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Molecular and Cellular Biology, August 2006, p. 6139-6148, Vol. 26, No. 16
0270-7306/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/MCB.00627-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Akira Abe,1,
Ye Lu,1
Kui Yang,2
Xianlin Han,2
Richard W. Gross,2 and
James A. Shayman1*
Nephrology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan,1 Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri2
Received 11 April 2006/ Returned for modification 17 May 2006/ Accepted 27 May 2006
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In the present study, double conditional targeted mice were generated, and the targeted gene was modified using Cre/loxP and Flp/FRT recombination systems. Lpla2-deficient mice were generated in which exon 5 of the Lpla2 gene, which encodes the lipase motif essential for Lpla2 activity, was systemically deleted. The resultant Lpla2/ mice showed no LPLA2 activity, developed normally, and were characterized by a marked accumulation of phospholipid in their alveolar macrophages, peritoneal macrophages, and spleens at an early age. Increased lung surfactant phospholipid and splenomegaly were observed in mice by 1 year of age.
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Generation of Lpla2 double conditional targeted mice. The genome sequence containing the Lpla2 gene was obtained from screening the Resgen CJ7 embryonic stem (ES) cell line BAC clone library (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA). A SmaI-SacI fragment of approximately 8,450 bp of the Lpla2 gene was subcloned into the pUC vector. In a previous report it was shown that the lipase motif, located within exon 5, is essential for LPLA2 enzyme activity (12). Therefore, to create the conditional null allele, the SpeI-DraI region containing exon 5 was floxed with two loxP sites and then inserted into the vector (Fig. 1A). The PGK-neo cassette flanked with two FRT sites was inserted at the SpeI site in the intron between exons 4 and 5 in reverse orientation. The targeting vector was sequenced to ensure that no mutation had been introduced and then was linearized by NdeI digestion and electroporated into CJ7 ES cells. Homologous recombinant clones were obtained from G418-resistant colonies screened at a frequency of 20%. The G418-resistant clones were screened by PCR using primers inside and outside the targeting construct. A correctly targeted clone was injected into C57BL/6 blastocysts. The chimeric mice were mated with C57BL/6 to obtain heterozygous mice carrying the targeted allele. Mice carrying the targeted allele were mated with flp1 mice (stock no. 3800; The Jackson Laboratory) to delete the neo cassette. The conditional heterozygous mice were then mated with EIIa Cre mice of C57BL/6 background (stock no. 3724; The Jackson Laboratory) to excise the region containing exon 5. The heterozygous mice carrying the null allele were mated to generate homozygous (/), heterozygous (+/), and wild-type (+/+) littermates of the Lpla2 null allele. Homologous recombination at the null allele was screened by PCR (Fig. 1B). Genomic DNA was extracted from the tails of the mice. The PCR primers were as follows: a, 5'-CAGGGTAGCTCACAACTCTTTG-3'; b, 5'-CAAAGCTCTGGACTGTTTTCCTGC-3'; c, 5'-GAATTCCTAGACCCCAGCAAGAAGAATGTG-3'; and d, 5'-CCCTCCCCAGAGATGGATATTT-3'. Primers a and d generated 5.8-kb and 5.5-kb products from a wild-type allele and a null allele by PCR, respectively. Primers b and c generated 4.1-kb and 3.8-kb products from a wild-type allele and a null allele by PCR, respectively. The PCR amplification employed 35 cycles with steps at 94°C for 30 s, 60°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 3 min, which was extended 20 s every cycle for the last 25 cycles using ExTaq DNA polymerase (Takara Bio, Shiga, Japan). The PCR products were subjected to electrophoresis, purification, and sequencing. To confirm wild-type, conditional, and null alleles, the PCR with primers c and d using rTaq polymerase (Takara Bio) employed 35 cycles with steps at 94°C for 30 s, 60°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 1 min. The product sizes were 1,212, 1,444, and 894 bp for the wild-type, conditional, and null alleles, respectively.
