Lipoprotein lipase in cultured heart cells: characteristics and cellular location

Characterization of a heart-specific fatty acid transport protein

Fatty acids are a major source of energy for cardiac myocytes. Changes in fatty acid metabolism have been implicated as causal in diabetes and cardiac disease. The mechanism by which long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) enter cardiac myocytes is not well understood but appears to occur predominantly by protein-mediated transport. Here we report the cloning, expression pattern, and subcellular localization of a novel member of the fatty acid transport protein (FATP) family termed FATP6. FATP6 is principally expressed in the heart where it is the predominant FATP family member. Similar to other FATPs, transient and stable transfection of FATP6 into 293 cells enhanced uptake of LCFAs. FATP6 mRNA was localized to cardiac myocytes by in situ hybridization. Immunofluorescence microscopy of FATP6 in monkey and murine hearts revealed that the protein is exclusively located on the sarcolemma. FATP6 was restricted in its distribution to areas of the plasma membrane juxtaposed with small blood vessels. In these membrane domains FATP6 also colocalizes with another molecule involved in LCFA uptake, CD36. These findings suggest that FATP6 is involved in heart LCFA uptake, in which it may play a role in the pathogenesis of lipid-related cardiac disorders.

Effects of hormones, amino acids and specific inhibitors on rat heart heparin-releasable lipoprotein lipase and tissue neutral lipase activities during long-term perfusion

Rat hearts were perfused for long periods in the presence of 14C-labeled amino acids. From these hearts, postheparin-effluent and a tissue homogenate containing lipoprotein lipase and neutral lipase, respectively, were derived. Lipolytic activity and 14C-labeled protein in both preparations were characterized by affinity chromatography, immunoprecipitation and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Lipase activity and 14C-labeled protein co-eluted from heparin-Sepharose 4B at 1.2 M NaCl and were inhibited and precipitated by preincubation with anti-lipoprotein lipase gamma-globulins. Gel electrophoresis of both preparations showed the presence of 14C-labeled protein with a molecular weight of 35 000. These data strongly suggest similarity between lipoprotein lipase and neutral lipase and their possible precursor-product relationship and indicate that during perfusion continuous synthesis, secretion and vascular binding of lipase molecules occur. Cycloheximide perfusion induced a dramatic decrease of lipoprotein lipase and neutral lipase activity, indicating a half-life of less than 90 min for both enzymes. Tunicamycin present during perfusion also induced a drop in lipoprotein lipase and tissue neutral lipase activity, indicating that glycosylation is necessary for secretion of lipoprotein lipase. Long-term perfusion of rat hearts in the presence of norepinephrine, glucagon or tyrosine leads to reciprocal alterations in lipoprotein lipase and neutral lipase activities, i.e., lipoprotein lipase activity increased and neutral lipase activity decreased, whereas total lipase activity (lipoprotein lipase + neutral lipase) remained unaltered. During perfusion in the presence of insulin, no net change in lipase activities was observed. Also, insulin did not affect the glucagon-induced inverse effects on either lipase activity. The reciprocal changes in lipase activities occurring during norepinephrine perfusion were hampered by colchicine and propranolol, pointing towards beta-receptor and microtubular mediation of tissue lipase processing and endothelial binding. Our data suggest that the tissue flux and vascular binding of lipase protein may be important sites of hormonal regulation of lipoprotein lipase homeostasis.

Comparative metabolism of free and esterified fatty acids by the perfused rat heart and rat cardiac myocytes

Studies have been conducted on the uptake and metabolism of unesterified oleic acid and lipoprotein triacylglycerol by the perfused rat heart, and of oleic acid, free glycerol and lipoprotein triacylglycerol by rat cardiac myocytes. The perfused heart efficiently extracted and metabolized unesterified fatty acid and the fatty acid released during lipolysis of the recirculating triacylglycerol. The released glyceride glycerol, however, was largely accumulated in the perfusion media. Cardiac myocytes also extracted and rapidly metabolized unesterified fatty acid. As with the intact heart, free glycerol was poorly utilized by cardiac myocytes. Although the cells appeared to extract a small amount of available extracellular triacylglycerol presented as very low density lipoprotein, this was shown to be unmetabolized, suggesting adsorption rather than surface lipolysis and uptake of the released fatty acid. The data suggest that myocytes are unable to metabolize triacylglycerol fatty acids without prior lipolysis by extracellular (capillary endothelial) lipoprotein lipase.

