Characterization of phospholipase D in a cell-free system of cultured cells derived from rat frontal cortex

The wide world of non-mammalian phospholipase D enzymes

Phospholipase D (PLD) hydrolyses phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) to produce free choline and the critically important lipid signaling molecule phosphatidic acid (PtdOH). Since the initial discovery of PLD activities in plants and bacteria, PLDs have been identified in a diverse range of organisms spanning the taxa. While widespread interest in these proteins grew following the discovery of mammalian isoforms, research into the PLDs of non-mammalian organisms has revealed a fascinating array of functions ranging from roles in microbial pathogenesis, to the stress responses of plants and the developmental patterning of flies. Furthermore, studies in non-mammalian model systems have aided our understanding of the entire PLD superfamily, with translational relevance to human biology and health. Increasingly, the promise for utilization of non-mammalian PLDs in biotechnology is also being recognized, with widespread potential applications ranging from roles in lipid synthesis, to their exploitation for agricultural and pharmaceutical applications.

Mammalian phospholipase D: Function, and therapeutics

Despite being discovered over 60 years ago, the precise role of phospholipase D (PLD) is still being elucidated. PLD enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bond of glycerophospholipids producing phosphatidic acid and the free headgroup. PLD family members are found in organisms ranging from viruses, and bacteria to plants, and mammals. They display a range of substrate specificities, are regulated by a diverse range of molecules, and have been implicated in a broad range of cellular processes including receptor signaling, cytoskeletal regulation and membrane trafficking. Recent technological advances including: the development of PLD knockout mice, isoform-specific antibodies, and specific inhibitors are finally permitting a thorough analysis of the in vivo role of mammalian PLDs. These studies are facilitating increased recognition of PLD's role in disease states including cancers and Alzheimer's disease, offering potential as a target for therapeutic intervention.

Phospholipase D1 activation through Src and Ras is involved in basic fibroblast growth factor-induced neurite outgrowth of H19-7 cells

Phospholipase D (PLD) is implicated in a variety of physiological processes that reveal it to be a member of the signal transducing phospholipases. We found that PLD1 is activated when basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulates neurite outgrowth of an immortalized hippocampal cell line (H19-7). Overexpression of PLD1 in H19-7 cells dramatically elongated bFGF-induced neurite outgrowth and increased PLD activity. Transfection of DN-rPLD1 blocked bFGF-induced PLD activation and completely inhibited neurite outgrowth induced by bFGF, suggesting that PLD1 activation is important in bFGF-induced neurite outgrowth of H19-7 cells. PLD activation and neurite outgrowth induced by bFGF was dependent on phospholipase C gamma (PLC-gamma) and Ca2+, but not protein kinase C (PKC). Furthermore, inhibition of Src and Ras partially blocked bFGF-induced PLD activation and neurite outgrowth, respectively. Coinhibition of Src and Ras completely blocked bFGF-induced PLD activation, suggesting that Src and Ras independently regulate PLD1 activation. Interestingly, bFGF-induced PLD activation and neurite outgrowth did not require ERK1/2 activated by Ras. Taken together, this study demonstrates that bFGF activates PLD1 through PLC-gamma activation, which leads to neurite outgrowth in H19-7 cells. Furthermore, our results show that PLD1 activation by bFGF is regulated by Src and Ras independently.

Phospholipase D hydrolyzes short-chain analogs of phosphatidylcholine in the absence of detergent

Phospholipase D is an important enzyme in signal transduction in neuronal tissue. A variety of assays have been used to measure phospholipase D activity in vitro. The most typical measure of phospholipase D activity is the production of phosphatidylethanol in the presence of ethanol. Phosphatidylethanol is a product of transphosphatidylation activity that is considered a unique property of phospholipase D. To support transphosphatidylation activity, high concentrations of ethanol may be required. Furthermore, most assays in the literature utilize a detergent. These extreme conditions, detergent and ethanol, may alter phospholipase D and hinder the study of its regulation. In this manuscript we describe an assay that eliminates these potentially confounding conditions. It utilizes high specific activity [3H]butanol as a nucleophilic receptor. This eliminates the need for high concentrations of alcohol. The substrate is an analog of phosphatidylcholine that contains short-chain fatty acids, 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. Phospholipase D readily hydrolyzes this substrate in the absence of detergent. This novel assay should be useful in the further characterization of phospholipase D.

Metal ion stimulation of phospholipase D-like activity of isolated rat intestinal mitochondria

Presence of phospholipase D-like (PLD) activity in the intestinal mitochondria was identified using endogenous phospholipids as substrate. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 6.5, did not show trans-phosphatidylation activity in the presence of ethanol or butanol, and the product formed was phosphatidic acid (PA). This was confirmed by separation of reaction products by high-performance liquid chromatography and analysis of composition of the PA formed which gave phosphate/fatty acid ratio of 1:2 PLD-like activity was further confirmed by the formation of ethanolamine and choline as products of enzyme action. This activity was stimulated by various metal ions; when stimulated by Mg2+ and Ba2+, it hydrolyzed both phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, and when stimulated by Ca2+, it preferentially hydrolyzed phosphatidylethanolamine. There was no requirement for sodium oleate for the PLD-like activity in mitochondria. These results suggest that intestinal mitochondria have an active PLD-like enzyme which differs in certain properties from phospholipase D from other tissues.

