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Modulation of the cleavage of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins by specific bacterial phospholipases.

Many enzymes are tethered to the extracellular face of the plasma membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. These proteins can be released in soluble form by the action of GPI-specific phospholipase. Little is currently known about the factors modulating this release. We investigated the effects of several experimental variables on the cleavage of the GPI-anchored proteins 5'nucleotidase, acetylcholinesterase, and alkaline phosphatase by phospholipases from Bacillus thuringiensis and Staphylococcus aureus. Phospholipase activity was not inhibited by isotonic salt and was relatively unaffected by buffer type and concentration. In both cases, the optimum pH for cleavage was approximately 6.5. Over 80% of 5'-nucleotidase activity present in the lymphocyte plasma membrane was cleaved by the B. thuringiensis enzyme, and the initial rate of release was linear with phospholipase concentration. All three GPI-anchored proteins were released from lymphocyte plasma membrane at comparable phospholipase concentrations, suggesting that they have similar anchor structures. The catalytic activity of 5'-nucleotidase appeared to increase following conversion to the soluble form. The relative surface charge of the host plasma membrane modulated catalytic activity towards GPI-anchored proteins, depending on the net charge of the phospholipase. Studies on purified lymphocyte 5'-nucleotidase reconstituted into bilayers of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine indicated that the efficiency of phospholipase cleavage was 12- to 50-fold lower when compared with the native plasma membrane. The ability of the phospholipase to cleave the GPI anchor was further reduced when the bilayer was in the gel phase.

5'-Nucleotidase↗

Calcium ionophores injure alveolar epithelial cells: relation to phospholipase activity.

Phospholipases and certain of their hydrolytic products are toxic to alveolar epithelial cells. Since many intracellular phospholipases are Ca2+ dependent, we postulated that elevating cytosolic Ca2+ with ionophores might cause epithelial injury via phospholipase activation. Isolated perfused hamster lungs exposed to an Ca2+ ionophore A23187 develop functional evidence of severe epithelial injury. Ultrastructural studies show widespread lysis of type I epithelial cells, with only minimal abnormalities in other lung cells, including the microvascular endothelium. Analysis of whole lung lipid extracts reveals a modest elevation in free arachidonic acid but no changes in other putative products of phospholipase activity. Parallel studies were performed in cultured cells of pulmonary origin. As measured by 51Cr release, A23187 causes substantial cytotoxicity in 3-day-old cultures of rat type II alveolar epithelial cells (RAEC) but not in cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (BPAEC). RAEC prelabeled with [14C]stearic acid [( 14C]SA) and [3H]arachidonic acid [( 3H]AA) release radiolabeled free fatty acids (FFA) in response to A23187 in a dose- and time-dependent manner that parallels the cytotoxicity index. Analyses of putative phospholipase products in cells radiolabeled with [14C]SA and [3H]AA, with [14C]choline, or with [14C]ethanolamine suggest that liberation of radiolabeled FFA may be due to several phospholipases but with principal activity being exhibited by a phospholipase C having specificity toward phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Prelabeled BPAEC release only minimal quantities of FFA in response to A23187 under the same conditions. These studies demonstrate that elevations of intracytoplasmic Ca2+ are capable of severely and selectively damaging alveolar epithelial cells and that the injury is associated with activation of intracellular phospholipases. These findings may have implications in regard to the pathogenesis of acute lung injury in humans.

Animals↗

Phospholipase D: enzymology, mechanisms of regulation, and function.

