Triglyceride lipase from the rabbit liver

Unlike the rabbit blood plasma the high-activity triglyceride lipase which does not require a protein cofactor and is resistant to 1 M of NaCl has been revealed in the liver of this animal. Rapid freezing of the liver tissue by liquid nitrogen before homogenization induced a sharp increase in the enzyme activity level and extraction of the active enzyme without heparin usually added to the homogenate. The specific activity of hepatic lipase purified from the ordinary heparin-containing homogenate by affinity chromatography on heparin-sepharose 4B was equal to 3800 microM of FFA/h per mg of protein. If the homogenate previously treated with liquid nitrogen was used as a source of enzyme, the specific activity of hepatic lipase was higher, namely, 13,000 and 19,000 microM of FFA/h per mg of protein in the presence or absence of heparin, respectively.     

Activation of myocardial neutral triglyceride lipase and neutral cholesterol esterase by cAMP-dependent protein kinase

Lipolysis of intracellular triglycerides in the heart has been shown to be regulated by hormones. However, activation of myocardial triglyceride lipase in a cell-free system has not been directly demonstrated. In the present studies, initial attempts to demonstrate cAMP-dependent activation of triglyceride lipase using the 1,000 X g supernatant fraction (S1) of mouse heart homogenate were unsuccessful, presumably due to the masking effects of high levels of lipoprotein lipase activity even when assayed at pH 7.4 and in the absence of apolipoprotein C-II. Myocardial lipoprotein lipase in the 40,000 X g supernatant fraction was then removed by heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. The lipoprotein lipase-free fractions were shown to contain neutral triglyceride lipase and neutral cholesterol esterase of about equal activities. The triglyceride lipase and cholesterol esterase activities fell progressively during preincubation in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+. Additions of cAMP and ATP resulted in 40-70% activation of both triglyceride lipase and cholesterol esterase. The activation was blocked by protein kinase inhibitor and was restored by the addition of exogenous cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Since lipoprotein lipase has no activity toward cholesteryl oleate, activation of cholesterol esterase in untreated S1 was readily demonstrable. Both triglyceride lipase and cholesterol esterase activities were present in homogenates prepared from isolated rat heart myocytes. We conclude that the myocardium contains a hormone-sensitive lipase that is regulated in a fashion similar to that of the adipose tissue enzyme.     

Characterization of serum-stimulated lipoprotein lipase from bovine heart

1. A triglyceride (TG) lipase is present in whole homogenate and tissue extracts of beef myocardium with characteristics of lipoprotein lipase (LPL); i.e., activity is stimulated by serum, inhibited by NaCl and protamine sulfate, the protein binds to heparin-Sepharose, and the enzyme has an alkaline pH optimum. 2. This TG lipase, eluted from heparin-Sepharose at 0.9-1.0 M NaCl, has an apparent mol. wt of 64 K daltons. Its primary mRNA is 3.7 kb. 3. Expression of LPL mRNA and enzyme activities are in the ratio of approximately 20:8:1 for hearts of mouse, rat and beef, respectively and correlate with r = +0.99.     

Some properties of acid lipase in the defatted liver from the laying hen (Gallus domesticus)

Acid lipase activity was found in the defatted liver from the laying hen, but little neutral or alkaline lipase activity was observed in the liver. Most of acid lipase was in the insoluble fraction of the defatted liver, and the enzyme was solubilized by sonication at 9 kHz for 50 min in a slightly alkaline solution. The lipase showed its maximum activity at pH 5.0, 38 degrees C. It was stable below 40 degrees C and over the pH range from 4.0 to 9.0. Detergents, serum of the laying hen and the soluble fraction from the defatted liver homogenate from the laying hen markedly inhibited the lipase activity. The lipase solubilized by sonication was large in molecular mass, suggesting that the preparation formed colloidal particles.     

