Quantification of 24 circulating endocannabinoids, endocannabinoid-related compounds, and their phospholipid precursors in human plasma by UHPLC-MS/MS.

Endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-related compounds (ERCs) are involved in many physiological processes. They are released on demand from phosphoinositide and N-acylphosphatidyl ethanolamine (NAPE) precursors and comprise 2-monoacylglycerols (2-MGs) and FA ethanolamides (FEAs). Despite the abundance of advanced quantitative methods, however, their determined concentrations in blood plasma are inconsistent because 2-MGs and FEAs undergo artifactual de novo formation, chemical isomerization, and degradation during sample collection and storage. For a comprehensive survey of these compounds in blood and plasma, we have developed and validated an ultra-HPLC-MS/MS method to quantify 24 endocannabinoids, ERCs, and their phospholipid precursors. Immediate acidification of EDTA-blood to pH 5.8 blocked artifactual FEA formation for at least 4 h on ice. The 2-MGs were stabilized after plasma harvest with 0.5 M potassium thiocyanate at pH 4.7. FEA and MG plasma concentrations in six healthy volunteers ranged between 0.04-3.48 and 0.63-6.18 ng/ml, respectively. Interestingly, only 1-5% of circulating FEAs were present in their free form, while the majority was bound to NAPEs. Similarly, 97% of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) was bound to a potential phosphoinositide pool. The herein-described stabilization and extraction methods may now be used to reliably and comprehensively quantify endocannabinoids, ERCs, and their phospholipid precursors in clinical studies.

Identification of the oleic acid ethanolamide (OEA) isomer cis-vaccenic acid ethanolamide (VEA) as a highly abundant 18:1 fatty acid ethanolamide in blood plasma from rats and humans.

The endocannabinoid system is important in various physiological pathways, especially the regulation of food intake. It consists of endocannabinoids like 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) or the fatty acid ethanolamide archachidonoyl-ethanolamide (AEA) with binding affinity to cannabinoid receptors. Further, fatty acid ethanolamides (FAEAs) influence the endocannabinoid system without affecting cannabinoid receptors by using independent physiological pathways. Among FAEAs, oleic acid ethanolamide (OEA) gained importance because of its promising ability to reduce food intake. By ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS), we detected a chromatographically separated molecule in plasma samples from rats and humans with identical mass and fragmentation patterns as those of OEA. Via synthesis and extensive analysis of ethanolamides of different cis/trans- and position isomers of oleic acid (cis9-18:1), we could identify the unknown molecule as vaccenic acid (cis11-18:1) ethanolamide (VEA). In this study we identified VEA as the most abundant 18:1 FAEA in rat plasma and the second most abundant 18:1 FAEA in human plasma.

Amer2 protein interacts with EB1 protein and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and controls microtubule stability and cell migration.

EB1 is key factor in the organization of the microtubule cytoskeleton by binding to the plus-ends of microtubules and serving as a platform for a number of interacting proteins (termed +TIPs) that control microtubule dynamics. Together with its direct binding partner adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), EB1 can stabilize microtubules. Here, we show that Amer2 (APC membrane recruitment 2), a previously identified membrane-associated APC-binding protein, is a direct interaction partner of EB1 and acts as regulator of microtubule stability together with EB1. Amer2 binds to EB1 via specific (S/T)xIP motifs and recruits it to the plasma membrane. Coexpression of Amer2 and EB1 generates stabilized microtubules at the plasma membrane, whereas knockdown of Amer2 leads to destabilization of microtubules. Knockdown of Amer2, APC, or EB1 reduces cell migration, and morpholino-mediated down-regulation of Xenopus Amer2 blocks convergent extension cell movements, suggesting that the Amer2-EB1-APC complex regulates cell migration by altering microtubule stability.