Surface Lysine Residues Modulate the Collisional Transfer of Fatty Acid from Adipocyte Fatty Acid Binding Protein to Membranes

The transfer of unesterified fatty acids (FA) from adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (AFABP) to phospholipid membranes is proposed to occur via a collisional mechanism involving transient ionic and hydrophobic interactions [Wootan & Storch (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 10517-10523], In particular, it was suggested that membrane acidic phospholipids might specifically interact with basic residues on the surface of A-FABP. Here we addressed whether lysine residues on the surface of the protein are involved in this collisional transfer mechanism. Recombinant A-FABP was acetylated to neutralize all positively charged surface lysine residues. Protein fluorescence, CD spectra, and chemical denaturant data indicate that acetylation did not substantially alter the conformational integrity of the protein, and nearly identical affinities were obtained for binding of the fluorescently labeled FA [12-(9- anthroyloxy)oleate] to native and acetylated protein. Transfer of 2-(9-anthroyloxy)palmitate (2AP) from acetylated A-FABP to small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) was 35-fold slower than from native protein. In addition, whereas the 2AP transfer rate from native A-FABP was directly dependent on SUV concentration, 2AP transfer from acetylated protein was independent of the concentration of acceptor membranes. Factors which alter aqueous-phase solubility of FA, such as ionic strength and acyl chain length and saturation, affected the AGFA transfer rate from acetylated but not native A-FABP. Finally, an increase in the negative charge density of the acceptor SUV resulted in a marked increase in the rate of transfer from native A-FABP but did not increase the rate from acetylated A-FABP. Collectively, these studies indicate that positively charged lysine residues on A-FABP are important for effective collisional transfer of FA between A-FABP and phospholipid bilayers. In the absence of rapid collisional transfer, FA movement to membranes occurs by a slower, aqueous diffusion-mediated process. Thus ionic interactions between A-FABP and membranes may play a key role in intracellular FA trafficking.