Publications

• The phospholipase PNPLA7 functions as a lysophosphatidylcholine hydrolase and interacts with lipid droplets through its catalytic domain.

  Heier C., Kien B., Huang F., Eichmann T.O., Xie H., Zechner R., Chang P.A.

  Mammalian patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing proteins (PNPLAs) are lipid-metabolizing enzymes with essential roles in energy metabolism, skin barrier development, and brain function. A detailed annotation of enzymatic activities and structure-function relationships remains an important p ... >> More

  Mammalian patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing proteins (PNPLAs) are lipid-metabolizing enzymes with essential roles in energy metabolism, skin barrier development, and brain function. A detailed annotation of enzymatic activities and structure-function relationships remains an important prerequisite to understand PNPLA functions in (patho-)physiology, for example, in disorders such as neutral lipid storage disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and neurodegenerative syndromes. In this study, we characterized the structural features controlling the subcellular localization and enzymatic activity of PNPLA7, a poorly annotated phospholipase linked to insulin signaling and energy metabolism. We show that PNPLA7 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) transmembrane protein that specifically promotes hydrolysis of lysophosphatidylcholine in mammalian cells. We found that transmembrane and regulatory domains in the PNPLA7 N-terminal region cooperate to regulate ER targeting but are dispensable for substrate hydrolysis. Enzymatic activity is instead mediated by the C-terminal domain, which maintains full catalytic competence even in the absence of N-terminal regions. Upon elevated fatty acid flux, the catalytic domain targets cellular lipid droplets and promotes interactions of PNPLA7 with these organelles in response to increased cAMP levels. We conclude that PNPLA7 acts as an ER-anchored lysophosphatidylcholine hydrolase that is composed of specific functional domains mediating catalytic activity, subcellular positioning, and interactions with cellular organelles. Our study provides critical structural insights into an evolutionarily conserved class of phospholipid-metabolizing enzymes. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 292:19087-19098(2017) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 3 other entries.

• Purification, characterization, and inhibition by phosphatidic acid of lysophospholipase transacylase from rat liver.

  Sugimoto H., Yamashita S.

  Lysophospholipase transacylase was purified 214,360-fold to homogeneity from the rat liver 100,000 x g supernatant. After DEAE chromatography, total activity increased 12.9-fold, due to the removal of endogenous inhibitors. The inhibitors were isolated and identified as phosphatidic acid and fatty ... >> More

  Lysophospholipase transacylase was purified 214,360-fold to homogeneity from the rat liver 100,000 x g supernatant. After DEAE chromatography, total activity increased 12.9-fold, due to the removal of endogenous inhibitors. The inhibitors were isolated and identified as phosphatidic acid and fatty acid. The final preparation showed a single band on SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis with an M(r) of 60,000. Gel filtration through Sephacryl S-200 gave a similar value, suggesting that the enzyme exists as a monomer. Activity was highest at pH 6.0 and was not affected by Ca2+, Mg2+, and EDTA. The enzyme produced glycerophosphocholine (GPC), palmitic acid, and dipalmitoyl-GPC on incubation with 1-palmitoyl-GPC, indicating that the enzyme catalyzed both deacylation and transacylation. The relative rates of deacylation and transacylation were 1:0.3 under standard assay conditions. Km for 1-palmitoyl-GPC and Vmax of hydrolase activity were 91 microM and 12.9 mumol/min/mg, respectively. The enzyme was selective for choline lysophospholipid. Ethanolamine, inositol, and serine lysophospholipids were not good substrates of the enzyme. Phosphatidic acid was a potent, competitive inhibitor of the enzyme with Ki of about 10 microM as determined with 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl glycerophosphate. Although less potent, lysophosphatidic acid, palmitoyl-L-carnitine, and fatty acid were also inhibitory to the enzyme. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 269:6252-6258(1994) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 8 other entries.

• ABHD12 controls brain lysophosphatidylserine pathways that are deregulated in a murine model of the neurodegenerative disease PHARC.

  Blankman J.L., Long J.Z., Trauger S.A., Siuzdak G., Cravatt B.F.

  Advances in human genetics are leading to the discovery of new disease-causing mutations at a remarkable rate. Many such mutations, however, occur in genes that encode for proteins of unknown function, which limits our molecular understanding of, and ability to devise treatments for, human disease ... >> More

  Advances in human genetics are leading to the discovery of new disease-causing mutations at a remarkable rate. Many such mutations, however, occur in genes that encode for proteins of unknown function, which limits our molecular understanding of, and ability to devise treatments for, human disease. Here, we use untargeted metabolomics combined with a genetic mouse model to determine that the poorly characterized serine hydrolase α/β-hydrolase domain-containing (ABHD)12, mutations in which cause the human neurodegenerative disorder PHARC (polyneuropathy, hearing loss, ataxia, retinosis pigmentosa, and cataract), is a principal lysophosphatidylserine (LPS) lipase in the mammalian brain. ABHD12(-/-) mice display massive increases in a rare set of very long chain LPS lipids that have been previously reported as Toll-like receptor 2 activators. We confirm that recombinant ABHD12 protein exhibits robust LPS lipase activity, which is also substantially reduced in ABHD12(-/-) brain tissue. Notably, elevations in brain LPS lipids in ABHD12(-/-) mice occur early in life (2-6 mo) and are followed by age-dependent increases in microglial activation and auditory and motor defects that resemble the behavioral phenotypes of human PHARC patients. Taken together, our data provide a molecular model for PHARC, where disruption of ABHD12 causes deregulated LPS metabolism and the accumulation of proinflammatory lipids that promote microglial and neurobehavioral abnormalities. << Less

  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110:1500-1505(2013) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 6 other entries.