Inhibitory effect of the pancreatic lipase C-terminal domain on intestinal lipolysis in rats fed a high-fat diet: chronic study.

OBJECTIVE: Previous in vitro experiments, as well as acute assays in rat showed that the C-terminal domain (CT-domain) of porcine pancreatic lipase behaves as a potent specific noncovalent inhibitor of pancreatic lipase. Nevertheless, the potential use of the CT-domain as a therapeutic tool against obesity in humans requires further investigation and would be best achieved using the human CT-domain. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of the recombinant human CT-domain, in vivo, upon chronic administration to rats fed a high-fat diet. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENT: The long-term in vivo study requiring relatively high amounts of the human CT-domain, the domain was overexpressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies and an efficient refolding protocol was designed. The inhibitory effect of the recombinant human CT-domain on the activity of pancreatic lipase from different species was first investigated in vitro. Then chronic assays were performed for 4 weeks in rats fed a high-fat diet with or without a daily dose of 1.2 mg of CT-domain per kilogram rat. The time course of food intake, body weight, plasma parameters, liver lipids, faecal output of fat and total cholesterol were measured. RESULTS: A high yield of correctly folded recombinant human CT-domain was obtained using our refolding process, as evidenced by the capability of the recombinant domain to inhibit human horse and porcine pancreatic lipases in vitro. The recombinant human CT-domain had no influence on the food intake, but significantly reduced the body weight gain. As compared to control rats, higher amounts of total fat (mainly triglycerides and monoglycerides) and total cholesterol were found in the faeces of the rats treated with the CT-domain. Finally, a decrease in liver triglycerides and nonesterified cholesterol was observed while no significant effect could be detected on the plasma parameters. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated that the CT-domain efficiently reduces in vivo, lipolysis and subsequently body weight gain in rat fed a high-fat diet. The CT-domain could, therefore, be effective in preventing obesity.

The lipase C-terminal domain. A novel unusual inhibitor of pancreatic lipase activity.

In vertebrates, dietary fat digestion mainly results from the combined effect of pancreatic lipase, colipase, and bile. It has been proposed that in vivo lipase adsorption on oil-water emulsion is mediated by a preformed lipase-colipase-mixed micelle complex. The main lipase-colipase binding site is located on the C-terminal domain of the enzyme. We report here that in vitro the isolated C-terminal domain behaves as a potent noncovalent inhibitor of lipase and that the inhibitory effect is triggered by the presence of micelles. Lipase inhibition results from the formation of a nonproductive C-terminal domain-colipase-micelle ternary complex, which competes for colipase with the active lipase-colipase-micelle ternary complex, thus diverting colipase from its lipase-anchoring function. The formation of such a complex has been evidenced by molecular sieving experiments. This nonproductive complex lowers the amount of active lipase thus reducing lipolysis. Preliminary experiments performed in rats show that the C-terminal domain also behaves as an inhibitor in vivo and thus could be considered a potential new tool for specifically reducing intestinal lipolysis.

Interactions of bile salt micelles and colipase studied through intermolecular nOes.

Colipase is a small protein (10 kDa), which acts as a protein cofactor for the pancreatic lipase. Various models of the activated ternary complex (lipase-colipase-bile salt micelles) have been proposed using detergent micelles, but no structural information has been established with bile salt micelles. We have investigated the organization of sodium taurodeoxycholate (NaTDC) micelles and their interactions with pig and horse colipases by homonuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The NMR data supply evidence that the folding of horse colipase is similar to that already described for pig colipase. Intermolecular nuclear Overhauser effects have shown that two conserved aromatic residues interact with NaTDC micelles.

Critical role of micelles in pancreatic lipase activation revealed by small angle neutron scattering.

In the duodenum, pancreatic lipase (PL) develops its activity on triglycerides by binding to the bile-emulsified oil droplets in the presence of its protein cofactor pancreatic colipase (PC). The neutron crystal structure of a PC-PL-micelle complex (Hermoso, J., Pignol, D., Penel, S., Roth, M., Chapus, C., and Fontecilla-Camps, J. C. (1997) EMBO J. 16, 5531-5536) has suggested that the stabilization of the enzyme in its active conformation and its adsorption to the emulsified oil droplets are mediated by a preformed lipase-colipase-micelle complex. Here, we correlate the ability of different amphypathic compounds to activate PL, with their association with PC-PL in solution. The method of small angle neutron scattering with D(2)O/H(2)O contrast variation was used to characterize a solution containing PC-PL complex and taurodeoxycholate micelles. The resulting radius of gyration (56 A) and the match point of the solution indicate the formation of a ternary complex that is similar to the one observed in the neutron crystal structure. In addition, we show that either bile salts, lysophospholipids, or nonionic detergents that form micelles with radii of gyration ranging from 13 to 26 A are able to bind to the PC-PL complex, whereas smaller micelles or nonmicellar compounds are not. This further supports the notion of a micelle size-dependent affinity process for lipase activation in vivo.

