Publications

• Acylation of 1-alkenyl-glycerophosphocholine and 1-acyl-glycerophosphocholine in guinea pig heart.

  Arthur G., Choy P.C.

  The deacylation-reacylation process has been shown to be an important pathway for phospholipids to attain the desired acyl groups at the C-2 position. The acylation of 1-acyl-glycerophosphocholine (-GPC) in mammalian hearts has been well documented, but the acylation of 1-alkenyl-GPC has not been ... >> More

  The deacylation-reacylation process has been shown to be an important pathway for phospholipids to attain the desired acyl groups at the C-2 position. The acylation of 1-acyl-glycerophosphocholine (-GPC) in mammalian hearts has been well documented, but the acylation of 1-alkenyl-GPC has not been described. In this paper, we demonstrate the presence of acyl-CoA: 1-alkenyl-GPC acyltransferase for the acylation of 1-alkenyl-GPC in mammalian hearts; the highest activity is found in guinea pig heart. The guinea pig heart 1-alkenyl-GPC acyltransferase has only 10-40% of the 1-acyl-GPC acyltransferase activity, and both activities are located in the microsomal fraction. However, these two enzymes respond differently to cations, detergents and heat treatment, and the two enzymes also display different acyl specificity. Kinetic studies indicate that both reactions could not be accommodated by the same catalytic site. The results provide strong evidence that the two activities are from separate and distinct proteins. The specificity of 1-alkenyl-GPC acyltransferase for unsaturated species of acyl-CoA may play an important role in the maintenance of the high degree of unsaturated acyl groups found in guinea pig heart plasmalogens. << Less

  Biochem J 236:481-487(1986) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Discovery of a lysophospholipid acyltransferase family essential for membrane asymmetry and diversity.

  Hishikawa D., Shindou H., Kobayashi S., Nakanishi H., Taguchi R., Shimizu T.

  All organisms consist of cells that are enclosed by a cell membrane containing bipolar lipids and proteins. Glycerophospholipids are important not only as structural and functional components of cellular membrane but also as precursors of various lipid mediators. Polyunsaturated fatty acids compri ... >> More

  All organisms consist of cells that are enclosed by a cell membrane containing bipolar lipids and proteins. Glycerophospholipids are important not only as structural and functional components of cellular membrane but also as precursors of various lipid mediators. Polyunsaturated fatty acids comprising arachidonic acid or eicosapentaenoic acid are located at sn-2 position, but not at sn-1 position of glycerophospholipids in an asymmetrical manner. In addition to the asymmetry, the membrane diversity is important for membrane fluidity and curvature. To explain the asymmetrical distribution of fatty acids, the rapid turnover of sn-2 position was proposed in 1958 by Lands [Lands WE (1958) Metabolism of glycerolipides: A comparison of lecithin and triglyceride synthesis. J Biol Chem 231:883-888]. However, the molecular mechanisms and biological significance of the asymmetry remained unknown. Here, we describe a putative enzyme superfamily consisting mainly of three gene families, which catalyzes the transfer of acyl-CoAs to lysophospholipids to produce different classes of phospholipids. Among them, we characterized three important enzymes with different substrate specificities and tissue distributions; one, termed lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase-3 (a mammalian homologue of Drosophila nessy critical for embryogenesis), prefers arachidonoyl-CoA, and the other two enzymes incorporate oleoyl-CoAs to lysophosphatidylethanolamine and lysophosphatidylserine. Thus, we propose that the membrane diversity is produced by the concerted and overlapped reactions with multiple enzymes that recognize both the polar head group of glycerophospholipids and various acyl-CoAs. Our findings constitute a critical milestone for our understanding about how membrane diversity and asymmetry are established and their biological significance. << Less

  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105:2830-2835(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 23 other entries.

• Characterization of two Arabidopsis thaliana acyltransferases with preference for lysophosphatidylethanolamine.

  Staalberg K., Staahl U., Stymne S., Ohlrogge J.

  <h4>Background</h4>Two previously uncharacterized Arabidopsis genes that encode proteins with acyltransferase PlsC regions were selected for study based on their sequence similarity to a recently identified lung lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT). To identify their substrate specifici ... >> More

  <h4>Background</h4>Two previously uncharacterized Arabidopsis genes that encode proteins with acyltransferase PlsC regions were selected for study based on their sequence similarity to a recently identified lung lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT). To identify their substrate specificity and biochemical properties, the two Arabidopsis acyltransferases, designated AtLPEAT1, (At1g80950), and AtLPEAT2 (At2g45670) were expressed in yeast knockout lines ale1 and slc1 that are deficient in microsomal lysophosphatidyl acyltransferase activities.<h4>Results</h4>Expression of AtLPEAT1 in the yeast knockout ale1 background exhibited strong acylation activity of lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) and lysophosphatidate (LPA) with lower activity on lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and lysophosphatidylserine (LPS). AtLPEAT2 had specificities in the order of LPE > LPC > LPS and had no or very low activity with LPA. Both acyltransferases preferred 18:1-LPE over 16:0-LPE as acceptor and preferred palmitoyl-CoA as acyl donor in combination with 18:1-LPE. Both acyltransferases showed no or minor responses to Ca2+, despite the presence of a calcium binding EF-hand region in AtLPEAT2. AtLPEAT1 was more active at basic pH while AtLPEAT2 was equally active between pH 6.0 - 9.0.<h4>Conclusion</h4>This study represents the first description of plant acyltransferases with a preference for LPE. In conclusion it is suggested that the two AtLPEATs, with their different biochemical and expression properties, have different roles in membrane metabolism/homoeostasis. << Less

  BMC Plant Biol. 9:60-60(2009) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]