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FIG. 1. A. Strategy for producing allelic series of mutations at the Lpla2 locus. The partial map of the murine Lpla2 locus is displayed. Horizontal lines and open boxes with numbers represent introns and Lpla2 exons, respectively. Vertical lines represent restriction sites: M, SmaI; P, SpeI; D, DraI; A, SacI. The Lpla2 double conditional targeting vector was designed. Shaded triangles represent loxP sites flanking the Lpla2 gene exon 5, and shaded half-circles represent FRT sites flanking the neomycin resistance cassette (PGK neo). The targeted allele was generated by homologous recombination. The primers used for PCR are shown as horizontal arrows with letters. The conditional allele was generated by Flp-mediated excision. The heterozygous mice carrying targeted alleles were mated with FLP1 transgenic mice to delete the neo cassette. The null allele was generated by Cre-mediated excision. The heterozygous mice carrying conditional alleles were mated with EIIa Cre transgenic mice to delete exon 5. B. Genotype analysis by PCR. Genomic DNA was extracted from mouse tail, and PCR was performed to evaluate homologous recombination. The primers a and d as well as b and c were used for upper panel and lower panel assays, respectively. TV indicates targeting vector. M indicates molecular marker. C. Reverse transcription-PCR assay. Total RNAs were isolated from various mouse organs and synthesized cDNA. PCR was performed using primers which are able to cover the Lpla2 coding region. M, molecular marker _174 RF DNA/HaeIII; H, heart; Li, liver; S, spleen; K, kidney; T, thymus; B, brain; Lu, lung. D. Immunoblots of Lpla2 from the alveolar macrophages obtained from Lpla2+/+, Lpla2+/, and Lpla2/ mice. Alveolar macrophages were isolated from mice as described in Materials and Methods, and the soluble fraction was separated by gel electrophoresis as previously described (1). A rabbit anti-LPLA2 polyclonal antibody (100RTSRATQFPD109) was used for detection. E. Transacylase activity in the soluble fraction of alveolar macrophages obtained from Lpla2+/+, Lpla2+/, and Lpla2/ mice. Each soluble fraction (3 µg of protein) obtained from 3-month-old Lpla2+/+, Lpla2+/, and Lpla2/ mouse alveolar macrophages was incubated for 30 min at 37°C in citrate buffer, pH 4.5, with 40 µM NAS in liposomal form, and formation of 1-O-acyl-NAS was determined as described in Materials and Methods. The transacylase specific activities for the Lpla2+/+, Lpla2+/, and Lpla2/ mouse alveolar macrophages were 3.9 µg/min/mg protein, 2.08 µg/min/mg protein, and undetected, respectively. w/o, without; Fr., fraction.
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Isolation of mouse macrophages and tissues. All mice were housed in specific-pathogen-free conditions and used at 2 to 12 months of age. After anesthesia with CO2 inhalation, the organs were isolated. For isolation of alveolar macrophages, the tracheae were cannulated and the lungs were lavaged with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 0.5 mM EDTA. Peritoneal macrophages were obtained by lavage of the peritoneal spaces with PBS containing 0.5 mM EDTA. After being counted, cells were suspended in RPMI 1640 medium containing 1x antibiotic-antimycotic solution (Invitrogen) and plated in culture dishes, followed by incubation at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air. Nonadherent cells were removed by washing with PBS. Under these conditions, the recovered cells were greater than 90% macrophages as measured by Wright-Giemsa and anti-CD68 staining. The University of Michigan Committee on the Use and Care of Animals approved all experiments.
Electron microscopy. Fresh tissue was minced into 1-mm cubes, and alveolar and peritoneal lavage cells were collected and then fixed by immersion in 4% glutaraldehyde, 0.1 M sodium cacodylate buffer (pH 7.3). The sample was postfixed with osmium tetroxide before embedding in Epon. One-micrometer sections, stained with toluidine blue, were screened by light microscopy to select cross-sections for ultrastructural study. Thin sections were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate before examination with a Philips 400T transmission electron microscope. Representative photomicrographs were selected.