Ion pairing between lipase and colipase plays a critical role in catalysis.

Among the polar interactions occurring in pancreatic lipase/colipase binding, only one ion pair involving lysine 400 on lipase and glutamic acid 45 on colipase has been described. These residues are strictly conserved among species, suggesting that the ion pair is likely to play an important role. Therefore, in order to prevent this interaction, mutations intended to neutralize or inverse the charge of these residues have been introduced in the cDNAs encoding horse lipase and colipase. The recombinant proteins have been expressed in insect cells, and their catalytic properties have been investigated. In all cases, preventing the formation of the correct ion pair Lys400/Glu45 leads to lipase-colipase complexes of reduced affinity unable to perform an efficient catalysis, notably in the presence of bile salt micelles. Diethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate inhibition experiments with either mutant lipase or mutant colipase indicate a poor stabilization of the lipase flap. These results suggest that the ion pair plays a critical role in the active conformation of the lipase-colipase-micelle ternary complex by contributing to a correct orientation of colipase relative to lipase resulting in a proper opening of the flap.

The lipase/colipase complex is activated by a micelle: neutron crystallographic evidence.

The catalytic activity of most lipases depends on the aggregation state of their substrates. It is supposed that lipase activation requires the unmasking and structuring of the enzyme's active site through conformational changes involving the presence of oil-in-water droplets. This phenomenon has been called interfacial activation. Here, we report the crystal structure of the pancreatic activated lipase/colipase/micelle complex as determined using the D2O/H2O contrast variation low resolution neutron diffraction method. We find that a disk-shaped micelle interacts extensively with the concave face of colipase (CL) and the distal tip of the C-terminal domain of lipase away from the active site of the enzyme. Such interaction appears to help stabilizing the lipase-CL interaction. Consequently, we conclude that lipase activation is not interfacial but occurs in the aqueous phase and it is mediated by CL and a micelle.

Pancreatic lipase-related protein type 1: a double mutation restores a significant lipase activity.

Besides the active pancreatic lipase (PL) which plays a major role in dietary fat digestion, the presence of a pancreatic lipase related protein 1 (PLRP1) displaying a very low lipolytic activity has been reported in vertebrates. It has been suggested that the reduced lipolytic activity of PLRP1 results from specific features of the N-terminal domain of the protein. Therefore, based on sequence comparison between PL and PLRP1 and modelling experiments, several residues located in the vicinity of the active site pocket of both enzymes have been mutated. In this paper, we report that, as regards to PL, two substitutions in positions 179 and 181 in PLRP1 account for the very low lipolytic activity of the protein. Indeed, substituting these residues (V179 and A181) in PLRP1 for those found in PL (A179 and P181), restores a significant lipolytic activity for PLRP1.

Pancreatic lipase-related protein type I: a specialized lipase or an inactive enzyme.

The existence of pancreatic lipase-related protein 1 (PLRP1) in vertebrates has been postulated based on the screening of pancreatic cDNA libraries from different species. In this paper, we report the presence of variable amounts of PLRP1 relative to colipase-dependent lipase (PL) in adults from several species. Only a very low lipase activity could be detected for native or recombinant PLRP1 using a large variety of substrates and conditions. Interestingly, this activity is dependent on the presence of bile salts and colipase and PLRP1 is shown to possess the same affinity as PL for colipase. Modelling investigations revealed some interesting differences between PLRP1 and PL, notably concerning substitutions in the C-terminal domain which might affect the bending motion of this domain relative to the N-terminal domain in PLRP1. The potential impact of these differences on the lack of lipase activity of PLRP1 was investigated using chimeric proteins designed by C-terminal domain exchange between dog PLRP1 and horse PL. Analysis of the catalytic properties of the chimera clearly indicated that the C-terminal domain exchange neither inactivates the horse enzyme nor results in an active dog PLRP1. From these findings, it can be concluded that the PLRP1 C-terminal domain is fully functional with respect to colipase binding. The lack of lipase activity or the still undetermined function of PLRP1 is likely to result mainly from particular features of the N-terminal domain.

