Interaction mode of n-dodecylphosphorylcholine, a substrate analogue, with bovine pancreas phospholipase A2 as determined by X-ray crystal analysis

Isolation and Characterization of A2-EPTX-Nsm1a, a Secretory Phospholipase A2 from Malaysian Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana) Venom

Phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) toxins are one of the main toxin families found in snake venom. PLA₂ toxins are associated with various detrimental effects, including neurotoxicity, myotoxicity, hemostatic disturbances, nephrotoxicity, edema, and inflammation. Although Naja sumatrana venom contains substantial quantities of PLA₂ components_, there is limited information on the function and activities of PLA₂ toxins from the venom. In this study, a secretory PLA₂ from the venom of Malaysian N. sumatrana, subsequently named A2-EPTX-Nsm1a, was isolated, purified, and characterized. A2-EPTX-Nsm1a was purified using a mass spectrometry-guided approach and multiple chromatography steps. Based on LC-MSMS, A2-EPTX-Nsm1a was found to show high sequence similarity with PLA₂ from venoms of other Naja species. The PLA₂ activity of A2-EPTX-Nsm1 was inhibited by 4-BPB and EDTA. A2-EPTX-Nsm1a was significantly less cytotoxic in a neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y) compared to crude venom and did not show a concentration-dependent cytotoxic activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study that characterizes and investigates the cytotoxicity of an Asp49 PLA₂ isolated from Malaysian N. sumatrana venom in a human neuroblastoma cell line.

[Overview of structural study on conformations and intermolecular interactions of biomolecules]

Information on the conformational feature and specific intermolecular interaction of biomolecules is important to understand the biological function and to develop device for treating disorder caused by the abnormal function. Thus the 3D structures of the biologically active molecules and the specific interactions with their target molecules at the atomic level have been investigated by various physicochemical approaches. Herein, the following five subjects are reviewed: (1) function-linked conformations of biomolecules including natural annular products, opioid peptides and neuropeptides; (2) π-π stacking interactions of tryptophan derivatives with coenzymes and nucleic acid bases; (3) mRNA cap recognition of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E and its regulation by 4E-binding protein; (4) conformational feature of histamine H2 receptor antagonists and design of cathepsin B inhibitors; (5) self-aggregation mechanism of tau protein and its inhibition.

Modification of Lys-6 and Lys-65 Affects the Structural Stability of Taiwan Cobra Phospholipase A2

To assess whether chemical modification of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) enzymes may affect their fine structure and consequently alter their enzymatic activity, the present study was carried out. Both Lys-6 and Lys-65 in the Taiwan cobra (Naja naja atra) PLA(2) were selectively modified with trinitrobenzene sulfonate and pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP), respectively. Incorporation of either trinitrophenylated (TNP) or PLP groups on Lys-6 and Lys-65 caused a drop in PLA(2) activity, but the Ca(2+)-binding ability and global conformation of modified derivatives were not significantly different from that of native enzyme. A distinct enhancement of stability was observed with native PLA(2) when thermal unfolding was conducted in the presence of 20 mM Ca(2+). Conformational transition induced by guanidine hydrochloride was also attenuated by the addition of Ca(2+). Conversely, a marked decrease in the structural stability was noted with modified derivatives, and the enhancing effect of Ca(2+) pronouncedly decreased. Together with the finding that the incorporated TNP and PLP groups did not equally affect enzymatic activity and structural stability of PLA(2), our data suggest that an alteration in the fine structure owing to the incorporated groups should contribute to the observed decrease in PLA(2) activity.

The structural variations of epsilon-amino groups in phospholipase A2 enzymes from Naja naja atra and Bungarus multicinctus venoms