Involvement of cell surface heparin sulfate in the binding of lipoprotein lipase to cultured bovine endothelial cells

It has been postulated that lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme important in the uptake of fatty acids into tissues, is bound to the vascular endothelial cell surface and that this binding occurs through attachment to heparinlike glycosaminoglycans. Furthermore, it is thought that heparin releases the enzyme from its attachment to the endothelium into the circulation. These hypotheses have never been tested directly in cell systems in vitro. In the present study we have directly evaluated the interaction of lipoprotein lipase, purified from bovine skim milk with monolayer cultures of endothelial cells, isolated from bovine pulmonary artery. Endothelial cells in primary culture had no intrinsic lipoprotein lipase activity but were able to bind lipoprotein lipase quantitatively. The binding reached equilibrium and was saturable at 0.24 nmol of lipoprotein lipase/mg of cell protein. The concentration of lipoprotein lipase at half-maximal binding was 0.52 microM. Bound lipoprotein lipase could be detached from cultured cells by increasing concentrations of heparin, and at and above 0.6 microgram/ml of heparin, 90% of the cell-bound lipoprotein lipase activity was released. Heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate released the enzyme to a lesser extent and chondroitin sulfate caused little, if any, release of lipoprotein lipase. The release of lipoprotein lipase with heparin was not associated with a release of [3S]glycosaminoglycans from 35S-prelabeled cells. Reductions of lipoprotein lipase binding to endothelial cells and of cell surface-associated [3S]glycosaminoglycans in 35S-prelabeled cells occurred in parallel both when cells were pretreated with crude Flavobacterium heparinum enzyme before lipoprotein lipase binding and when cells were treated with this enzyme after lipoprotein lipase binding. The removal of heparan sulfate from the cell surface by purified heparinase totally inhibited the binding of lipoprotein lipase by endothelial cells, but the removal of chondroitin sulfate by chondroitin ABC lyase had no effect on this binding. These results provide direct evidence for lipoprotein lipase attachment to endothelial cells through heparan sulfate on the cell surface, and provide evidence for the release of lipoprotein lipase by heparin through a detachment from this binding site.

Lipoprotein lipase activities in adipose tissues and muscle in the obese Zucker rat

Activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was determined in whole adipose tissue and isolated adipocytes, and in heart and skeletal muscle that contained predominantly red or white fiber types in lean and obese Zucker rats. In rats of both sexes at 9-11 and 26-30 wk of age, no differences were observed between lean and obese rats when LPL activity of the perirenal (PR), subcutaneous (SC), and mesenteric (M) adipose tissues was expressed per millimole of tissue triglyceride. Within each sex, data relating the LPL content of isolated adipocytes to cell size was a linear function in which data for lean and obese rats fell on the same regression line. Measurement of the distribution of adipose tissue LPL activity between adipocytes and other tissue constituents showed no differences between lean and obese rats, a finding that is inconsistent with the hypothesis that obesity results in part by an alteration in adipose tissue enzyme distribution. Activity of LPL in the myocardium and red fiber types in the younger group of both sexes showed significant decreases in obese animals. This was also true for white fibers of males but not females. No differences in heart or muscle LPL between lean and obese rats were observed in the older group of either sex.

Lipoprotein lipase. Localization on plasma membrane fragments from lactating rat mammary tissue

Subcellular fractionation studies were done using lactating rat mammary tissue. Lipoprotein lipase (E.C. 3.1.1.34) was found to be associated with plasma membrane-enriched and endoplasmic reticulum-enriched fractions. Considerable amounts of soluble lipoprotein lipase were found after homogenization of this tissue. The membrane-associated lipoprotein lipase activities described here were found to be resistant to release, by heparin, from their membrane sites. Buoyant density gradient fractionation experiments suggest that the lipoprotein lipase activity of lactating mammary tissue is located in part on the secretory epithelial cell plasma membrane. This conclusion is discussed in the context of the known site of action, in vivo, of mammary gland lipoprotein lipase, and of probable routes of its transport to that site.