Preparation of cell homogenate and soluble fraction from mouse alveolar and peritoneal macrophages and tissues. For the preparation of the soluble fractions of alveolar macrophages and peritoneal macrophages, the cells were allowed to adhere to 35-mm culture dishes, washed three times with 2 ml of cold PBS, scraped with a small volume of PBS, and transferred into 15-ml plastic tubes. The cells were collected by centrifugation at 800 x g for 10 min at 4°C and resuspended with 0.4 to 1.0 ml of cold 0.25 M sucrose, 10 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 1 mM EDTA. The cell suspension was disrupted five times with a probe-type sonicator for 10 s at 0°C to obtain the cellular homogenate. The homogenate was centrifuged for 1 h at 100,000 x g at 4°C. The resultant supernatant was passed through a 0.2-µm filter and used as a soluble fraction. For the preparation of soluble fractions of mouse tissues, each organ was washed with cold PBS, weighed, and homogenized by a Potter Elvehjem homogenizer with cold 0.25 M sucrose, 10 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 1 mM EDTA. The homogenate was centrifuged for 10 min at 600 x g at 4°C. The resultant supernatant was sonicated with a probe-type sonicator for 10 s five times at 0°C and centrifuged for 1 h at 100,000 x g at 4°C. The supernatant was passed through a 0.2-µm filter and used as a soluble fraction.
Enzyme phospholipase A2/transacylase assay. Phospholipids, DOPC and PE, and N-acetylsphingosine were used in the assay system as donor and an acceptor, respectively, of an acyl group. The transacylase activity by LPLA2 was determined by analysis of 1-O-acyl-N-acetylsphingosine formation rate. The reaction mixture consisted of 45 mM sodium citrate (pH 4.5), 10 µg/ml bovine serum albumin, and 40 µM N-acetylsphingosine incorporated into phospholipid liposomes (DOPC/PE/dicetyl phosphate/N-acetylsphingosine [5:2:1:2 molar ratio]) and soluble fractions (0.7 to 10 µg) in a total volume of 500 µl. The reaction was initiated by adding the soluble fraction, kept for 5 to 60 min at 37°C, and terminated by adding 3 ml of chloroform/methanol (2:1) plus 0.3 ml of 0.9% (wt/vol) NaCl. The mixture was centrifuged for 5 min at room temperature. The resultant lower layer was transferred into another glass tube and dried under a stream of nitrogen gas. The dried lipid dissolved in 40 µl of chloroform/methanol (2:1) was applied on an high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) plate and developed in a solvent system consisting of chloroform/acetic acid (9:1). The plate was dried and soaked in 8% (wt/vol) CuSO4, 5H2O, 6.8% (vol/vol) H3PO4, 32% (vol/vol) methanol. The wet plate was briefly dried with a hair dryer and charred for 15 min in a 150°C oven. The plate was scanned, and NIH-image 1.62 was used to quantify the reaction products.
The following protocol was used for the phospholipase A2 assay without N-acetylsphingosine as an acceptor. The reaction mixture contained 48 mM sodium citrate (pH 4.5), 10 µg/ml bovine serum albumin, liposomes (130 µM phospholipid), and 1.77 µg/ml of the soluble fraction obtained from Lpla2+/+ or Lpla2/ mouse alveolar macrophages in 500 µl of total volume. The liposomes consisted of 1-oleoyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and dicetylphosphate in the molar ratio 10:1, with a trace of 1-palmitoyl-2-1-[14C]palmitoyl-L-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (2.8 x 105 cpm/assay). The reaction was initiated by adding 20 µl of each soluble fraction or sucrose buffer, kept for 15, 30, and 45 min at 37°C, and terminated by the addition of 3 ml of chloroform/methanol (2:1) plus 300 µl of 0.9% NaCl. The resultant lower layer was transferred into a small glass tube and dried under a stream of nitrogen gas. The dried lipid was redissolved with chloroform/methanol (2:1) and applied to an HPLTC plate. The plate was developed in a solvent system consisting of chloroform/methanol/pyridine (98:2:0.5). After development, the plate was dried, sprayed with ENHANCE, and exposed on X-ray film at 80°C for 20 h. In the study using lung tissue, the same reaction was initiated by the addition of 10 µg of lung soluble fraction and kept for 30, 60, and 90 min at 37°C.