Recombinant C-terminal domain of pancreatic lipase retains full ability to bind colipase.

The organization of the pancreatic lipase in two well defined domains has been correlated to a specific function for each domain, catalytic activity for the N-terminal domain and colipase binding for the C-terminal domain. In order to see if such an organization implies that the two domains can behave as separate entities, we expressed the N- and C-terminal domains in insect cells. The recombinant proteins secreted in the cell supernatants present the expected molecular properties. However, whereas the C-terminal domain retains its function of colipase binding, the N-terminal domain appears to be unable to ensure catalysis. The lack of activity of the recombinant N-terminal domain could result either from a (partially) incorrect folding or from an incapacity to function by itself. These results suggest that, although both are structurally well defined, the two domains of the pancreatic lipase behave differently when they are expressed as separate entities.

Lipase activation by nonionic detergents. The crystal structure of the porcine lipase-colipase-tetraethylene glycol monooctyl ether complex.

The crystal structure of the ternary porcine lipase-colipase-tetra ethylene glycol monooctyl ether (TGME) complex has been determined at 2.8 A resolution. The crystals belong to the cubic space group F23 with a = 289.1 A and display a strong pseudo-symmetry corresponding to a P23 lattice. Unexpectedly, the crystalline two-domain lipase is found in its open configuration. This indicates that in the presence of colipase, pure micelles of the nonionic detergent TGME are able to activate the enzyme; a process that includes the movement of an N-terminal domain loop (the flap). The effects of TGME and colipase have been confirmed by chemical modification of the active site serine residue using diisopropyl p-nitrophenylphosphate (E600). In addition, the presence of a TGME molecule tightly bound to the active site pocket shows that TGME acts as a substrate analog, thus possibly explaining the inhibitory effect of this nonionic detergent on emulsified substrate hydrolysis at submicellar concentrations. A comparison of the lipase-colipase interactions between our porcine complex and the human-porcine complex (van Tilbeurgh, H., Egloff, M.-P., Martinez, C., Rugani, N., Verger, R., and Cambillau, C.(1993) Nature 362, 814-820) indicates that except for one salt bridge interaction, they are conserved. Analysis of the superimposed complexes shows a 5.4 degrees rotation on the relative position of the N-terminal domains excepting the flap that moves in a concerted fashion with the C-terminal domain. This flexibility may be important for the binding of the complex to the water-lipid interface.

Molecular cloning and expression of two horse pancreatic cDNA encoding colipase A and B.

Pancreatic colipase plays an essential role in the intestinal fat digestion by anchoring lipase on lipid/water interfaces in the presence of bile salts. In contrast to other species, two molecular forms of colipase, A and B, have been found in horse. The two corresponding cDNAs were isolated from a horse pancreatic library and their nucleotide sequences were determined. Moreover, for the first time, active colipase has been obtained after transfection of COS cells by either colipase A or B cDNA.

Horse pancreatic lipase. The crystal structure refined at 2.3 A resolution.

Pancreatic lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) plays a key role in dietary fat digestion by converting triacylglycerols into 2-monoacylglycerols and free fatty acids in the intestine. Although the crystallographic structures of the human pancreatic lipase and of a human lipase-porcine colipase complex have been solved, no refined structure of pancreatic lipase has yet been published. The crystal structure of the horse enzyme was solved by the molecular replacement method from the model of the human pancreatic lipase and subsequently refined to 2.3 A resolution. The final model contains two molecules of 449 amino acid residues each in the asymmetric unit, 705 well-defined water molecules and two calcium ions. The two molecules in the asymmetric unit of the orthorhombic crystals are related by a 2-fold non-crystallographic symmetry axis as in the case of the human lipase. However, the association between the two molecules in their respective crystal forms is different. The overall molecular structure of the horse lipase is very similar to that of the human enzyme. The horse lipase is made up of two well-defined domains. The N-terminal domain which bears the active centre has a typical alpha/beta hydrolase fold topology. The C-terminal domain which is devoted to colipase binding has a beta-sheet sandwich topology. Comparison of equivalent C alpha atom positions between the final model of the horse lipase and the human lipase structure shows only slight differences which are mainly located in the C-terminal domain. The horse enzyme possesses the common features of the known mammalian and microbial lipases, in particular the "flap" covering the catalytic triad. In addition to more precise information concerning these features, the elucidation of the horse lipase crystal structure allowed us to better understand the structural basis of the kinetic behaviour of pancreatic lipases towards a soluble substrate, p-nitrophenyl acetate, and the different sensitivity of these enzymes towards limited proteolysis.

