A patatin-like protein with galactolipase activity is induced by drought stress in Vigna unguiculata leaves

This paper reports the cloning of a cDNA (Vupat1) expressed in Vigna unguiculata leaves coding for a protein with 48% sequence homology to patatin, the major protein from potato tuber which has lipolytic acylhydrolase activity. Two cultivars differing in drought tolerance were examined in Northern-blot analyses. Expression of Vupat1 is stimulated by drought stress, especially in the drought-sensitive cultivar. Vupat1 was expressed in the baculovirus system as a fusion protein secreted in the culture medium. The recombinant protein displays lipolytic activity towards monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol and sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerols.     

Rapid functional identification of putative genes based on the combined in vitro protein synthesis with mass spectrometry: a tool for functional genomics

For the rapid identification of functional activity of unknown genes from a sequence database, a new method based on in vitro protein synthesis combined with mass spectrometry was developed. To discriminate their subtle enzymatic activity, in vitro synthesized and one-step purified lipolytic enzymes, such as lip A and lip B from Bacillus subtilis and an unknown protein ybfF from Escherichia coli, were reacted with a mixture of triglycerides with different carbon chain lengths. Using direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) analysis of reaction product, all three enzymes were revealed to have strong esterase activity rather than true lipase activity, which has no reactivity on long-chain fatty acids such as triolein. These results were also confirmed by classical color assay using p-nitrophenyl butyrate (pNPB) and p-nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) as representative lipolytic substrates.     

Lipase Production and Activity as a Function of Incubation Time, pH and Temperature of Four Lipolytic Micro-organisms

S ummary . The lipolytic activity in supernatant fractions of cultures of Saccharomycopsis lipolytica, Micrococcus caseolyticus, Bacillus licheniformis , and a Staphylococcus sp. was studied. Nutrient broth with and without emulsified olive oil was used as substrate. Optimal pH values and temperatures for the lipase produced by the 4 different micro-organisms were determined. The lipolytic activity generally reached a maximum after incubation for 2–6 days. The subsequent decrease in the lipolytic activity was associated with a high proteolytic activity only for Micrococcus caseolyticus . The lipolytic activity was decreased by the presence of olive oil in the medium. Determination of the lipolytic activity after a certain time of incubation, the maximal lipolytic activity and a time-integrated lipolytic activity are compared as estimators for the potential hydrolytic capacity of micro-organisms.     

Masoprocol decreases rat lipolytic activity by decreasing the phosphorylation of HSL

Masoprocol (nordihydroguaiaretic acid), a lipoxygenase inhibitor isolated from the creosote bush, has been shown to decrease adipose tissue lipolytic activity both in vivo and in vitro. The present study was initiated to test the hypothesis that the decrease in lipolytic activity by masoprocol resulted from modulation of adipose tissue hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) activity. The results indicate that oral administration of masoprocol to rats with fructose-induced hypertriglyceridemia significantly decreased their serum free fatty acid (FFA; P < 0.05), triglyceride (TG; P < 0.001), and insulin (P < 0.05) concentrations. In addition, isoproterenol-induced lipolytic rate and HSL activity were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in adipocytes isolated from masoprocol compared with vehicle-treated rats and was associated with a decrease in HSL protein. Incubation of masoprocol with adipocytes from chow-fed rats significantly inhibited isoproterenol-induced lipolytic activity and HSL activity, associated with a decrease in the ability of isoproterenol to phosphorylate HSL. Masoprocol had no apparent effect on adipose tissue phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity, but okadaic acid, a serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor, blocked the antilipolytic effect of masoprocol. The results of these in vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that the antilipolytic activity of masoprocol is secondary to its ability to inhibit HSL phosphorylation, possibly by increasing phosphatase activity. As a consequence, masoprocol administration results in lower serum FFA and TG concentrations in hypertriglyceridemic rodents.     

In vitro lipolytic effect of bovine pituitary diabetogenic protein.

