Stimulation of hormone-sensitive lipase activity by contractions in rat skeletal muscle

Because the enzymic regulation of muscle triglyceride breakdown is poorly understood we studied whether neutral lipase in skeletal muscle is activated by contractions. Incubated soleus muscles from 70 g rats were electrically stimulated for 60min. Neutral lipase activity against triacylglycerol increased after 1 and 5min of contractions [0.36±0.02 (basal) versus 0.49±0.05 (1min) and 0.54±0.05 (5min) m-unit·mg of protein^-1, means±S.E.M., P < 0.05]. After 10min the neutral lipase activity (0.40±0.05m-unit·mg of protein^-1) had decreased to basal values (P > 0.05). The contraction-mediated increase in lipase activity was increased by ≈ 110% when muscle was stimulated in the presence of okadaic acid. Conversely, treatment of muscle homogenate with alkaline phosphatase completely reversed the contraction-mediated lipase activation. Lipase activity did not change during contractions when analysed in the presence of anti-hormone-sensitive-lipase (HSL) antibody [0.17±0.02 (basal) versus 0.21±0.02 (5min) m-unit·mg of protein^-1, P > 0.05]. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation with affinity-purified anti-HSL antibody reduced muscle-HSL protein concentration by 81±4% and caused similar reductions in lipase activity against triacylglycerol and in the contraction-induced increase in this activity. Neither prior sympathectomy [0.33±0.02 (basal) versus 0.53±0.06 (5min) m-unit·mg of protein^-1, P < 0.05] nor propranolol impaired the lipase response to contractions. Glycogen phosphorylase activity in the absence of AMP increased after 1min [27.3±3.1 versus 8.9±1.8% (activity without AMP/total activity with AMP), P < 0.05] and returned to basal levels after 5min. In conclusion, skeletal-muscle-immunoreactive HSL is transiently stimulated by contractions and the mechanism probably involves phosphorylation. The time course of HSL activation is similar to that of glycogen phosphorylase. Apparently, the two enzymes are regulated in parallel by contraction-induced as well as hormonal mechanisms, allowing simultaneous recruitment of all major extra- and intra-muscular energy stores.