Characteristics of lysophospholipase activity expressed by cytosolic phospholipase A2

Evidence has accumulated to suggest that a wide variety of mammalian cells and tissues express a cytosolic phospholipase A2 with arachidonoyl preference (cPLA2). Purified rabbit platelet-derived cPLA2, as well as the human recombinant enzyme originally identified in the monocytic leukemic cell line U937, exhibit significant lysophospholipase activity. Several series of experiments indicated that a single protein mediated both activities. Treatment of the purified enzyme with p-bromophenacylbromide or an anti-(rabbit platelet cPLA2) monoclonal antibody, RHY-5, suppressed the activity of phospholipase A2 without any appreciable effect on lysophospholipase activity, suggesting that the domain(s) required for phospholipase A2 activity may be located separately from that for lysophospholipase activity. Lysophospholipase activity was appreciably detected above the critical micellar concentration of the substrate. Lysophosphatidylcholine was also hydrolyzed efficiently when it was incorporated into liposomes made of dialkylphosphatidylcholine. The hydrolysis of lysophospholipid was dependent on the fatty acid bound at the sn1 position; the relative rates of hydrolysis of 1-oleoyllysophosphatidylcholine, 1-palmitoyllysophosphatidylcholine, and 1-stearoyllysophosphatidylcholine were 23, 8, and 1, respectively. A similar order of reactivity was observed with lysophospholipid incorporated into dialkylphosphatidylcholine liposomes. cPLA2 may function not only as an arachidonate liberation enzyme but also as an enzyme responsible for degradation of certain molecular species of lysophospholipids formed in membranes.