Comparative studies on Naja naja atra phospholipase A2 (NNA-PLA2), Bungarus multicinctus phospholipase A2 (BM-PLA2), and their Lys-modified derivatives were made to assess the differences in the fine structures around the conserved Lys residues of PLA2 enzymes. It has found that the accessibility of Lys residues of PLA2 enzymes toward modified reagent, trinitrobenzene sulfonate, were not the same. Moreover, the extent of decrease in pI values of PLA2 enzymes that resulted from trinitrophenylation of lysine residues was different between NNA-PLA2 and BM-PLA2. The Lys-6 of BM-PLA2 mostly contributed to the positively charged character of the enzyme molecule, whereas the contribution of Lys-6 of NNA-PLA2 to its molecular charge was not notably different from other Lys residues. A linear relationship was observed by plotting the mobilities of PLA2 enzymes and their TNP derivatives against their pI values. However, native and Lys-modified NNA-PLA2 were not aligned with those of BM-PLA2 in the same line. Apparently the gross conformation of PLA2 enzymes was not notably perturbed by the modification of Lys residues, but the fine structure of NNA-PLA2 was not the same as that of BM-PLA2. These results indicate that the positioning of side chains of the conserved Lys residues in the two PLA2 enzymes is essentially different, and suggest that the variations in the fine structures of homologous proteins could be effectively explored by chemical modification studies and electrophoretic analysis.

Probing calcium ion-induced conformational changes of Taiwan cobra phospholipase A2 by trinitrophenylation of lysine residues

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from Naja naja atra (Taiwan cobra) snake venom was subjected to lysine modification with trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNBS). Three major derivatives, TNP-1, TNP-2, and TNP-3, were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from the reaction mixtures in the absence of Ca2+. However, only TNP-2 and TNP-3 were isolated when trinitrophenylated reaction was carried out in the presence of Ca2+. TNP-1 and TNP-2 contained only one TNP group, on Lys-65 and Lys-6, respectively; and both Lys-6 and Lys-65 were modified in TNP-3. The extent of modification on Lys-6 and Lys-65 was calculated from the peak areas of TNP proteins in the HPLC profile. It was found that the susceptibility of Lys-6 toward TNBS markedly increased by the addition of Ca2+ when Ca2+ concentration was higher than 5 mM. With regard to the involvement of Lys-6 in the binding of substrate, the increase in the reactivity of Lys-6 may arise from a conformational change around Lys-6 for binding with substrate in the presence of Ca2+. Alternatively, the nonessentiality of Lys-65 for PLA2 activity was revealed by the finding that TNP-1 still retained 95% activity of native enzyme. Moreover, the reactivity of Lys-65 toward TNBS did not greatly change in either the absence or presence of Ca2+, suggesting that Ca2+ binding did not cause an appreciable change in the microenvironment around Lys-65. These results indicate that the differential reactivities of Lys-6 and Lys-65 toward TNBS as affected by the binding of Ca2+ are well consistent with their functional roles in the catalytic mechanism of PLA2, and suggest that the occurrence of conformational changes with PLA2 could be explored by chemical modification studies.

Interaction of plant lipids with 14 kDa phospholipase A2 enzymes

Several structurally related plant lipids were isolated and their effect was assessed on the enzyme activity of group I (pancreatic and Naja mocambique venom) and group II (Crotalus atrox venom) phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes, with labelled Escherichia coli as an enzyme substrate. The neutral monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and negatively charged diacylglyceryl alpha-D-glucuronide (DGGA) did not influence the enzyme activity of either group. Digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), another uncharged glycolipid, inhibited PLA2 activity in a dose-dependent manner to 60-70% of the control. Sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG), which is also anionic, activated both groups of PLA2 enzyme. A similar activation was observed with the zwitterionic diacylglyceryl-O-(N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine) (DGTS) and diacylglyceryl-O-(hydroxymethyl)(N,N, N-trimethyl)-beta-alanine (DGTA). DGDG, SQDG and DGTS are dispersed homogeneously with low critical micelle concentrations (CMCs). The hydrodynamic radius of neutral DGDG is an order of magnitude larger than the charged lipids SQDG and DGTS. The inhibition of pig pancreatic PLA2 by DGDG was dependent on substrate concentration. The intrinsic fluorescence spectra of the enzyme was not changed in the presence of native or hydrogenated DGDG. Thus the inhibition is most probably due to a non-specific interaction of plant lipids with the substrate. Different lengths and saturations of the fatty acyl chains of DGDG did not alter the inhibition of PLA2, whereas deacylation abrogated the inhibitory effect. Both SQDG and DGTS activated pig pancreatic PLA2 in a dose-dependent manner. Saturation of the double bonds of these lipids decreased the activating effect. The fluorescence of pig pancreatic PLA2 incubated with SQDG and DGTS was enhanced by 2-fold and 3-fold respectively, suggesting the formation of a complex between enzyme and lipids. In conclusion, the effect of different plant lipids on PLA2 activity depends on different structural elements of the polar head group and their charge as well as the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acyl chains.

