Lysine-phosphatidylcholine adducts in kringle V impart unique immunological and potential pro-inflammatory properties to human apolipoprotein(a)

J Biol Chem. 2003 Dec 26;278(52):52841-7. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M310425200. Epub 2003 Oct 13.

Abstract

Lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), an athero-thrombotic risk factor, reacts with EO6, a natural monoclonal autoantibody that recognizes the phophorylcholine (PC) group of oxidized phosphatidylcholine (oxPtdPC) either as a lipid or linked by a Schiff base to lysine residues of peptides/proteins. Here we show that EO6 reacts with free apolipoprotein(a) apo(a), its C-terminal domain, F2 (but not the N-terminal F1), kringle V-containing fragments obtained by the enzymatic digestion of apo(a) and also kringle V-containing apo(a) recombinants. The evidence that kringle V is critical for EO6 reactivity is supported by the finding that apo(a) of rhesus monkeys lacking kringle V did not react with EO6. Based on the previously established EO6 specificity requirements, we hypothesized that all or some of the six lysines in human kringle V are involved in Schiff base linkage with oxPtdPC. To test this hypothesis, we made use of a recombinant lysine-containing apo(a) fragment, rIII, containing kringle V but not the protease domain. EO6 reacted with rIII before and after reduction to stabilize the Schiff base and also after extensive ethanol/ether extraction that yielded no lipids. On the other hand, delipidation of the saponified product yielded an average of two mol of phospholipids/mol of protein consistent with direct analysis of inorganic phosphorous on the non-saponified rIII. Moreover, only two of the six theoretical free lysine amino groups per mol of rIII were unavailable to chemical modification by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid. Finally, rIII, like human apo(a), stimulated the production of interleukin 8 in THP-1 macrophages in culture. Together, our studies provide evidence that in human apo(a), kringle V is the site that reacts with EO6 via lysine-oxPtdPC adducts that may also be involved in the previously reported pro-inflammatory effect of apo(a) in cultured human macrophages.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / metabolism
  • Apolipoproteins A / chemistry*
  • Apolipoproteins A / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Culture Media, Conditioned / pharmacology
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Humans
  • Immunoblotting
  • Interleukin-8 / metabolism
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Lipids / chemistry
  • Luminescent Measurements
  • Lysine / chemistry*
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oxygen / metabolism
  • Phosphatidylcholines / chemistry*
  • Phosphatidylcholines / metabolism
  • Phosphorus / chemistry
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Temperature
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Apolipoproteins A
  • Culture Media, Conditioned
  • Interleukin-8
  • Lipids
  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Phosphorus
  • Lysine
  • Oxygen