Diacylglycerol metabolism in neonatal rat liver: characterization of cytosolic diacylglycerol lipase activity and its activation by monoalkylglycerols.

Diacylglycerol lipase (glycerol ester hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3) activities were investigated in subcellular fractions from neonatal and adult rat liver in order to determine whether one or more different lipases might provide the substrate for the developmentally expressed, activity monoacylglycerol acyltransferase. The assay for diacylglycerol lipase examined the hydrolysis of sn-1-stearoyl,2- [14C]oleoylglycerol to labeled monoacylglycerol and fatty acid. Highest specific activities were found in lysosomes (pH 4.8) and cytosol and microsomes (pH 8). The specific activity from plasma membrane from adult liver was 5.8-fold higher than the corresponding activity in the neonate. In other fractions, however, no developmental differences were observed in activity or distribution. In both lysosomes and cytosol, 75 to 90% of the labeled product was monoacylglycerol, suggesting that these fractions contained relatively little monoacylglycerol lipase activity. In contrast, 80% of the labeled product from microsomes was fatty acid, suggesting the presence of monoacylglycerol lipase in this fraction. Analysis of the reaction products strongly suggested that the lysosomal and cytosolic diacylglycerol lipase activities hydrolyzed the acyl-group at the sn-1 position. The effects of serum and NaCl on diacylglycerol lipase from each of the subcellular fractions differed from those effects routinely observed on lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase, suggesting that the hepatic diacylglycerol lipase activities were not second functions of these triacylglycerol lipases. Cytosolic diacylglycerol lipase activity from neonatal liver and adult liver was characterized. The apparent Km for 1-stearoyl,2-oleoylglycerol was 115 microM. There was no preference for a diacylglycerol with arachidonate in the sn-2 position. Bovine serum albumin stimulated the activity, whereas dithiothreitol, N-ethylmaleimide, and ATP inhibited the activity. Both sn-1(3)- and 2-monooleylglycerol ethers stimulated cytosolic diacylglycerol lipase activity 2-3-fold. The corresponding amide analogs stimulated 28 to 85%, monooleoylglycerol itself had little effect, and 1-alkyl- or 1-acyl-lysophosphatidylcholine inhibited the activity. These data provide the first characterization of hepatic subcellular lipase activities from neonatal and adult rat liver and suggest that independent diacylglycerol and monoacylglycerol lipase activities are present in microsomal membranes and that the microsomal and cytosolic diacylglycerol lipase activities may describe an ambipathic enzyme. The data also suggest possible cellular regulation by monoalkylglycerols.