Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) plays a key role in lipid metabolism and overall energy homoeostasis, by controlling the release of fatty acids from stored triglycerides in adipose tissue. Lipases and esterases form a protein superfamily with a common structural fold, called the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold, and a catalytic triad of serine, aspartic or glutamic acid and histidine. Previous alignments between HSL and lipase 2 of Moraxella TA144 have been extended to cover a much larger part of the HSL sequence. From these extended alignments, possible sites for the catalytic triad and alpha/beta-hydrolase fold are suggested. Furthermore, it is proposed that HSL contains a structural domain with catalytic capacity and a regulatory module attached, as well as a structural N-terminal domain unique to this enzyme. In order to test the proposed domain structure, rat HSL was overexpressed and purified to homogeneity using a baculovirus/insect-cell expression system. The purification, resulting in > 99% purity, involved detergent solubilization followed by anion-exchange chromatography and hydrophobic-interaction chromatography. The purified recombinant enzyme was identical to rat adipose-tissue HSL with regard to specific activity, substrate specificity and ability to serve as a substrate for cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The recombinant HSL was subjected to denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride and limited proteolysis. These treatments resulted in more extensive loss of activity against phospholipid-stabilized lipid substrates than against water-soluble substrates, suggesting that the hydrolytic activity can be separated from recognition of lipid substrates. These data support the concept that HSL has at least two major domains.
The present investigation was performed in order to elucidate the subcellular localization of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in human alveolar macrophages. A pure population of alveolar macrophages was obtained by centrifugal elutriation of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from seven sarcoid patients. The cells were homogenized by sonication and the postnuclear supernatant was fractionated on a discontinuous sucrose gradient. Fractions of particulate material were collected and characterized by marker enzymes. The distribution pattern of ACE closely resembled that of NADPH-cytochrome-c-reductase and sialyltransferase, markers of the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex, respectively, indicating a common localization. This localization is compatible with synthesis taking place in the alveolar macrophage.
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