OBJECTIVE: Chronic infection has long been postulated as a stimulus for atherogenesis. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection has been associated with increased atherosclerosis in rats, and these bacteria produce a quorum-sensing molecule 3-oxo-dodecynoyl-homoserine lactone (3OC12-HSL) that is critical for colonization and virulence. Paraoxonase 2 (PON2) hydrolyzes 3OC12-HSL and also protects against the effects of oxidized phospholipids thought to contribute to atherosclerosis. We now report the response of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) to 3OC12-HSL and oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (Ox-PAPC) in relation to PON2 expression. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using expression profiling and network modeling, we identified the unfolded protein response (UPR), cell cycle genes, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway to be heavily involved in the HAEC response to 3OC12-HSL. The network also showed striking similarities to a network created based on HAEC response to Ox-PAPC, a major component of minimally modified low-density lipoprotein. HAECs in which PON2 was silenced by small interfering RNA showed increased proinflammatory response and UPR when treated with 3OC12-HSL or Ox-PAPC. CONCLUSION: 3OC12-HSL and Ox-PAPC influence similar inflammatory and UPR pathways. Quorum sensing molecules, such as 3OC12-HSL, contribute to the proatherogenic effects of chronic infection. The antiatherogenic effects of PON2 include destruction of quorum sensing molecules.
Title: Temporal and tissue-specific patterns of Pon3 expression in mouse: in situ hybridization analysis Shih DM, Xia YR, Yu JM, Lusis AJ Ref: Advances in Experimental Medicine & Biology, 660:73, 2010 : PubMed
PON3 is a member of the paraoxonase gene family that includes PON1 and PON2. For example, PON3 and PON1 share approximately 60% identity at the amino acid level. Recent studies have demonstrated that PON3 is present in human and rabbit HDL but not in mouse HDL. Mouse PON3 appears to be cell-associated and is expressed in a wide range of tissues such as liver, adipose, macrophage, and the artery wall. In vitro studies have shown that PON3 can prevent LDL oxidation and destroy bacterial quorum-sensing molecules. Previous studies also showed that human PON3 transgenic mice were protected from obesity and atherosclerosis in both the C57BL/6 J wild-type and LDLR knockout genetic background. Administration of adenovirus expressing the human PON3 gene into apoE -/- mice also decreased atherosclerotic lesion formation. In order to further understand the functions of PON3 in physiology and disease, we performed in situ hybridization analysis to examine Pon3 gene expression patterns in newborn and adult mice, in various tissues, including atherosclerotic lesions of apoE -/- mice. Our results show relatively high levels of Pon3 mRNA labeling in the adrenal gland, submaxillary gland, lung, liver, adipose, pancreas, large intestine, and other tissues of newborn mice. In the adult mouse, Pon3 mRNA levels were much lower in the corresponding tissues as mentioned above for the newborn mouse. Sections of the aortic root from the hearts of both wild-type and apoE -/- mice displayed moderate levels of Pon3 mRNA labeling. Pon3 mRNA was also detected in the atherosclerotic lesion areas at the aortic root of apoE -/- hearts. Our data revealed that mouse Pon3 is expressed in a wide range of tissues, and that its expression is temporally controlled.
Paraoxonase 3 (PON3) is a member of the PON family, which includes PON1, PON2, and PON3. Recently, PON3 was shown to prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein in vitro. To test the role of PON3 in atherosclerosis and related traits, 2 independent lines of human PON3 transgenic (Tg) mice on the C57BL/6J (B6) background were constructed. Human PON3 mRNA was detected in various tissues, including liver, lung, kidney, brain, adipose, and aorta, of both lines of Tg mice. The human PON3 mRNA levels in the livers of PON3 Tg mice were 4- to 7-fold higher as compared with the endogenous mouse Pon3 mRNA levels. Human PON3 protein and activity were detected in the livers of Tg mice as well. No significant differences in plasma total, high-density lipoprotein, and very-low-density lipoprotein/low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride and glucose levels were observed between the PON3 Tg and non-Tg mice. Interestingly, atherosclerotic lesion areas were significantly smaller in both lines of male PON3 Tg mice as compared with the male non-Tg littermates on B6 background fed an atherogenic diet. When bred onto the low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mouse background, the male PON3 Tg mice also exhibited decreased atherosclerotic lesion areas and decreased expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in the aorta as compared with the male non-Tg littermates. In addition, decreased adiposity and lower circulating leptin levels were observed in both lines of male PON3 Tg mice as compared with the male non-Tg mice. In an F2 cross, adipose Pon3 mRNA levels inversely correlated with adiposity and related traits. Our study demonstrates that elevated PON3 expression significantly decreases atherosclerotic lesion formation and adiposity in male mice. PON3 may play an important role in protection against obesity and atherosclerosis.
