Phosphorothiolate analogues of phosphatidylinositols as assay substrates for phospholipase C

Recent advances in understanding the molecular role of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C gamma 1 as an emerging onco-driver and novel therapeutic target in human carcinogenesis

Phosphoinositide metabolism is crucial intracellular signaling system that regulates a plethora of biological functions including mitogenesis, cell proliferation and division. Phospholipase C gamma 1 (PLCγ1) which belongs to phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) family, is activated by many extracellular stimuli including hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors and modulates several cellular and physiological functions necessary for tumorigenesis such as cell survival, migration, invasion and angiogenesis by generating inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG) via hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate (PIP2). Cancer remains as a leading cause of global mortality and aberrant expression and regulation of PLCγ1 is linked to a plethora of deadly human cancers including carcinomas of the breast, lung, pancreas, stomach, prostate and ovary. Although PLCγ1 cross-talks with many onco-drivers and signaling circuits including PI3K, AKT, HIF1-α and RAF/MEK/ERK cascade, its precise role in carcinogenesis is not completely understood. This review comprehensively discussed the status quo of this ubiquitously expressed phospholipase as a tumor driver and highlighted its significance as a novel therapeutic target in cancer. Furthermore, we have highlighted the significance of somatic driver mutations in PLCG1 gene and molecular roles of PLCγ1 in several major human cancers, a knowledgebase that can be utilized to develop novel, isoform-specific small molecule inhibitors of PLCγ1.

Phospholipase C families: Common themes and versatility in physiology and pathology

Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase Cs (PLCs) are expressed in all mammalian cells and play critical roles in signal transduction. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of these enzymes in physiology and pathology, a detailed structural, biochemical, cell biological and genetic information is required. In this review, we cover all these aspects to summarize current knowledge of the entire superfamily. The families of PLCs have expanded from 13 enzymes to 16 with the identification of the atypical PLCs in the human genome. Recent structural insights highlight the common themes that cover not only the substrate catalysis but also the mechanisms of activation. This involves the release of autoinhibitory interactions that, in the absence of stimulation, maintain classical PLC enzymes in their inactive forms. Studies of individual PLCs provide a rich repertoire of PLC function in different physiologies. Furthermore, the genetic studies discovered numerous mutated and rare variants of PLC enzymes and their link to human disease development, greatly expanding our understanding of their roles in diverse pathologies. Notably, substantial evidence now supports involvement of different PLC isoforms in the development of specific cancer types, immune disorders and neurodegeneration. These advances will stimulate the generation of new drugs that target PLC enzymes, and will therefore open new possibilities for treatment of a number of diseases where current therapies remain ineffective.

Fate of Liposomes in the Presence of Phospholipase C and D: From Atomic to Supramolecular Lipid Arrangement

Understanding the origins of lipid membrane bilayer rearrangement in response to external stimuli is an essential component of cell biology and the bottom-up design of liposomes for biomedical applications. The enzymes phospholipase C and D (PLC and PLD) both cleave the phosphorus-oxygen bonds of phosphate esters in phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids. The atomic position of this hydrolysis reaction has huge implications for the stability of PC-containing self-assembled structures, such as the cell wall and lipid-based vesicle drug delivery vectors. While PLC converts PC to diacylglycerol (DAG), the interaction of PC with PLD produces phosphatidic acid (PA). Here we present a combination of small-angle scattering data and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, providing insights into the effects of atomic-scale reorganization on the supramolecular assembly of PC membrane bilayers upon enzyme-mediated incorporation of DAG or PA. We observed that PC liposomes completely disintegrate in the presence of PLC, as conversion of PC to DAG progresses. At lower concentrations, DAG molecules within fluid PC bilayers form hydrogen bonds with backbone carbonyl oxygens in neighboring PC molecules and burrow into the hydrophobic region. This leads initially to membrane thinning followed by a swelling of the lamellar phase with increased DAG. At higher DAG concentrations, localized membrane tension causes a change in lipid phase from lamellar to the hexagonal and micellar cubic phases. Molecular dynamics simulations show that this destabilization is also caused in part by the decreased ability of DAG-containing PC membranes to coordinate sodium ions. Conversely, PLD-treated PC liposomes remain stable up to extremely high conversions to PA. Here, the negatively charged PA headgroup attracts significant amounts of sodium ions from the bulk solution to the membrane surface, leading to a swelling of the coordinated water layer. These findings are a vital step toward a fundamental understanding of the degradation behavior of PC lipid membranes in the presence of these clinically relevant enzymes, and toward the rational design of diagnostic and drug delivery technologies for phospholipase-dysregulation-based diseases.

