Purification and characterization of membrane-bound phospholipase C specific for phosphoinositides from human platelets

Two peaks (mPLC-I and mPLC-II) of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2)-hydrolyzing activity were resolved when 1% sodium cholate extract from particulate fractions of human platelet was chromatographed on a heparin-Sepharose column. The major peak of enzyme activity (mPLC-II) was purified to homogeneity by a combination of Fast Q-Sepharose, heparin-Sepharose, Ultrogel AcA-44, Mono Q, Superose 6-12 combination column, and Superose 12 column chromatographies. The specific activity increased 2,700-fold as compared with that of the starting particulate fraction. The purified mPLC-II had an estimated molecular weight of 61,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The minor peak of enzyme activity (mPLC-I) was partially purified to 430-fold. Both enzymes hydrolyzed PIP2 at low Ca2+ concentration (0.1-10 microM) and exhibited higher Vmax for PIP2 than for phosphatidylinositol. PIP2-hydrolyzing activities of both enzymes were enhanced by various detergents and lipids, such as deoxycholate, cholate, phosphatidylethanolamine, and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine. The mPLC-I and mPLC-II activities were increased by Ca2+, but not by Mg2+, while Hg2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, and La3+ were inhibitory. GTP-binding proteins (Gi, Go, and Ki-ras protein) had no significant effects on the mPLC-II activity.     

Subcellular localization and kinetic properties of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate phospholipase C and inositol phosphate enzymes from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal donors exhibited phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate phospholipase C (PIP2-PLC), inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and inositol 1-phosphate (IP)-monophosphatase activities which were mostly recovered in the cytosol fraction. In both cytosol and particulate fractions PIP2-PLC displayed the highest activity at pH 6.2, whereas IP3 and IP-monophosphatases showed the same optimal pH at 7.0. While the PIP2-PLC displayed close apparent Km values in cytosol and particulate fractions, both inositol-monophosphatases were found to show substrate affinities for IP and IP3 characteristic of these two fractions, with an higher affinity in the soluble fraction.     

Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate kinase by its product phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is enzymatically produced when high speed supernatant fraction from bovine retina is incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) as substrates. Exogenously added PIP2 inhibits PIP kinase activity 50% at equimolar concentrations of product and substrate. Ca2+-dependent phosphodiesteratic activity, resulting in the loss of PIP2 and PIP and concommitant increase in myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and myo-inositol 1,4-bisphosphate, was observed when soluble retinal fractions were incubated with heat-inactivated 32P-prelabeled guinea pig nerve ending membranes as substrate. It is suggested that polyphosphoinositides are under stringent and complex control and that upon receptor activation-mediated stimulation of phosphodiesteratic degradation release of the feedback inhibition shown here may occur and result in the synthesis and replenishment of PIP2.     

Characterization of phospholipase C-mediated phosphatidylinositol degradation in rat heart ventricle

Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity was investigated in the rat heart ventricle. Incubation of ventricle homogenate or 100,000g supernatant fraction with [3H]myoinositol or [3H]arachidonate-labeled phosphatidylinositol in the presence of Ca2+ resulted in a decrease in phosphatidylinositol with a concomitant increase in water-soluble [3H]inositol phosphate or [3H]diglyceride, respectively. Total overt homogenate PI-PLC activity could be accounted for in the supernatant fraction. Neutral, zwitterionic, cationic, or anionic detergents did not unmask membrane-associated activity. While cytosolic phospholipase C was active against a pure phosphatidylinositol substrate in the presence of Ca2+, no hydrolytic activity was detected when phosphatidylinositol was presented as a component (4-5%) of a mixture of phospholipids. However, addition of deoxycholate to the incubation mixture (pH 6.5, Ca2+ 10(-3) M) containing mixed phospholipids resulted in the exclusive hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids. Ventricular supernatant phospholipase C-mediated phosphatidylinositol degradation has a sharp pH optimum at 5.5 and a specific requirement for Ca2+. Activity is maximal at 1 to 2 X 10(-3) M Ca2+, with inhibition occurring at higher levels. Under optimized conditions phosphatidylinositol is hydrolyzed at a rate of 20-25 nmol/min/mg protein. Multivalent cations inhibit Ca2+-dependent PI-PLC activity while monovalent cations and anions have no effect. There is no apparent selectivity for specific fatty acid moieties on phosphatidylinositol. Soluble PI-PLC is inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents, neomycin, mepacrine, trifluoperazine, and propranolol. Chlorpromazine, dibucaine, and tetracaine exert a biphasic influence, stimulating at lower and inhibiting at higher concentrations.     

Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C of murine lymphocytes

Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-phospholipase C) was found primarily in the cytosolic fraction of murine splenic lymphocytes. However, small but significant amounts of the activity of the enzyme were detected in the microsome and plasma membrane fractions. Both the cytosolic and membrane-bound phospholipases C specifically hydrolyzed inositol phospholipids, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. PI-Phospholipase C activity was detected in the cytosolic and microsome fractions from both T-cell-enriched and B-cell-enriched spleen cells. The membrane-bound enzyme was distinguishable from the cytosolic enzyme in the following properties. The cytosolic PI-phospholipase C showed optimal activity at pH 6.0 while the membrane-bound enzyme had two pH optima between pH 5.0 and 7.0. The activity of the cytosolic enzyme was first detected at 1 microM Ca2+, and maximum activity was observed at 100 microM Ca2+, while the membrane-bound PI-phospholipase C required higher Ca2+ concentrations, of millimolar order. The membrane-bound enzyme could hardly be extracted with 1 M NaCl but was extracted with 0.4% cholate.A portion of the membrane-bound PI-phospholipase C activity in the cholate extract was absorbed by concanavalin A-Sepharose and specifically eluted with an alpha-methylmannoside solution. The cytosolic enzyme, which was water soluble, did not bind to concanavalin A-Sepharose. Trypsinization of lymphocytes before subcellular fractionation caused a significant decrease in the PI-phospholipase C activity in the microsome fraction but almost no loss at all of the cytosolic enzyme activity.     

Soluble and membrane-bound polyphosphoinositide phosphohydrolases in mammalian erythrocytes

Phosphatases and phosphodiesterases that hydrolyse polyphosphoinositides are described in both membrane and cytosol fractions of human, pig, rat, rabbit, and sheep erythrocytes using exogenous substrates. With suitably optimized assay conditions, Ca2+-dependent phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2) phosphodiesterase activity was found in the hemoglobin-free cytosol fraction, as well as the membrane. Membrane activity is completely dependent upon Triton X-100 and salt and inhibited by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), while the soluble activity requires CTAB and is inhibited by Triton. A low Ca2+-dependent PIP2 phosphatase activity, not present in other tissues, was also detected. The cation-independent phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP) phosphatase is localized in the membrane in most species, while the diesterase and the PIP2 phosphatases (both Mg2+ and Ca2+ dependent) are localized in the cytosol. Rat and rabbit erythrocytes are atypical in having a substantial proportion of their Mg2+-dependent PIP2 phosphatase activities in the membrane. All activities are lowest in sheep erythrocytes, except the PIP phosphatase, most of which is soluble in this species. Ca2+-dependent PIP2 phosphatase activity is not correlated with the activity or subcellular distribution of any of the other hydrolases and seems to be a separate enzyme. All the phosphoinositide hydrolase activities, particularly the diesterase, are orders of magnitude lower in erythrocytes than in other tissues. Both soluble and membrane diesterase activities are lost as erythrocytes age. Soluble polyphosphoinositide diesterase does not seem to be active with membrane-bound substrate, since pig and sheep erythrocytes that have negligible membrane activity do not respond to Ca2+ loading, yet have substantial diesterase activity in the cytosol. This supports the view that the diesterase is not physiologically functional in normal erythrocytes.     

Effect of insulin and insulin-like growth factors I and II on phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate breakdown in liver from humans with and without type II diabetes