Crystal structure of bovine procarboxypeptidase A-S6 subunit III, a highly structured truncated zymogen E.

Subunit III, a defective serine endopeptidase lacking the typical N-terminal hydrophobic dipeptide is secreted by the pancreas of ruminant species as part of the bovine ternary complex procarboxypeptidase A-S6. Two monoclinic crystal forms were obtained and subsequently used to solve its X-ray structure. The highest resolution model of subunit III was refined at 1.7 A resolution to a crystallographic R-factor of 18.4%, with r.m.s. bond deviations from ideality of 0.012 A. About 80% of the model presents the characteristic architecture of trypsin-like proteases. The remaining zones, however, have well-defined, unique conformations. The regions from residues 70 to 80 and from 140 to 155 present maximum distances of 16 and 18 A relative to serine proteases and zymogens. Comparisons with the structures of porcine elastase 1 and chymotrypsinogen A indicate that the specific binding pocket of subunit III adopts a zymogen-like conformation and thus provide a basis for its inactivity. In general, the structural analysis of subunit III strongly suggests that it corresponds to a truncated version of a new class of highly structured elastase-like zymogen molecules. Based on the structures of subunit III and elastase 1, it is concluded that large concerted movements are necessary for the activation of zymogen E.

Sequence of horse pancreatic lipase as determined by protein and cDNA sequencing. Implications for p-nitrophenyl acetate hydrolysis by pancreatic lipases.

The complete sequence of the horse pancreatic lipase was elucidated by combining polypeptide chain and cDNA sequencing. Among the structural features of horse lipase, it is worth mentioning that Lys373 is not conserved. This residue, which is present in human, porcine and canine lipases, has been assumed to be involved in p-nitrophenyl acetate hydrolysis by pancreatic lipases. Kinetic investigation of the p-nitrophenyl acetate hydrolysis by the various pancreatic lipases and by the C-terminal domain (336-449) of human lipase reveals that this hydrolysis is the result of the superimposition of independent events; a specific linear hydrolysis occurring at the active site of lipase, a fast acylation depending on the presence of Lys373 and a non-specific hydrolysis most likely occurring in the C-terminal domain of the enzyme. This finding definitely proves that pancreatic lipase bears only one active site and raises the question of a covalent catalysis by pancreatic lipases. Moreover, based on sequence comparison with the above-mentioned pancreatic lipases, three residues located in the C-terminal domain, Lys349, Lys398 and Lys419, are proposed as possible candidates for lipase/colipase binding.

Direct involvement of the C-terminal extremity of pancreatic lipase (403-449) in colipase binding.

After a selective cleavage of a lipase/colipase cross-linked complex, the colipase has been shown to be bound to a 5 kDa lipase fragment identified as the C-terminal extremity of the chain extending from residue 403 to the C-terminus (Cys 449). The colipase binding site on lipase is therefore localized in a restricted contact area. Moreover, from sequence comparison of lipase from various species, an acidic residue, Glu 440, is likely to be involved in ion pairing with colipase.

Uncoupling of catalysis and colipase binding in pancreatic lipase by limited proteolysis.

In the intestine, the hydrolysis of triglycerides by pancreatic lipase is performed only in the presence of colipase, whose function is to anchor lipase to the bile-salt-coated lipid interface. Biochemical and crystallographic data on porcine and human lipases have shown that the molecule is made of two well-delimited domains. In order to get more information on the role of the domains in catalysis and colipase binding, we performed limited proteolysis on lipase from various species and obtained different patterns of cleavage. In the case of porcine and human lipases, only the C-terminal domain (12 kDa) could be obtained after chymotryptic attack, whereas in the horse enzyme the cleavage of the Leu410-Thr411 bond gave rise to a large N-terminal (45 kDa) and a small C-terminal (4 kDa) fragment. The isolated porcine and human C-terminal domains were completely inactive towards emulsified tributyrin, though were able to bind colipase. Conversely, the horse 45 kDa fragment retained the lipase activity but failed to correctly bind colipase. This work definitely proves that catalysis and colipase binding are separate events involving topographically distinct regions of the molecule and focuses attention on the role of the C-terminal domain in colipase binding.

