No abstract

The combined effects of the diacylglycerols (DAGs) with the various acyl chains and Ca2+ on the structure of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine (4:1 mole/mole) bilayers were studied using 2H- and 31P NMR. The following DAG- and Ca(2+)-induced bilayer perturbations were identified. 1) Increased tendency to form nonbilayer lipid phases was induced by diolein or stearoylarachidonoylglycerol, and was synergistically enhanced by the addition of Ca2+. 2) "Transverse" bilayer perturbation was induced by dioctanoylglycerol. The addition of this DAG caused increased ordering of the phospholipid acyl side chains in the region adjacent to the headgroup, with the concomitant decrease of the order toward the bilayer interior. 3) Separation of the phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine bilayer components was induced by combinations of relatively high (1:5 mole/mole to phosphatidylserine) Ca2+ and 25 mol% (to the phospholipids) of diolein, stearoylarachidonoylglycerol, or oleoylacetylglycerol. 4) Lateral phase separation of the bilayers on the regions of different fluidities was induced by dipalmitin. These physicochemical effects were correlated with the effects of these DAGs and Ca2+ on the activity of protein kinase C. The increased tendency to form nonbilayer lipid phases and the transverse bilayer perturbations correlated with the increased protein kinase C activity, whereas the actual presence of the nonbilayer lipid phases, as well as the separation of the phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine components, was associated with the decrease in the protein kinase C activity. The lateral phase separation of the bilayer on gel-like and liquid crystalline regions did not have an effect on the activity of the enzyme. These results demonstrate the importance of the physicochemical properties of the membranes in the process of activation of protein kinase C.

The effects of a series of ceramide analogs with acyl chain lengths of 2, 6, 8 and 16 on the structure of diapalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers and cobra venom phospholipase A2 (PL-A2) activity were studied using 2H-NMR and specific enzymatic assays. C2-ceramide did not induce a significant effect on the structure of DPPC bilayers and did not alter PL-A2 activity. C6- and C8-ceramides increased the ordering of the DPPC acyl chains, correlating with the inhibition of PL-A2 activity which was probably due to the increased lateral surface pressure. The long-chain C16-ceramide induced lateral phase separation of the bilayers into gel and liquid crystalline domains and activated PL-A2, as does natural ceramide (Huang et al. 1996). Taken together, the results strongly suggest a correlation between membrane defects induced by ceramide analogs and their effects on phospholipase A2 activity. Furthermore, the effects of short-chain ceramides on PL-A2 are different from those of natural ceramide, indicating that the cell-permeable short-chain ceramide analogs, widely used to study the shpingomyelin-dependent cellular signal transduction pathway, may not completely mimic the natural product.

We studied the effects of natural ceramide and a series of ceramide analogs with different acyl chain lengths on the activity of rat brain protein kinase C (PKC) and on the structure of bovine liver phosphatidylcholine (BLPC)/dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/dipalmitoylphosphatidylserine (DPPS) (3:1:1 molar ratio) bilayers using (2)H-NMR and specific enzymatic assays in the absence or presence of 7.5 mol % diolein (DO). Only a slight activation of PKC was observed upon addition of the short-chain ceramide analogs (C(2)-, C(6)-, or C(8)-ceramide); natural ceramide or C(16)-ceramide had no effect. In the presence of 7.5 mol % DO, natural ceramide and C(16)-ceramide analog slightly attenuated DO-enhanced PKC activity. (2)H-NMR results demonstrated that natural ceramide and C(16)-ceramide induced lateral phase separation of gel-like and liquid crystalline domains in the bilayers; however, this type of membrane perturbation has no direct effect on PKC activity. The addition of both short-chain ceramide analogs and DO had a synergistic effect in activating PKC, with maximum activity observed with 20 mol % C(6)-ceramide and 15 mol % DO. Further increases in C(6)-ceramide and/or DO concentrations led to decreased PKC activity. A detailed (2)H-NMR investigation of the combined effects of C(6)-ceramide and DO on lipid bilayer structure showed a synergistic effect of these two reagents to increase membrane tendency to adopt nonbilayer structures, resulting in the actual presence of such structures in samples exceeding 20 mol % ceramide and 15 mol % DO. Thus, the increased tendency to form nonbilayer lipid phases correlates with increased PKC activity, whereas the actual presence of such phases reduced the activity of the enzyme. Moreover, the results show that short-chain ceramide analogs, widely used to study cellular effects of ceramide, have biological effects that are not exhibited by natural ceramide.

The individual and combined effects of the saturated diacylglycerol (DAG) dipalmitin (DP) and saturated or polyunsaturated unesterified fatty acids (PUFAs) on both the structure of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine (PC/PS; 4:1 mol/mol) bilayers and on protein kinase C (PKC) activity were studied using 2H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and enzyme activity assays. In the absence of DP, PUFAs only slightly activated PKC whereas palmitic acid had no effect. In the absence of fatty acids, DP induced lateral phase separation of the bilayer into liquid-crystalline and gel phases. Under these conditions virtually all DP was sequestered into the gel phase and no activation of PKC was observed. The addition of polyunsaturated arachidonic or docosahexaenoic acids to the DP-containing bilayers significantly increased the relative amounts of DP and other lipid components in the liquid-crystalline phase, correlating with a dramatic increase in PKC activity. Furthermore, the effect was greater with PS, resulting in an enrichment of PS in the liquid-crystalline domains. In the presence of DP, palmitic acid did not decrease the amount of gel phase lipid and had no effect on PKC activity. The results explain the observed lack of PKC-activating capacity of long-chain saturated DAGs as due to the sequestration of DAG into gel domains wherein it is complexed with phospholipids and thus not available for the required interaction with the enzyme.