We have characterized a plasma membrane phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2)-specific phospholipase C (PLC) and a cytosolic phosphatidylinositol (PI)-specific PLC in human liver. Epinephrine, 1 x 10(-5) M, and vasopressin, 1 x 10(-8) M, stimulated PIP2-PLC which was enhanced by guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S). PI-PLC stimulation was not observed by these agents. Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) in the presence and absence of GTP gamma S did not stimulate PIP2-PLC or PI-PLC in plasma membranes and cytosol preparations nor phosphoinositide breakdown in isolated human hepatocytes. Furthermore, serendipitly we found that PIP2-PLC activity was increased in liver membranes from obese patients with type II diabetes when compared to obese and lean controls. We conclude that in human liver, insulin and IGFs are not members of the family of hormones generating inositol trisphosphate (IP3) as a second messenger. Furthermore, the increased PIP2-PLC in diabetic liver may result in: (a) increased intracellular concentrations of IP3 and thus increased Ca2+, which has been postulated to induce insulin resistance; and (b) increased diacylglycerol and thus increased protein kinase C which phosphorylates the insulin receptor at serine residues inactivating the insulin receptor kinase. While the mechanism of increased PIP2-PLC activity in diabetes is unknown, it may initiate a cascade of events that result in insulin resistance.     

Studies of endogenous polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis in human platelet membranes. Evidence that polyphosphoinositides remain inaccessible to phosphodiesterase in the native membrane

Human platelet plasma membranes incubated in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP and 15 mM MgCl2 incorporated radioactivity mostly into phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP), which represented together over 90% of the total lipid radioactivity. After washing, reincubation of prelabelled membranes revealed some hydrolysis of the two compounds by phosphomonoesterase(s), as detected by the release of radioactive inorganic phosphate (Pi) from the two phospholipids. This degradation attained 40%/30 min for PIP in the presence of 2 mM calcium and cytosol. The effect of calcium was observed at concentrations equal to or greater than 10(-4) M. In no case did calcium alone facilitate the formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and inositol 1,4-bisphosphate (IP2). In contrast, simultaneous addition of 2 mM calcium and 2 mg/ml sodium deoxycholate promoted the formation of IP3 and IP2, indicating phosphodiesteratic cleavage of PIP2 and PIP. Phospholipase C activity was detected at calcium concentrations as low as 10(-7) M, in which case PIP2 hydrolysis was slightly more pronounced compared to PIP. Addition of cytosol increased to some extent the phospholipase C activity, suggesting that the low amount of enzyme remaining in the membrane is sufficient to promote submaximal degradation of PIP2 and PIP. We conclude that platelet polyphosphoinositides are present in the plasma membrane in a state where they remain inaccessible to phospholipase C, which is still fully active even at basal calcium concentrations, i.e., 10(-7) M. These results support the view that phosphodiesteratic cleavage of PIP2 promotes and thus precedes calcium mobilization brought about by IP3. The in vitro model presented here may prove very useful in future studies dealing with the mechanism rendering polyphosphoinositides accessible to phospholipase C attack upon agonist-receptor binding.     

Rapid changes in polyphosphoinositide metabolism associated with the response of Dunaliella salina to hypoosmotic shock

The inositol phospholipids phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP), and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) comprise 14.8, 1.2, and 0.3 mol %, respectively, of Dunaliella salina phospholipids. In isolated plasma membrane fractions, PIP and PIP2 are highly concentrated, together comprising 9.5 mol % of plasmalemma phospholipids. The metabolism of these inositol phospholipids and phosphatidic acid (PA) is very rapid under normal growth conditions. Within 5 min after introduction of 32Pi into the growth medium, over 75% of lipid-bound label was found in these quantitatively minor phospholipids. Within 2 min after a sudden hypoosmotic shock, the levels of PIP2 and PIP dropped to 65 and 79%, respectively, of controls. Within the same time frame, PA rose to 141% of control values. These data suggest that a rapid breakdown of the polyphosphoinositides may mediate the profound morphological and physiological changes which allow this organism to survive drastic hypoosmotic stress. In contrast to hypoosmotic shock, hyperosmotic shock induced a rise in PIP2 levels to 131% of control values, whereas the level of PA dropped to 56% of controls after 4 min. These two different types of osmotic stress affect inositol phospholipid metabolism in a fundamentally opposite manner, with only hypoosmotic shock inducing a net decrease in polyphosphoinositides.     