Phospholipase D exists in various forms that differ in their regulation but predominantly hydrolyze phosphatidylcholine. The Ca(2+)-dependent isozymes of protein kinase C regulate phospholipase D in vitro and play a major role in its control by growth factors and G protein-linked agonists in vivo. Recent studies have demonstrated that small G proteins of the ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) and Rho families activate the enzyme in vitro, and evidence is accumulating that they also are involved in its control in vivo. Both types of G protein play important roles in cellular function, and the possible mechanisms by which they are activated by agonists are discussed. There is also emerging evidence of the control of phospholipase D and Rho proteins by soluble tyrosine kinases and novel serine/threonine kinases. The possible role of these kinases in agonist regulation of phospholipase D is discussed. The function of phospholipase D in cells is still poorly defined. Postulated roles of phosphatidic acid produced by phospholipase D action include the activation of Ca(2+)-independent isoforms of protein kinase C, the regulation of growth and the cytoskeleton in fibroblasts, and control of the respiratory burst in neutrophils. Another important function of phosphatidic acid is to act as a substrate for a specific phospholipase A2 to generate lysophosphatidic acid, which is becoming increasingly recognized as a major intercellular messenger. Finally, it is possible that the phospholipid changes induced in various cellular membranes by phospholipase D may per se play an important role in vesicle trafficking and other membrane-associated events.

Animals↗

The role of phospholipases in lipid modification and atherosclerosis.

Phospholipases have received wide attention as it has become clear that several isoforms of the phospholipase family play a role in onset and progression of atherosclerosis. The release of free fatty acids (FFA) and lysophospholipids (lysoPL) provide metabolites for various inflammatory pathways, and this has been considered the main mechanism of phospholipase-driven inflammation. However, generation of FFA and lysoPL are only part of the story. The induction of low-density phospholipoprotein (LDL) aggregation and accumulation, receptor binding, co-regulation with cyclooxygenase (COX) and lip-oxygenase (LO) pathways, internalization through heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) shuttling, and crosstalk between phospholipases all play a role in atherosclerosis.Group IIA phospholipase has long been considered a key enzyme in the initiation of various inflammatory diseases, but new data also indicate a role in the subsequent resolution of inflammatory processes. Recently, secreted group V and group X phospholipase and platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) are also recognized as important enzymes in atherosclerosis, modifying LDL and leading to lipid accumulation. The phospholipases and their function in atherosclerosis are not fully under-stood. Future investigations can deliver better insight in the complex role of these enzymes. The present review summarizes the current state of phospholipase research related to atherosclerosis.

Animals↗

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone increases phospholipase D activity through stimulation of protein kinase C in GH3 cells.

Activation of phospholipase D was investigated after treatment of GH3 cells with thyrotropin-releasing hormone. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone treatment resulted in both time- and dose-dependent increases of phospholipase D activity, translocation of protein kinase C-alpha and -beta I isozymes from cytosol to membrane within 30 min, and approx 43-fold increase of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C activity. Intracellular calcium concentration was rapidly increased and diacyglycerol level remained high up to 3 h after the treatment. Pretreatment of the cells with U73122, a potent inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, inhibited thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced phospholipase D activation. Protein kinase C activity was down-regulated by pretreatment of the GH3 cells with either protein kinase C inhibitors (RO320432, GF109203X) or preincubation of the cells with phorbol myristrate acetate (500 nM) for 24 h. This treatment largely abolished the thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced activation of phospholipase D, thus further confirming the involvement of protein kinase C in the activation. These results suggest that thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced phospholipase D activation may be due to phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, and activation of protein kinase C isozymes is responsible for this stimulation.

Animals↗

The role of phospholipases, cyclooxygenases, and lipoxygenases in cerebral ischemic/traumatic injuries.

