Evidence for alterations in lipid profiles and biophysical properties of lipid rafts from spinal cord in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem whose etiopathogenesis remains unclear. Recent studies have linked major neurodegenerative diseases with altered function of multimolecular lipid-protein complexes named lipid rafts. In the present study, we have isolated lipid rafts from the anterior horn of the spinal cords of controls and ALS individuals and analysed their lipid composition. We found that ALS affects levels of different fatty acids, lipid classes and related ratios and indexes. The most significant changes affected the contents of n-9/n-7 monounsaturated fatty acids and arachidonic acid, the main n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA), which were higher in ALS lipid rafts. Paralleling these findings, ALS lipid rafts lower saturates-to-unsaturates ratio compared to controls. Further, levels of cholesteryl ester (SE) and anionic-to-zwitterionic phospholipids ratio were augmented in ALS lipid rafts, while sulfatide contents were reduced. Further, regression analyses revealed augmented SE esterification to (mono)unsaturated fatty acids in ALS, but to saturates in controls. Overall, these changes indicate that lipid rafts from ALS spinal cord undergo destabilization of the lipid structure, which might impact their biophysical properties, likely leading to more fluid membranes. Indeed, estimations of membrane microviscosity confirmed less viscous membranes in ALS, as well as more mobile yet smaller lipid rafts compared to surrounding membranes. Overall, these results demonstrate that the changes in ALS lipid rafts are unrelated to oxidative stress, but to anomalies in lipid metabolism and/or lipid raft membrane biogenesis in motor neurons. KEY MESSAGES: The lipid matrix of multimolecular membrane complexes named lipid rafts are altered in human spinal cord in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Lipid rafts from ALS spinal cord contain higher levels of n-6 LCPUFA (but not n-3 LCPUFA), n-7/n-9 monounsaturates and lower saturates-to-unsaturates ratio. ALS lipid rafts display increased contents of cholesteryl esters, anomalous anionic-to-zwitterionic phospholipids and phospholipid remodelling and reduced sulphated and total sphingolipid levels, compared to control lipid rafts. Destabilization of the lipid structure of lipid raft affects their biophysical properties and leads to more fluid, less viscous membrane microdomains. The changes in ALS lipid rafts are unlikely related to increased oxidative stress, but to anomalies in lipid metabolism and/or raft membrane biogenesis in motor neurons.