Surface pressure-dependent cross-modulation of sphingomyelinase and phospholipase A2 in monolayers

We investigated the ways in which phospholipase A2 and sphingomyelinase are mutually modulated at lipid interfaces. The activity of one enzyme is affected by its own reaction products and by substrates and products of the other enzyme; all this depends differently on the lateral surface pressure. Ceramide inhibits both the sphingomyelinase activity rate and the extent of degradation, and decreases the lag time at all surface pressures. Dilauroyl- and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, the substrates of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), do not affect sphingomyelinase activity. The products of PLA2, palmitic acid and lysopalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, strongly enhance and shift to high surface pressures the activity optimum and the cutoff point of sphingomyelinase. Palmitic acid also shifts to high surface pressures the cut-off point of PLA2 activity. Sphingomyelin strongly inhibits PLA2 at surface pressures above 5 mN/m, while ceramide shifts the cut-off point and the activity optimum to high surface pressures. The sphingolipids increase the lag time of PLA2 at low surface pressures. Both phosphohydrolytic pathways involve different levels of control on precatalytic steps and on the rate of activity that appear independent on specific alterations of molecular packing and surface potential. The mutual lipid-mediated interfacial modulation between both phosphohydrolytic pathways indicates that phospholipid degradation may be self-amplified or dampened depending on subtle changes of surface pressure and composition.