Multiple forms of the enzyme glycerophosphodiesterase are present in human brain

Brain levels of glycerophosphodiesters, including glycerophosphocholine (GPC) and glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE), are altered in many human central nervous system disorders. Although much information is available on the enzymes responsible for the formation of these phospholipid metabolites, little information is known regarding their catabolism, by glycerophosphodiesterases, in human brain. In both autopsied and biopsied temporal cortex, a phosphocholine-producing glycerophosphodiesterase activity was observed. In the presence of 1 mM EDTA, the enzyme possessed a pH optimum of 9.0, while the addition of 5 mM zinc acetate shifted the pH optimum to 10.5. When assayed at pH 9.0 in the absence of zinc acetate, the Km and Vmax were 104 +/- 2 microM and 77 +/- 18 nmol/h/mg protein, respectively, while assaying at pH 10.5 in the presence of 5mM zinc acetate yielded a Km of 964 +/- 56 microM, and a Vmax of 534 +/- 114 nmol/h/mg protein. Furthermore, whereas submillimolar concentrations of zinc acetate stimulated the activity of the enzyme in a dose-dependent manner when assayed at pH 10.5 (EC50 =20.3 +/- 3.0 microM), this did not result in a reciprocal inhibition of glycerophosphocholine phosphodiesterase (GPC PD) activity when assayed at a more acidic pH. This may suggest that human brain contains two phosphocholine-producing GPC PD activities, differentiable by their sensitivity to zinc ions. An activity capable of hydrolyzing GPE to form phosphoethanolamine could not be detected in either biopsied or autopsied brain. However, a choline/ethanolamine-producing glycerophosphodiesterase activity could be readily detected in biopsied, but not autopsied brain. this novel enzyme possessed a neutral pH optimum and was dependent upon divalent cations for activity. In conclusion, human brain contains at least two different glycerophosphodiesterases, a phosphocholine, and a choline/ethanolamine-producing activity, only one of which can be detected in autopsied tissue. The results of previous studies measuring brain glycerophosphodiesterase activity in degenerative brain conditions may need to be reevaluated in the light of these observations.

Characterization and partial purification of phospholipase D from human placenta

We report the existence in the human placenta of a phosphatidylcholine-hydrolyzing phospholipase D (PLD) activity, which has been characterized and partially purified. Triton X-100 effectively solubilized PLD from the particulate fraction of human placenta in a dose-dependent manner. However, Triton X-100 caused decreasing enzyme activities. Maximum transphosphatidylation was obtained with 2% ethanol. The enzyme was found to have a pH optimum of 7.0-7.5 and an apparent Km of 33 mol% (or 0.8 mM). Ca2+ and Mg2+ was not required for the enzyme activity. Addition of phosphatidyl-4,5-bisphosphate, but not phosphatidylethanolamine, to the substrate mixture gave rise to a pronounced dose-dependent increase in PLD activity (EC50 = 0.3 mol%), suggesting a regulatory role of this phospholipid in PLD action. The enzyme was inhibited by sodium oleate when partly or fully substituting for octylglucoside in the substrate mixture. The PLD activity was enriched 15-fold by solubilization and purification on a DEAE-Sepharose column. N-Ethylmaleimide (10 mM) markedly inhibited the purified enzyme, indicating the presence of free thiol groups on PLD. Sphingosine (20 microM) and (+/-) propranolol (53 microM) had no direct effect on PLD activity. The present results form the basis for further purification of a PLD from human tissue.

Brain ischemia decreases phosphatidylcholine-phospholipase D but not phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C in rats

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Phosphatidylcholine (PC)-phospholipase D (PLD) is an important intracellular signaling pathway in response to a variety of agonists, but little is known about the effects of brain ischemia on the PC-PLD system. We thus have examined the effects of global cerebral ischemia on PLD in rats.

METHODS

We have examined the effects of global ischemia (decapitation or four-vessel occlusion) on PLD and PLC activity in the membrane fraction of rat brains. We measured the PLD and PLC activity in detergent-mixed micelle assay systems using 3H-labeled exogenous substrate.

RESULTS

The results demonstrate that basal PLD activity showed a gradual decrease with increased duration (5 to 30 minutes) of ischemia by decapitation in the hippocampus; after 30 minutes of ischemia, PLD activity was significantly decreased compared with the control. Lineweaver-Burk plots showed that the apparent Vmax value of PLD in ischemia was one half of that in the control without changes in Km value. Ischemia by decapitation significantly decreased PLD activity in the brain stem as well as the hippocampus, whereas in four-vessel occlusion study, ischemia significantly decreased PLD activity in the hippocampus but not in the brain stem. Lowered temperature (30 degrees C and 22 degrees C) during ischemic incubation did not reverse the ischemia-induced PLD activity decrease. In contrast to PLD, ischemia by decapitation had no effect on basal phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C activity or the amount of phospholipase C beta 1 in the membrane fractions from 30-minute ischemic hippocampus by immunoblots probed with the antibody.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that PC-PLD is one of the target enzymes of ischemia; its decrease may cause a perturbation of PC hydrolysis and/or disorders of intracellular transduction of signals or choline metabolism for acetylcholine formation in brain.

Phospholipase D activity of isolated rat brain plasma membranes

With [14C]oleate-labeled phosphatidylcholine as a substrate for phospholipase D the hydrolytic activity was measured by phosphatidic acid formation and the transphosphatidylation activity was measured by the phosphatidylethanol formed in the presence of ethanol. The pH optimum was 6.5 with dimethylglutarate as the buffer. EGTA inhibited the transphosphatidylation activity to a greater extent than the hydrolytic activity. In contrast CaCl2, BaCl2, MgCl2 and SrCl2 stimulated the hydrolytic activity without effecting the transphosphatidylation activity. BeCl2 another member of the group IIa transition metals was a very potent inhibitor of both the hydrolytic and transphophatidylation activity. GTP gamma S, an activator of G protein-mediated events, was an inhibitor of both activities.