Molecular and macromolecular specificity of human plasma phospholipid transfer protein.

Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP), also known as lipid transfer protein 2 (LTP-2), mediates a transfer of phospholipids between high-density lipoproteins (HDL). The molecular and macromolecular specificities of recombinant human PLTP were studied using a fluorometric assay based on the excimer fluorescence of pyrenyl lipids. To determine lipoprotein specificity of PLTP, donor very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and HDL were labeled with 1-palmitoyl-2-[10-(1-pyrenyl)decanoyl]phosphatidylcholine (PPyDPC) and incubated with unlabeled acceptor VLDL, LDL, and HDL in every pairwise combination. The highest rate of PPyDPC transfer mediated by PLTP occurred between donor HDL and acceptor HDL. Reassembled HDL (rHDL) consisting of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine, apolipoprotein A-I, and pyrene lipids (100:1:4) were used to demonstrate that PLTP transfers diacylglyceride > phosphatidic acid > sphingomyelin > phosphatidylcholine (PC) > phosphatidylglycerol > cerobroside > phosphatidylethanolamine. Thus, PLTP transfers a variety of lipids with two carbon chains and a polar head group. Unsaturation of one PC acyl chain greatly increased transfer rate, whereas increasing chain length and exchanging sn-1/sn-2 position had only small effects. The rate of PPyDPC transfer by PLTP decreases with increasing free cholesterol content in rHDL and with decreasing HDL size. In contrast to spontaneous transfer, PLTP mediates the accumulation of PC in small rHDL particles. PLTP may be important in vivo in the recycling of PC from mature HDL to nascent HDL, the latter of which are the initial acceptors of cholesterol from peripheral tissue for reverse cholesterol transport to the liver.