Lipid analysis. Lipids were extracted from tissues, alveolar macrophages, peritoneal macrophages, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of 3-month-old mice by the partially modified method of Bligh and Dyer (5). The phospholipid content was measured by the method of Ames (4). Individual phospholipids were separated by high-performance thin-layer chromatography and quantified as described above. Disaturated phosphatidylcholine in samples was isolated by the method of Mason et al. (13). Whole-lipid extract (20 to 100 nmol as phospholipid) was dried under a stream of nitrogen gas. The dried lipid was dissolved in 500 µl of 6.2 mg/ml osmium tetraoxide in carbon tetrachloride and incubated for 15 min at room temperature. The reaction mixture was dried under a stream of nitrogen gas, redissolved in 500 µl of chloroform/methanol (20:1, vol/vol), and applied to an alumina column (0.6 g of activated neutral aluminum oxide, 150 mesh) preequilibrated with chloroform/methanol (20:1, vol/vol). The column was washed with 8 ml of chloroform/methanol (20:1, vol/vol). Disaturated phosphatidylcholine was eluted with 4 ml of chloroform/methanol/7 M ammonium hydroxide (70:30:2, vol/vol), and the eluted fraction was dried under a stream of nitrogen gas. Phosphate content was determined by the method of Ames (4).
For electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (ESI/MS), lipid extraction from alveolar macrophage preparations (0.1 to 0.5 mg of proteins) was performed using a modified method of Bligh and Dyer as previously described in detail (11). Briefly, internal standards, including 14:0-14:0 phosphatidylserine (8.0 nmol/mg protein), 15:0-15:0 phosphatidylglycerol (6 nmol/mg protein), 15:0-15:0 PE (13 nmol/mg protein), 14:1-14:1 PC (20 nmol/mg protein), 17:0 lysoPC (2 nmol/mg protein), N17:1 ceramide (0.24 nmol/mg protein), and d4-16:0 fatty acid (12 nmol/mg protein), were added to each individual sample based on protein concentration. Lipids from each sample were extracted against 2 ml of 50 mM LiCl twice, back extracted against 2 ml of 10 mM LiCl twice, filtered with a 0.2-µm polytetrafluoroethylene syringe filter, and finally stored in chloroform/methanol (1:1, vol/vol) at a concentration of 600 µl/mg protein. The lipid extracts were finally flushed with nitrogen, capped, and stored at 20°C for ESI/MS analyses (typically within 1 week). Each lipid solution was further diluted approximately 10-fold just prior to infusion and lipid analysis. To this diluted lipid solution, LiOH (50 nmol/mg of protein) was added just prior to performing further lipid analyses in both negative- and positive-ion modes.
ESI/MS analyses were performed utilizing a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (ThermoElectron TSQ Quantum Ultra, San Jose, CA) equipped with an electrospray ion source as described previously (11). Typically, a 1-min period of signal averaging in the profile mode was employed for each MS spectrum, and a 1- to 2-min period of signal averaging for each MS/MS spectrum was used. Global analyses of lipid extracts were performed by shotgun lipidomics as described previously (9, 10). Quantitation of each individual molecular species of lipid classes were performed using a two-step process, as described in detail previously (8, 9).
Degradation of 1-palmitoyl-2-[14C]oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (POPC) by alveolar macrophages. Alveolar macrophages (1.3 x 106 cells) obtained from 3- to 5-month-old Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice were seeded into a 35-mm dish containing 2 ml of RPMI 1640 medium (Invitrogen) containing 1x antibiotic-antimycotic and followed by incubation at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air. After 90 min, nonadherent cells were removed by washing with PBS. The adherent cells were incubated with 2.1 ml of RPMI 1640 medium containing 320 µM (0.25 µCi/ml) 14C-labeled POPC in liposomes consisting of POPC/dicetyl phosphate (10:1 molar ratio) for 4 h at 37°C. After the incubation, the cells were washed three times with 2 ml of cold PBS and fixed with 1 ml of cold methanol. The fixed cells were scraped and transferred into a glass tube. An additional 1 ml of methanol was used to recover the remaining cells in the dish. The cell suspension was mixed with 1 ml chloroform plus 0.8 ml of 0.9% NaCl and sonicated in a water bath sonicator briefly and kept for 1 h at room temperature. The mixture was centrifuged for 30 min at 2,000 x g at room temperature, and the supernatant was transferred into a long glass tube. The supernatant was mixed and vortexed with 3 ml of chloroform plus 0.8 ml of 0.9% NaCl and centrifuged for 5 min at 800 x g. The lower layer was washed with 2 ml of methanol plus 1.6 ml of 0.9% NaCl, centrifuged for 5 min at 800 x g, and washed again with 2 ml of methanol plus 1.6 ml of water. The resultant lower layer was transferred into another glass tube and dried under a stream of nitrogen gas. The dried lipid was dissolved in 100 µl of chloroform/methanol (2:1, vol/vol). Half of the lipid extract was applied to an HPTLC plate and developed in a solvent system consisting of chloroform/acetic acid (9:1, vol/vol) or chloroform/methanol/water (60:35:8, vol/vol/vol). After development, the plate was dried, sprayed with ENHANCE, and exposed on X-ray film at 80°C for 4 days.