Characterization of rat kidney proximal tubule brush border membrane-associated phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase

Isolated rat kidney proximal tubule brush border membrane vesicles exhibit an increase in diacylglycerol levels (20- to 30-fold) and a concomitant decrease in phosphatidylinositol when incubated with [3H]arachidonate-labeled lipids, Ca2+, and deoxycholate. Levels of free arachidonate, triglyceride, and noninositol phospholipids are not altered. These results suggest phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase activity is associated with rat proximal tubule brush border membrane. Presence of both deoxycholate and certain divalent cations was necessary to demonstrate enzyme activity. Optimum pH ranged from 7.0 to 8.5. Ca2+, Mg2+, and Mn2+ stimulated diglyceride production while Ba2+, Zn2+, Hg2+, and K+ were ineffective. HgCl2 inhibited Ca2+-stimulated phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase. Mg2+ and deoxycholate-dependent enzyme activity was shown to be phosphatidylinositol specific. Sodium lauryl sulfate, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and Triton X-100 did not activate phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase in the presence of Ca2+. In combination with deoxycholate, diglyceride formation was not affected by sodium lauryl sulfate, partially inhibited by Triton X-100, and completely abolished by tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide. Diglyceride kinase activity was not found associated with brush border membrane phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase. ATP (1-5 mM) inhibited Ca2+- or Mg2+-stimulated, deoxycholate-dependent phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis by chelating the required divalent cation.     

Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity of alveolar macrophage plasma membrane.

A plasma membrane fraction was isolated from lysates of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-induced alveolar macrophages of rabbit. On the basis of morphological and biochemical criteria this fraction appeared to be minimally contaminated by other subcellular organelles. Concentrations of Ca2+, but not of Mg2+, from 6.10(-8) to 1.10(-5) M markedly stimulated the basal ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) activity of the plasma membrane, with an apparent Km (Ca2+) of 1.10(-6) M. The specific activity of the Ca2+-ATPase assayed at pCa = 5.5 was enriched about 8-fold in the plasma membrane fraction over the macrophage lysate. In contrast, the specific activity of the K+, EDTA-activated ATPase, associated to macrophage myosin, increased only 1.3-fold. Oligomycin and -SH group reagents exerted no influence on the Ca2+-ATPase activity, which was on the contrary inhibited by detergents such as Triton X-100 and deoxycholate. The activity of the Ca2+-ATPase was maximal at pH 7, and was decreased by 50 mM Na+ and 5 mM K+. On the contrary, the activity of Mg2+-ATPase, also present in the plasma membrane fraction, had a peak at about pH 7.8, and was stimulated by Na+ plus K+. On account of its properties, it is suggested that the Ca2+-ATPase is a component of the plasma membrane of the alveolar macrophage, and that its function may be that of participating in the maintenance of low free Ca2+ concentrations in the macrophage cytosol.     

Partial purification and properties of a phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolyzing phospholipase C from the soluble fraction of soybean sprouts

Three soluble enzyme fractions (F-I, F-II, and F-III) that hydrolyze phophoinositides were separated from soybean sprouts by using Matrex green gel column chromatography. Among the three phosphatidylinositol (PI)-specific phopholipsase C (PLC) enzymes, only the third fraction (F-III) was able to hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) as well as phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP) as substrates. The F-I and F-II fractions only showed enzymatic activities for PI and PIP. The PIP2-hydrolyzing PLC protein, F-III, was partially purified using the chromatographic steps of the Matrex green gel, phenyl Toyopearl, Matrex orange gel, Mono S cation exchange, and superose 6 gel filtration columns. The molecular weight of the F-III protein was estimated to be about 64 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The protein showed immunocross-reactivity with a polyclonal antibody that was prepared against the X and Y motifs of animal PLC enzymes, the conserved catalytic domains. Ca2+ ion critically affected the PIP2-hydrolyzing PLC activity of the F-III protein, representing maximal activity at 10 microM Ca2+ concentration. The PIP2-hydrolyzing PLC activity of the protein was also significantly increased by sodium deoxycholate (SDC) from 0.05 to 0.08%. However, the activity was greatly reduced above the concentration, and no activity was detected at 0.3% SDC. In addition, the protein exhibited maximal PIP2-hydrolyzing PLC activity at pH, in the range of 6.5-7.5.     

Polyphosphoinositide phospholipase C in wheat root plasma membranes. Partial purification and characterization.

