Lipid differences in rod outer segment membranes of rats with P23H and S334ter opsin mutations

Purpose: Retinal degenerations and diets low in n-3 fatty acids are associated with decreased docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) in retina and plasma and with sterol abnormalities in retina and sperm. Using wild type (WT) and transgenic rats with P23H and S334ter opsin mutations, we evaluated retinal cholesterol levels, cholesterol synthesis, and fatty acid compositions of phospholipid classes in animals fed diets enriched in n-3 or n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Methods: Pregnant WT and heterozygous P23H and S334ter transgenic (TG) rats were fed safflower (safflower oil [SO], high n-6, trace n-3 fatty acids) or flaxseed oil (flaxseed oil [FO], high n-3, moderate n-6 fatty acids) diets beginning at E15, and pups were continued on the diets after weaning. Rod outer segment (ROS) membranes were prepared from 55-day-old rats, and the ratios of total fatty acid to cholesterol and the fatty acid compositions of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylserine (PS) in ROS were determined. Intravitreal injections of [H-3]acetate were given to 35-day-old WT and TG rats fed standard chow-diets. Endogenous cholesterol mass and de novo [H-3]cholesterol synthesis were measured and normalized to total ROS fatty acid content. Multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc Newman-Keuls tests were used to determine statistical differences. Results: The relative levels of PC, PE, and PS were similar in all three rat strains independent of diet. Total lipids, PC, PS, and PE of ROS FO fed rats had higher levels of 22:6n-3 and lower levels of 22:5n-6 than those fed SO. Rats fed SO had higher levels of 22:5n-6 than those fed FO. Significant increases in 18:1n-9 were seen in PC and PS of P23H and S334ter rats; arachidonate (20:4n-6) increased only in PE. These changes were independent of diet. ROS membranes of transgenic rats were cholesterol enriched, relative to WT ROS, yet retinal cholesterol synthesis was not altered. Plasma cholesterol levels of transgenic rats were not different from those of WT rats. Conclusions: Endogenous levels of cholesterol, 18:1n-9, 20:4n-6, 22:5n-6, and 22:6n-3 were altered in ROS membranes of P23H and S334ter compared to WT rats. There appear to be two pools of 22:6n-3 in rat ROS, one that is sensitive to retinal degenerations and one that is not. The stress induced reduction in 22:6n-3 was not specific to any phospholipid class and was not caused by alteration of relative amounts of PC, PS, or PE in the membrane. Elevated retinal cholesterol may be a result of either an increased half life or an increased uptake of cholesterol from the blood.