Nucleotide sequence accession number. The genome sequence containing the Lpla2 gene has been submitted to GenBank under accession number AY179884.
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Mice carrying the targeted allele were found to be normal and fertile. However, homozygous offspring from heterozygous pairs showed a modest reduction of Lpla2 activity in the soluble fraction of brain (data not shown). This finding suggested that the neo cassette inclusion affected Lpla2 expression. flp1 transgenic mice express FLP recombinase in the early embryo under the control of the human ß-actin promoter. Mice with the targeted allele were mated with flp1 transgenic mice to delete the neo cassette. The allele in which the neo cassette was deleted by using an Flp/FRT recombination system is termed the "conditional allele." Mice carrying the conditional allele were normal in appearance and were fertile. The Lpla2 enzyme activity in the homozygous mice carrying the conditional allele was found to be the same as that of wild-type mice (data not shown). EIIa Cre transgenic mice express Cre recombinase in the one-cell zygote stage of embryo development under the control of the adenovirus EIIa promoter. Heterozygous mice carrying the conditional allele were mated with EIIa Cre transgenic mice to excise the region containing exon 5. The resultant heterozygous mice carrying the null allele were mated together to generate Lpla2/, Lpla2+/, and Lpla2+/+ littermates. Homologous recombination at the null allele was screened by PCR (Fig. 1B). The predicted product from the deletion of the loxP site flanking region was detected in both Lpla2/ and Lpla2+/ but not in the Lpla2+/+ mice.
Lpla2+/ mice were viable and fertile. They produced an average of 8.7 pups per litter with a normal Mendelian frequency, indicating no selective fetal or neonatal loss of homozygous pups. Survival of the Lpla2/ mice was normal. Lpla2/ mating pairs gave normal litter sizes (8.5 pups per litter), indicating that the gene deficiency did not grossly impair fertility or fecundity. Screening of Lpla2 mRNA expression in seven organs from Lpla2/ mice demonstrated the deletion of exon 5 in each organ (Fig. 1C), indicating that the deletion was systemic.
An immunoblot was performed on the protein extracts from alveolar macrophages of Lpla2/, Lpla2+/, and Lpla2+/+ mice using a previously generated rabbit polyclonal antibody raised to mouse Lpla2 peptide (100RTSRATQFPD109) (1). A single band at a molecular mass of ca. 44 kDa was observed in blots from Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2+/ macrophages. However, no protein was detected from Lpla2/ alveolar macrophages (Fig. 1D). The Lpla2 enzyme activities were also compared among genotypes. The transacylase activity, as measured by the formation of 1-O-acyl-N-acetylsphingosine, was absent in Lpla2/ mouse alveolar macrophages (Fig. 1E). The transacylase activity from Lpla2+/ mouse alveolar macrophages was approximately 50% of that of the Lpla2+/+ mouse alveolar macrophages. The deficiency of the enzyme activity in the soluble fraction of the Lpla2/ mouse was also observed in other cells and tissues, including peritoneal macrophages, heart, lung, liver, spleen, kidney, thymus, and brain (data not shown).
