Lipoprotein mediated lipid uptake in oocytes of polychaetes (Annelida)

Annelid Coelomic Fluid Proteins

The coelomic cavity is part of the main body plan of annelids. This fluid filled space takes up a considerable volume of the body and serves as an important site of exchange of both metabolites and proteins. In addition to low molecular substances such as amino acids and glucose and lactate, the coelomic fluid contains different proteins that can arise through release from adjacent tissues (intestine) or from secretion by coelomic cells. In this chapter, we will review the current knowledge about the proteins in the annelid coelomic fluid. Given the number of more than 20,000 extant annelid species, existing studies are confined to a relatively few species. Most studies on the oligochaetes are confined to the earthworms-clearly because of their important role in soil biology. In the polychaetes (which might represent a paraphyletic group) on the other hand, studies have focused on a few species of the Nereidid family. The proteins present in the coelomic fluid serve different functions and these have been studied in different taxonomic groups. In oligochaetes, proteins involved antibacterial defense such as lysenin and fetidin have received much attention in past and ongoing studies. In polychaetes, in contrast, proteins involved in vitellogenesis and reproduction, and the vitellogenic function of coelomic cells have been investigated in more detail. The metal binding metallothioneins as well as antimicrobial peptides, have been investigated in both oligochaetes and polychaetes. In the light of the literature available, this review will focus on lipoproteins, especially vitellogenin, and proteins involved in defense reactions. Other annelid groups such as the Pogonophora, Echiura, and Sipuncula (now considered polychaetes), have not received much attention and therefore, this overview is far from being complete.

Lipid accumulation and metabolism in polychaete spermatogenesis: Role of the large discoidal lipoprotein

In most oviparous animals, lipoprotein-mediated lipid transport plays an important role in the nutrient supply for the oocyte. In male gametes, lipids are used as energy substrates in spermatozoa but nothing is yet known about their origin and metabolism throughout spermatogenesis. The lipid profiles analyzed from different stages of male germ cell development in the marine annelid Nereis virens were found to undergo a dramatic change from primary triacylglycerides at the beginning of germ cell development to cholesterol and phospholipids at the end of development as demonstrated by HPLC with evaporative light scattering detection and mass spectrometry. The uptake of a large discoidal lipoprotein into the developing germ cells could be demonstrated by fluorescence labeling and electron microscopic techniques as well as by the presence of a lipoprotein receptor in the germ cells, thus establishing its role in lipid supply. The incorporated lipoprotein discs were found to be stored as intact complexes indicating that they are not readily degraded upon endocytotic uptake. The change in lipid composition during germ cell development reflects their metabolic activity, especially in spermatogonia. The high concentration of lipids maintained by spermatogonia during the early phase of gametogenesis seems to be required for the later rapid processes of meiosis and spermatocyte differentiation. At times when peak demand of lipids arises for membrane synthesis and increased metabolism, this may be met more efficiently by a rapid on-site mobilization of lipids instead of an external supply.

The Pandinus imperator haemolymph lipoprotein, an unusual phosphatidylserine carrying lipoprotein

The haemolymph lipoprotein of the scorpion, Pandinus imperator was isolated and characterised. Contrary to the lipoproteins of insects and the discoidal HDL-lipoproteins of a crayfish and polychaete, the Pandinus lipoprotein consists of three instead of two apoproteins (apoPiLp I = 230 kDa, apoPiLp II = 130 kDa and apoPiLp III = 120 kDa). The apolipoproteins are arranged in varying stoichiometries as judged by cross-linking experiments. In lipoprotein samples from individual animals, the two smaller subunits occurred in a 1:1 stoichiometry, while the relative amount of the 230 kDa peptide varied. The lipoprotein is a slightly heart-shaped HDL with a diameter of approximately 15 nm. It is present in two densities of 1100 and 1190 kg/m(3), of which the latter is by far more abundant. The native molecular mass was estimated to be approximately 500 kDa. The lipid content was determined as 33.5% and consists of approximately 70% neutral lipids and approximately 30% phospholipids. Strikingly, 42.5% of the phospholipids is phosphatidylserine while phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine account for 55.1% and approximately 2.3%, respectively. Carbohydrate analysis suggests the presence of only high-mannose-type N-glycans. N-glycan profiling shows glycans corresponding to a size of 8.0-11.5 hexose units.