Degradation of arachidonoyl-labeled phosphatidylinositols by brain synaptosomes

Incubation of synaptosomes together with 1-acyl-2-[14C]arachidonoyl-sn-glycerophosphoinositols (GPI) and sodium deoxycholate yielded diacylglycerols and free arachidonic acid. Diacylglycerol formation is attributed to hydrolysis by the diacyl-GPI-specific phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.10), and this reaction requires sodium deoxycholate for optimal activity. The free arachidonic acid formed is attributed to hydrolysis of diacyl-GPI by phospholipase A (EC 3.1.1.5). Free fatty acid release was observed during incubation, even in the absence of bile salts, but this process was preferentially stimulated by sodium taurocholate. The release of fatty acids was not specific for diacyl-GPI, as similar release was obtained during incubation with other phosphoglycerides. In the presence of deoxycholate (2 mg/ml), the release of diacylglycerols was maximal at a diacyl-GPI concentration around 1.0 mM. However, the free fatty acid release was linear with respect to the substrate at least up to 1.4 mM. The rate of diacylglycerol release from diacyl-GPI was more rapid in the initial 30 min, whereas the free fatty acid release was linear with time up to 2 h. Under this incubation condition, calcium was found to stimulate both types of hydrolytic action, although the concentration needed to achieve this stimulation was rather high. This type of labeled precursor is potentially useful for studies of the different modes of diacyl-GPI degradation by enzymes in brain subcellular membranes.