Bovine diabetogenic protein has been further purified by gel filtration yielding a fraction (Mr 25 000--28 000) having increased diabetogenic and in vitro lipolytic activity. Using rat epididymal fat pads, this fraction was shown to be lipolytic at concentrations as low as 1--10 mug/ml. The in vitro lipolytic effect was unaffected by the nutritional state of the animals, was not potentiated by dexamethasone, could be demonstrated in the presence and absence of glucose and was not mediated by alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors. A lag phase of greater than 1 h was observed before diabetogenic protein induced lipolysis occurred, suggesting that protein synthesis might be involved. Cycloheximide (10 mug/ml), added initially, prevented the diabetogenic protein-induced lipolysis. This direct effect of the purified protein on adipose tissue helps explain the elevation of free fatty acids seen when bovine diabetogenic hormone is administered in vivo and suggests that this anterior pituitary protein may be a new lipid-mobilizing hormone.     

Isolation, characterization and molecular cloning of a lipolytic enzyme secreted from Malassezia pachydermatis

Lipophilic Malassezia species may induce catheter-associated sepsis in premature neonates and immunocompromised patients receiving parenteral lipid emulsions. To assess the participation of lipolytic enzymes in the pathogenesis of this yeast, we cloned a gene encoding the enzyme. A lipolytic enzyme in the culture supernatant of Malassezia pachydermatis was purified 210-fold to homogeneity. The enzyme showed high esterase activity toward p-nitrophenyl octanoate. The cDNA encoding the enzyme was cloned using a degenerate oligonucleotide primer constructed from the N-terminal amino acid sequence. The cDNA consisted of 1582 bp, including an open reading frame encoding 470 amino acids. The first 19 amino acids and the following 13 amino-acid sequence were predicted to be the signal peptides for secretion and prosequence, respectively. The predicted molecular mass of the 438-amino acid mature protein was 48 kDa. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence revealed that it contains the consensus motif (Gly-X-Ser-X-Gly), which is conserved among lipolytic enzymes. Homology investigations showed that the enzyme has similarities principally with 11 lipases produced by Candida albicans (29-34% identity) and some other yeast lipases.     

Lipolysis and beta-adrenergic receptor binding on adipocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Adipocytes from spontaneously hypertensive rats demonstrated a blunted lipolytic response to isoproterenol and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. (-)-[3H]Dihydroalprenolol binding was examined in adipocytes from normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Increasing concentrations of isoproterenol decreased total (-)-[3H]dihydroalprenolol binding to intact cells from normotensive rats, and the efficacy of competition was decreased in adipocytes from spontaneously hypertensive rats. Scatchard analysis indicated that the number of (-)-[3H]dihydroalprenolol binding sites and the affinity of dihydroalprenolol binding were comparable between normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Isoproterenol- and Gpp(NH)p-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was consistently depressed in adipocyte membranes from spontaneously hypertensive rats as compared to normotensive rats. No difference in fluoride-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was observed. The blunted lipolytic and cyclic AMP response to isoproterenol in these cells suggest a postreceptor lesion of the lipolytic pathway (possibly the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein) in adipocytes from spontaneously hypertensive rats. The blunted lipolytic response to dibutyryl cyclic AMP suggests defective regulation of lipolytic enzymes at the protein kinase-hormone-sensitive lipase level.     

Isolation of novel lipolytic genes from uncultured bacteria of pond water

Metagenomic libraries give access to gene pool of bacteria present in environmental samples avoiding the culture bias. A metagenomic library of pond water microbial assemblage in plasmid vector containing about 532 Mb of community DNA was prepared. Screening of a part of the unamplified library resulted in isolation of 11 unique lipolytic clones with an ability to hydrolyze tributyrin. DNA sequence of the lipolytic genes varied in G+C composition from 57% to 75%. Twelve lipolytic genes encoding proteins with 25-70% amino acid identity with proteins in the databases were identified. Ten of the encoded proteins belonged to seven known lipolytic protein families. One of the proteins was similar to recently identified esterase BioH. A lipolytic protein with high similarity to yet uncharacterized alpha/beta hydrolase protein family abh_upf0017 was identified from one of the clones. Conserved motif for lipolytic enzymes GXSXG, conserved aspartic and histidine residues were identified in this encoded protein.     

