Background: Mitochondrial calcium overload triggers permeability transition pore formation, fatty acid release, and necrotic cell death. Results: Pyrrophenone and KT195 inhibit cell death by blocking mitochondrial calcium uptake. Conclusion: Serine hydrolase inhibitors block mitochondrial calcium uptake but do not directly inhibit the enzyme releasing fatty acids during pore formation. Significance: Serine hydrolase inhibitors have potential to block necrotic cell death associated with disease.

In Candida albicans-infected resident peritoneal macrophages, activation of group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A 2 (cPLA 2 ␣) by calcium-and mitogen-activated protein kinases triggers the rapid production of prostaglandins I 2 and E 2 through cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and regulates gene expression by increasing cAMP. In C. albicans-infected cPLA 2

The serine hydrolase inhibitors pyrrophenone and KT195 inhibit cell death induced by A23187 and H2O2 by blocking the release of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial calcium uptake. The effect of pyrrophenone and KT195 on these processes is not due to inhibition of their known targets, cytosolic phospholipase A2 and α/β-hydrolase domain-containing (ABHD) 6, respectively, but represent off-target effects. To identify targets of KT195, fibroblasts were treated with KT195-alkyne to covalently label protein targets followed by click chemistry with biotin azide, enrichment on streptavidin beads and tryptic peptide analysis by mass spectrometry. Although several serine hydrolases were identified, α/β-hydrolase domain-containing 2 (ABHD2) was the only target in which both KT195 and pyrrophenone competed for binding to KT195-alkyne. ABHD2 is a serine hydrolase with a predicted transmembrane domain consistent with its pull-down from the membrane proteome. Subcellular fractionation showed localization of ABHD2 to the endoplasmic reticulum but not to mitochondria or mitochondrial-associated membranes. Knockdown of ABHD2 with shRNA attenuated calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondrial calcium uptake and cell death in fibroblasts stimulated with A23187. The results describe a novel mechanism for regulating calcium transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria that involves the serine hydrolase ABHD2.

BackgroundThe lung is exposed to airborne fungal spores, and fungi that colonize the oral cavity such as Candida albicans, but does not develop disease to opportunistic fungal pathogens unless the immune system is compromised. The Group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α) is activated in response to Candida albicans infection resulting in the release of arachidonic acid for eicosanoid production. Although eicosanoids such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes modulate inflammation and immune responses, the role of cPLA2α and eicosanoids in regulating C. albicans lung infection is not understood.MethodsThe responses of cPLA2α+/+ and cPLA2α−/− Balb/c mice to intratracheal instillation of C. albicans were compared. After challenge, we evaluated weight loss, organ fungal burden, and the recruitment of cells and the levels of cytokines and eicosanoids in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The ability of macrophages and neutrophils from cPLA2α+/+ and cPLA2α−/− mice to recognize and kill C. albicans was also compared.ResultsAfter C. albicans instillation, cPLA2α+/+ mice recovered a modest weight loss by 48 h and completely cleared fungi from the lung by 12 h with no dissemination to the kidneys. In cPLA2α−/− mice, weight loss continued for 72 h, C. albicans was not completely cleared from the lung and disseminated to the kidneys. cPLA2α−/− mice exhibited greater signs of inflammation including higher neutrophil influx, and elevated levels of albumin and pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines (IL1α, IL1β, TNFα, IL6, CSF2, CXCL1, CCL20) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The amounts of cysteinyl leukotrienes, thromboxane B2 and prostaglandin E2 were significantly lower in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from C. albicans-infected cPLA2α−/− mice compared to cPLA2α+/+ mice. Alveolar macrophages and neutrophils from uninfected cPLA2α−/− mice exhibited less killing of C. albicans in vitro than cells from cPLA2α+/+ mice. In addition alveolar macrophages from cPLA2α−/− mice isolated 6 h after instillation of GFP-C. albicans contained fewer internalized fungi than cPLA2α+/+ macrophages.ConclusionsThe results demonstrate that cPLA2α contributes to immune surveillance and host defense in the lung to prevent infection by the commensal fungus C. albicans and to dampen inflammation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12865-016-0165-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cytosolic phospholipase A2α (cPLA2α) mediates agonist-induced release of arachidonic acid from membrane phospholipid for production of eicosanoids. The activation of cPLA2α involves increases in intracellular calcium, which binds to the C2 domain and promotes cPLA2α translocation from the cytosol to membrane to access substrate. The cell permeable pyrrolidine-containing cPLA2α inhibitors including pyrrophenone have been useful to understand cPLA2α function. Although this serine hydrolase inhibitor does not inhibit other PLA2s or downstream enzymes that metabolize arachidonic acid, we reported that it blocks increases in mitochondrial calcium and cell death in lung fibroblasts. In this study we used the calcium indicators G-CEPIA1er and CEPIA2mt to compare the effect of pyrrophenone in regulating calcium levels in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria in response to A23187 and receptor stimulation. Pyrrophenone blocked calcium release from the ER and concomitant increases in mitochondrial calcium in response to stimulation by ATP, serum and A23187. In contrast, ER calcium release induced by the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin was not blocked by pyrrophenone suggesting specificity for the calcium release pathway. As a consequence of blocking calcium mobilization, pyrrophenone inhibited serum-stimulated translocation of the cPLA2α C2 domain to Golgi. The ability of pyrrophenone to block ER calcium release is an off-target effect since it occurs in fibroblasts lacking cPLA2α. The results implicate a serine hydrolase in regulating ER calcium release and highlight the importance of careful dose-response studies with pyrrophenone to study cPLA2α function.