Heparosan-coated liposomes for drug delivery

Liposomal encapsulation is a useful drug delivery strategy for small molecules, especially chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin. Doxil® is a doxorubicin-containing liposome ("dox-liposome") that passively targets drug to tumors while reducing side effects caused by free drug permeating and poisoning healthy tissues. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is the hydrophilic coating of Doxil® that protects the formulation from triggering the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). Evading the MPS prolongs dox-liposome circulation time thus increasing drug deposition at the tumor site. However, multiple doses of Doxil® sometimes activate an anti-PEG immune response that enhances liposome clearance from circulation and causes hypersensitivity, further limiting its effectiveness against disease. These side effects constrain the utility of PEG-coated liposomes in certain populations, justifying the need for investigation into alternative coatings that could improve drug delivery for better patient quality of life and outcome. We hypothesized that heparosan (HEP; [-4-GlcA-β1-4-GlcNAc-α1-]n) may serve as a PEG alternative for coating liposomes. HEP is a natural precursor to heparin biosynthesis in mammals. Also, bacteria expressing an HEP extracellular capsule during infection escape detection and are recognized as "self," not a foreign threat. By analogy, coating drug-carrying liposomes with HEP should camouflage the delivery vehicle from the MPS, extending circulation time and potentially avoiding immune-mediated clearance. In this study, we characterize the postmodification insertion of HEP-lipids into liposomes by dynamic light scattering and coarse-grain computer modeling, test HEP-lipid immunogenicity in rats, and compare the efficacy of drug delivered by HEP-coated liposomes to PEG-coated liposomes in a human breast cancer xenograft mouse model.

Dysfunction of phospholipase Cγ in immune disorders and cancer

The surge in genetic and genomic investigations over the past 5 years has resulted in many discoveries of causative variants relevant to disease pathophysiology. Although phospholipase C (PLC) enzymes have long been recognized as important components in intracellular signal transmission, it is only recently that this approach highlighted their role in disease development through gain-of-function mutations. In this review we describe the new findings that link the PLCγ family to immune disorders and cancer, and illustrate further efforts to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underpin their dysfunction.

Small molecule inhibitors of phospholipase C from a novel high-throughput screen

Phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes are important signaling molecules, but few small molecule modulators are available to pharmacologically regulate their function. With the goal of developing a general approach for identification of novel PLC inhibitors, we developed a high-throughput assay based on the fluorogenic substrate reporter WH-15. The assay is highly sensitive and reproducible: screening a chemical library of 6280 compounds identified three novel PLC inhibitors that exhibited potent activities in two separate assay formats with purified PLC isozymes in vitro. Two of the three inhibitors also inhibited G protein-coupled receptor-stimulated PLC activity in intact cell systems. These results demonstrate the power of the high-throughput assay for screening large collections of small molecules to identify novel PLC modulators. Potent and selective modulators of PLCs will ultimately be useful for dissecting the roles of PLCs in cellular processes, as well as provide lead compounds for the development of drugs to treat diseases arising from aberrant phospholipase activity.