Purification and properties of a phospholipase A2/lipase preferring phosphatidic acid,bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate,and monoacylglycerol from rat testis

Phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) was purified to homogeneity from the supernatant fraction of rat testis homogenate. The purified 63-kDa enzyme did not require Ca(2+) ions for activity and exhibited both phosphatidic acid-preferring PLA(2) and monoacylglycerol lipase activities with a modest specificity toward unsaturated acyl chains. Anionic detergents enhanced these activities. Serine-modifying irreversible inhibitors, (p-amidinophenyl) methanesulfonyl fluoride and methylarachidonyl fluorophosphonate, inhibited both activities to a similar extent, indicating a single active site is involved in PLA(2) and lipase activities. The sequence of NH(2)-terminal 12 amino acids of purified enzyme was identical to that of a carboxylesterase from rat liver. The optimal pH for PLA(2) activity (around 5.5) differed from that for lipase activity (around 8.0). At pH 5.5 the enzyme also hydrolyzed bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate, or lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA), that has been hitherto known as a secretory PLA(2)-resistant phospholipid and a late endosome marker. LBPA-enriched fractions were prepared from liver lysosome fractions of chloroquine-treated rats, treated with excess of pancreatic PLA(2), and then used for assaying LBPA-hydrolyzing activity. LBPA and the reaction products were identified by microbore normal phase high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization ion-trap mass spectrometry. These enzymatic properties suggest that the enzyme can metabolize phosphatidic and lysobisphosphatidic acids in cellular acidic compartments.     

Heparin-released triglyceride lipase from chang liver cells

Heparin-released triglyceride lipase (TGL) from Chang liver cells (ATCC CCL 13) was investigated using very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) as a substrate. The TGL activity was released into the culture medium when the cells were incubated with heparin. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 8.5, and 80% inhibition by 0.6 M NaCl. These results indicated that Chang liver cells, a cell line derived from liver, synthesize lipoprotein lipase.     

Comparison of heparin-releasable lipase and tissue neutral lipase activity of rat heart

The alkaline, heparin-releasable lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity of isolated, perfused rat hearts was compared with the residual neutral lipase (NL) activity detectable in the post nuclear supernatant (PNS) from a tissue homogenate. Both enzyme activities were increased by serum, heparin and apolipoprotein CII, inhibited by high salt concentrations and by immunotitration with an anti-LPL gamma-globulin fraction. Protamine sulphate from saline liver inhibited LPL activity and the NL activity only in the absence of serum. Incubation of the PNS NL under classic conditions of hormonal stimulation (by phosphorylation) did not alter its activity and upon short-term preperfusion of the hearts with norepinephrine and glucagon also unchanged LPL and NL activities were measured. Our experiments are indicative of a possible similarity between vascular LPL and tissue NL and show that the lipase activities are not sensitive towards hormonal stimulation.     

Comparison of the triglyceride lipase of liver, adipose tissue, and postheparin plasma

Heparin-released triglyceride lipase from three sources, adipose tissue, liver, and postheparin plasma, was compared. Heparin-released triglyceride lipase from liver differed in several major respects from that in adipose tissue. These differences included response to inhibitors and to high density lipoprotein in the incubation media. Heparin-released triglyceride lipase from liver, when compared with that from adipose tissue, was relatively inactive against lipoprotein substrates. The triglyceride lipase from postheparin plasma exhibited properties more like those of liver. These studies raise the possibility that triglyceride lipase in postheparin plasma may be heterogeneous and that levels of the enzyme in postheparin plasma may not accurately reflect the capacity for clearance of triglyceride from the plasma.     