The effect of various detergents on polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C activity in highly purified wheat root plasma membrane vesicles was examined. The plasma membrane-bound enzyme was solubilized in octylglucoside and purified 25-fold by hydroxylapatite and ion-exchange chromatography. The purified enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) with specific activities of 5 and 10 mumol/min per mg protein, respectively. Phosphatidylinositol (PI) was not a substrate. Optimum activity was between pH 6-7 (PIP) and pH 6-6.5 (PIP2). The enzyme was dependent on micromolar concentrations of Ca2+ for activity, and millimolar Mg2+ further increased the activity. Other divalent cations (4 mM Ca2+, Mn2+ and Co2+) inhibited (PIP2 as substrate) or enhanced (PIP as substrate) phospholipase C activity.     

Phosphatidylinositol kinase,phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate kinase and diacylglycerol kinase activities in rat brain subcellular fractions

Subcellular fractions isolated and purified from rat brain cerebral cortices were assayed for phosphatidylinositol (PI-), phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PIP-), and diacylglycerol (DG-) kinase activities in the presence of endogenous or exogenously added lipid substrates and [γ-³²P]ATP. Measurable amounts of all three kinase activities were observed in each subcellular fraction, including the cytosol. However, their subcellular profiles were uniquely distinct. In the absence of exogenous lipid substrates, PI-kinase specific activity was greatest in the microsomal and non-synaptic plasma membrane fractions (150–200 pmol/min per mg protein), whereas PIP-kinase was predominantly active in the synaptosomal fraction (136 pmol/min per mg protein). Based on percentage of total protein, total recovered PI-kinase activity was most abundant in the cytosolic, synaptosomal, microsomal and mitochondrial fractions (4–11 nmol/min). With the exception of the microsomal fraction, a similar profile was observed for PIP-kinase activity when assayed in the presence of exogenous PIP (4 nmol/20 mg protein in a final assay volume of 0.1 ml). Exogenous PIP (4 nmol/20 mg protein) inhibited PI-kinase activity in most fractions by 40–70%, while enhancing PIP-kinase activity. PI- and PIP-kinase activities were observed in the cytosolic fraction when assayed in the presence of exogenously added PI or PIP, respectively, but not in heat-inactivated membranes containing these substrates. When subcellular fractions were assayed for DG-kinase activity using heat-inactivated DG-enriched membranes as substrate, DG-kinase specific activity was predominantly present in the cytosol. However, incubation of subcellular fractions in the presence of deoxycholate resulted in a striking enhancement of DG-kinase activities in all membrane fractions. These findings demonstrate a bimodal distribution between particulate and soluble fractions of all three lipid kinases, with each exhibiting its own unique subcellular topography. The preferential expression of PIP-kinase specific activity in the synaptic membranes is suggestive of the involvement of PIP₂ in synaptic function, while the expression of PI-kinase specific activity in the microsomal fraction suggests additional, yet unknown, functions for PIP in these membranes.     

Studies on the properties of a soluble phosphatidylinositol-phosphodiesterase of rabbit iris smooth muscle

Some properties of the soluble phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase (monophosphatidylinositol inositolphosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.10) of rabbit iris smooth muscle are described. Studies on its subcellular distribution showed that in this tissue the phosphodiesterase is not exclusively cytosolic. Thus, under our experimental conditions about 58% of the enzyme activity was found in the soluble fraction and the remainder was particulate. When the latter was treated with deoxycholate about 59% of the enzyme activity, compared to 86% of that of ATPase, was still bound to the particulate fraction. The kinetic properties of the enzyme (30--50% (NH4)2SO4 fraction) were examined. Maximum breakdown was 7.7 mumol/h per mg protein and occurred at pH 5.6. The products of [14C]arachidonic acid-labelled phosphatidylinositol were 1,2-diacylglycerol and a mixture of 86% myoinositol 1-phosphate and 14% myoinositol 1,2-(cyclic)phosphate. The enzyme has an absolute requirement for Ca2+. Addition of Ba2+, La3+, Mg2+, Mn2+, EGTA or EDTA at 0.05--5 mM concentrations; Sr2+ at higher concentrations (greater than 0.25 mM) markedly inhibited the phosphodiesterase activity and this inhibition was completely reversed by Ca2+. The enzyme is specific for the phosphoinositides.     

Inositol phospholipid-induced suppression of F-actin-gelating activity of smooth muscle filamin.

