Cholesterol oxidase catalyzed oxidation of cholesterol in mixed lipid monolayers: effects of surface pressure and phospholipid composition on catalytic activity

Abstract

The catalytic activity of cholesterol oxidase from Streptomyces sp. in mixed monolayers of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC), N-oleoylsphingomyelin (O-SPM), and cholesterol (CHL) has been determined at lateral surface pressures between 10 and 30 mN/m. The highest cholesterol oxidase activity (determined at 37 degrees C) was observed at surface pressures around 20 mN/m in a POPC/CHL monolayer (50:50 mol %). Above and below this surface pressure, the enzyme activity decreased markedly. A similar optimal activity vs surface pressure relationship was observed also for an O-SPM/CHL monolayer (50:50 mol %). The activity of cholesterol oxidase toward cholesterol in the O-SPM/CHL monolayer was, however, less than in the corresponding POPC mixed monolayer. The surface activity of cholesterol oxidase decreased markedly when the temperature was lowered to 20 degrees C, and hardly any enzyme activity was observed in an O-SPM/CHL monolayer at 25 mN/m or above. With a monolayer containing POPC/O-SPM/CHL (42:18:40 mol %), maximal cholesterol oxidase activity was observed at the lowest surface pressure tested (i.e., 10 mN/m), and the catalytic activity decreased markedly with increasing lateral surface pressures in the monolayer. The results of this study show (i) that the activity of cholesterol oxidase in general is highly dependent on the lateral surface pressure in the substrate membranes and (ii) that sphingomyelin, by interacting tightly with cholesterol, can prevent or restrain the accessibility of cholesterol for oxidation by cholesterol oxidase.