Microcalorimetric investigation of the interactions between the subunits of the bovine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A-S6 complex.

A complete microcalorimetric investigation of the interactions between the native subunits of the bovine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A-S6 ternary complex has been performed. All the association constants and thermodynamic parameters associated with the reactions forming the various complexes have been determined. The influence of pH and ionic strength on the binding reactions has been investigated. Interestingly, the affinity between the subunits is not significantly modified by varying the ionic strength. In this respect, an enthalpy/entropy compensatory effect is observed for the binding of subunit III to subunit I when the ionic strength is increased, suggesting a physiological function for the association. The various pathways for formation of the ternary complex have been studied. Binding of subunit II (or III) to subunit I, the central element of the ternary complex, does not significantly modify the affinity of the other subunit for subunit I. From a thermodynamic point of view, the same final state is obtained whatever the pathway of ternary complex formation. This study is the first step of a kinetic investigation of the associated subunits.

Spectrofluorimetric investigation of the interactions between the subunits of bovine pancreatic procarboxypeptidase A-S6.

A spectrofluorimetric investigation of the interactions between the subunits of the pancreatic bovine procarboxypeptidase A ternary complex was carried out after covalent insertion of a fluorescent probe at the active center of one of the constituent subunits. The specific insertion of an anthraniloyl group at the active center of subunit II free or bound to subunit I, after its conversion into chymotrypsin II, allowed us to determine the value of the dissociation constant between subunit I and anthraniloyl-chymotrypsin II (Kd = 0.7 +/- 0.1 x 10(-7) M) and between subunit III and the binary complex subunit I-anthraniloyl-chymotrypsin II (Kd = 1.6 +/- 0.3 x 10(-7) M). Moreover, the influence of the association on the flexibility of the active center of chymotrypsin II was deduced from fluorescence polarization measurements and rotational correlation time determination of anthraniloyl-chymotrypsin II free or bound to subunit I. The anthraniloyl group has no motion independently of the whole chymotrypsin II molecule and the binding of subunit I to anthraniloyl-chymotrypsin II results in an increase of the rigidity of the active site in the latter protein.

Isolation and sequence of the canine pancreatic phospholipase A2 gene.

A genomic library has been constructed in EMBL3 lambda phage using high molecular mass DNA isolated from canine spleen. A cDNA clone, shown to code for preprophospholipase A2 which is processed to the prosecretory form prior to release from secretory cells, was used to identify a lambda clone which contains the complete phospholipase A2 gene. Restriction enzyme and DNA sequence analysis indicate that the primary transcriptional unit for the phospholipase gene, approximately 9.0 kb, is organized into four exon sequences. Exon 1 encodes the 5' nontranslated sequence, the ATG initiation codon, and the hydrophobic core of the signal peptide. Exons 2-4 encode regions of the peptide of residues -11 to 43, 43 to 86 and 86 to 124, respectively. The 5' flanking region shows a TATA box at position -29 and multiple CAAT boxes at positions -279, -206, -183 and -159. Regions of the 5' flanking sequence in the canine sequence, from nucleotides -47 to -74 and -91 to -129, show high similarity to similar regions in the human gene. However, an analysis of 400 nucleotides of the 5' flanking sequence in transient expression studies was unable to identify tissue-specific promoter or enhancer sequences. Within 5' nontranslated regions the canine and human genes share a pyrimidine-rich sequence which may be involved in differential regulation of mRNA translation.

Binding of terbium and of an elastase inhibitor to bovine pancreatic subunit III, an inactive protease E.

Using the Tb3+ luminescence technique, we showed that bovine subunit III, a defective pancreatic serine endopeptidase-like protease, possessed a single metal ion binding site able to bind Tb3+ with a high affinity comparable to that of porcine elastase. The topology of the metal ion binding site in subunit III is predicted from sequence homologies and modeling experiments based on the known crystallographic three-dimensional structures of the equivalent sites in porcine elastase 1 and bovine beta-trypsin. Moreover, the Tb3+ luminescence technique in parallel to a 19F NMR investigation, allowed us to measure the binding of a very potent specific inhibitor of porcine elastase (trifluoroacetyl-L-lysyl-alanyl p-trifluoromethylphenylanilide) to bovine subunit III. These results confirm that, although devoid of any specific activity, subunit III might possess a conformation close to that of an active enzyme and further support the analogy between subunit III and an elastase-like family.