Phospholipid degradation in alveolar macrophages. Many classes of phospholipase A2 exist (17). On the one hand, the absence of ceramide transacylase activity in alveolar macrophages might not necessarily mean that cellular phospholipase A2 activity would be impaired as well. On the other hand, Lpla2 is very highly expressed in alveolar macrophages and might represent the major phospholipase A2 activity. Therefore, the degradation of PC was more extensively evaluated in the mouse alveolar macrophages. A choice of substrate was required. When previously studied, Lpla2 was observed to recognize 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (DPPC), a major component of pulmonary surfactant lipid, when presented as a substrate in DOPC/DPPC liposomes (1). However, Lpla2 demonstrated greater activity toward DOPC than DPPC. Furthermore, DPPC led to a reduction of the enzyme activity on DOPC in DOPC/DPPC liposomes. These results suggested that unsaturated phospholipids are better substrates than saturated phospholipids and may provide a preferable environment in the Lpla2 reaction.
The transfer of oleic acid to N-acetyl-sphingosine and the release of oleic acid from POPC by the soluble fraction obtained from Lpla2+/+ mouse alveolar macrophages were observed when POPC/dicetyl phosphate/N-acetyl-sphingosine liposomes were used (Fig. 2A). The transacylase activity in the POPC liposome system was comparable to that observed with the DOPC/dicetyl phosphate/N-acetyl-sphingosine liposome system. These results were further evaluated with the use of alveolar macrophages and radiolabeled POPC. Using 1-palmitoyl-2-[14C]oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine, the phospholipase A2 activity was compared between the lungs and alveolar macrophages of Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice (Fig. 2B). When assayed at pH 4.5, the phospholipase A2 activity in the wild-type lung was 1.10 nmol/min/mg protein but was only 0.072 nmol/min/mg protein in the Lpla2 null mice. The alveolar macrophage activity was 18.6 nmol/min/mg protein versus 0.43 nmol/min/mg protein in the wild-type and knockout mice, respectively. The higher specific activity of Lpla2 in the alveolar macrophages compared to that of the whole lung is consistent with the prior observation reported for Lpla2 assayed as ceramide transacylation (1).
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FIG. 2. Lpla2 activities on unsaturated phosphatidylcholines by Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice. A. Transacylase activities of Lpla2 on two different phosphatidylcholines. The soluble fraction (2 µg of protein) obtained from 3-month-old Lpla2+/+ mice was incubated for a suitable time period at 37°C in citrate buffer, pH 4.5, with 40 µM NAS incorporated into phospholipid liposomes (DOPC or POPC/dicetyl phosphate/NAS [7:1:2 molar ratio]), and formation of 1-O-oleoyl-NAS was determined as described in Materials and Methods. The left panel shows the TLC. The time-dependent formation of 1-O-oleoyl-NAS from DOPC or POPC/dicetyl phosphate/NAS liposomes by the soluble fraction in Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice. The experiment is representative of three experiments with comparable results. (B) Comparison of phospholipase A2 activities in the lungs and alveolar macrophages of Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice. Phospholipase A2 activities were measured as described in Materials and Methods using 1-palmitoyl-2-[14C]oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine. OA denotes oleic acid. C. Degradation of 1-palmitoyl-2-[14C]oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine by alveolar macrophages. Alveolar macrophages (1.3 x 106 cells) obtained from 3-month-old Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice were incubated with 14C-labeled POPC/dicetyl phosphate (10:1 molar ratio) liposomes for 4 h at 37°C. After the incubation, the cellular lipid was extracted as described in Materials and Methods. Lipid extract was applied to an HPTLC and developed in a solvent system consisting of chloroform/acetic acid (9:1) (left) or chloroform/methanol/water (60:35:8) (right). After the development, the plate sprayed with ENHANCE was exposed on an X-ray film at 80°C. LysoPC indicates lysophosphatidylcholine. AMs, alveolar macrophages.
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Interestingly, the radioactive lysoPC was detected in Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ alveolar macrophages. This metabolite, labeled in the sn-2 position, is produced by phospholipase A1. The radioactivity of lysoPC was 150 cpm and 100 cpm, respectively, for Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mouse alveolar macrophages. These results indicate that the degradation of phospholipid in Lpla2/ mouse alveolar macrophages is most greatly impaired due to a lack of phospholipase A2 activity.
