scholarly journals Toxoplasma gondii acetyl-CoA synthetase is involved in fatty acid elongation (of long fatty acid chains) during tachyzoite life stages

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 994-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Dubois ◽  
Stella Fernandes ◽  
Souad Amiar ◽  
Sheena Dass ◽  
Nicholas J. Katris ◽  
...  

Apicomplexan parasites are pathogens responsible for major human diseases such as toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii and malaria caused by Plasmodium spp. Throughout their intracellular division cycle, the parasites require vast and specific amounts of lipids to divide and survive. This demand for lipids relies on a fine balance between de novo synthesized lipids and scavenged lipids from the host. Acetyl-CoA is a major and central precursor for many metabolic pathways, especially for lipid biosynthesis. T. gondii possesses a single cytosolic acetyl-CoA synthetase (TgACS). Its role in the parasite lipid synthesis is unclear. Here, we generated an inducible TgACS KO parasite line and confirmed the cytosolic localization of the protein. We conducted 13C-stable isotope labeling combined with mass spectrometry-based lipidomic analyses to unravel its putative role in the parasite lipid synthesis pathway. We show that its disruption has a minor effect on the global FA composition due to the metabolic changes induced to compensate for its loss. However, we could demonstrate that TgACS is involved in providing acetyl-CoA for the essential fatty elongation pathway to generate FAs used for membrane biogenesis. This work provides novel metabolic insight to decipher the complex lipid synthesis in T. gondii.

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingjian Ren ◽  
Pengfei Kong ◽  
Fatima Hedar ◽  
Jos F. Brouwers ◽  
Nishith Gupta

AbstractPhosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) serves as an integral component of eukaryotic membranes; however, its biosynthesis in apicomplexan parasites remains poorly understood. Here we show that Toxoplasma gondii—a common intracellular pathogen of humans and animals—can import and co-utilize myo-inositol with the endogenous CDP-diacylglycerol to synthesize PtdIns. Equally, the parasite harbors a functional PtdIns synthase (PIS) containing a catalytically-vital CDP-diacylglycerol phosphotransferase motif in the Golgi apparatus. Auxin-induced depletion of PIS abrogated the lytic cycle of T. gondii in human cells due to defects in cell division, gliding motility, invasion, and egress. Isotope labeling of the PIS mutant in conjunction with lipidomics demonstrated de novo synthesis of specific PtdIns species, while revealing the salvage of other lipid species from the host cell. Not least, the mutant showed decline in phosphatidylthreonine, and elevation of selected phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylglycerol species, indicating a rerouting of CDP-diacylglycerol and homeostatic inter-regulation of anionic phospholipids upon knockdown of PIS. In conclusion, strategic allocation of own and host-derived PtdIns species to gratify its metabolic demand features as a notable adaptive trait of T. gondii. Conceivably, the dependence of T. gondii on de novo lipid synthesis and scavenging can be exploited to develop new anti-infectives.


1990 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 518-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Focke ◽  
Andrea Feld ◽  
Hartmut K. Lichtenthaler

Thiolactomycin was shown to be a potent inhibitor of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in intact isolated chloroplasts (measured as [14C]acetate incorporation into total fatty acids). In our attempt to further localize the inhibition site we confirmed the inhibition with a fatty acid synthetase preparation, measuring the incorporation of [14C]malonyl-CoA into total fatty acids. From the two proposed enzymic targets of the fatty acid synthetase by thiolactomycin we could exclude the acetyl-CoA: ACP transacetylase. It appears that the inhibition by thiolactomycin occurs on the level of the condensing enzymes, i.e. the 3-oxoacyl-ACP synthases. We also demonstrated that the two starting enzymes of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, the acetyl-CoA synthetase and the acetyl-CoA carboxylase, are not affected by thiolactomycin.


