Monoglyceride lipase (MGL) influences energy metabolism by at least two mechanisms. First, it hydrolyzes monoacylglycerols (MG) into fatty acids and glycerol. These products can be used for energy production or synthetic reactions. Second, MGL degrades 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), the most abundant endogenous ligand of cannabinoid receptors (CBR). Activation of CBR affects energy homeostasis by central orexigenic stimuli, by promoting lipid storage, and by reducing energy expenditure. To characterize the metabolic role of MGL in vivo, we generated an MGL-deficient mouse model (MGL-ko). These mice exhibit a reduction in MG hydrolase activity and a concomitant increase in MG levels in adipose tissue, brain, and liver. In adipose tissue, the lack of MGL activity is partially compensated by hormonesensitive lipase. Nonetheless, fasted MGL-ko mice exhibit reduced plasma glycerol and triacylglycerol, as well as liver triacylglycerol levels indicative for impaired lipolysis. Despite a strong elevation of 2-AG levels, MGL-ko mice exhibit normal food intake, fat mass, and energy expenditure. Yet mice lacking MGL show a pharmacological tolerance to the CBR agonist CP 55,940 suggesting that the elevated 2-AG levels are functionally antagonized by desensitization of CBR. Interestingly, however, MGL-ko mice receiving a high fat diet exhibit significantly improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in comparison with wild-type controls despite equal weight gain. In conclusion, our observations implicate that MGL deficiency impairs lipolysis and attenuates diet-induced insulin resistance. Defective degradation of 2-AG does not provoke cannabinoid-like effects on feeding behavior, lipid storage, and energy expenditure, which may be explained by desensitization of CBR.
Monoacylglycerols (MG)3 are short lived intermediates of lipid catabolism derived from extracellular or intracellular sources. Pancreatic lipase and lipoprotein lipase generate MG by the hydrolysis of dietary triacylglycerols (TG) and circulating lipoproteins, respectively (1, 2). The lipolytic products, MG and free fatty acids (FFA), are subsequently taken up by cells, and MG are hydrolyzed into FFA and glycerol or re-esterified by the monoacylglycerol acyltransferase reaction (3). Within cells, MG are derived from the hydrolysis of glycerophospholipids or TG. Glycerophospholipids may be degraded by phospholipase C generating sn-1,2-diacylglycerols (DG), which are further hydrolyzed by sn-1-specific DG lipase resulting in the formation of 2-MG (4). The breakdown of TG is initiated by adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), and the produced DG is hydrolyzed by hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) (5). The stereospecificity of ATGL has not been studied so far. Yet, similar to DG lipase, HSL hydrolyzes DG preferentially in sn-1(3) position generating 2-MG (6). Monoglyceride lipase (MGL) degrades sn-1(3) and 2-MG at identical specific rates (7). The enzyme is expressed in most cell types and is considered the rate-limiting enzyme in the degradation of MG (8, 9).In ad...