The essentiality of calcium ion in the enzymatic activity of Taiwan cobra phospholipase A2

In order to address the mechanism whereby Ca2+ wad crucial for the manifestation of the enzymatic activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), four divalent cations were used to assess their influences on the catalytic activity and the fine structures of Naja naja atra PLA2. It was found that substitution of Mg2+ or Sr2+ for Ca2+ in the substrate solution caused a decrease in the PLA2 activity to 77.5% or 54.5%, respectively, of that in the presence of Ca2+. However, no PLA2 activity was observed with the addition of Ba2+. With the exception of Mg2+, the nonpolarity of the 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate (ANS)-binding site of PLA2 markedly increased with the binding of cations to PLA2. In the meantime, the accessibilities of Lys-6 (65) and Tyr-3 (63) toward trinitrobenzene sulfonate and p-nitrobenzenesulfonyl fluoride were enhanced by the addition of Ca2+, Sr2+, and Ba2+, but not by Mg2+. The order of the ability of cations to enhance the ANS fluorescence and the reactivity of Lys and Tyr residues toward modified reagents was Ba2+ > Sr2+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+, which was the same order as the increase in their atomic radii. These results, together with the observations that the ANS molecule binds at the active site of PLA2 and that Tyr-3, Lys-6, and Tyr-63 of PLA2 are involved in the binding with the substrate, suggest that the binding of Ca2+ to PLA2 induces conformational changes at the active site and substrate-binding site. However, the smaller atomic radius with Mg2+ or the bigger atomic radii with Sr2+ and Ba2+ might render the conformation improperly rearranged after their binding to PLA2 molecule.

An extended binding pocket determines the polar head group specificity of porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2

Porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) was studied by site-directed mutagenesis. Arg53 and/or Lys56 were replaced by a methionine (R53M or K56M, respectively) in combination with the Tyr69-->Phe (Y69F) substitution. These substitutions improved the activity on micellar and monomeric zwitterionic substrates and reduced the activity on negatively charged substrates compared to the Y69F mutant. With the neutral substrate 1,2-didodecanoyl-sn-glycerol-3-dimethyl phosphate (Lau2GroMe2P) a 20-fold increase of activity was observed for the 69F53M56M mutant, whereas this mutant showed a lower activity than native PLA2 on zwitterionic substrates. Thus the ratio Lau2GroMe2P/Lau2GroPCho has become 65 times higher for 69F53M56M compared to native phospholipase A2, illustrating that the substrate specificity has changed enormously. The methionine substitutions were also prepared in a 69F mutant in which a part of the surface loop (residues 62-66) was deleted. Also in this deletion mutant these substitutions showed a similar effect as the substitutions in the native 69F mutant. Furthermore it was shown that deletion of the loop increases the activity on micellar lecithins and negatively charged micellar substrates, but reduces the activity on Lau2GroMe2P. Therefore it can be concluded that the loop is important for the recognition of substrates. We also show that the loop plays a role in the dimerization of these proteins. Dimerization may account for the high activities observed for some mutants acting on monomeric substrate.

Chemical modification and inactivation of phospholipases A2 by a manoalide analogue

Chemical modification and inactivation of bovine pancreatic, porcine pancreatic, Naja naja atra and Pseudechis australis phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), belonging to Group I, and of Trimeresurus flavoviridis, Vipera russelli russelli and Agkistrodon halys blomhoffii PLA2s, belonging to Group II, were investigated by the use of a manoalide (MLD)-analogue, 1-(2,5-dihydro-hydroxy-5-oxo-3-furanyl)-8,12-dimethyl-4-formyl-3,7, 11-tridecatrienol. At appropriate time intervals, residual PLA2 activities towards monodispersed, anionic mixed micellar and non-ionic mixed micellar substrates were measured. We tested the protective effect of micellar n-dodecylphosphocholine (n-C12PC) on enzyme inactivation. Inactivation of pancreatic PLA2s (Group I) was only observed towards anionic mixed micellar substrates. This inactivation was completely prevented by the presence of micellar n-C12PC. From a fragmentation study of modified bovine pancreatic PLA2 using lysyl endopeptidase, we speculated that Lys-56 of this enzyme was modified by MLD-analogue and that this modification was responsible for enzyme inactivation. Inactivation of non-pancreatic PLA2s was observed towards all types of substrate, except that no significant inactivation of N. naja atra PLA2 (Group I) towards monodispersed substrate was noted. Micellar n-C12PC protected N. naja atra PLA2 (Group I) completely from inactivation by MLD-analogue, but had lesser protective effects on P. australis PLA2 (Group I), T. flavoviridis and V. russelli russelli PLA2s (Group II). However, no significant protection of A. halys blomhoffii PLA2s (Group II) activity was observed. These results indicate that the inactivation of pancreatic and N. naja atra PLA2s originates from the modification of Lys residues at the interfacial recognition site, and that inactivation of P. australis, T. flavoviridis and V. russelli PLA2s arises from the modification of Lys residues at the catalytic site, interfacial recognition site and regions outside both sites. The inactivation of A. halys blomhoffii PLA2 was assumed to be due to the modification of Lys residues outside the two sites described above.

