''N''-Acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs) are

hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of cell signaling, signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physio ...

s released by the

small intestine The small intestine or small bowel is an organ (anatomy), organ in the human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract where most of the #Absorption, absorption of nutrients from food takes place. It lies between the stomach and large intes ...

into the bloodstream when it processes

fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specif ...

. NAPEs travel to the

hypothalamus The hypothalamus (: hypothalami; ) is a small part of the vertebrate brain that contains a number of nucleus (neuroanatomy), nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrin ...

in the brain and suppress appetite. This mechanism could be relevant for treating

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...

.Dunham, Will (Nov 26, 2008).
Gut chemical may inspire new way to fight obesity
. ''Reuters'' Accessed 27 Nov. 2008

Endocannabinoid precursor

''N''-Acylphosphatidylethanolamines are also an important intermediaries in the biosynthesis of

endocannabinoids Cannabinoids () are several structural classes of compounds found primarily in the ''Cannabis'' plant or as synthetic compounds. The most notable cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (delta-9-THC), the primary psychoact ...

. NAPEs are formed from phosphatidylethanolamines, a group of cell membrane phospholipids characteristic of nervous tissue. After being cleaved by phospholipases, NAPEs can be transformed into ''N''-acylethanolamines, including the endocannabinoid anandamide. While NAPE-PLD is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing said release of N-acylethanolamine (NAE) from N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE), this specific subtype of

phospholipase D Phospholipase D (PLD) (EC 3.1.4.4; also known as lipophosphodiesterase II, lecithinase D, choline phosphatase; systematic name: phosphatidylcholine phosphatidohydrolase) is an anesthetic-sensitive and mechanosensitive enzyme of the phospholipa ...

is not responsible for the formation of the anandamide. The crystal structure of human N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine-specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) reveals how this membrane enzyme generates anandamide and other bioactive lipid amides from membrane NAPEs. A hydrophobic cavity in NAPE-PLD provides an entryway for the substrate NAPE into the active site, where a binuclear zinc center orchestrates its hydrolysis. Unexpectedly, the structure unveils

bile acids Bile acids are steroid acids found predominantly in the bile of mammals and other vertebrates. Diverse bile acids are synthesized in the liver in peroxisomes. Bile acids are conjugated with taurine or glycine residues to give anions called bile ...

bind the membrane enzyme, enhancing dimer assembly and enabling catalysis. These findings suggest NAPE-PLD might orchestrate a direct crosstalk between

and lipid amide signals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acylphosphatidylethanolamine, N- Intestinal hormones Fatty acid amides

Endocannabinoid precursor

See also

References