Endogenous Maternal Lipids and Supplementation with Vitamin E Isoform Regulate Neonatal Dendritic Cells during Development of Allergic Disease

Background and Hypothesis: CDllb+CDllc+ dendritic cells (DCs) play a role in the development of allergic disease. It has been shown that of the vitamin E isoforms, α-Tocopherol decreases and γ-Tocopherol increases the generation of bone marrow-derived CD11b+CD11c+ DCs in vivo. And, in vivo experiments have also shown that β-glucosylceramides, endogenous maternal lipids, increase the neonate proliferation of this same subset of DCs. The mechanism for β-glucosylceramide regulation of these specific DC subsets is not known. Furthermore, it is also not known how vitamin E isoforms regulate DC development and differentiation. We determined whether α-tocopherol decreases and γ-tocopherol increases responses to β-glucosylceramide by regulating Protein Kinase C (PKC) activation during CDllb+CDllc+ DC differentiation and proliferation. Project Methods: Cultured bone marrow cells (harvested from mice) were treated with lipid metabolites with and without supplementation of tocopherol isoforms, immunolabeled with antibodies that define DCs and with antibodies that detect active auto phosphorylated forms of PKC. Then, these cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. Results: In vitro β-glucosylceramide elevated DC PKCα/β activity during CDllb+CDllc+ DC differentiation and proliferation/activation. Furthermore, these effects of β-glucosylceramide on DC PKCα/β activity were blocked by α-Tocopherol and elevated by γ-Tocopherol. Potential Impact: These data provides a better understanding of how maternal β-glucosylceramide and dietary supplementation with vitamin E isoforms regulate DC proliferation and differentiation and ultimately development of allergic inflammation in offspring of allergic mothers.

Lipid and protein utilization during lecithotrophic development in the asteroid Stegnaster inflatus, with a review of larval provisioning in lecithotrophic echinoderms

The eggs of echinoderms with lecithotrophic development provide structural and nutritional materials (lipids, proteins) to complete development without any external sources of nutrition. Previous studies have suggested that a relatively large proportion of the maternal lipid reserves remain after settlement to provision the early post-metamorphic juvenile. Here we examined lipid and protein utilization during lecithotrophic development of the asterinid starfish Stegnaster inflatus which has large (~400 µm diameter), negatively buoyant eggs. S. inflatus produces eggs with a large amount of lipid (mean ± SD: 2047 ± 315 ng egg-1), with 26% structural lipids and 74% energetic lipids dominated by diacylglycerol ether (DAGE; 66%). Similar amounts of protein were present in the egg (mean ± SD: 2143 ± 157 ng egg-1), with a lipid:protein ratio of 0.96. Approximately 80% of the egg protein is used prior to settlement. In contrast, 51.0% of the energetic lipids provided in the egg, and 40.3% of the DAGE remain for provisioning of the early juvenile. A review of lecithotrophic development in echinoderms reveals that asteroid, echinoid and ophiuroid species have an excess of 50% of the maternal lipids remaining in the settled post-larva. When considering maternal investment in offspring for lecithotrophic developers, we need to consider energetic use during the short dispersal period, as well as provisioning for post-metamorphic early juvenile life.