Some aspects of regulation of fat body lipolytic activity in Galleria mellonella

The degradation of ¹⁴C-trioleate by the homogenate of fat body of normally developing specimens of both sexes of Galleria mellonella at different days after the larval-pupal ecdysis, and of specimens subjected to different experiments was studied. It has been confirmed that the lipolytic activity of female fat body being low after the larval-pupal ecdysis, rises distinctly by about 6 days later. In contrast to this, the lipolytic activity of this tissue in males is high and does not appear to undergo changes.Ovariotectomy causes a significant fall of lipolytic activity.Preincubation of fat body of ovariotectomized females in the medium containing ovaries of pharate adults 6 days after the larval-pupal ecdysis brings about a rise of lipolytic activity of this tissue.     

Metabolism of isolated fat cells from various tissue sites in the rat: influence of hemorrhagic hypotension

The in vitro lipolytic response to norepinephrine by rat adipocytes from epididymal, subcutaneous, perirenal, mesenteric, and omental tissue sites was studied in control and hypotensive animals. Lipolysis per millimole of triglyceride was found to be three to four times higher in mesenteric and omental fat cells than in adipocytes of the other sites sampled. The high lipolytic activity of mesenteric and omental adipocytes was partly attributable to their smaller cell size; however, lipolysis per cell was also higher. Hemorrhagic hypotension caused a 50-60% decrease in lipolytic activity at four of the five sites studied. Adipocytes of omental origin maintained their lipolytic activity at the prehypotensive level, however, indicating that the metabolic adjustments brought about by hemorrhagic hypotension are not uniform at all adipose tissue sites.     

Biomodulator-mediated susceptibility of endogenous lipid droplets from rat adipocytes to hormone-sensitive lipase

The amount of fatty acid release by a fat cell homogenate without pretreatment with epinephrine was found to be slightly more than that released from fat cells by epinephrine, suggesting that fat cells contain high lipolytic activity even in the absence of lipolytic agents. Fat cells contain high hormone-sensitive lipase activity (1383 mumole free fatty acids/g/hr) in the absence of epinephrine, and addition of epinephrine to the cells did not increase the activity, significantly. Like epinephrine, DBcAMP and/or theophylline also elicited marked release of glycerol from fat cells without activating the hormone-sensitive lipase activity. However, although fat cells contain a large amount of hormone-sensitive lipase, lipolysis was negligible in the absence of these lipolytic agents. These results suggest that lipolytic agents such as epinephrine, DBcAMP, and theophylline induce lipolysis in fat cells through some mechanism other than activation of hormone-sensitive lipase and that in the absence of lipolytic agents, some system in fat cells inhibits lipolysis of endogenous lipid droplets by hormone-sensitive lipase. The lipid droplets in fat cells consist mainly of triglyceride with phospholipids, cholesterol, carbohydrate, and protein as minor constituents. The phospholipid fraction was found to consist of 75% phosphatidylcholine and 25% phosphatidylethanolamine. Of the minor constituents of endogenous lipid droplets, only phosphatidylcholine strongly inhibited hormone-sensitive lipase activity in a [3H]triolein emulsion. These results suggest that phosphatidylcholine in endogenous lipid droplets may be responsible for inhibition of hormone-sensitive lipase. Then, a cell-free system was established in which epinephrine, DBcAMP, and theophylline stimulated lipolysis of endogenous lipid droplets from fat cells by lipase solution. In this system, these lipolytic agents did not induce lipolysis in the absence of added lipase. Lipolysis in the mixture of the endogenous lipid droplets and lipase solution was accelerated by phospholipase C with concomitant loss of epinephrine-induced lipolysis. After pretreatment of the endogenous lipid droplets with phospholipase C, these lipolytic agents no longer induced lipolysis. Pretreatment of the endogenous lipid droplets with phospholipase C reduced their phospholipid content with the formation of phosphorylcholine, but did not affect their triglyceride and cholesterol contents. Treatment of the endogenous lipid droplets with phospholipase D did not affect lipolysis in the cell-free system. These results suggest that phosphatidylcholine in the endogenous lipid droplets may inhibit their lipolysis by hormone-sensitive lipase in fat cells and also be involved in the mechanisms of the stimulatory effects of epinephrine, DBcAMP, and theophylline on lipolysis.     

