Microsomal fatty acyl-CoA transacylation and hydrolysis: fatty acyl-CoA species dependent modulation by liver fatty acyl-CoA binding proteins

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Liver and intestinal cytosol contain abundant levels of long chain fatty acyl-CoA binding proteins such as liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) and acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP). However, the relative function and specificity of these proteins in microsomal utilization of long chain fatty acyl-CoAs (LCFA-CoAs) for sequential transacylation of glycerol-3-phosphate to form phosphatidic acid is not known. The results showed for the first time that L-FABP and ACBP both stimulated microsomal incorporation of the monounsaturated oleoyl-CoA and polyunsaturated arachidonoyl-CoA 8–10-fold and 2–3-fold, respectively. In contrast, these proteins inhibited microsomal utilization of the saturated palmitoyl-CoA by 69% and 62%, respectively. These similar effects of L-FABP and ACBP on microsomal phosphatidic acid biosynthesis were mediated primarily through the activity of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), the rate limiting step, rather than by protecting the long chain acyl-CoAs from microsomal hydrolase activity. In fact, ACBP but not L-FABP protected long chain fatty acyl-CoAs from microsomal acyl-CoA hydrolase activity in the order: palmitoyl-CoA>oleoyl-CoA>arachidonoyl-CoA. In summary, the data established for the first time a role for both L-FABP and ACBP in microsomal phosphatidic acid biosynthesis. By preferentially stimulating microsomal transacylation of unsaturated long chain fatty acyl-CoAs while concomitantly exerting their differential protection from microsomal acyl-CoA hydrolase, L-FABP and ACBP can uniquely function in modulating the pattern of fatty acids esterified to phosphatidic acid, the de novo precursor of phospholipids and triacylglycerols. This may explain in part the simultaneous presence of these proteins in cell types involved in fatty acid absorption and lipoprotein secretion.