CDNA CLONING AND EXPRESSION OF MURINE 1-ACYL-SN-GLYCEROL-3-PHOSPHATE ACYLTRANSFERASE

1-Acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (1-AGP), also known as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), is an intermediate of de novo biosynthesis of glycerophos pholipids and triacylglycerol, LPA is also attracting much attention b ecause of its growth stimulating effects, Here we report cloning of mu rine cDNA encoding 1-AGP acyltransferase (1-AGPAT), which converts LPA into phosphatidic acid by incorporating acyl moiety at sn-2 position. The cDNA contains an open reading frame coding for 285 amino acids, w ith highly hydrophobic regions in the N-terminal half, The Northern bl ot analysis using various mouse tissues revealed ubiquitous expression s of two transcripts, The cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli JC201 , a plsC mutant strain deficient in the 1-AGPAT activity, and the enzy me properties were examined, The enzyme utilized both saturated and un saturated acyl-CoA as an acyl-donor, while it utilized LPA but not oth er lysophospholipids as an acceptor. (C) 1997 Academic Press.