The protein deficient in Lowe syndrome is a phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 5-phosphatase.

Lowe syndrome, also known as oculocerebrorenal syndrome, is caused by mutations in the X chromosome-encoded OCRL gene. The OCRL protein is 51% identical to inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase II (5-phosphatase II) from human platelets over a span of 744 aa, suggesting that OCRL may be a similar enzyme. We engineered a construct of the OCRL cDNA that encodes amino acids homologous to the platelet 5-phosphatase for expression in baculovirus-infected Sf9 insect cells. This cDNA encodes aa 264-968 of the OCRL protein. The recombinant protein was found to catalyze the reactions also carried out by platelet 5-phosphatase II. Thus OCRL converts inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to inositol 1,4-bisphosphate, and it converts inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate to inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate. Most important, the enzyme converts phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate to phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate. The relative ability of OCRL to catalyze the three reactions is different from that of 5-phosphatase II and from that of another 5-phosphatase isoenzyme from platelets, 5-phosphatase I. The recombinant OCRL protein hydrolyzes the phospholipid substrate 10- to 30-fold better than 5-phosphatase II, and 5-phosphatase I does not cleave the lipid at all. We also show that OCRL functions as a phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 5-phosphatase in OCRL-expressing Sf9 cells. These results suggest that OCRL is mainly a lipid phosphatase that may control cellular levels of a critical metabolite, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Deficiency of this enzyme apparently causes the protean manifestations of Lowe syndrome.

Macrophage-specific expression of human lysosomal acid lipase corrects inflammation and pathogenic phenotypes in lal(-/-) mice

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) hydrolyzes cholesteryl esters and triglycerides to generate free fatty acids and cholesterol in the cell. The downstream metabolites of these compounds serve as hormonal ligands for nuclear receptors and transcription factors. Genetic ablation of the lal gene in the mouse caused malformation of macrophages and inflammation-triggered multiple pathogenic phenotypes in multiple organs. To assess the relationship between macro phages and lal(-/-) pathogenic phenotypes, a macrophage-specific doxycycline-inducible transgenic system was generated to induce human LAL (hLAL) expression in the lal(-/-) genetic background under control of the 7.2-kb c-fins promoter/intron2 regulatory sequence. Doxycycline-induced hLAL expression in macrophages significantly ameliorated aberrant gene expression, inflammatory cell (neutrophil) influx, and pathogenesis in multiple organs. These studies strongly support that neutral lipid metabolism in macrophages contributes to organ inflammation and pathogenesis.