Free fatty acids (FFAs) are elevated in the brain following both ischemic and traumatic injury. Phospholipase activation, with the subsequent release of FFAs from membrane phospholipids, is the likely mechanism. In addition to phospholipases A1, B, C, and D, there are at least 19 groups of PLA2, including multiple cytosolic, calcium independent, and secretory isoforms. Phospholipase activity can be regulated by calcium, by phosphorylation, and by agonists binding to G-protein-coupled receptors. These enzymes normally function in the physiological remodeling of cellular membranes, whereby FFAs are removed by phospholipase activity and then reacylated with a different FFA. However, reductions in the cell's ability to maintain normal metabolic function and the resultant fall in ATP levels can cause the failure of reacylation of membrane phospholipids. Alterations to membrane phospholipids would be expected to compromise many cellular functions, including the ability to accumulate excitotoxic amino acids. This review presents evidence for a central role of phospholipases and their products in the etiology of damage following injury to the brain. Phospholipase expression and activity is increased in animal models of cerebral ischemia and trauma. FFA release from the in vivo rat brain is reduced following the application of selective phospholipase inhibitors, and this inhibition also decreases the severity of cortical damage following forebrain ischemia, focal (middle cerebral artery occlusion) ischemia, and cerebral trauma. Mice with knockouts of PLA2 have decreased infarct volumes. Human data demonstrate a correlation between the elevation of CSF FFAs and worsened outcome following stroke, traumatic brain injury, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The released FFAs, especially arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids, together with the production of lysophospholipids, can initiate a chain of events which may be responsible for the development of neuronal damage. Inhibitors of both cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways have been shown to reduce cerebral deficits following ischemia and trauma. These results suggest therapeutic strategies to reduce morbidity following cerebral injury using selective inhibitors of phospholipases, cyclooxygenases, and lipoxygenases, underlining the need for further investigation of their role in the development of cerebral damage.

Animals↗

[The effect of oxidazable substrates and ATP on the sensitivity of certain energy-dependent functions submitochondrial particles to phospholipases A, C and D].

The effect of NADH, succinate and ATP on the sensitivity of a number of energy-dependent functions of submitochondrial particles ot phospholipases A, C and D has been studied. It has been shown that in the conditions of oxidation of NADH and succinate by oxygen and also of ATP hydrolysis, the decrease in the phosphorylating activity of the particles under the action of phospholipases C and D accelerates. No such acceleration has been observed with phospholipase A. For other two functions, i. e. reverse electron transfer (ATP-dependent NAD+ reduction by succinate) and ATP-dependent transhydrogenase reaction the results proved to be different. Oxidizable substrates and ATP promoted the maintenance of these functions in the presence of phospholipase A, but did not retard their suppression by phospholipases C and D. The effects of NADH, succinate and ATP on the sensitivity of different energy-dependent functions of submitochondrial particles to phospholipases A, C and D could be removed by the uncoupling agent carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenyl hydrazone. The conclusion is made that the effects revealed are associated with an increase in the sensitivity of coupling sites II PAND/OR III to phospholipases C and D and with a decrease in the sensitivity of sites I and IV to phospholipase A on energization of submitochondrial particles.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-mediated activation of phospholipase D in rat cerebral cortex.

We have investigated phospholipase D activity in rat brain cortical slices prelabeled with [32P]orthophosphoric acid. In the presence of ethanol (170 mM), norepinephrine stimulated, in a dose-dependent manner (EC50 = 2.2 microM), the accumulation of [32P]phosphatidylethanol as a result of phospholipase D activity. Norepinephrine-stimulated phospholipase D activity was completely inhibited by prazosin, a specific alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist (Ki = 2.8 nM). However, no accumulation of phosphatidylethanol was observed in the presence of the muscarinic agonist carbachol. The Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin and the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) also stimulated [32P]phosphatidylethanol accumulation in cortical slices, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas the inactive phorbol, 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, did not stimulate phospholipase D activity. Staurosporine and 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine, two potent inhibitors of protein kinase C, inhibited PMA and ionomycin stimulation of phospholipase D activity, but did not affect the response to norepinephrine. Furthermore, the effects of PMA and norepinephrine were additive. Differences between PMA and norepinephrine stimulation of phospholipase D activity were also found with regard to the extracellular Ca2+ requirement and time course of phosphatidylethanol accumulation. No stimulation of phospholipase D activity by norepinephrine was observed in slices from cerebellum, a brain area with a low density of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors, while the effect of PMA was greater in the cerebellum than in cortical or hippocampal slices. These results strongly suggest that activation of phospholipase D in cortical slices by norepinephrine and PMA involve different mechanisms.