Fluorescent phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate derivatives with modified 6-hydroxy group as novel substrates for phospholipase C

The capacity to monitor spatiotemporal activity of phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes with a PLC-selective sensor would dramatically enhance understanding of the physiological function and disease relevance of these signaling proteins. Previous structural and biochemical studies defined critical roles for several of the functional groups of the endogenous substrate of PLC isozymes, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)), indicating that these sites cannot be readily modified without compromising interactions with the lipase active site. However, the role of the 6-hydroxy group of PIP(2) for interaction and hydrolysis by PLC has not been explored, possibly due to challenges in synthesizing 6-hydroxy derivatives. Here, we describe an efficient route for the synthesis of novel, fluorescent PIP(2) derivatives modified at the 6-hydroxy group. Two of these derivatives were used in assays of PLC activity in which the fluorescent PIP(2) substrates were separated from their diacylglycerol products and reaction rates quantified by fluorescence. Both PIP(2) analogues effectively function as substrates of PLC-δ1, and the K(M) and V(max) values obtained with one of these are similar to those observed with native PIP(2) substrate. These results indicate that the 6-hydroxy group can be modified to develop functional substrates for PLC isozymes, thereby serving as the foundation for further development of PLC-selective sensors.

A fluorogenic, small molecule reporter for mammalian phospholipase C isozymes

Phospholipase C isozymes (PLCs) catalyze the conversion of the membrane lipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)) into two second messengers, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. This family of enzymes are key signaling proteins that regulate the physiological responses of many extracellular stimuli such as hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth factors. Aberrant regulation of PLCs has been implicated in various diseases including cancer and Alzheimer's disease. How, when, and where PLCs are activated under different cellular contexts are still largely unknown. We have developed a fluorogenic PLC reporter, WH-15, that can be cleaved in a cascade reaction to generate fluorescent 6-aminoquinoline. When applied in enzymatic assays with either pure PLCs or cell lysates, this reporter displays more than a 20-fold fluorescence enhancement in response to PLC activity. Under assay conditions, WH-15 has comparable K(m) and V(max) with the endogenous PIP(2). This novel reporter will likely find broad applications that vary from imaging PLC activity in live cells to high-throughput screening of PLC inhibitors.

Unique catalytic mechanism of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C from Streptomyces antibioticus

Calcium-dependent phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C from Streptomyces antibioticus (saPLC1) catalyzes hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol (PI) into inositol 1-phosphate by a unique mechanism involving formation of inositol 1,6-cyclic phosphate (1,6-IcP) as an intermediate. This work examines the rates and products of cleavage of phosphorothioate and phosphorodithioate analogues of PI in which sulfur was introduced into the phosphate moiety at a nonbridging position (pro-R or pro-S), a bridging position, or both. The replacement of the pro-S oxygen in the phosphoryl moiety of PI by sulfur results in a 3 x 10(7)-fold decrease of the catalytic rate constant, whereas alteration of the pro-R oxygen results in only a modest rate reduction. The addition of the second sulfur atom into the bridging position of the S(p) isomer of the phosphorothioate analogue causes a dramatic (2 x 10(5)-fold) increase of the rate of cleavage but has a negligible effect on the R(p) isomer. These differences are consistent with a change in the mechanism for the S(p) isomer of the phosphorodithioate analogue into a more dissociative type, where the leaving group carries a large amount of negative charge. In addition, hydrolysis of the diastereomers of the phosphorothioate analogues of 1,6-IcP, inositol cis-1,6-IcPs and inositol trans-1,6-IcPs, affords two distinct products, inositol 1-phosphorothioate and inositol 6-phosphorothioate, respectively. Formation of inositol 6-phosphorothioate is explained by the binding of trans-1,6-IcPs in the active site in a rotated orientation that interchanges the oxygen atoms at the 1- and 6-positions, thereby allowing the hydroxyl group at the 1-position to act as a leaving group. The reorientation of the intermediate is driven by formation of favorable interactions of the enzyme active site with the nonbridging oxygen in the trans intermediate.