Identification of putative endocannabinoid N-acyltransferases in C. elegans

The N-acyltransferase enzyme (NAT) is responsible for synthesizing N-acyl-phospatidylethanolamines which is the first step in the synthesis of N-acylethanolamines, an important class of lipids that are used by the endocannabinoid system as signaling molecules. A calcium dependent NAT enzyme has been characterized biochemically but has not been cloned. The purpose of this study was to identify NAT enzyme in Caenorhabditis elegans. The strain MGL107 overproduces NAEs and as a result exhibits delayed growth. We have found that 10 of 35 genes with N-acyltransferase activity are able to restore growth of MGL107. Interestingly, acl-10, acl-12, and acl-13 also showed increased mRNA levels in a strain with reduced NAEs, possibly indicating a compensatory mechanism. These data suggests that these three genes could potentially code for the calcium dependent NAT and should be further analyzed biochemically.