Animals↗

Amiodarone-induced endothelial injury is associated with phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids.

Phospholipids accumulate within the lysosomes of various cells from individuals taking amiodarone. Studies on cultured cells suggest that inhibition of lysosomal phospholipase A1 and phospholipase A2 by amiodarone may be responsible for this derangement in phospholipid metabolism. Inhibition of lysosomal phospholipases by amiodarone has been suggested as a mechanism of its toxicity, but this relationship has not been clearly established. To examine this question, membrane phospholipids of cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (BPAEC) were labeled with 14C-stearic acid, 3H-arachidonic acid, 14C-choline, or 14C-ethanolamine. Radiolabeled BPAEC were then exposed to various concentrations of amiodarone, and endothelial phospholipase activity was measured by isolating and quantifying various phospholipase products. These findings were compared to a standard indicator of endothelial cytotoxicity using 51Cr release. Six-hour exposures to 5 to 20 micrograms/ml amiodarone produced no BPAEC toxicity and were accompanied by some evidence of decreased phospholipid hydrolysis. At concentrations above 20 micrograms/ml, amiodarone caused significant BPAEC toxicity as indicated by 51Cr release, and this was closely associated with the liberation of substantial amounts of 3H-arachidonic acid and 14C-stearic acid from phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. In BPAEC labeled with 14C-choline and 14C-ethanolamine, cytotoxic doses of amiodarone caused accumulations of 14C-phosphocholine and phosphorylethanolamine, expected products of phospholipase C, but without increases in phospholipase A products. We conclude that exposure of BPAEC to toxic concentrations of amiodarone is associated with extensive hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine via a phospholipase C-specific mechanism, and suggest that this may be a mechanism in the pathogenesis of amiodarone toxicity.

Amiodarone↗

Characterization of a phospholipase C activity regulated by the purified Gh in reconstitution systems.

Recently, we have reported that the isolated guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein, Gh, couples to the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor (Im, M.-J., and Graham, R. M. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 18944-18951 and Im, M.-J., Riek, R.P., and Graham, R. M. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 18952-18960) and has a molecular mass of approximately 74 kDa, and the approximately 50-kDa protein which is copurified probably regulates guanine nucleotide binding of the 74-kDa GTP-binding protein. In this paper, we describe the role of purified Gh in the regulation of phospholipase C in the reconstitution system. The stimulation of phospholipase C activity by Gh effectively occurred at a low calcium concentration (less than or equal to 2 microM), but the phospholipase C (PLC) itself required at least 50-100 times more calcium to become fully activated. The characteristic nature of phospholipase C stimulation by Gh is its response to the calcium concentration. Thus, the enzyme activity changes in narrow submicromolar ranges and reaches maximal stimulation, but it does not extend to the levels above those stimulated by calcium alone. The calcium concentrations for the maximal stimulation of phospholipase C activity were 10-20 microM with phospholipid vesicles and 100-200 microM with detergent solution. These calcium concentrations were further decreased when Gh and phospholipase C were co-reconstituted into the phospholipid vesicles or in the detergent solution. The maximal stimulations of the PLC activity were reached at less than 5 microM calcium in both the vesicles and the detergent solution. The changes of calcium concentration for the activation of PLC are quite different from those obtained by reconstituting PLC-beta 1 with Gq-like G-proteins (Smarcka, A. V., Hepler, J. R., Brown, K. O., and Sternweis, P. C. (1991) Science 251, 804-807 and Taylor, S. J., Chae, H. Z., Rhee, S. G., and Exton, J. H. (1991) Nature 350, 516-518). The phospholipase C activity was stimulated in a Gh concentration-dependent manner in the presence of GTP gamma S. The phospholipase C activity was activated by Gh alpha in the presence of aluminum fluoride, but not by Gh beta. Furthermore, a Gh.PLC complex can be induced by incubation with aluminum fluoride in a detergent solution and partially purified without the dissociation of related proteins. Thus, our reconstitution studies show that the pattern of stimulation of PLC by AIF-4-activated Gh in the ternary complex is similar to the stimulation of PLC activated by Gh in both detergent solution and phospholipid vesicles.

