CDP-diacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase Research Articles

Synthesis of azide-modified glycerophospholipid precursor analogs for detection of enzymatic reactions.

Glycerophospholipids (GPLs) are major cell membrane components. Although various phosphorylated molecules are attached to lipid moieties as their headgroups, GPLs are biosynthesized from phosphatidic acid (PA) via its derivatives, diacylglycerol (DAG) or cytidine diphosphate diacylglycerol (CDP-DAG). A variety of molecular probes capable of introducing detection tags have been developed to investigate biological events involved in GPLs. In this study, we report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel analytical tools suitable to monitor the activity of GPL biosynthetic enzymes in vitro. Our synthetic targets, namely, azide-modified PA, azide-modified DAG, and azide-modified CDP-DAG, were successfully obtained from solketal as their common starting material. Moreover, using CDP-diacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase (CDIPT), an enzyme that catalyzed the final reaction step in synthesizing phosphatidylinositol, we demonstrated that azide-modified CDP-DAG worked as a substrate for CDIPT.

Modeling Inflammation in Zebrafish for the Development of Anti-inflammatory Drugs.

Dysregulation of the inflammatory response in humans can lead to various inflammatory diseases, like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. The innate branch of the immune system, including macrophage and neutrophil functions, plays a critical role in all inflammatory diseases. This part of the immune system is well-conserved between humans and the zebrafish, which has emerged as a powerful animal model for inflammation, because it offers the possibility to image and study inflammatory responses in vivo at the early life stages. This review focuses on different inflammation models established in zebrafish, and how they are being used for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs. The most commonly used model is the tail fin amputation model, in which part of the tail fin of a zebrafish larva is clipped. This model has been used to study fundamental aspects of the inflammatory response, like the role of specific signaling pathways, the migration of leukocytes, and the interaction between different immune cells, and has also been used to screen libraries of natural compounds, approved drugs, and well-characterized pathway inhibitors. In other models the inflammation is induced by chemical treatment, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), and copper, and some chemical-induced models, such as treatment with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS), specifically model inflammation in the gastro-intestinal tract. Two mutant zebrafish lines, carrying a mutation in the hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor 1a gene (hai1a) and the cdp-diacylglycerolinositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase (cdipt) gene, show an inflammatory phenotype, and they provide interesting model systems for studying inflammation. These zebrafish inflammation models are often used to study the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids, to increase our understanding of the mechanism of action of this class of drugs and to develop novel glucocorticoid drugs. In this review, an overview is provided of the available inflammation models in zebrafish, and how they are used to unravel molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammatory response and to screen for novel anti-inflammatory drugs.

De novo phosphoinositide synthesis in zebrafish is required for triad formation but not essential for myogenesis.

Phosphoinositides (PIPs) and their regulatory enzymes are key players in many cellular processes and are required for aspects of vertebrate development. Dysregulated PIP metabolism has been implicated in several human diseases, including a subset of skeletal myopathies that feature structural defects in the triad. The role of PIPs in skeletal muscle formation, and particularly triad biogenesis, has yet to be determined. CDP-diacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase (CDIPT) catalyzes the formation of phosphatidylinositol, which is the base of all PIP species. Loss of CDIPT should, in theory, result in the failure to produce PIPs, and thus provide a strategy for establishing the requirement for PIPs during embryogenesis. In this study, we generated cdipt mutant zebrafish and determined the impact on skeletal myogenesis. Analysis of cdipt mutant muscle revealed no apparent global effect on early muscle development. However, small but significant defects were observed in triad size, with T-tubule area, inter terminal cisternae distance and gap width being smaller in cdipt mutants. This was associated with a decrease in motor performance. Overall, these data suggest that myogenesis in zebrafish does not require de novo PIP synthesis but does implicate a role for CDIPT in triad formation.

Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol synthase by glucose in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

A series of interrelated biochemical and functional defects, induced by hyperglycemia, associated with intracellular depletion of D-myo-inositol, and corrected by aldose reductase inhibitors, have been ascribed to abnormal phosphoinositide metabolism in several tissues prone to diabetic complications. However, reductions in tissue D-myo-inositol content are not universally found in complications-prone diabetic tissues, and direct mass-action effects of cellular D-myo-inositol depletion on the critical CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase (PI synthase; EC 2.7.8.11) step have never been shown conclusively in relevant cells. The studies reported here simultaneously estimated the chemical mass of CDP diglyceride by equilibrium labeling with 5-[3H]cytidine and phosphoinositide biosynthesis by the incorporation of [32P]orthophosphate into phosphoinositide. This was done to assess the degree of inhibition of PI synthase under various degrees of D-myo-inositol depletion and sorbitol accumulation induced by glucose and other metabolic manipulations in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells, a new in vitro model for diabetic complications. The results suggest that sorbitol accumulation limits the PI synthase reaction in these cells by selectively depleting specific intracellular pools of D-myo-inositol and/or by possible independent effects of sorbitol on PI synthase.