Monoglyceride lipase (MGL) functions together with hormone-sensitive lipase to hydrolyze intracellular triglyceride stores of adipocytes and other cells to fatty acids and glycerol. In addition, MGL presumably complements lipoprotein lipase in completing the hydrolysis of monoglycerides resulting from degradation of lipoprotein triglycerides. Cosmid clones containing the mouse MGL gene were isolated from a genomic library using the coding region of the mouse MGL cDNA as probe. Characterization of the clones obtained revealed that the mouse gene contains the coding sequence for MGL on seven exons, including a large terminal exon of approximately 2.6 kb containing the stop codon and the complete 3' untranslated region. Two different 5' leader sequences, diverging 21 bp upstream of the predicted translation initiation codon, were isolated from a mouse adipocyte cDNA library. Western blot analysis of different mouse tissues revealed protein size heterogeneities. The amino acid sequence derived from human MGL cDNA clones showed 84% identity with mouse MGL. The mouse MGL gene was mapped to chromosome 6 in a region with known homology to human chromosome 3q21.
Serum paraoxonase (PON1) is an esterase that is associated with high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) in the plasma; it is involved in the detoxification of organophosphate insecticides such as parathion and chlorpyrifos. PON1 may also confer protection against coronary artery disease by destroying pro-inflammatory oxidized lipids present in oxidized low-density lipoproteins (LDLs). To study the role of PON1 in vivo, we created PON1-knockout mice by gene targeting. Compared with their wild-type littermates, PON1-deficient mice were extremely sensitive to the toxic effects of chlorpyrifos oxon, the activated form of chlorpyrifos, and were more sensitive to chlorpyrifos itself. HDLs isolated from PON1-deficient mice were unable to prevent LDL oxidation in a co-cultured cell model of the artery wall, and both HDLs and LDLs isolated from PON1-knockout mice were more susceptible to oxidation by co-cultured cells than the lipoproteins from wild-type littermates. When fed on a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, PON1-null mice were more susceptible to atherosclerosis than their wild-type littermates.
A pedigree of a large family with high prevalence of heart disease is subjected to association and sib-pair linkage analysis to investigate the role of 5 candidate genes in the regulation of lipoprotein metabolism and the development of coronary artery disease. At the 5% nominal significance level, the apolipoprotein B locus (APOB) was found to be linked to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (LDL-C), the ratio HDL-C/LDL-C, and apolipoprotein AI level times this ratio (apoAI x LDL-C/HDL-C). APOB (PvuII) was strongly associated with apolipoprotein B levels (apoB) (P = 0.006) and the VNTR region of the APOB locus showed highly significant association between allele 7 and low triglyceride levels (P = 0.004). No significant linkage results were found with cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP). At the 1% nominal significance level, CETP [TaqI(B)] showed significant association with LDL-C, apoB, and HDL-C/LDL-C. There was significant linkage of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) with very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the ratio apoAI/HDL-C, and strong association results between LPL (HindIII) and triglyceride levels (P = 0.005). At the 5% nominal significance level, haptoglobin (HPA) was associated with HDL-C, HDL-C/LDL-C, apoAI/HDL-C and apoAI x LDL-C/HDL-C. The apolipoprotein AI locus did not show any significant linkages or associations. The study thus indicated that genetic variation of APOB, LPL, CETP, and lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase (which is linked to HPA and CETP) may play an important role in the regulation of lipoprotein metabolism and could contribute to the risk of coronary artery disease.
Title: Chromosomal localization of lipolytic enzymes in the mouse: pancreatic lipase, colipase, hormone-sensitive lipase, hepatic lipase, and carboxyl ester lipase Warden CH, Davis RC, Yoon MY, Hui DY, Svenson K, Xia YR, Diep A, He KY, Lusis AJ Ref: J Lipid Res, 34:1451, 1993 : PubMed
Several lipases and their cofactors are involved in the absorption, transport, storage, and mobilization of lipids. As part of an effort to examine the role of these enzymes in plasma lipid metabolism and genetic susceptibility to atherosclerosis, we report the chromosomal mapping of their genes in mouse. Restriction fragment length variants for each gene were identified, typed in an interspecific cross, and tested for linkage to known chromosomal markers. The gene for pancreatic lipase resides on chromosome 19, while the gene for its cofactor, colipase, is on chromosome 17. A gene for a protein with sequence similarity to pancreatic lipase was tightly linked (no observed recombination) to the gene for pancreatic lipase, suggesting a gene cluster. The gene for hormone-sensitive lipase is near the gene cluster containing apolipoproteins C-II and E on chromosome 7. The gene for hepatic lipase is near the gene for apolipoprotein A-I on chromosome 9. The carboxyl ester lipase gene resides on chromosome 2. Previously, we have mapped the gene for lipoprotein lipase to chromosome 8. Thus, with the exception of pancreatic lipase and a related protein, these lipase genes, including several that are members of a gene family, are widely dispersed in the genome. Comparison of chromosomal locations for these genes in mouse and humans shows that the previously observed interspecies syntenies are preserved.