Phospholipid accumulation in the Lpla2/ mouse. The phospholipid content and profile in alveolar and peritoneal macrophages and other tissues of 3-month-old Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2 / mice were next examined. The total phospholipid content of the Lpla2/ mouse alveolar macrophages was more than two times higher than that of the Lpla2+/+ mouse alveolar macrophages. Thin-layer chromatography of the lipid extract of the alveolar macrophages showed a marked accumulation of both PE and PC in the Lpla2/ mouse (see the supplemental material). PE and PC levels were four times and two times higher by scanning in the Lpla2/ versus Lpla2+/+ mouse cells, respectively. Phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, and sphingomyelin levels were no different, consistent with the known specificity of Lpla2 for PC and PE. The total phospholipid content in the Lpla2/ peritoneal macrophages (305 nmol of phospholipid/mg of protein) was 40% higher than that of the Lpla2+/+ peritoneal macrophages (223 nmol of phospholipid/mg of protein). A similar change in phospholipid profile was observed in the Lpla2/ peritoneal macrophages.
ESI/MS analysis was used to quantify the lipid content of the Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ alveolar macrophages. Alveolar macrophages were isolated from 12-month-old mice, and internal standards consisting of 14:0-14:0 phosphatidylserine, 15:0-15:0 phosphatidylglycerol, 15:0-15:0 phosphatidylethanolamine, 14:1-14:1 phosphatidylcholine, 17:0 lysophosphatidylcholine, N17:1 ceramide, and d4-16:0 fatty acid were added to each individual sample based on protein concentration. Marked increases in PC and PE were detected in the null mouse macrophages (Table 1; also see the supplemental material). By contrast, no increase in sphingomyelin or phosphatidic acid was measured. Lysophosphatidylcholine content increased in the null mouse macrophages. However, the total lysophosphatidylcholine concentration was less than 1% of that of phosphatidylcholine. In wild-type mouse macrophages, 65% of the phosphatidylcholine had one or more fatty acids consisting of the 16:0 palmitic acid. Null mice demonstrated a fractional accumulation of saturated species of PC that was proportionate to that found in the wild-type cells (see the supplemental material). These data are consistent with the recognition of saturated species of phosphatidylcholine by Lpla2.
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TABLE 1. ESI/MS analysis of alveolar macrophage lipids from 1-year-old mice
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FIG. 3. Light microscopy of tissues from 1-year-old Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice. Panels A and B represent PAS staining of formalin-fixed inflated lungs and of spleens from 1-year-old wild-type and Lpla2/ mice, respectively. The histology is noteworthy for increased numbers of enlarged alveolar macrophages, as denoted by the arrows in the air spaces of the null mice and a mononuclear infiltrate surrounding the small airways and arteries. Panels C and D represent PAS staining from the spleens of 1-year-old wild-type and Lpla2/ mice, respectively. PAS-positive macrophages are denoted by the arrows.
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FIG. 4. Electron micrographs of alveolar macrophages (A and B) and peritoneal macrophages (C and D) obtained from 3-month-old Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice. (A and C) Lpla2+/+ mice; (B and D) Lpla2/ mice.
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TABLE 2. Protein and phospholipid content of Lpla2/ and Lpla2+/+ mouse lung and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
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FIG. 5. Spleen changes in 1-year-old mice. A. Representative spleens from Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice. B. Comparative weights of the wild-type and knockout spleens from 4- and 12-month-old mice are displayed. C. Phospholipid profile in the spleens obtained from Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice. The spleen homogenates obtained from 12-month-old Lpla2+/+ and Lpla2/ mice were dispersed in chloroform/methanol mixture, and the lipid extraction was carried out as described in Materials and Methods. The graph denotes the phospholipid profiles of PE, PC, phosphatidylserine (PS), sphingomyelin (SM), and phosphatidylinositol (PI). The error bars indicate standard deviations (n = 4).