1988 ◽  
Vol 43 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Kobek ◽  
Manfred Focke ◽  
K. Lichtenthaler Botanisches

The effect of the herbicides and aryloxy-phenoxy-propionic acid derivatives diclofop, fenoxaprop, fluazifop and haloxyfop and their ethyl, methyl or butyl esters on the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis of isolated chloroplasts was investigated with intact chloroplasts isolated from sensitive grasses (Poaceae) and tolerant dicotyledonous plants (Pisum, Spinacia). The 4 herbicides (free-acid form) block the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis ([2-14C]acetate incorporation into the total fatty-acid fraction) of the sensitive Avena chloroplasts in a dose-dependent manner. The I50- values (a 50% inhibition of the [14C]acetate incorporation) lie in the range of 10-7 to 2 x 10-6 ᴍ. The ethyl or methyl esters (diclofop, fenoxaprop, haloxyfop) and butyl ester (fluazifop) do not affect the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis of isolated chloroplasts or only at a very high concentration of ca. 10-4 ᴍ. In contrast, the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis of the tolerant dicotyledonous species (pea, spinach) is not affected by the 4 aryloxy-phenoxy-propionic acid herbicides. In an enzyme preparation isolated from chloroplasts of the herbicide-sensitive barley plants the de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis from [14C]acetate and [14C]acetyl-CoA is blocked by all 4 herbicides (free acids), whereas that of [14C]malonate and [14C]malonyl-CoA is not affected. This strongly suggests that the target of all 4 herbicides (free-acid form) is the acetyl-CoA carboxylase within the chloroplasts. The applied ester derivatives, in turn, which are ineffective in the isolated chloroplast test system, have equally little or no effect on the activity of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase. It is assumed that the acetyl-CoA carboxylase of the tolerant dicot plants investigated is modified in such a way that the 4 herbicides cannot bind to and affect the target


1992 ◽  
Vol 47 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 845-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Golz ◽  
Hartmut K. Lichtenthaler

The plant acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) is bound to the plastids and provides acetyl-CoA, the starting substrate for de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in plastids. This enzymic reaction, which consumes ATP and releases AMP, can be inhibited by different alkyladenylates such as ethyl-, isopropyl-, propyl- or allyl-adenylates as is shown here. The inhibition mechanism is competitive with respect to ATP and non-com petitive with respect to acetate. I50-values and the inhibition constants K( (ATP), Ki (acetate) and Kii (acetate) are given. The results suggest that, also in plants, acetyl-adenylate is the endogenous intermediate in the enzymic formation of acetyl-CoA from acetate by acetyl-CoA synthetase


2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (1) ◽  
pp. E117-E127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleh Mahmood ◽  
Barbara Birkaya ◽  
Todd C. Rideout ◽  
Mulchand S. Patel

During the absorptive state, the liver stores excess glucose as glycogen and synthesizes fatty acids for triglyceride synthesis for export as very low density lipoproteins. For de novo synthesis of fatty acids from glucose, the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is the gatekeeper for the generation of acetyl-CoA from glucose-derived pyruvate. Here, we tested the hypothesis that limiting the supply of PDC-generated acetyl-CoA from glucose would have an impact on expression of key genes in the lipogenic pathway. In the present study, although the postnatal growth of liver-specific PDC-deficient (L-PDCKO) male mice was largely unaltered, the mice developed hyperinsulinemia with lower blood glucose levels in the fed state. Serum and liver lipid triglyceride and cholesterol levels remained unaltered in L-PDCKO mice. Expression of several key genes ( ACL, ACC1) in the lipogenic pathway and their upstream regulators ( LXR, SREBP1, ChREBP) as well as several genes in glucose metabolism ( Pklr, G6pd2, Pck1) and fatty acid oxidation ( FAT, Cpt1a) was downregulated in livers from L-PDCKO mice. Interestingly, there was concomitant upregulation of lipogenic genes in adipose tissue from L-PDCKO mice. Although, the total hepatic acetyl-CoA content remained unaltered in L-PDCKO mice, modified acetylation profiles of proteins in the nuclear compartment suggested an important role for PDC-generated acetyl-CoA in gene expression in de novo fatty acid synthesis in the liver. This finding has important implications for the regulation of hepatic lipid synthesis in pathological states.