Affinity Labels↗

[Phospholipase of Bacillus cereus].

Phospholipase activity of 10 strains of Bacillus cereus was studied. The most active strain of Bac. cereus--phospholipase producer was selected. A cultivation mixture of Bac. cereus optimal for the phospholipase synthesis was found to include peptone, yeast extract, glucose, NaCl and Na2HPO4. Proper conditions for the synthesis of phospholipase in flasks, 20 l and 250 l fermenters were tested. The maximum increase of the phospholipase activity occurred by the 5-9th hour of microbial growth at pH 6.0-8.0. Further cultivation, foaming, strong aeration, pH increase (over 8.0) reduced the accumulated activity. By fractionation with (NH4)2SO4, ethanol precipitation, protamine sulphate treatment with subsequent Sephadex G-100 gel filtration phospholipase (EC 3.1.4.3) was purified 300-fold from the culture liquid of Bac. cereus str. 504. The preparation was examined electrophoretically in 7% polyacrylamide gel at alkaline pH. The effect of metal salts and EDTA on phospholipase activity was studied. Thermostability, substrate specificity and pH optimum of purified phospholipase were investigated.

Bacillus cereus↗

Phospholipase C activities in rat liver plasma membranes depend on the phospholipid composition.

Investigations were carried out on the influence of rat liver plasma membranes phospholipid composition on phospholipase C activity using PIP, PIP2, PC and PE as substrates. The membrane phospholipids were modified by incorporation of definite phospholipids with the aid of lipid transfer proteins or after partial delipidation with exogenous phospholipases A2 and C. The results indicated that sphingomyelin inhibited all phospholipase C activities. The incorporation of two different molecular species of phosphatidylcholine did not alter significantly the investigated phospholipase C activities, indicating that membrane fluidity was not essential in this case. Phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine served as specific activators of plasma membrane-bound phospholipase C when PIP, PIP2 and PC were used as substrates. However, these four phospholipids inhibited phospholipase C activity towards PE. The role of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C in the production of second messengers as well as the eventual biological significance of PC and PE as substrates for phospholipase C is discussed.

Animals↗

ESBRA 1994 Award Lecture. Phosphatidylethanol formation: specific effects of ethanol mediated via phospholipase D.

Phosphatidylethanol is a unique phospholipid which is formed in cell membranes only in the presence of ethanol. The reaction is catalysed by phospholipase D, an enzyme that normally catalyses the hydrolysis of phospholipids leading to the formation of phosphatidic acid. However, phospholipase D also utilizes short-chain alcohols as substrates resulting in the formation of the corresponding phosphatidylalcohol. This is a specific mechanism through which ethanol may interact with cell function. Phospholipase D is activated by several different receptors and has during recent years been suggested to play a role in cellular signalling. Secretory processes as well as long-term changes of cell function have been associated with the activation of phospholipase D. Since ethanol competes with water as a substrate for this enzyme, phosphatidylethanol is formed at the expense of the normal lipid product, phosphatidic acid, in an ethanol concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, the phospholipase D-mediated signal transduction diverges from production of the normal signalling lipid in the presence of ethanol. However, phosphatidic acid may also be formed by other pathways and their relative contribution to the formation of this lipid depends on the cell and receptor type. Thus, it is important to identify the signalling systems where phospholipase D dominates the lipid messenger production since these may be especially vulnerable to ethanol. In addition to a change in phospholipase D-mediated signal transduction, accumulation of phosphatidylethanol in cell membranes may also induce disturbances in cell function. Significant amounts of this abnormal phospholipid have been detected after ethanol exposure in brain and other organs from rat, in cultured cells as well as in human blood cells. The degradation of phosphatidylethanol is relatively slow and it remains in the cells after ethanol has disappeared. It is possible that an abnormal phospholipid that accumulates in cell membranes affects membrane-associated processes. Phosphatidylethanol is a lipid with a small, anionic head group and its biophysical properties are different compared with other phospholipids. Moreover, this lipid has been demonstrated to influence membrane characteristics, enzyme activities and levels of signalling molecules. Thus, both the inhibition of phospholipase D-mediated signal transduction and the accumulation of phosphatidylethanol represent possible pathways through which ethanol may disturb cell function.

