Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C in health and disease

Phospholipases are widely occurring and can be found in several different organisms, including bacteria, yeast, plants, animals, and viruses. Phospholipase C (PLC) is a class of phospholipases that cleaves phospholipids on the diacylglycerol (DAG) side of the phosphodiester bond producing DAGs and phosphomonoesters. Among PLCs, phosphoinositide-specific PLC (PI-PLC) constitutes an important step in the inositide signaling pathways. The structures of PI-PLC isozymes show conserved domains as well as regulatory specific domains. This is important, as most PI-PLCs share a common mechanism, but each of them has a peculiar role and can have a specific cell distribution that is linked to a specific function. More importantly, the regulation of PLC isozymes is fundamental in health and disease, as there are several PLC-dependent molecular mechanisms that are associated with the activation or inhibition of important physiopathological processes. Moreover, PI-PLC alternative splicing variants can play important roles in complex signaling networks, not only in cancer but also in other diseases. That is why PI-PLC isozymes are now considered as important molecules that are essential for better understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying both physiology and pathogenesis, and are also potential molecular targets useful for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.