2007 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Aparecida Hayashi ◽  
Sérgio Raposo de Medeiros ◽  
Marina Hojaij Carvalho ◽  
Dante Pazzanese Duarte Lanna

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has a range of biological properties, including effects on lipid metabolism, milk and body composition in animals. This study investigated the effects of dietary CLA on lactating rats and development of the suckling pups. Dams were fed either a control diet or the same diet supplemented with 25 g/kg of a fat supplement containing 540 g CLA/kg (final concentration of 13·5 g CLA/kg diet) from parturition to the 15th day post-partum. The CLA mixture used in this study contained the following isomers (per 100 g): cis-9, trans-11 (24 g); cis-10, trans-12 (35 g); cis-8, trans-10 (15 g); cis-11, trans-13 (17 g) and others (9 g). On d 15 post partum, CLA supplementation reduced milk fat content by 33% and pup growth by 21%. The milk fatty acid profile, with decreased content of short and medium chain acids, suggests CLA inhibition was more pronounced for de novo lipid synthesis. Consistent with these results, activities of fatty acid synthase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were reduced by CLA treatment in the mammary gland and liver. In contrast, the activity of NADP-malate dehydrogenase was unchanged.


1986 ◽  
Vol 235 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Browse ◽  
N Warwick ◽  
C R Somerville ◽  
C R Slack

The kinetics of [1-14C]acetate incorporation in Arabidopsis thaliana L. (Heyn) showed almost equal labelling of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and diacylgalactosylglycerol (DGG) at early times and the transfer of radioactivity from PC to DGG and diacyldigalactosylglycerol (DDG) at longer times. These kinetics demonstrated the parallel operation of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathways of lipid synthesis [Roughan & Slack (1982) Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 33, 97-132] in this tissue. At 2 h after the application of [1-14C]acetate, more than 85% of the radioactivity at the sn-2 position of each chloroplast lipid was in 16-carbon fatty acids. However, after 60 h, molecular species containing labelled C18 fatty acids at position sn-2 and presumably derived from microsomal PC made a large contribution (20-70%) to each chloroplast lipid except phosphatidylglycerol. These findings are consistent with the contention that the chain length of the fatty acid at the sn-2 position of glycerol is an accurate predictor of whether a particular lipid molecule has been synthesized by the prokaryotic or eukaryotic pathway. At 30 min after the start of [1-14C]acetate labelling, only 12.3% of the radioactivity in PC was in saturated fatty acids, but the proportion increased steadily to 24.3% after 142 h. It is suggested that steps involved in the conversion of PC to chloroplast lipids on the eukaryotic pathway discriminate against palmitate-containing species. The step involved does not appear to be transfer of PC to the chloroplast because extrachloroplastic and chloroplast membranes purified from Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts each contained PC with a fatty acid composition similar to that of the same lipid from leaves. Positional analysis of unlabelled lipids, together with the information summarized above, is used to construct a quantitative scheme of the fluxes through the prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathways during lipid synthesis in Arabidopsis. This scheme shows that 38% of the fatty acids synthesized de novo in the chloroplast enter the prokaryotic pathway in the chloroplast envelope. Of the 62% which are exported as acyl-CoA species to enter the eukaryotic pathway, 56% (34% of the total) are returned to complete synthesis of the chloroplast's complement of glycerolipids.


1991 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel A. Asante ◽  
William G. Hill ◽  
Grahame Bulfield

SummaryThe flux through the de novo fatty acid synthesis pathway was estimated in lines of mice which differed substantially in fat content following 26 generations of selection at 10 weeks of age. Previous estimates of lipogenic enzyme activities had indicated an increase in the capacity for lipogenesis in the Fat compared to the Lean line. Therefore the in vivo flux in lipogenesis was measured in both liver and gonadal fat pad (GFP) tissues of males at 5 and 10 weeks of age, using the rat of incorporation of 3H from 3H2O and 14C from acetate and citra te into total lipids. AT both ages and in both tissues the Fat line had a higher flux, about 20% increase in the liver and up to three-fold increase (range 1·2- to 3·4-fold) in the GFP. We conclude that direct selection for fatness in mice has resulted in metabolic changes in the ratio of de novo fatty acid synthesis, and that the changes are largely detectable before 10 weeks, the age of selection.


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