title: Leptin augments alveolar macrophage leukotriene synthesis by increasing phospholipase activity and enhancing group IVC iPLA2 (cPLA2gamma) protein expression.
abstract: Leptin is a hormone secreted by adipocytes in correlation with total body fat mass. In addition to regulating energy homeostasis, leptin modulates immune functions such as macrophage phagocytosis and cytokine synthesis. Previously, we reported defective leukotriene synthesis in macrophages from leptin-deficient mice that could be restored with exogenous leptin. In the present study, we utilized macrophages from normal rodents to explore the mechanism by which leptin could enhance cellular leukotriene synthesis. Leptin pretreatment of either rat alveolar or murine peritoneal macrophages for 16 h dose dependently increased the synthesis of leukotriene B4 and cysteinyl leukotrienes in response to calcium ionophore or the particulate zymosan. Leptin also enhanced calcium ionophore-stimulated release of free arachidonic acid. Calcium-dependent and -independent arachidonoyl-selective phospholipase activities in macrophage lysates were likewise increased following leptin treatment. Immunoblot analysis of leptin-treated cells revealed that group IVC iPLA2 (cPLA2gamma) protein expression increased approximately 80%. These data demonstrate for the first time that phospholipase A2 activity and cPLA2gamma protein levels in alveolar macrophages represent targets for upregulation by leptin and provide previously unrecognized mechanisms by which this hormone can promote inflammatory responses.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences, Univ. of Michigan, 1420 Washington Hts., SPH II, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. pmancuso@umich.edu
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Canetti
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gottschalk
authors.forename: Patricia K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Tithof
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peters-Golden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D054513:Group IV Phospholipases A2; D020738:Leptin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015289:Leukotrienes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010741:Phospholipases A / Q000378:metabolism*; D054467:Phospholipases A2; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D015289:Leukotrienes; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D010741:Phospholipases A; D054513:Group IV Phospholipases A2; D054467:Phospholipases A2; D015232:Dinoprostone