Conformation of micellar phospholipid bound to the active site of phospholipase A2

Transferred NOE techniques have been used to determine the structure of phospholipid analogues bound to the active site of cobra venom phospholipase A2 (PLA2). These experiments were carried out on PLA2 with a substrate analogue which serves as an inhibitor, 1-(hexylthio)-2-(nonanoylamino)-1,2-dideoxy-sn-glycero-3-pho sphocholine (PC9). Because this inhibitor binds tightly to the enzyme and forms micelles at millimolar concentrations, experiments could be carried out to determine the conformation of the inhibitor when bound to the enzyme at the lipid-water interface. NOEs of the micellar lipid develop inefficiently in the absence of enzyme. NOESY experiments in the presence of PLA2 were used to determine the inhibitor structure and conformation when bound to the enzyme. The inhibitor adopts an active site conformation in which the end of the sn-2 chain is within 5 A of the alpha-methylene protons of the sn-1 chain. However, NOE cross-peaks in the experiments indicate that the backbone conformation of the bound lipid is different from that of a shorter chain lipid which forms monomers [Plesniak et al. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 5009-5016].

Functional involvement of Lys-6 in the enzymatic activity of phospholipase A2 from Bungarus multicinctus (Taiwan banded krait) snake venom

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from Bungarus multicinctus snake venom was subjected to Lys modification with 4-chloro-3,5-dinitrobenzoate and trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, and one major carboxydinitrophenylated (CDNP) PLA2 and two trinitrophenylated (TNP) derivatives (TNP-1 and TNP-2) were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. The results of amino acid analysis and sequence determination revealed that CDNP-PLA2 and TNP-1 contained one modified Lys residue at position 6, and both Lys-6 and Lys-62 were modified in TNP-2. It seemed that the Lys-6 was more accessible to modified reagents than other Lys residues in PLA2. Modification of Lys-6 caused a 94% drop in enzymatic activity as observed with CDNP-PLA2 and TNP-1. Alternatively, the enzyme modified on both Lys-6 and Lys-62 retained little PLA2 activity. Either carboxydinitrophenylation or trinitrophenylation did not significantly affect the secondary structure of the enzyme molecule as revealed by the CD spectra, and Ca2+ binding and antigenicity of Lys-6-modified PLA2 were unaffected. Conversion of nitro groups to amino groups resulted in a partial restoration of enzymatic activity of CDNP-PLA2 to 32% of that of PLA2. It reflected that the positively charged side chain of Lys-6 might play an exclusive role in PLA2 activity. The TNP derivatives could be regenerated with hydrazine hydrochloride. The biological activity of the regenerated PLA2 is almost the same as that of native PLA2. These results suggest that the intact Lys-6 is essential for the enzymatic activity of PLA2, and that incorporation of a bulky CDNP or TNP group on Lys-6 might give rise to the distortion of the interaction between substrate and the enzyme molecule, and the active conformation of PLA2.