Animals↗

On the specificity of a phospholipase A2 purified from the 106,000 X g pellet of bovine brain.

Assessment has been made of the specificity of a purified phospholipase A2 from the 106,000 X g pellet (microsomal fraction) of bovine grey matter which shows strong activity toward phosphatidylinositol (PI). In the first series of experiments involving the utilization as substrates of PI with different 14C- or 3H-labeled fatty acids in the 2-position, the purified phospholipase A2 most readily removed 16:0 palmitic acid, followed by 18:0 stearic acid, 18:1 oleic acid and 20:4 arachidonic acid. In the second series of experiments, the purified phospholipase A2 showed preferential action toward PI (100%) compared to phosphatidylcholine (PC, 62.5%), phosphatidic acid (PA, 32.6%), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, 25.1%) and phosphatidylserine (PS, 21.5%), where each phosphoglyceride was labeled in the 2-position with [1-14C] oleic acid. In the third series of experiments, fatty acids were shown to cause inhibition of action of the purified phospholipase A2 on 1-acyl, 2-[1-14C] oleoyl PI in the order 20:4 greater than 18:1 greater than 18:0 greater than 16:0 which is the reverse order to that just noted. In the final series of experiments, the addition of the phosphoglycerides PC, PE, PS and PA in amounts of 5 or 10 microM caused either no inhibition (PE, 2%), slight inhibition (PC, 15%) or reasonably significant inhibition (PA, 20% and PS, 40%) of action of the purified phospholipase A2 on 1-acyl, 2-[1-14C]-oleoyl PI. The pattern of specificity observed for the purified phospholipase A2 combined with its microsomal location are the expected properties of a phospholipase A2 that might function in a deacylation-reacylation cycle for modifying the fatty acid distribution in PI.

Animals↗

Increased phospholipase A2 activity in the kidney of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Phospholipase A2 activity was studied in the renal cortex and medulla of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP) and normotensive rat (WKY), and the subcellular localization of its activity was determined. Enhanced activity was found in both the cortical and medullary microsomes in SHRSP kidneys. In SHRSP, but not in WKY, phospholipase A2 activity progressively increased with age. This phospholipase A2 had substrate specificity toward phosphatidylethanolamine. There were no differences in optimal pH, substrate specificity, heat lability, and responses to Triton X-100 and deoxycholate between SHRSP and WKY. Ca2+ stimulated phospholipase A2 activity in both animals. The maximal activation was achieved at 5 mM Ca2+, and EDTA strongly inhibited the activity. But the response to Ca2+ was different in each. Ca2+ enhanced this activity in SHRSP markedly compared with WKY. It seems that Ca2+ is specifically required for phospholipase A2 activity in SHRSP. Though the influx of Ca2+ into microsomal membranes was not enhanced, the Ca2+ efflux of microsomal membranes decreased in SHRSP. This results in increases of intramicrosomal Ca2+, which may cause the subsequent activation of phospholipase A2. The Ca2+ permeability may be one of the factors in the increased phospholipase A2 activity in SHRSP.

Aging↗

Phospholipase A2 activity of rat stomach.

