

Purification and some properties of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An NAD-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (sn-glycerol-3-phosphate: NAD⁺ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.8) has been isolated and purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by affinity and exclusion chromatography. The enzyme was purified 5100-fold to a specific activity of 158. It has a molecular weight of approximately 31,000, a pH optimum between 6.8 and 7.2, and is sensitive to high-ionic-strength salt solutions. The enzyme is most strongly inhibited by phosphate and chloride ions.     

Role of spermidine in the activity of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase from Escherichia coli

The integral membrane protein, sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, catalyzes the first committed step in phospholipid synthesis, and both acyl-CoA and acyl-acyl carrier protein can be used as acyl donors in this reaction. We found that spermidine increased the specific activity of the acyltransferase when either substrate was used as the acyl donor. Magnesium, as well as other cations, also increased acyltransferase activity but were not nearly as effective as spermidine. Two roles for spermidine in this reaction were deduced from our data. First, spermidine dramatically lowered the K_m for glycerol 3-phosphate resulting in an overall rate enhancement when either substrate was used as the acyl donor. This effect was attributed to the modification of the acyl-transferase environment due to the binding of spermidine to membrane phospholipids. A second effect of spermidine was evident only when acyl-acyl carrier protein was used as substrate. Using this acyl donor, a pH optimum of 7.5 was found in the absence of spermidine, but in its presence, the pH optimum was shifted to 8.5. Between pH 7.5 and 8.5, palmitoyl-acyl carrier protein undergoes a conformational change to a more expanded, denatured state and its activity in the acyltransferase assay decreases dramatically. Spermidine restored the native conformation of palmitoyl-acyl carrier protein at pH 8.5, thus accounting for the majority of rate enhancement observed at elevated pH.     

Fatty acid metabolism in sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (plsB) mutants.

Fatty acid metabolism was examined in Escherichia coli plsB mutants that were conditionally defective in sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity. The fatty acids synthesized when acyl transfer to glycerol-3-phosphate was inhibited were preferentially transferred to phosphatidylglycerol. A comparison of the ratio of phospholipid species labeled with 32Pi and [3H]acetate in the presence and absence of glycerol-3-phosphate indicated that [3H]acetate incorporation into phosphatidylglycerol was due to fatty acid turnover. A significant contraction of the acetyl coenzyme A pool after glycerol-3-phosphate starvation of the plsB mutant precluded the quantitative assessment of the rate of phosphatidylglycerol fatty acid labeling. Fatty acid chain length in membrane phospholipids increased as the concentration of the glycerol-3-phosphate growth supplement decreased, and after the abrupt cessation of phospholipid biosynthesis abnormally long chain fatty acids were excreted into the growth medium. These data suggest that the acyl moieties of phosphatidylglycerol are metabolically active, and that competition between fatty acid elongation and acyl transfer is an important determinant of the acyl chain length in membrane phospholipids.     

sn-Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase in a particulate fraction from maturing safflower seeds

The properties of the acyl-CoA:sn-glycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase in a 20,000g particulate fraction from maturing safflower seeds were investigated. The optimum pH of the reaction was 7.2. The apparent Km for glycerophosphate was 0.54 mM. Only monoacylglycerophosphate was accumulated in the particulate fraction under normal conditions. Position 1 of glycerophosphate was exclusively esterified with either palmitoyl-CoA or linoleoyl-CoA as acyl donor, while 2-acylglycerophosphate was the minor product. The specificity and selectivity of the acyltransferase for acyl-CoA were broad and somewhat affected by temperature. The concentration of glycerophosphate did not affect the selectivity. These observations suggested that the fatty acid composition of position 1 of safflower triacylglycerol must primarily depend on the composition of the acyl-CoA pool in the site of synthesis, and that growth temperature and the acyl-CoA selectivity of the glycerophosphate acyltransferase may be rather minor factors regarding regulation of the fatty acid composition of position 1 in triacylglycerol.     

Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae defective in sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase. Simultaneous loss of dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase indicates a common gene

Fourteen independent mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae defective in sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity were isolated using a colony autoradiographic screening technique. All 14 mutants were similarly defective in dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase activity. The mutations were recessive and fell into a single complementation group. Tetrad analysis gave results consistent with mutations in a single nuclear gene affecting both activities. sn-Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity from different mutant strains exhibited different substrate dependencies and differing responses to temperature, detergent, and pH. In each case, the response of the dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase activity was similar to that of the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase. These results are consistent with the mutations occurring in the structural gene. The data also establish that the predominant dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase activity in yeast is a second activity of the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase.     

The triose-phosphate site of homogeneous reconstituted sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase of Escherichia coli

The sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (glycerol-phosphate) acyltransferase of Escherichia coli was purified to near homogeneity and its activity reconstituted with phospholipids (Green, P.R., Merrill, A.M., Jr. and Bell, R.M. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 11151-11159). The competency of glycerol-P analogues to serve as inhibitors and as substrates was investigated. Dihydroxyacetone-P, ethyleneglycol-P, 1,3-propanediol-P, 3,4-dihydroxybutylphosphonate and DL-glyceraldehyde-3-P were inhibitors of the reconstituted purified glycerol-phosphate acyltransferase. The kinetics of inhibition, while formally of the mixed type, most closely resembled that of a simple competitive inhibition with respect to glycerol-3-P. Inorganic phosphate was also found to be a competitive inhibitor. All of the glycerol-3-P analogues except DL-glyceraldehyde-3-P were substrates. Of these, dihydroxyacetone-P proved to be the best substrate. The secondary hydroxyl was not necessary for activity. Glycerol-phosphate acyltransferase catalyzed the hydrolysis of palmitoyl-CoA in the presence of DL-, but not D-glyceraldehyde-3-P. This suggests that the gem diol of L-glyceraldehyde-3-P may be a substrate, and that the acylated adduct may be unstable. The enzyme was inactivated by phenylglyoxal and butanedione, suggesting that arginine may be at or near the active site.     

