An improved assay to measure the phospholipid transfer activity of microsomal triglyceride transport protein

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) is essential for the assembly and secretion of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins. MTP transfers diverse lipids such as triacylglycerol (TAG) and phospholipids (PLs) between vesicles in vitro. Previously, we described methods to measure these transfer activities using N-7-nitro-2-1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl (NBD)-labeled lipids. The NBD-TAG transfer assay is sensitive and can measure MTP activity in cell and tissue homogenates. In contrast, the NBD-PL transfer assay shows high background and is less sensitive; therefore, purified MTP is required to measure its PL transfer activity. Here, we optimized the assay to measure also the PL transfer activity of MTP in cell and tissue homogenates. We found that donor vesicles containing dioleoylphosphoethanolamine and palmitoyloleoylphosphoethanolamine result in a low background signal and are suitable to assay the PL transfer activity of MTP. This assay was capable of measuring protein-dependent and substrate-dependent saturation kinetics. Furthermore, the MTP inhibitor lomitapide blocked this transfer activity. One drawback of the PL transfer assay is that it is less sensitive at physiological temperature than at room temperature, and it requires longer incubation times than the TAG transfer assay. Nevertheless, this significantly improved sensitive assay is simple and easy to perform, involves few steps, can be conducted at room temperature, and is suitable for high-throughput screening to identify inhibitors. This assay can be adapted to measure other PL transfer proteins and to address biological and physiological importance of these activities.