Studies on the hormone-sensitive lipase of adipose tissue

Sucrose gradient centrifugation has been used to examine the triglyceride lipases present in extracts of rat epididymal adipose tissue. The aqueous infranatant recovered between the pellet and fat cake of tissue homogenates which had been centrifuged at 40,000 g was shown to contain two types of triglyceride lipase activity. One of these appears in the 15s region and has been identified as the active form of the "hormone-sensitive lipase" believed to be responsible for initiating the hydrolysis of tissue triglyceride stores in response to lipolytic stimuli. The activity of this enzyme was selectively increased in extracts prepared from tissue exposed to epinephrine and decreased in extracts of insulin-treated tissue. The increased lipolytic activity of extracts of tissue from fasted or fasted-refed rats was also found largely in this region. When the tissue was incubated with orthophosphate-(32)P, radioactivity was incorporated into a protein migrating at 15s. A second peak of triglyceride lipase activity appeared in the 6s region coincident with the location of the monoglyceride and diglyceride lipase activities. The amount of 6s triglyceride lipase activity did not correlate with changes in the lipolytic activity of the tissue from which the extracts were prepared, and its physiological function remains to be elucidated. The lipoprotein lipase and the short-chain triglyceride lipase ("tributyrinase") each moved more slowly in the gradient than the 6s triglyceride lipase. Both the 6s and 15s enzymes were shown to be present in washed adipocytes isolated from the tissue by collagenase digestion.     

Studies on the mechanism of hypertriglyceridemia in the genetically obese Zucker rat

The possibility that impaired removal of lipoprotein triglyceride from the circulation may be a participating factor in the hypertriglyceridemia of the obese Zucker rat was examined. We found no significant differences in the heparin-released lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activities of the adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and heart (expressed per gram of tissue) from the lean and obese Zucker rats. Furthermore, the kinetic properties of adipose tissue and heart LPL from the lean and obese rats were similar, indicating that the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme was unaltered in the obese animals. The postheparin plasma LPL activities of lean and obese rats were also similar. However, the postheparin plasma hepatic triglyceride lipase (H-TGL) activity in the obese rats was elevated. The higher activity of H-TGL could not alleviate the hypertriglyceridemia in these animals. Since hypertriglyceridemia in the obese rats could also be due to the hepatic production of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins which are resistant to lipolysis, we therefore isolated very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) from lean and obese rat liver perfusates and examined their degradation by highly purified human milk LPL. Although certain differences were observed in hepatic VLDL triglyceride fatty acid composition, the kinetic patterns of LPL-catalyzed triglyceride disappearance from lean and obese rat liver perfusate VLDL were similar. The isolated liver perfusate VLDL contained sufficient apolipoprotein C-II for maximum lipolysis. These results indicate that impaired lipolysis is not a contributing factor in the genesis of hypertriglyceridemia in the genetically obese Zucker rat. The hyperlipemic state may be attributed to hypersecretion of hepatic VLDL and consequent saturation of the lipolytic removal of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins from the circulation.     

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.     

Regulation of liver lipase. I. Evidence for several regulatory sites, studied in corticotrophin-treated rats

The activity of liver lipase, an enzyme that can be released from the liver by heparin, varies under several hormonal conditions. The site(s) at which regulation of the enzyme activity may occur was investigated in vitro. As a model, rats were used which had been treated with a corticotrophin analogue, to induce hypercortisolism, a condition in which liver lipase activity is lowered. Lipases isolated from heparin-containing perfusates of livers from ACTH or control rats were identical with respect to heat stability and specific activity as determined by immunotitration and binding to isolated non-parenchymal liver cells, indicating that the enzyme structure was not affected by the treatment. The secretion of liver lipase by isolated parenchymal liver cells was studied. During incubation of parenchymal cells derived from ACTH rats, less enzyme activity was found to be secreted when compared with hepatocytes isolated from control rats (ACTH rats, 2.30 +/- 0.2 mU/10(6) cells; control rats, 3.3 +/- 0.3 mU/10(6) cells). Liver lipase partially purified from control rats could be bound specifically to saturation by non-parenchymal cells, isolated from ACTH or control rats. Non-parenchymal cells from ACTH rats bound less lipase activity (29 mU/mg cell protein) than cells from control rats (50 mU/mg cell protein). This reduction in binding capacity seems to be due to a diminished number of binding sites, since the affinity based on Scatchard analysis and half-maximal binding was not different. These results suggest that the lowered liver lipase activity found during hypercortisolism may be due to an impaired synthesis and/or secretion of the enzyme by the parenchymal cells and to a reduced binding capacity of the non-parenchymal cells for liver lipase.     