Studies on hormonal regulation of lipolysis and lipogenesis in fat cells of various mammalian species

1. Corticotropin-stimulated lipolysis in adipocytes of rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits. Melanotropins elicited high lipolytic activity only in guinea pig and rabbit adipocytes. Opiate peptides were active only in rabbit adipocytes. Pituitary and chorionic gonadotropins and somatotropin were lipolytic in guinea pig adipocytes. Other hormones tested including prolactin, somatostatin, substance P, neurotensin, angiotensin II, thyrotropin releasing hormone and pancreatic polypeptide were devoid of lipolytic activity in all of the adipocytes studied. 2. In the rabbit adipocytes gamma-melanotropin was lipolytic only at high doses. At these doses the peptide inhibited the lipolytic response to a high dose of corticotropin. 3. Lipolysis stimulated by vasoactive intestinal peptide and epinephrine in rat adipocytes was antagonized by insulin. The lipolytic hormones corticotropin, epinephrine, vasoactive intestinal peptide and secretin suppressed basal and insulin-stimulated lipogenesis.     

In vitro lipolytic effect of bovine pituitary diabetogenic protein

Bovine diabetogenic protein has been further purified by gel filtration yielding a fraction (M_r 25 000–28 000) having increased diabetogenic and in vitro lipolytic activity. Using rat epididymal fat pads, this fraction was shown to be lipolytic at concentrations as low as 1–10 μg/ml. The in vitro lipolytic effect was unaffected by the nutritional state of the animals, was not potentiated by dexamethasone, could be demonstrated in the presence and absence of glucose and was not mediated by α- and β-adrenergic receptors. A lag phase of > 1 h was observed before diabetogenic protein induced lipolysis occurred, suggesting that protein synthesis might be involved. Cycloheximide (10 μg/ml), added initially, prevented the diabetogenic protein-induced lipolysis. This direct effect of the purified protein on adipose tissue helps explain the elevation of free fatty acids seen when bovine diabetogenic hormone is administered in vivo and suggests that this anterior pituitary protein may be a new lipid-mobilizing hormone.     

Pituitary protein lipolytic factor(s): Partial purification by isoelectric focusing (IEF)

Tests were made on highly purified bovine peptidal pituitary factors for lipolytic activity on rat adipose tissue. The lipolytic protein factor from bovine pituitary glands was isolated and characterized by ethanol precipitation, gel filtration, and isoelectric focusing. The supernatant of the homogenized tissue was precipitated with ethanol, the precipitate was lyophilized and resuspended in HCl 1 mmole/liter, the insoluble was discarded, and the supernatant lyophilized. A solution of the lyophilized fraction was fractionated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75. The bands with lipolytic activity were pooled and lyophilized. Lipolytic activity was determined by incubation of epididimal rat adipose tissue and by successive measurements of free fatty acids and glycerol released in the incubation medium. The gel filtration with the highest lipolytic activity (20.4 µequiv/g per 4 hr and 17.0 µmole/g per 4 hr glycerol) was submitted to isoelectric focusing. The gel filtration still appeared highly heterogeneous, but most of the lipolytic activity was concentrated in the protein band at pH 8.6.     

分支杆菌噬菌体D29 Lysin B的表达、纯化及酶学性质分析

克隆表达噬菌体D29 LysinB(LysB)并对其酶学性质进行研究。以噬菌体D29基因组为模板,用PCR方法扩增lysB基因,与表达载体pET22b连接,将重组质粒转化至Escherichiacoli BL21(DE3)中表达,镍柱亲和层析(Ni-NTA)纯化可溶性表达产物,并对重组蛋白的活性进行分析检测。结果表明:成功构建了pET22b-lysB表达载体,并从1L的LB培养物中获得了33.2mg高纯度重组蛋白(His-LysB);His-LysB具有分解脂肪的能力,属于脂肪酶;生物化学特性分析表明:丁酸对硝基苯(pNPB)为水解底物,His-LysB热稳定性不佳,30℃以下比较稳定,随着温度的升高,稳定性逐渐降低;该蛋白具有较高的pH值适应性,pH5.0~9.5范围内稳定性较高;在23℃和pH7.5时酶活力最高,其比酶活为1.3U/mg;金属离子Zn2+、Cu2+、Mg2+、Mn2+和苯甲基磺酰氟(PMSF)抑制剂对酶活具有强烈的抑制作用。本研究为开发新的治疗结核药物提供了一个新的选择。     

