Cytosolic phospholipase C activity: I. Evidence for coupling with cytosolic guanine nucleotide-binding protein, Gi alpha

Cloning and characterization of a gene encoding phosphatidyl inositol-specific phospholipase C from Trypanosoma cruzi

A gene encoding phosphatidyl inositol-4,5-bisphosphate phospholipase C (PLC) was cloned from the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. A partial cDNA encoding putative PLC was obtained by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using degenerate oligonucleotide primers corresponding to conserved regions of PLCs. A 2178-bp protein coding region of the T. cruzi PLC gene, composed from cDNA and genomic clones, encodes a putative PLC with a calculated molecular mass of 82,032 Da and an isoelectric point of 5.93. The deduced amino acid sequence of T. cruzi PLC exhibited 23-42% overall identities with the PLCs from other organisms. Among them, PLC from Ictalurus punctatus revealed the highest identity to T. cruzi PLC. The percentage identities of the entire proteins and the catalytic X/Y domains suggested that T. cruzi PLC is more evolutionarily related to the PLCs of higher eukaryotes than to those of lower unicellular eukaryotes. The tetrad analysis of the segregants of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PLC1/plc1::HIS3 diploid strain transformed with the T. cruzi PLC-expressing plasmid showed that expression of T. cruzi PLC suppressed the growth defect caused by the plc1 disruption in yeasts. Temperature-sensitive phenotype of the S. cerevisiae plc1-mutant haploid strain was also suppressed by the expression of T. cruzi PLC. The phosphatidyl inositol-4,5-biphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) hydrolyzing activity of T. cruzi PLC was demonstrated in the lysate from the plc1-temperature sensitive yeast mutant strain transformed with the T. cruzi PLC-expressing plasmid. The yeast-expressed T. cruzi PLC showed an absolute Ca2+ dependence which was similar to mammalian PLC isoforms: the half-maximal activity at 0.5-1 x 10(-5) M Ca2+ and the maximal activity at 1-2 x 10(-4) M Ca2+.

Cytosolic phospholipase C activity: II. Relationship to concanavalin A-induced phosphatidylinositol-turnover in splenocytes

We have described in the first paper the coupling between cytosolic Gi alpha and cytosolic PLC activity in a cell free preparation. In order to establish the functional significance of the cytosolic Gi alpha coupled soluble PLC, we examined the effects of DEX, NaF, and trifluoperizine (TFP) on concanavalin A (Con A)-induced PI-turnover in intact splenocytes and, in parallel, on soluble PLC activity in cytosol preparations. Cytosolic PLC activity was measured with [3H]PI and [3H]PIP2 as substrates. 1) The Con A-induced increase (2-4 fold) in PI-turnover in intact splenocytes was paralleled by an 1.2-5-fold increase in soluble PLC activity in vitro. Con A administration also increased cytosolic Gi alpha immunoreactivity 3-6-fold as expected if cytosolic Gi alpha was coupled to soluble PLC activation. 2) DEX (10(-7) M), administered 6 h prior to Con A administration, inhibited the Con A-induced increase in PI-turnover in intact splenocytes. This was paralleled by DEX inhibition of the Con A-induced increase in soluble PLC activity measured in vitro and cytosolic Gi alpha immunoreactivity. 3) We have demonstrated in the first paper that NaF and TFP inhibited soluble PLC activity. Here we show that NaF and TFP inhibited the Con A-induced increase in PI-turnover extending the similarities between soluble PLC activity and Con A-stimulated PLC activity in intact splenocytes. 4) In order to examine whether or not the Con A-induced PLC was similar to PLC gamma, we measured PI-turnover induced by Con A or NaVO3 in combination with DEX and PMA. Whereas the Con A-induced PI-turnover was significantly inhibited (40-60%) by DEX, the NaVO3-induced PI-turnover was not affected by DEX. The Con A-induced PI-turnover was not affected by PMA (50 nM), but the NaVO3-induced PI-turnover was increased over 2-fold by PMA (50 nM), suggesting that the Con A-induced PLC in intact splenocytes is different from NaVO3-induced PLC. Based on these results a model for the sequential activation of substrate-specific PLCs in splenocyte by mitogen is presented.