Triacylglycerol hydrolysis in isolated hepatic endosomes.

Three endosomal compartments including the compartment for uncoupling receptor and ligand (CURL), multivesicular bodies (MVB), and a putative recycling fraction (retrosomes) were isolated from rat liver homogenates fifteen minutes after a bolus injection of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) was delivered into a femoral vein. Assays for enzyme markers indicate a minimal contamination with either lysosomes or Golgi. The increase in specific activity of the radiolabeled ligand (VLDL) during the isolation procedure from homogenate to MVB, demonstrates a 200-250-fold purification of this organelle. All three fractions have the ability to catabolize triacylglycerol substrate both as triolein and as VLDL triacylglycerol. Furthermore, incubation of isolated endosomes following injection of endogenously labeled VLDL demonstrate their ability to hydrolyze VLDL triacylglycerol in situ. Three distinct lipolytic pH optima were found at pH 5.5, 7.1, and 8.6. The effects of serum, MgCl2, CaCl2, NaCl, sodium dodecyl sulfate, bile acids, and antibody to hepatic triacylglycerol lipase on the individual endosome fractions demonstrated distinct lipolytic activities in the different compartments. Results indicate that both an endosomal neutral lipase as well as hepatic triacylglycerol lipase make a significant contribution to lipolytic processing of endocytosed lipoproteins prior to their resecretion of further processing in hepatic lysosomes.     

A specific histochemical method for the demonstration of the activity of pancreatic lipase

Synopsis Emulsified long-chain triglyceride, a specific substrate for the enzyme pancreatic lipase (glycerol-ester hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3), has been used in a modification of the Gomori technique for the demonstration of lipase. In the range of tissues examined (pancreas, testis, cardiac stomach and liver), true pancreatic lipase activity was revealed only in pancreatic tissue, by contrast with results obtained with less specific methods.     

Clearing-factor lipase in adipose tissue. Distinction of different states of the enzyme and the possible role of the fat cell in the maintenance of tissue activity

1. Incubation of intact epididymal adipose tissue from fed rats at 37 degrees in an albumin solution at pH7.4 in vitro results in rapid loss of clearing-factor lipase activity until a low activity, stable to prolonged incubation, is attained. The clearing-factor lipase activity of intact tissue from starved rats, which is initially much less than that of tissue from fed rats, is mainly stable to incubation at 37 degrees . 2. Much of the clearing-factor lipase activity of intact epididymal adipose tissue from fed rats is inactivated by collagenase. The enzyme activity of intact tissue from starved rats is not inactivated by collagenase. 3. The clearing-factor lipase activity of fat cells isolated from the epididymal adipose tissue of fed rats is stable to prolonged incubation at 37 degrees . It represents only a small proportion of the total activity of the intact tissue. In starved rats, the isolated fat cells contain a much higher proportion of the activity of the intact tissue. Their activity is also stable at 37 degrees . 4. Incubation of isolated fat cells in a serum-based medium leads to a progressive rise in clearing-factor lipase activity. Actinomycin increases the extent of this rise in activity. No rise in clearing-factor lipase activity occurs when stromal-vascular cells isolated from epididymal adipose tissue are incubated in the medium. 5. The findings indicate that less than 20% of the activity of intact adipose tissue from fed rats is retained when fat cells are isolated from the tissue by collagenase treatment. The activity that is lost could be that which normally functions in the uptake of triglyceride fatty acids by the tissue.     

