V. Dimarzo et al., POTENTIAL BIOSYNTHETIC CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE 2 CANNABIMIMETIC EICOSANOIDS, ANANDAMIDE AND 2-ARACHIDONOYL-GLYCEROL, IN MOUSE NEUROBLASTOMA-CELLS, Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 227(1), 1996, pp. 281-288
Anandamide (arachidonoyl-ethanolamide, AnNH) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycer
ol (2-AG) have been suggested to act as endogenous agonists at the bra
in cannabinoid receptor, and their biosynthetic and degradative mechan
isms in nervous tissues and cells have also been partially elucidated.
Here we present evidence for the presence, in mouse N(18)TG(2) neurob
lastoma cells, of enzymatic activities potentially responsible for the
biosynthesis of AnNH and 2-AG from a common phospholipid precursor. C
ell homogenates were shown to catalyze: (a) the transfer of an arachid
onoyl moiety from the sn-1 position of sn-1,2-di-arachidonoyl-phosphat
idylcholine (AAPC) to phosphatidyl-ethanolamine (PE) to form N-arachid
onoyl-PE (N-ArPE) and sn-1-lyso-2-arachidonoyl-PC (lyso-APC), (b) the
hydrolysis of N-ArPE to AnNH, (c) the hydrolysis of lyso-APC to 2-AG,
(d) the hydrolysis of AAPC to sn-1,2-di-arachidonoyl-glycerol (AAG), a
nd (e) the hydrolysis of AAG to 2-AG. From these findings it is possib
le to suggest that AAPC may serve as precursor for both AnNH and 2-AG
biosynthesis through three different pathways. (C) 1996 Academic Press
, Inc.