X-ray crystal structure and molecular dynamics simulation of bovine pancreas phospholipase A2-n-dodecylphosphorylcholine complex

The crystal structure of n-dodecylphosphorylcholine (n-C12PC)-bovine pancreas phospholipase A2 (PLA2) complex provided the following structural characteristics: (1) the dodecyl chain of n-C12PC was located at the PLA2 N-terminal helical region by hydrophobic interactions, which corresponds to the binding pocket of 2-acyl fatty acid chain (beta-chain) of the substrate phospholipid, (2) the region from Lys-53 to Lys-56 creates a choline-receiving pocket of n-C12PC and (3) the N-terminal group of Ala-1 shifts significantly toward the Tyr-52 OH group by the binding of the n-C12PC inhibitor. Since the accuracy of the X-ray analysis (R = 0.275 at 2.3 A resolution) was insufficient to establish these important X-ray insights, the complex structure was further investigated through the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, assuming a system in aqueous solution at 310K. The MD simulation covering 176 ps showed that the structural characteristics observed by X-ray analysis are intrinsic and also stable in the dynamic state. Furthermore, the MD simulation made clear that the PLA2 binding pocket is large enough to permit the conformational fluctuation of the n-C12PC hydrocarbon chain.

Competitive inhibition of lipolytic enzymes. X. Further delineation of the active site of pancreatic phospholipases A2 from pig, ox and horse by comparing the inhibitory power of a number of (R)-2-acylamino phospholipid analogues

Two series of (R)-phospholipid analogues, each containing a n-propyl group at the C-1 position and various acylamino functions at the C-2 position have been synthesized and their inhibitory properties towards three mammalian pancreatic phospholipases A2 have been determined. The members of the first series of analogues all contained the zwitter-ionic phosphocholine headgroup which in the second series was replaced by the anionic phosphoglycol function. In the saturated 2-acylamino phospholipids the length of the acyl chain ranged from 8 to 18 carbon atoms. The unsaturated 2-acylamino analogues possessed a chain length of 11 or 18 carbon atoms and contained one, two, three or four double bonds. For inhibitors with a saturated acylamino group, the phospholipases A2 from pig, ox and horse show a sharp optimum in inhibitory power Z for an acyl chain length of 10 carbon atoms. The inhibitory behaviour of the unsaturated acylamino analogues is more complex: both the zwitter-ionic and the anionic inhibitors demonstrate an increase in Z with an increasing number of cis-double bonds but the degree of improvement is dependent on the position of the double bonds. Subsequently the influence of polar groups at carbon position 12 of the dodecanoylamino phospholipids on Z was analyzed. Substitution of the terminal methyl group by an OH-function lowers the inhibitory potency of the three enzymes by a factor of 4 to 5 both in the phosphocholine and phosphoglycol series. Replacement of the methyl group by potentially charged functions (-NH2, -COOH) resulted in a complete loss of inhibitory properties. Blocking of the amino group and carboxyl function by t-butyloxycarbonylation and esterification, respectively, fully restored the inhibitory power. Finally we investigated how changes in the polar headgroup and the presence of aromatic rings at the C-1 or C-2 position influenced the inhibitory potency of the analogues.

Identification of functional involvement of tryptophan residues in phospholipase A2 from Naja naja atra (Taiwan cobra) snake venom

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from Naja naja atra snake venom was subjected to Trp modification with 2-nitrophenylsulfenyl chloride (NPS-Cl), and six derivatives were separated by HPLC. The results of amino-acid analysis and sequence determination revealed that Trp-18, Trp-19 and Trp-61 were modified by NPS-Cl. The order of accessibilities of the three Trp residues for NPS-Cl was Trp-18 > Trp-19 > Trp-61. Sulfenylation of Trp-18 caused a 92% drop in enzymatic activity. Modification of Trp-19 and Trp-61 resulted in a decrease in enzymatic activity of PLA2 by 45.5% and 51%, respectively. The enzyme modified on both Trp-18 and Trp-19 or on both Trp-18 and Trp-61 retained little PLA2 activity. It is evident that Trp-18 plays a more crucial function in PLA2 than Trp-19 and Trp-61. Sulfenylation did not significantly affect the secondary structure of the enzyme molecule as revealed by the CD spectra, and Ca2+ binding and antigenicity of sulfenylated PLA2 was unaffected. These observations, together with the fact that Trp-18 is involved in the substrate binding of PLA2, suggest that incorporation of a bulky NPS group on Trp-18 might give rise to a direct distortion of the interaction between substrate and the enzyme molecule. Alternatively, modification of Trp-19 and Trp-61 might indirectly affect the interfacial binding of PLA2 with its substrate.