Lipoprotein lipase in cholesterol-fed and control guinea pigs

A study of the in vitro activity of lipoprotein lipase of guinea pigs has shown that (a) the lipolytic activity of activated post-heparin serum is depressed in hypercholesteremic guinea pigs compared to the serum of normocholesteremic guinea pigs; and (b) this depressed lipolytic activity in hypercholesteremic guinea pigs is not due to the presence of an inhibitor.

The use of fluorescent antimyosin and DNA labeling for the estimation of the myoblast and myocyte population of primary rat heart cell cultures

Cell division in heart muscle cells progressively ceases during the development of the rat heart, leading to an adult stage with muscle cells incapable of cell division. We have quantitatively determined the number of dividing and nondividing heart muscle cells in cultures derived from different stages of the developing rat heart with the use of 3HTdR continuous labeling and fluorescent antimyosin staining. The cultures were derived from 14 and 17 day postcoital (dPC) rat embryos and from 1 and 4 day postnatal (dPN) rats. The percent nondividing cells increased with development and the age of the postnatal rat. The percent nondividing cells in 14 dPC equalled 21%, 17 dPC equalled 25%, 1 dPN equalled 44%, and 4 dPN equalled 60%. This method for the quantitative determination of dividing and nondividing cells in the developing rat heart provides a model that is useful for the study of the mechanism of the loss of cell division capacity.

The use of 5-bromodeoxyuridine and irradiation for the estimation of the myoblast and myocyte content of primary rat heart cell cultures

A method for killing dividing cells (Puck and Kao, '67) was adapted for the elimination of dividing heart muscle cells (myoblasts) in cultures. We have used this method to demonstrate their presence and to estimate their number as well as the number of nondividing heart muscle cells (myocytes) in the neo-natal rat heart. Cells were cultivated in BUdR (5-bromodeoxyuridine) 10(-4) M for 3 days and then irradiated with long UV light. The selective elimination of dividing cells led to a loss of myosin Ca2+-activated ATPase in the cultures. This indicates the presence of dividing cells which contain myosin. The percent of ATPase left after irradiation was 32% of the control in cultures derived from 1-day postnatal rats and 48% in cultures from 4-day postnatal rats. This reflects an in vivo shift of myoblasts to myocytes in the muscle cell population as the rat ages.

Lipoprotein lipase activity of adult rat cardiocytes

Cardiocytes were prepared by enzymatic dissociation of adult rat ventricular tissue, and comparative studies on lipoprotein lipase activity were conducted on fresh homogenates and acetone powders of these cells. Lipolytic activity in fresh homogenates was largely dependent on addition of serum activator to the assay, and the activity was sensitive to 1 M NaCl. Lipoprotein lipase activity was maximized in acetone powder preparations of cardiocytes. Approx. 10% of the total lipolytic activity was extractable from acetone powders of cells homogenized in the absence of serum, while approx. 50% was soluble from powders of cells homogenized with 10% serum. The non-extractable lipolytic activity was inhibited 80% with 1 M NaCl and about 47% with antibodies (IgG) to heart lipoprotein lipase. The buffer-extracted enzyme was completely sensitive to NaCl and was inhibited 80% by low concentrations of anti-lipoprotein lipase antibodies.

Determination of the half-life of lipoprotein lipase in cultured granulosa cells

The incorporation of [3H]leucine into granulosa lipoprotein lipase was determined by an immunoadsorbent method: a sensitive, specific, and quantitative technique using antiserum to avian adipose lipoprotein lipase coupled to Sepharose 4B as the immunoadsorbent. The sole 3H-labeled protein bound to the immunoadsorbent was shown to be lipoprotein lipase by: (1) sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, (2) gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, and (3) isoelectric focusing in 8 M urea of the dissociated protein. As measured by a specific radioimmunoassay, all but 4.5% of total enzyme protein, from 1.45 to 380 ng avian lipase, bound to 200 microliters immunoadsorbent. This immunoadsorbent has a quantitative binding capacity (96.5%) over a 200-fold range of enzyme concentration. Using this method, the half-life of lipoprotein lipase under steady-state conditions in cultured granulosa cells was found to be 11.26 h.

