Adiponectin is an anti-diabetic adipokine. Its receptors possess a seven-transmembrane topology with the amino terminus located intracellularly, which is the opposite of G-protein-coupled receptors. Here we provide evidence that adiponectin induces extracellular Ca(2+) influx by adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1), which was necessary for subsequent activation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase beta (CaMKKbeta), AMPK and SIRT1, increased expression and decreased acetylation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha), and increased mitochondria in myocytes. Moreover, muscle-specific disruption of AdipoR1 suppressed the adiponectin-mediated increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, and decreased the activation of CaMKK, AMPK and SIRT1 by adiponectin. Suppression of AdipoR1 also resulted in decreased PGC-1alpha expression and deacetylation, decreased mitochondrial content and enzymes, decreased oxidative type I myofibres, and decreased oxidative stress-detoxifying enzymes in skeletal muscle, which were associated with insulin resistance and decreased exercise endurance. Decreased levels of adiponectin and AdipoR1 in obesity may have causal roles in mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance seen in diabetes.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) comprises a superfamily of enzymes that hydrolyse the ester bond of phospholipids at the sn-2 position. Among the members of this superfamily, cytosolic PLA2 has attracted attention because it preferentially hydrolyses arachidonoyl phospholipids and is activated by submicromolar concentrations of Ca2+ ions and by phosphorylation by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinases). Here we investigate the function of cytosolic PLA2 in vivo by using homologous recombination to generate mice deficient in this enzyme. These mice showed a marked decrease in their production of eicosanoids and platelet-activating factor in peritoneal macrophages. Their ovalbumin-induced anaphylactic responses were significantly reduced, as was their bronchial reactivity to methacholine. Female mutant mice failed to deliver offspring, but these could be rescued by administration of a progesterone-receptor antagonist to the mother at term. Considered together with previous findings, our results indicate that cytosolic PLA2 plays a non-redundant role in allergic responses and reproductive physiology.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid mediator with diverse physiological and pathological actions on many types of cells. LPA has been widely considered to elicit its biological functions through three types of G protein-coupled receptors, Edg-2 (endothelial cell differentiation gene-2)/LPA 1 /vzg-1 (ventricular zone gene-1), Edg-4/LPA 2 , and Edg-7/LPA 3 . We identified an orphan G protein-coupled receptor, p2y 9 /GPR23, as the fourth LPA receptor (LPA 4 ). Membrane fractions of RH7777 cells transiently expressing p2y 9 /GPR23 displayed a specific binding for 1-oleoyl-LPA with a K d value of around 45 nM. Competition binding and reporter gene assays showed that p2y 9 /GPR23 preferred structural analogs of LPA with a rank order of 1-oleoyl-> 1-stearoyl-> 1-palmitoyl-> 1-myristoyl-> 1-alkyl-> 1-alkenyl-LPA. In Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing p2y 9 /GPR23, 1-oleoyl-LPA induced an increase in intracellular Ca 2؉ concentration and stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. Quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that mRNA of p2y 9 /GPR23 was significantly abundant in ovary compared with other tissues. Interestingly, p2y 9 /GPR23 shares only 20 -24% amino acid identities with Edg-2/LPA 1 , Edg-4/LPA 2 , and Edg-7/LPA 3 , and phylogenetic analysis also shows that p2y 9 /GPR23 is far distant from the Edg family. These facts suggest that p2y 9 /GPR23 has evolved from different ancestor sequences from the Edg family.

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Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent proinflammatory lipid mediator eliciting a variety of cellular functions. Lipid mediators, including PAF are produced from membrane phospholipids by enzymatic cascades. Although a G protein-coupled PAF receptor and degradation enzymes have been cloned and characterized, the PAF biosynthetic enzyme, aceyl-CoA:lyso-PAF acetyltransferase, has not been identified. Here, we cloned lyso-PAF acetyltransferase, which is critical in stimulusdependent formation of PAF. The enzyme is a 60-kDa microsomal protein with three putative membrane-spanning domains. The enzyme was induced by bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), which was suppressed by dexamethasone treatment. Surprisingly, the enzyme catalyzed not only biosynthesis of PAF from lyso-PAF but also incorporation of arachidonoyl-CoA to produce PAF precursor membrane glycerophospholipids (lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase activity). Under resting conditions, the enzyme prefers arachidonoyl-CoA and contributes to membrane biogenesis. Upon acute inflammatory stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, the activated enzyme utilizes acetyl-CoA more efficiently and produces PAF. Thus, our findings provide a novel concept that a single enzyme catalyzes membrane biogenesis of inflammatory cells while producing a prophlogistic mediator in response to external stimuli.Platelet-activating factor (PAF 3 ; 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) is a phospholipid mediator that activates a G protein-coupled receptor (1-3) and results in pleiotropic and potent biological effects, including platelet activation, airway constriction, and hypotension (1). PAF is synthesized in various cells and tissues via two distinct pathways, the de novo and remodeling pathways (2, 4, 5), and the latter is regulated by extracellular signals and plays a critical role in stimulus-coupled PAF biosynthesis (2, 4 -6). PAF synthesis induced by extracellular signals has been reported in murine peritoneal cells stimulated by calcium ionophore (7) or by PAF (8), in human eosinophils stimulated by fMet-Leu-Phe (9), in human neutrophils stimulated by acid stress (10), and in murine peritoneal macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (11). In the remodeling pathway, the precursor of PAF, 1-Oalkyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lyso-PAF), is synthesized from 1-O-alkyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (1-alkyl-phosphatidylcholine; PC) by the action of phospholipase A 2 (2, 4, 12, 13). Subsequently, lyso-PAF is converted to PAF by acetyl-CoA:lyso-PAF acetyltransferase (lyso-PAF acetyltransferase) (EC 2.3.1.67) (14). PAF is then rapidly degraded to lyso-PAF by PAF acetylhydrolases (15). Alternatively, lyso-PAF is again transformed into PC by the action of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) acyltransferase (2.3.1.23) (16).A G protein-coupled PAF receptor was cloned in our laboratory (17), and PAF acetylhydrolases have been cloned and characterized by others (18,19). Lyso-PAF acetyltransferase was initially demonstrated and partially characterized by ...

Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by acute lung injury with a high mortality rate and yet its mechanism is poorly understood. Sepsis syndrome and acid aspiration are the most frequent causes of ARDS, leading to increased lung permeability, enhanced polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) sequestration and respiratory failure. Using a murine model of acute lung injury induced by septic syndrome or acid aspiration, we investigated the role of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) in ARDS. We found that disruption of the gene encoding cPLA2 significantly reduced pulmonary edema, PMN sequestration and deterioration of gas exchange caused by lipopolysaccharide and zymosan administration. Acute lung injury induced by acid aspiration was similarly reduced in mice with a disrupted cpla2 gene. Our observations suggest that cPLA2 is a mediator of acute lung injury induced by sepsis syndrome or acid aspiration. Thus, the inhibition of cPLA2-initiated pathways may provide a therapeutic approach to acute lung injury, for which no pharmaceutical agents are currently effective.

p2y5 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor that is closely related to the fourth lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor, LPA 4 . Here we report that p2y5 is a novel LPA receptor coupling to the G 13 -Rho signaling pathway. "LPA receptor-null" RH7777 and B103 cells exogenously expressing p2y5 showed [ 3 H]LPA binding, LPA-induced [35 S]guanosine 5-3-O-(thio)triphosphate binding, Rho-dependent alternation of cellular morphology, and G s/13 chimeric protein-mediated cAMP accumulation. LPA-induced contraction of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was suppressed by small interfering RNA knockdown of endogenously expressed p2y5. We also found that 2-acyl-LPA had higher activity to p2y5 than 1-acyl-LPA. A recent study has suggested that p2y5 is an LPA receptor essential for human hair growth. We confirmed that p2y5 is a functional LPA receptor and propose to designate this receptor LPA 6 .Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA 3 ; 1-or 2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate) is a naturally occurring lipid mediator with diverse biological activities (1, 2). LPA plays important roles in many biological processes, such as the nervous system (3), tumor metastasis (4), wound healing (5), cardiovascular functions (6), and reproduction (7), through its specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). At least five subtypes of LPA receptors have been identified. Three receptors (LPA 1 (8), LPA 2 (9), and LPA 3 (10, 11)) share about 50% amino acid sequence identities, and form the Edg (endothelial differentiation gene) family together with the GPCRs for sphingosine 1-phosphate. Two additional LPA receptors, p2y9/LPA 4 (12) and GPR92/LPA 5 (13, 14), which show small similarities with the Edg family GPCRs, were recently identified. These LPA receptors, by coupling with different sets of G proteins, transduce various responses in many cell types. Depending on the functional coupling of a given LPA receptor to the G proteins, LPA activates diverse signaling cascades involving phosphoinositide 3-kinase, phospholipase C, mitogen-activated protein kinase, Rho-family GTPase, and adenylyl cyclase (2).The fact that p2y5 shares the highest sequence homology with p2y9/LPA 4 among all GPCRs (12) strongly suggested that LPA is a ligand for p2y5. However, we could not detect LPAinduced Ca 2ϩ mobilization or cAMP level changes in p2y5-overexpressing cells at the time of the identification of p2y9/ LPA 4 as the fourth LPA receptor in our laboratory (12). In the course of the further analysis of p2y5-overexpressing cells, we found that p2y5 actually responded to LPA with activation of the G 13 -Rho signaling pathway. Our results confirm the identification of p2y5 as an LPA receptor and extend the knowledge of the functional roles of LPA. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESLipids-1-Oleoyl-LPA, 1-palmitoyl-LPA, 1-stearoyl-LPA, 1-myristoyl-LPA, and 1-arachidonoyl-LPA were purchased from Avanti Polar Lipids (Alabaster, AL). 1-Linoleoyl-LPA was from Echelon Biosciences (Salt Lake City, UT). These lipids were stored at Ϫ30°C (10 mM stock in 50% ethanol). Alkyl-OMPT (10 mM stock in d...

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent phospholipid mediator with diverse biological activities in addition to its well-known ability to stimulate platelet aggregation. Pharmacologic studies had suggested a role for PAF in pregnancy, neuronal cell migration, anaphylaxis, and endotoxic shock. Here we show that disruption of the PAF receptor gene in mice caused a marked reduction in systemic anaphylactic symptoms. Unexpectedly, however, the PAF receptor–deficient mice developed normally, were fertile, and remained sensitive to bacterial endotoxin. These mutant mice clearly show that PAF plays a dominant role in eliciting anaphylaxis, but that it is not essential for reproduction, brain development, or endotoxic shock.