Structural determinants of the intrinsic fluorescence emission in notexin and phospholipase A2 enzymes

Fluorescence measurements of the homologous proteins, notexin and PLA2 enzymes from Naja naja atra, Naja nigricollis, and Hemachatus haemachatus venoms, showed that the wave-length of maximum emission and the quantum yield of their intrinsic fluorescence emission spectra were different. To verify the factors which affected their fluorescence characteristics, the dynamics of tryptophan residues in those homologous proteins were studied by quenching with acrylamide, iodide, and cesium. The degrees of exposure of tryptophanyl groups in notexin and PLA2 enzymes assessed by acrylamide quenching were found to be the major factor that determined their fluorescence characteristics. However, the positively charged groups surrounding tryptophan residues of PLA2 enzymes from N. naja atra and N. nigricollis venoms might affect the quantum yield of their fluorophores. Tryptophan residues of notexin were in an environment with less fluctuation, which did not allow free diffusion of ionic quencher. This might render its tryptophan residues to fluoresce at a shorter wavelength. These results suggested that the structural determinants affecting the intrinsic fluorescence emission of homologous proteins can be easily assessed by quenching studies.

Acylation of porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 influences penetration and substrate head-group binding, depending on the position of the acylated lysine in the enzyme molecule

A porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 mutant was constructed in which all nine lysines were replaced by arginines. The mutant displayed 68% residual activity on micellar zwitterionic substrates, indicating that lysines are not absolutely required for the catalytic action of the enzyme. Likewise, mutants with one single lysine present either at position 56, located close to the entrance of the active site, or at position 108, remote from the active site, were constructed. Selective acylation of Lys56 with acyl chains of two, eight or fourteen carbon atoms resulted in increased activities on 1,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-phosphocholine micelles. Moreover, acylation strongly influenced the affinity for these micelles, as was evidenced by an up to 60-fold increase in apparent Km. The kinetic properties of the (acylated) mutants were studied with the monolayer technique. Pre-steady-state kinetics showed that penetration into monomolecular layers composed of 1,2-didodecanoylglycero-3-phosphocholine was faster for acylated Lys56 derivatives than for non-acylated enzyme. The acylated enzymes were also capable of penetrating densely packed lipid films. This effect increased with increasing acyl chain length. The observed velocities in the steady state were similar for acylated and non-acylated Lys56 mutants. In contrast, no changes in the kinetic properties were observed after acylation of Lys108, located on the posterior part of the protein. Therefore, the effects observed upon acylation of Lys56 are probably specific. Apart from an increase in hydrophobicity, acylation of Lys results in charge neutralization. The latter effect was studied with a mutant in which Gln instead of Lys was present at position 56. The activity of this mutant on micellar substrates is higher than that of the parent Lys56, whereas its affinity for micelles is slightly improved. Therefore, whereas the charge at position 56 mainly influences the activity, the hydrophobicity of the introduced acyl chain mainly determines the affinity for aggregated lipids.

Arginine 53 is involved in head-group specificity of the active site of porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2

The X-ray structure of a mutant porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 inhibitor complex [Thunnissen et al. (1990) Nature 347, 689-691] has been determined. This structure shows several interactions between the sn-2-acyl chain and the phosphate moiety of the inhibitor at sn-3 and the protein. The interactions of the remaining part of the polar head group are less clear. Because Arg53 is in close proximity to the head group, we tested the importance of charge at position 53 on enzymatic activity and specificity. Arg53 has been replaced by a glutamine and a glutamic acid in mutants R53Q and R53E, respectively. The effects of the mutations were tested with both zwitterionic and anionic substrates. With monomeric, zwitterionic, (R,S)-1,2-dihexanoyldithiopropyl-3-phosphocholine as substrate, the mutants R53Q and R53E display twofold and sevenfold, respectively, increased kcat/Km values, composed of increased kcat and decreased Km values. Tested on micelles of zwitterionic (R)-1,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-phosphocholine the mutants R53Q and R53E are more active than the native enzyme, whereas these mutations have an opposite effect on the activity on anionic (R)-1,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-phosphoglycol. Thus, whereas the native enzyme is 0.3 times as active on zwitterionic as on the anionic substrate, these ratios are 1.0 (R53Q) and 1.7 (R53E) for the mutants. No changes in activity were observed with the anionic substrate (R)-1,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-sulfate. Binding studies with substrate-derived inhibitors confirmed the increased affinity for zwitterionic phospholipids and the reduced affinity for anionic phospholipids. The kinetic and binding data indicate the involvement of the charge of residue 53 in head-group specificity and suggest a position of residue 53 closer to the choline or glycol than to the phosphate.