A key role for diacylglycerol lipase-alpha in metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent endocannabinoid mobilization

Mol Pharmacol. 2007 Sep;72(3):612-21. doi: 10.1124/mol.107.037796. Epub 2007 Jun 21.

Abstract

Activation of group I metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors recruits the endocannabinoid system to produce both short- and long-term changes in synaptic strength in many regions of the brain. Although there is evidence that the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) mediates this process, the molecular mechanism underlying 2-AG mobilization remains unclear. In the present study, we used a combination of genetic and targeted lipidomic approaches to investigate the role of the postsynaptic membrane-associated lipase, diacylglycerol lipase type-alpha (DGL-alpha), in mGlu receptor-dependent 2-AG mobilization. DGL-alpha overexpression in mouse neuroblastoma Neuro-2a cells increased baseline 2-AG levels. This effect was accompanied by enhanced utilization of the 2-AG precursor 1-stearoyl,2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol and increased accumulation of the 2-AG breakdown product arachidonic acid. A similar, albeit less marked response was observed with other unsaturated and polyunsaturated monoacylglycerols, 1,2-diacylglycerols, and fatty acids. Silencing of DGL-alpha by RNA interference elicited lipidomic changes opposite those of DGL-alpha overexpression and abolished group I mGlu receptor-dependent 2-AG mobilization. Coimmunoprecipitation and site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed that DGL-alpha interacts, via a PPxxF domain, with the coiled-coil (CC)-Homer proteins Homer-1b and Homer-2, two components of the molecular scaffold that enables group I mGlu signaling. DGL-alpha mutants that do not bind Homer maintained their ability to generate 2-AG in intact cells but failed to associate with the plasma membrane. The findings indicate that DGL-alpha mediates group I mGlu receptor-induced 2-AG mobilization. They further suggest that the interaction of CC-Homer with DGL-alpha is necessary for appropriate function of this lipase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arachidonic Acid / biosynthesis
  • Arachidonic Acids / metabolism
  • Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / metabolism*
  • Carrier Proteins / chemistry
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Endocannabinoids*
  • Glycerides / metabolism
  • Homer Scaffolding Proteins
  • Humans
  • Kidney / cytology
  • Lipoprotein Lipase / analysis
  • Lipoprotein Lipase / genetics
  • Lipoprotein Lipase / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mutation
  • Neuroblastoma / pathology
  • Plasmids
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism
  • Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Transfection

Substances

  • Arachidonic Acids
  • Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Endocannabinoids
  • Glycerides
  • HOMER1 protein, human
  • Homer Scaffolding Proteins
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Arachidonic Acid
  • glyceryl 2-arachidonate
  • Lipoprotein Lipase