QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Trotter, P. J. Articles by Storch, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Trotter, P. J. Articles by Storch, J.

Nutritional Control of Fatty Acid Esterification in Differentiating Caco-2 Intestinal Cells Is Mediated by Cellular Diacylglycerol Concentrations¹

Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health and Program in Cell and Developmental Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115

The Caco-2 human intestinal cell line was used to investigate the effects of exogenous lipid on fatty acid esterification in differentiating intestinal absorptive cells. Preincubation of Caco-2 cells with either palmitate or palmitate plus 2-monoolein resulted in greater utilization of subsequently added fatty acid for triacylglycerol relative to phosphatidylcholine synthesis. Despite this lipid-induced alteration in metabolism, the activities of acyl-CoA synthetase, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase were unchanged. In addition, monoacylglycerol acyltransferase activity was nearly undetectable, even after preincubation with 2-monoolein. The intracellular diacylglycerol concentrations were, however, increased with greater lipid substrate availability. These studies indicate that, under conditions of increased dietary lipid, intestinal fatty acid esterification via the glycerol-3-phosphate pathway is modulated by cellular diacylglycerol concentrations.

KEY WORDS: • fatty acids • intestinal epithelial cells • lipid • enzymes

¹ Supported by National Institutes of Health Grants DK38389 (J. S.) and DK34854 (Harvard Digestive Diseases Center) and by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship (P.J.T.).

² Current address: Lord and Taylor Laboratory, Lung Biochemistry, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Center, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO 80206.

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, Cook College, New Brunswick, NJ 08903.

Manuscript received 22 June 1992. Revision accepted 2 December 1992.