Phospholipase A activity in rat stomach wall and in gastric content was studied using [1-14C]dioleoylphosphatidylcholine as substrate. The optimum activity of the stomach wall was found to take place at pH 7.0. During optimal phospholipase action about 40% of the [1-14C]oleic acid released was due to an active intracellular lysophospholipase. The gastric phospholipase required 5 mM Ca2+ for full activity and is inhibited by EDTA. It specifically hydrolyzed the sn-2 position of the phospholipid molecule. The enzyme was heat labile and inactivated by acidification at pH 3.0. The gastric content enzyme had a lower specific activity and an optimum pH of 8.0. It was heat stable and was not inactivated by acidification. These results indicate that gastric content phospholipase A is of pancreatic origin, via a duodenal reflux. By ligating the stomach we were able to further confirm that the gastric wall phospholipase was different from that of the gastric content. It originated from the stomach mucosa. Subcellular fractionation suggests that the gastric phospholipase A2 is essentially bound to the plasma membrane. About 6% of the activity was found to be soluble. Biopsies of human gastric mucosa displayed a phospholipase A activity which had similar properties to that of rat gastric enzyme. The physiological function of this enzyme is discussed in terms of prostaglandin synthesis via the release of arachidonic acid.

Animals↗

The amino acid sequence of a myotoxic phospholipase from the venom of Bothrops asper.

A myotoxic, basic phospholipase A2 (pI greater than 9.5) with anticoagulant activity has been purified from the venom of Bothrops asper, and its amino acid sequence determined by automated Edman degradation. It is distinct from the B. asper phospholipase A2 known as myotoxin I [Lomonte, B. and Gutierrez, J. M., 1989, Toxicon 27, 725] but cross-reacts with myotoxin I rabbit antisera, suggesting that the proteins are closely related isoforms. To our knowledge, this is the first myotoxic phospholipase to be sequenced that lacks presynaptic neurotoxicity (iv LD50 approximately equal to 8 micrograms/g in mice). The protein appears to exist as a monomer, contains 122 amino acids, and fits with subgroup IIA of other sequenced phospholipase A2 molecules. Its primary sequence shows greatest identity with ammodytoxin B (67%), a phospholipase A2 presynaptic neurotoxin from Vipera ammodytes ammodytes venom. Hydropathy profiles of B. asper phospholipase and the ammodytoxins also show great similarities. In contrast, even though the amino acid sequence identities between B. asper phospholipase and the basic subunit of crotoxin remain high (64%), their hydropathy profiles differ substantially. Domains and residues that may be responsible for neurotoxicity are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Myotoxin II from Bothrops asper (Terciopelo) venom is a lysine-49 phospholipase A2.

A basic, dimeric myotoxic protein, myotoxin II, purified from Bothrops asper venom has a similar molecular weight and is immunologically cross-reactive with antibodies raised to previously isolated B. asper phospholipases A2, except that it shows only 0.1% of the phospholipase activity against L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine in the presence of Triton X-100. Its 121 amino acid sequence, determined by automated Edman degradation, clearly identifies it as a Lys-49 phospholipase A2. Key amino acid differences between myotoxin II and phospholipase active proteins in the Ca2(+)-binding loop region, include Lys for Asp-49, Asn for Tyr-28, and Leu for Gly-32. The latter substitution has not previously been seen in Lys-49 proteins. Other substitutions near the amino terminus (Leu for Phe-5 and Gln for several different amino acids at position 11) may prove useful for identifying other Lys-49 proteins in viperid and crotalid venoms. Myotoxin II shows greater sequence identity with other Lys-49 proteins from different snake venoms (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus, Bothrops atrox, and Trimeresurus flavoviridis) than with another phospholipase A2 active Asp-49 molecule isolated from the same B. asper venom. This work demonstrates that phospholipase activity per se, is not required in phospholipase molecules for either myotoxicity or edema inducing activities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