Improved methods for automatic monitoring of contracting heart cells in culture

The present communication describes improved methods for isolating and plating beating heart cells from neonatal rats using collagenase and collagen-coated petri dishes. The amplitude and frequency of contraction are continuously and simultaneously measured under well defined conditions and during prolonged periods of time with a highly sensitive and thermostated instrument. Additions, e.g. drugs and toxic agents, are made through an accessory pump system that involves extensive dilution of the added compound with medium; aliquots of medium can be withdrawn for estimation of metabolites. The system described is reliable and relatively inexpensive and allows a more extensive use of isolated heart cells, especially in studies of heart functions where small changes in amplitude and frequency of beating during prolonged periods of time are important.

Differences in the metabolism of very-low-density lipoproteins by isolated beating-heart cells and the isolated perfused rat heart. Evidence for collagenase-released extracellular lipoprotein lipase

1. The metabolism of VLD lipoproteins (very-low-density lipoproteins) was studied in intact isolated beating-heart cells and isolated perfused rat heart from starved animals by using [14C]triacylglycerol fatty acid-labelled VLD lipoprotein prepared from rats previously injected with [1-14C]palmitate. 2. 14C-labelled VLD lipoprotein was metabolized by the isolated perfused heart, but was only minimally metabolized by the heart cells unless an exogenous source of lipoprotein lipase was added. 3. Measurements of lipoprotein lipase at pH 7.4 with the natural substrate 14C-labelled VLD lipoprotein indicated that during collagenase perfusion of the heart the enzyme was released into the perfusate, the activity released being proportional to the concentration of collagenase used. Lipoprotein lipase activity in homogenates of hearts that had been perfused with collagenase showed a corresponding loss of activity. 4. At high perfusate concentrations of collagenase, inactivation of the released lipoprotein lipase occurred. 5. Lipoprotein lipase activity was largely undetectable in the homogenate of the isolated heart cells. 6. It is concluded that the lipoprotein lipase responsible for the hydrolysis of VLD lipoprotein triacylglycerol is predominantly located externally to the heart muscle cells and that its release can be facilitated by perfusion of the heart with bacterial collagenase.

Synthesis of lipoprotein lipase in cultured avian granulosa cells

Avian granulosa cells cultured as a homogeneous parenchymal population contain lipolytic activity. This activity is stimulated 2--5-fold by serum, inhibited 90% by 1 M NaCl and inhibited 80% by specific anti-lipoprotein lipase immunoglobulins. 85% of the activity binds to heparin-Sepharose 4B, and 70% of bound activity is eluted with 1.5 M NaCl. Thus, the lipolytic activity of cultured granulosa cells is lipoprotein lipase. Granulosa cells were shown to synthesize lipoprotein lipase in culture by incorporating [3H]leucine into the enzyme protein, as measured with an immunoadsorption technique. Finally, colchicine was shown to increase intracellular lipolytic activity, suggesting an inhibition of secretion of this enzyme by cultured granulosa cells.

The lipoprotein lipase (clearing-factor lipase) activity of cells isolated from rat cardiac muscle

The total lipoprotein lipase activity recovered in suspension of cells prepared from adult rat hearts was unaffected by the nutritional state of the animals used. The enzyme activity present in the cell suspensions was almost exclusively associated with the cardiac muscle cells present as the major cell type.

Lipoprotein lipase of cultured mesenchymal rat heart cells. I. Synthesis, secretion and releasability by heparin

Cell suspensions prepared from rat hearts were separated by replating into F1, F2 and M cultures, and cultured for 3--11 days. Lipoprotein lipase activity was highest in the F1 cultures which consisted mainly of non-beating, mesenchymal cells. The enzyme activity was released into the medium only after addition of heparin. The release occurred by an initial rapid phase and a continuous slow phase. Both the rapid and the slow release of enzyme activity by heparin were inhibited by about 70% after a 4 h pretreatment with colchicine. Thus, it seems that the vesicular transport is responsible for the translocation of lipoprotein lipase to the cell surface also during the slow process of release. The residual activity in the colchicine treated cultures was higher than in the controls indicating that no inhibition of enzyme synthesis occurred. The slow phase of enzyme release continued also after removal of heparin from the medium but was reduced markedly when protein synthesis was inhibited by cycloheximide. Thus the increase in total enzyme activity encountered after exposure to heparin resulted from stimulation of new enzyme synthesis. The half-time of lipoprotein lipase in the F1 cultures was 35 min and full restoration of enzyme activity was found 60 min after complete removal of cycloheximide from the system. These data indicate that the culture system can be used to study regulation of new enzyme synthesis and its turnover.