Phospholipid dependence of homogeneous, reconstituted sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase of Escherichia coli

A novel mixed micelle assay for the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase of Escherichia coli was developed using the nonionic detergent octaethylenegly-coldodecyl ether. The assay permitted investigation of the phospholipid dependence of enzyme activity at phospholipid/detergent ratios of 5:1 (w/w) to 2:1 depending on the phospholipid employed. The higher ratio yielded maximal activity when E. coli phospholipids were used; the lower ratio was observed with cardiolipin(E. coli). Phosphatidylglycerol(E. coli) and phosphatidylethanolamine(E. coli) also restored enzyme activity. Activation by phosphatidylethanolamine(E. coli) was pH-dependent and relatively inefficient. The synthetic, disaturated (1,2-palmitoyl)phosphatidylglycerol reconstituted only 25% of the total enzyme activity as that observed with the monounsaturated (1-palmitoyl, 2-oleoyl) species. Full activation of enzyme was achieved with (1,2-dioleoyl)phosphatidylglycerol. Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidic acid were unable to reconstitute enzyme activity. Chromatographic sizing of the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, following reconstitution in cardiolipin(E. coli)/octaethyleneglycoldodecyl ether mixed micelles, suggested that the monomeric form of the enzyme was active.     

Analysis of amino acid motifs diagnostic for the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase reaction

Alignment of amino acid sequences from various acyltransferases [sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT), acyl-CoA:dihydroxyacetone-phosphate acyltransferase (DHAPAT), 2-acylglycerophosphatidylethanolamine acyltransferase (LPEAT)] reveals four regions of strong homology, which we have labeled blocks I-IV. The consensus sequence for each conserved region is as follows: block I, [NX]-H-[RQ]-S-X-[LYIM]-D; block II, G-X-[IF]-F-I-[RD]-R; block III, F-[PLI]-E-G-[TG]-R-[SX]-[RX]; and block IV, [VI]-[PX]-[IVL]-[IV]-P-[VI]. We hypothesize that blocks I-IV and, in particular, the invariant amino acids contained within these regions form a catalytically important site in this family of acyltransferases. Using Escherichia coli GPAT (PlsB) as a model acyltransferase, we examined the role of the highly conserved amino acid residues in blocks I-IV in GPAT activity through chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis experiments. We found that the histidine and aspartate in block I, the glycine in block III, and the proline in block IV all play a role in E. coli GPAT catalysis. The phenylalanine and arginine in block II and the glutamate and serine in block III appear to be important in binding the glycerol 3-phosphate substrate. Since blocks I-IV are also found in LPAAT, DHAPAT, and LPEAT, we believe that these conserved amino acid motifs are diagnostic for the acyltransferase reaction involving glycerol 3-phosphate, 1-acylglycerol 3-phosphate, and dihydroxyacetone phosphate substrates.     

Asymmetric reconstitution of homogeneous Escherichia coli sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase into phospholipid vesicles

The sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (glycerol-P) acyltransferase of Escherichia coli cytoplasmic membrane was purified in Triton X-100 (Green, P. R., Merrill, A. H., Jr., and Bell, R. M. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 11151-11159) and incorporated into mixed micelles containing Triton X-100, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, cardiolipin, and beta-octyl glucoside. Enzyme activity was quantitatively reconstituted from the mixed micelle into single-walled phospholipid vesicles by chromatography over Sephadex G-50. Activity coeluted with vesicles of 90-nm average diameter on columns of Sepharose CL-4B and Sephacryl S-1000. These vesicles contained less than 2 Triton X-100 and 5 beta-octyl glucoside molecules/100 phospholipid molecules. Calculations suggested that up to eight 91,260-dalton glycerol-P acyltransferase polypeptides were incorporated per 90-nm vesicle. The pH dependence and apparent Km values for glycerol-P and palmitoyl-CoA of the glycerol-P acyltransferase reconstituted into vesicles were similar to those observed upon reconstitution by mixing of the enzyme in Triton X-100 with a 20-fold molar excess of sonicated phosphatidylethanolamine:phosphatidylglycerol:cardiolipin, 6:1:1. The integrity of vesicles containing glycerol-P acyltransferase was established by trapping 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid). Chymotrypsin inactivated greater than 95% of the glycerol-P acyltransferase in intact vesicles and cleaved the 91,260-dalton polypeptide into several vesicle-bound and several released peptides, indicating that critical domains of the enzyme are accessible in intact vesicles. Trinitrobenzene sulfonate and 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-disulfonic acid stilbene caused greater than 90% loss of glycerol-P acyltransferase in vesicles. Disruption of vesicles with Triton X-100 did not reveal significant latent activity. These data strongly suggest that the glycerol-P acyltransferase was reconstituted asymmetrically into the vesicles with its active site facing outward.