Glyceride lipases in nerve endings of guinea-pig brain and their stimulation by noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine and adrenaline

1. Combined guinea-pig cortex and cerebellum was shown to contain triglyceride lipase, diglyceride lipase and monoglyceride lipase, which were assayed by the release of [1-(14)C]palmitate from [1-(14)C]palmitoylglycerol esters. Triglyceride lipase and diglyceride lipase were found in all particulate fractions. 2. With osmotically ruptured synaptosomes the rates of release of palmitate from glyceryl tripalmitate and glyceryl dipalmitate were 7-25mumol/h per g of protein and 0.18-0.69mmol/h per g of protein respectively. The logarithm of the rate of hydrolysis of glyceryl monopalmitate increased linearly with the logarithm of protein concentration. The pH optima of triglyceride lipase and diglyceride lipase were between 7 and 8. The pH optimum for monoglyceride lipase was approx. 8. 3. Triglyceride lipase and diglyceride lipase of osmotically ruptured synaptosomes were stimulated by noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine and adrenaline. Triglyceride lipase of isolated synaptic membranes was stimulated by 0.01-1mm-noradrenaline. Aging of membranes at 0 degrees C decreased activity, which could still be stimulated by noradrenaline. Diglyceride lipase of isolated membranes was stimulated by 1mum-1mm-noradrenaline. The activity of triglyceride lipase in isolated synaptic vesicles was diminished by 1mm-5-hydroxytryptamine.     

Purification and characterization of lipoprotein lipase from pig myocardium.

1. Lipoprotein lipase was purified from pig myocardium by a two-step purification procedure involving (a) the formation of an enzyme-substrate complex and (b) affinity chromatography on Sepharose which contained covalently linked heparin. The purified enzyme gave in sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis one main band with an apparent molecular weight of 73 000. The enzyme, which was purified 70 000-fold, had a specific activity of 860 mumol of unesterified fatty acid liberated/h per mg of protein. 2. The purified enzyme hydrolysed [14C]triolein emulsions in the absence of added cofactors but its activity was increased fivefold by adding normal human serum. Of the low-density lipoprotein apoproteins only apolipoprotein CII could be substituted for serum in activating the enzyme. This lipase had maximum activity at 0.05-0.15 M-NaCl. Heparin increased the activity of the purified enzyme twofold at low concentrations, but high concentrations inhibited. The triglyceride lipase of pig myocardium thus resembles lipoprotein lipase purified from adipose tissue and from plasma, but is clearly different from pig hepatic triglyceride lipase.     

Role of adipose tissue in methionine–choline-deficient model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

Methionine–choline-deficient (MCD) diet is a widely used dietary model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in rodents. However, the contribution of adipose tissue to MCD-induced steatosis, and inflammation as features of NASH are not fully understood. The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of adipose tissue fatty acid (FA) metabolism, adipogenesis, lipolysis, inflammation and subsequent changes in FA profiles in serum and liver in the pathogenesis of steatohepatitis. We therefore fed ob/ob mice with control or MCD diet for 5 weeks. MCD-feeding increased adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone sensitive lipase activities in all adipose depots which may be attributed to increased systemic FGF21 levels. The highest lipase enzyme activity was exhibited by visceral WAT. Non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA)-18:2n6 was the predominantly elevated FA species in serum and liver of MCD-fed ob/ob mice, while overall serum total fatty acid (TFA) composition was reduced. In contrast, an overall increase of all FA species from TFA pool was found in liver, reflecting the combined effects of increased FA flux to liver, decreased FA oxidation and decrease in lipase activity in liver. NAFLD activity score was increased in liver, while WAT showed no changes and BAT showed even reduced inflammation. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a key role for adipose tissue lipases in the pathogenesis of NASH and provides a comprehensive lipidomic profiling of NEFA and TFA homeostasis in serum and liver. Our findings provide novel mechanistic insights for the role of WAT in progression of MCD-induced liver injury.     

Subcellular distribution of histone-degrading enzyme activities from rat liver.