Primary structure and disruption of the phosphatidylinositol synthase gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The wild-type yeast nuclear gene, PIS, encodes phosphatidylinositol synthase (CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase, EC 2.7.8.11) (Nikawa, J., and Yamashita, S. (1984) Eur. J. Biochem. 143, 251-256). We now report the sequence of the cloned 2, 129-base pair DNA and the location of the PIS coding region within the sequence. The PIS coding frame is capable of encoding 220 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 24,823. On Northern blot analysis, an RNA species that hybridized with the coding region was detected in the total poly(A)+ RNA of the wild-type yeast. The primary translation product contains a region showing local sequence homology with yeast phosphatidylserine synthase (EC 2.7.8.8) and Escherichia coli 3-phosphatidyl-1'-glycerol-3'-phosphate synthase (EC 2.7.8.5), suggesting that these three enzymes are evolutionarily related. The PIS gene was disrupted in vitro through insertion of the yeast HIS3 gene into the coding region. A heterozygous diploid, PIS/pis::HIS3, constructed from a PIS/PIS his3/his3 diploid by replacing one of the wild-type PIS genes with the disrupted PIS gene, showed no segregation of viable His+ spores on tetrad analysis, indicating that disruption of the PIS gene is lethal. The nonviable spores were in an arrested state with a characteristic terminal phenotype, suggesting that the function of the PIS gene is essential for progression of the yeast cell cycle.

Comparison of the enzyme activities of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol synthesis in freshly isolated type II pneumocytes and whole lung from the adult rat

We compared the activities of enzymes of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol synthesis in whole lung tissue and freshly isolated type II pneumocytes from adult rats. The activities of 1-acylglycerophosphocholine acyltransferase and CDPdiacylglycerol-glycerol-3-phosphate 3-phosphati-dyltransferase were 2.9- and 4.4-fold higher, respectively, in type II cell sonicates than in whole lung homogenates. There was little difference between the type II cells and whole lung in the activities of choline kinase, choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase, cholinephosphotransferase, phosphatidate phosphatase, phosphatidate cytidylyltransferase or CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase. Since the type II cell is the source of pulmonary surfactant, and disaturated phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol are major components of surfactant, it is of interest that this cell is enriched in the activities of enzymes exclusively involved in the synthesis of these lipids. In view of possible proteolytic damage during isolation we compared freshly isolated type II cells with those cultured for 1 day. The rates of incorporation of [ methyl- 3H]choline and [2- 3H]glycerol into phospholipids, l-[U- 14C]phenylalanine into protein and [ methyl- 3H]thymidine into DNA were the same in the freshly isolated and cultured cells. The composition of the phospholipids synthesized from [2- 3H]glycerol and sodium [1- 14C]acetate were also the same. The freshly isolated cells were at least 90% pure and did not release significant amounts of lactate dehydrogenase. Since use of freshly isolated cells avoids cell loss during culture they provide an attractive alternative, particularly in studies requiring large amounts of material.

Molecular cloning of the gene encoding CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyl transferase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The structure gene encoding CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase was isolated by complementation in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant after transformation with a comprehensive gene library containing Sau3AI partial restriction fragments of wild-type yeast DNA inserted into the YEp13 shuttle vector. Introduction of the cloned plasmid into the mutant restored both growth of cells and CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase activity. A subcloning study indicated that the complementing gene was contained within a 1700-base-pair fragment of DNA. Expression of the cloned sequence was independent of its orientation in the vector. CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase activity in the transformant was eight fold higher than that in the wild-type strain. Although the mutant enzyme had a greatly increased Km for myo-inositol, the enzyme in the transformant had an apparent Km for myo-inositol equal to that of the wild-type enzyme, indicating the presence of the wild-type structure gene on the recombinant plasmid. The elevated level of enzyme activity in the transformant did not lead to an increase in the content of phosphatidylinositol. In contrast, supplementation of the culture medium with increasing concentrations of myo-inositol resulted in an increase in the phosphatidylinositol content. Thus, the availability of myo-inositol is a critical regulatory factor in yeast phosphatidylinositol synthesis.

Yeast mutant defective in synthesis of phosphatidylinositol. Isolation and characterization of a CDPdiacylglycerol--inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase Km mutant.

1. A Km mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a lesion in CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase was isolated. The mutant required a high concentration of myo-inositol for growth. 2. The CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase in the mutant cells showed an apparent Km for myo-inositol over 200-times higher than that of the enzyme in wild-type cells. The maximum velocity of the mutant enzyme was comparable to that of the wild-type enzyme. 3. In mutant cells, labelled myo-inositol, phosphate and acetate were incorporated into phosphatidylinositol at much slower rates than in wild-type cells. The phosphatidylinositol content of mutant cells was markedly lower than that observed in wild-type cells. 4. Genetic analysis showed that the growth phenotype of the mutant arose from a single nuclear gene mutation in a gene coding for CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase. 5. The mutant showed a normal level of phosphatidylserine synthase activity. The phosphatidylserine synthase gene was located between ura3 and hom3 on chromosome V, whereas the CDPdiacylglycerol-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase gene showed no linkage with ura3. 6. Labelled acetate was incorporated into various lipids including triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, sterol esters and phospholipids other than phosphatidylinositol at faster rates in mutant cells than in wild-type cells. Incorporation into both the fatty acid and the sterol moieties was facilitated in the mutant. 7. A striking change in the cell-division process was observed when phosphatidylinositol synthesis was limited. The results showed that phosphatidylinositol synthesis is involved in the cell-division cycle of yeast.