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Phospholipidosis is a generalized condition observed in both animals and humans that is characterized by the appearance of concentric lamellar bodies within cells and the intralysosomal accumulation of phospholipids. Phospholipidosis occurs in a variety of clinical settings. Phospholipidosis may be associated with the exposure to xenobiotics. Drugs and their metabolites that induce cellular phospholipid accumulation fall into many different classes, including antiarrhythmics, antipsychotics, antibiotics, and cholesterol-lowering agents. However, these drugs share a common physiochemical structure that includes a hydrophobic ring structure and hydrophilic side chain with a charged cationic amine group (7). Phospholipidosis may also occur in response to environmental exposures such as silica (14). Finally, phospholipidosis is often used synonymously with the term pulmonary alveolar proteinosis to describe the congenital or acquired disease associated with impaired surfactant catabolism (18). Patients suffering from pulmonary alveolar proteinosis present differently from those with drug-induced phospholipidosis. Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is characterized by a marked accumulation of surfactant lipid; drug-induced phospholipidosis is characterized by secondary inflammatory changes and long-term fibrosis. The consequences of chronic exposure to cationic amphiphilic drugs are poorly understood, in large part due to the absence of a suitable animal model for long-term evaluation (16). In particular, the relationship between the short-term development of lysosomal phospholipid accumulation and long-term inflammation and fibrosis has not been well studied. The Lpla2 knockout mouse is a potentially useful model for elucidating this relationship.
Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis may also be associated with the absence of functional surfactant protein B or loss of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) activity (18). Although the latter is an important factor in alveolar macrophage differentiation, the relationship between loss of GM-CSF and impaired catabolism of surfactant phospholipids is not well understood. Three histological features are observed in the lungs of the GM-CSF knockout mouse. These include the accumulation of surfactant in the airspaces, the development of a foam cell phenotype by alveolar macrophages, and a peribronchial and perivascular inflammation. Two of these findings, the foam cell phenotype and inflammation, are prominently found in the Lpla2/ mouse. Although increased surfactant phospholipid could be detected in 1-year-old Lpla2/ mice, this was less robust a finding than that observed in the GM-CSF knockout mouse. In prior work where Lpla2 was found to be highly expressed in alveolar macrophages, the GM-CSF knockout mouse was found to have limited expression of Lpla2, and a GM-CSF transgenic mouse was found to have increased expression of Lpla2 (1). The present study is also consistent with the possibility that Lpla2 mediates at least some of the GM-CSF-dependent changes observed in the lung.
An additional finding, not reported in the GM-CSF knockout mouse, was the presence of splenomegaly. This finding is consistent with that observed in another disorder of foam cell formation, Gaucher disease. The basis for the splenomegaly is unknown, but in a manner similar to Gaucher disease, it appears to be the result of secondary growth and not from the increase in lipid mass per se. Like Gaucher disease, this finding may be reflective of the role of the splenic macrophage in the clearance of senescent erythrocytes. The Lpla2 null mouse may be a useful tool for probing the mechanism behind the lipid-induced organomegaly.
In addition to the increased accumulation of surfactant phospholipid in 1-year-old mice, including the accumulation of disaturated PC, further confirmation for a role for Lpla2 in surfactant degradation was based on the use of ESI/MS analysis of macrophages isolated from Lpla2 wild-type and null mice. These analyses revealed that of the measured lipids, PC and PE were most directly affected by the loss of Lpla2 activity. Those species of PC containing saturated fatty acids, most notably palmitate, as well as those with diacylglyceryl, plasmenyl, and plasmanyl linkages increased comparably in the absence of the acidic phospholipase A2 activity. These data suggest that Lpla2 does not discriminate among PCs with different aliphatic chains. By contrast, sphingomyelin and phosphatidic acid levels were not increased, consistent with the known substrate specificity of Lpla2.
A small change in ceramide content was observed. Lpla2 was originally identified as a 1-O-acylceramide synthase (3). This increase in ceramide may reflect the loss of this activity. However, the physiological role of Lpla2 as a regulator of ceramide metabolism remains to be clarified and is not obvious from the present study. Nevertheless, Lpla2 activity was measured in the wild-type and knockout mice using both ceramide and water as acceptors for the enzyme activity. By assaying Lpla2 as either a 1-O-acylceramide synthase or as a phospholipase A2, the enzyme activity was abolished to greater than 95% in the lungs and alveolar macrophages of the knockout mice, suggesting that Lpla2 represents the primary acidic phospholipase A2 activity found in lung.
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These authors contributed equally to this work. ![]()
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