Chromatin prepared from liver tissue contains a histone-degrading enzyme activity with a pH optimum of 7.5-8.0, whereas chromatin isolated from purified nuclei is devoid of it. The histone-degrading enzyme activity was assayed with radioactively labelled total histones from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Among the different subcellular fractions assayed, only lysosomes and mitochondria exhibited histone-degrading enzymes. A pH optimum around 4.0-5.0 was found for the lysosomal fraction, whereas 7.5-8.0 has been found for mitochondria. Binding studies of frozen and thawed lysosomes or mitochondria to proteinase-free chromatin demonstrate that the proteinase associated with chromatin isolated from frozen tissue originates from damaged mitochondria. The protein degradation patterns obtained after acrylamide gel electrophoresis are similar for the chromatin-associated and the mitochondrial proteinase and different from that obtained after incubation with lysosomes. The chromatin-associated proteinase as well as the mitochondrial proteinase are strongly inhibited by 1.0 mM phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride. Weak inhibition is found for lysosomal proteinases at pH 5. Kallikrein-trypsin inhibitor, however, inhibits lysosomal proteinase activity and has no effect on either chromatin-associated or mitochondrial proteinases. The higher template activity of chromatin isolated from a total homogenate compared to chromatin prepared from nuclei may be due to the presence of this histone-degrading enzyme activity.     

Hydrolysis of fluorescent pyrenetriacylglycerols by lipases from human stomach and gastric juice

Fluorescent triacylglycerols containing pyrenedecanoic (P10) and pyrenebutanoic (P4) acids were synthesized and their hydrolysis by lipases from human gastric juice and stomach homogenate was investigated. The existence in stomach homogenate of four different lipolytic enzymes hydrolyzing fluorescent triacylglycerols is suggested by the comparison of various enzymatic properties: acyl chain length specificity, heat inactivation and effect of detergents (Triton X-100 and taurocholate), serum albumin, diethyl-para-nitrophenyl phosphate (E600) and other inhibitors. (1) The acid pH4-lipase hydrolyzes P10-triacylglycerols but not P4-triacylglycerol and exhibited the characteristic properties of the lysosomal lipase: the maximal activating effect of detergents occurs at relatively high concentrations (the substrate/detergent optimal molar ratios were 1:5 and 1:25 for triacylglycerols/taurocholate and triacylglycerols/Triton X-100, respectively); its activity was strongly inhibited by para-chloromercuribenzoate (2.5 mmol/l), but was not significantly affected by serum albumin and E600 (10(-2) mmol/l). (2) The neutral pH7-lipase hydrolyzes P10-triacylglycerols but not P4-triacylglycerol. It is resistant to E600 and heat-stable, similarly to the acid pH4-lipase, but it is well discriminated from the acid enzyme by its substrate/detergent optimal molar ratios (1:2 and 1:3 for triacylglycerols/taurocholate and triacylglycerols/Triton X-100, respectively), whereas higher detergent concentrations, optimal for the acid lipase, are strongly inhibitory for the neutral enzyme. (3) The pH5-lipase present in gastric juice as well as in stomach homogenate exhibited properties obviously discriminating it from the other lipolytic enzymes from stomach homogenate: broad substrate specificity for P10- as well as P4-triacylglycerols, activation by low concentrations of amphiphiles (with optimal ratios triacylglycerols/taurocholate, triacylglycerols/taurocholate and triacylglycerols/phosphatidylcholine around 1:1, 1:3 and 1:0.1, respectively), heat-lability, strong activation by serum albumin and inhibition by E600 (10(-2) mmol/l). This pH5-lipase is the sole lipolytic enzyme present in gastric juice and is probably identical with the well-known 'gastric' lipase. (4) A pH7.5-enzyme is characterized by its specificity for P4-triacylglycerols, its heat-lability at 50 degrees C and its strong inhibition by E600 (10(-2) mmol/l).