Login / Signup

The structural basis for the phospholipid remodeling by lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3.

Qing ZhangDeqiang YaoBing RaoLiyan JianYang ChenKexin HuYing XiaShaobai LiYafeng ShenAn QinJie ZhaoLu ZhouMing LeiXian-Cheng JiangYu Cao
Published in: Nature communications (2021)
As the major component of cell membranes, phosphatidylcholine (PC) is synthesized de novo in the Kennedy pathway and then undergoes extensive deacylation-reacylation remodeling via Lands' cycle. The re-acylation is catalyzed by lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) and among the four LPCAT members in human, the LPCAT3 preferentially introduces polyunsaturated acyl onto the sn-2 position of lysophosphatidylcholine, thereby modulating the membrane fluidity and membrane protein functions therein. Combining the x-ray crystallography and the cryo-electron microscopy, we determined the structures of LPCAT3 in apo-, acyl donor-bound, and acyl receptor-bound states. A reaction chamber was revealed in the LPCAT3 structure where the lysophosphatidylcholine and arachidonoyl-CoA were positioned in two tunnels connected near to the catalytic center. A side pocket was found expanding the tunnel for the arachidonoyl CoA and holding the main body of arachidonoyl. The structural and functional analysis provides the basis for the re-acylation of lysophosphatidylcholine and the substrate preference during the reactions.
Keyphrases
  • fatty acid
  • electron microscopy
  • structural basis
  • high resolution
  • single cell
  • endothelial cells
  • signaling pathway
  • room temperature
  • computed tomography
  • induced pluripotent stem cells
  • amino acid
  • bone marrow