A new esterase EstD2 isolated from plant rhizosphere soil metagenome

Soil metagenome constitutes a reservoir for discovering novel enzymes from the unculturable microbial diversity. From three plant rhizosphere metagenomic libraries comprising a total of 142,900 members of recombinant plasmids, we obtained 14 recombinant fosmids that exhibited lipolytic activity. A selected recombinant plasmid, pFLP-2, which showed maximum lipolytic activity, was further analyzed. DNA sequence analysis of the subclone in pUC119, pELP-2, revealed an open reading frame of 1,191 bp encoding a 397-amino-acid protein. Purified EstD2 exhibited maximum enzymatic activity towards p-nitrophenyl butyrate, indicating that it is an esterase. Purified EstD2 showed optimal activity at 35 °C and at pH 8.0. The K _m and K _cat values were determined to be 79.4 μM and 120.5/s, respectively. The esterase exhibited an increase in enzymatic activity in the presence of 15% butanol and 15% methanol. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the lipolytic protein EstD2 may be a member of a novel family of lipolytic enzymes. Several hypothetical protein homologs of EstD2 were found in the database. A hypothetical protein from Phenylobacterium zucineum HLK1, a close homolog of EstD2, displayed lipolytic activity when the corresponding gene was expressed in Escherichia coli. Our results suggest that the other hypothetical protein homologs of EstD2 might also be members of this novel family.     

Identification and characterization of phoN-Sf, a gene on the large plasmid of Shigella flexneri 2a encoding a nonspecific phosphatase.

A gene encoding a nonspecific phosphatase, named PhoN-Sf, was identified on the large virulence plasmid (pMYSH6000) of Shigella flexneri 2a YSH6000. The phosphatase activity in YSH6000 was observed under high-phosphate conditions. However, it was found that low-phosphate conditions induced a slightly higher level of activity. The nucleotide sequence of the phoN-Sf region cloned from pMYSH6000 possessing the phoN-Sf gene encoded 249 amino acids with a typical signal sequence at the N terminus. The deduced amino acid sequence of the PhoN-Sf protein revealed significant homology to sequences of nonspecific acid phosphatases of other bacteria, such as Providencia stuartii (PhoN, 83.2%), Morganella morganii (PhoC, 80.6%), Salmonella typhimurium (PhoN, 47.8%), and Zymomonas mobilis (PhoC, 34.8%). The PhoN-Sf protein was purified, and its biochemical properties were characterized. The apparent molecular mass of the protein on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was calculated to be 27 kDa. The 20 amino acids at the N terminus corresponded to the 20 amino acid residues following the putative signal sequence of PhoN-Sf protein deduced from the nucleotide sequence. The PhoN-Sf activity had a pH optimum of 6.6, and the optimum temperature was 37 degrees C. The enzymatic activity was inhibited by diisopropyl fluorophosphate, N-bromosuccinimide, or dithiothreitol but not by EDTA. The subcellular localization of the PhoN-Sf protein in YSH6000 revealed that the protein was found predominantly in the periplasm. Examination of Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli strains for PhoN-Sf production by immunoblotting with the PhoN-specific antibody and for the presence of phoN-Sf DNA by using a phoN-Sf probe indicated that approximately one-half of the strains possessed the phoN-Sf gene on the large plasmid and expressed the PhoN-Sf protein. The Tn5 insertion mutants of YSH6000 possessing phoN-Sf::Tn5 still retained wild-type levels of invasiveness, as well as the subsequent spreading capacity in MK2 epithelial cell monolayers, thus suggesting that the PhoN-Sf activity is not involved in expression of the virulence phenotypes of Shigella strains under in vitro conditions.     

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.