Filamin, a high molecular weight actin-binding protein, cross-links actin filaments and produces a gel composed of F-actin. The effects of polyphosphoinositides on the gelating activity of smooth muscle filamin were examined by measuring the low shear viscosity of the F-actin solutions containing filamin incubated with phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate (PIP), or phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). Micelles of these inositol phospholipids bound to filamin inhibited the ability to form a gel of F-actin. The inhibiting activity of each phospholipid was in the following order, PIP2 greater than PIP greater than PI. The F-actin binding assay of filamin revealed that the inhibition of F-actin-gelation resulted in the loss of the F-actin-binding activity of filamin. Thus, polyphosphoinositides may play important roles in regulating the gelating activity of filamin.     

Study of phospholipases D and C in maturing and germinating seeds of Brassica napus

Different forms of phospholipase D (dependent on and independent of the presence of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, PIP(2)) were identified in maturing and germinating seeds of Brassica napus. Both forms were present in cytosolic and membrane fractions of maturing seeds. PIP(2)-dependent activity increased continuously during seed germination, while PIP(2)-independent activity appeared mostly at the very beginning of seed maturation. PIP(2)-dependent activity was detected mainly in the plasma-membrane fraction. Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) was found only in membrane fractions of both types of developing rape seed tissues. The increasing activities of PLC and PIP(2)-dependent PLD were mainly detected in hypocotyls of seedlings. Some biochemical characteristics of both described enzymes are also presented.     

Phosphatidylinositol Phosphodiesterase (Phospholipase C) Activity in the Pineal Gland: Characterization and Photoneural Regulation

Phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase (PL-C) appears to be a key element in the adrenergic regulation of pineal cyclic AMP levels. In the present study, the rat pineal enzyme was characterized using exogenous [3H]phosphatidylinositol (0.5 mM) as substrate. Half the enzyme activity was found in the cytosolic fraction, but the highest specific concentration was associated with the membrane fraction. Two pH optima (5.5 and 7.5) of enzyme activity were observed for the membrane fraction but only one in the cytosol fraction (pH 5.5). Enzyme activity in both fractions was Ca2+ dependent. In the case of the membrane protein in pH 7.5, the enzyme activity was sensitive to changes in Ca2+ in the 10-100 nM range. Addition of an equimolar concentration of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate nearly completely inhibited the hydrolysis of [3H]phosphatidylinositol; other phospholipids (1.0 mM) were less potent. This may reflect our present finding that [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate is a better substrate than [3H]phosphatidylinositol for the enzyme. Stimulus deprivation (2 weeks of constant light or superior cervical ganglionectomy) reduced the cytosolic activity by 30% and had no effect on the membrane-associated enzyme.     

Asymmetric distribution of phosphoinositides and phosphatidic acid in the human erythrocyte membrane.

The distribution of phosphoinositides and phosphatidic acid (PA) between the outer and inner layers of the human erythrocyte membrane was investigated by using two complementary methodologies: hydrolysis by phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and immunofluorescence detection with monoclonal antibodies against polyphosphoinositides. The contents of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) and PA were decreased by 15-20% after 60 min incubation with PLA2, while that of phosphatidylinositol (PI) was increased. Studies with 32P-labelled cells revealed that PLA2 treatment led to indirect effects on the metabolism of these phospholipids. Therefore, the asymmetric distribution of phosphoinositides and PA was inferred from the data obtained in ATP-depleted erythrocytes. In these cells with arrested phosphoinositide metabolism, the asymmetric distribution of the major phospholipids was maintained: PLA2 hydrolyzed approx. 20% of PI, PIP2 and PA (but no PIP) indicating their localization in the outer layer of the membrane. This finding was confirmed by immunofluorescence studies with antibodies specific to each phosphoinositide. External addition of anti-PIP2 but not anti-PIP gave a positive reaction both in control and in ATP-depleted erythrocytes. A pretreatment of cells with PLA2 led to a decrease in the intensity of anti-PIP2 staining. These results demonstrate that significant fractions of PIP2, PI and PA are localized on the outer surface of the erythrocyte membrane.     

Detergent Effects on the Phosphatidylinositol-Specific Phospholipase C in Rat Brain Synaptosomes

In the presence of Ca2+ (2.5 mM) and using [14C]arachidonoyl phosphatidylinositol (PI) membrane as substrate, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) (EC 3.1.4.10) in rat brain synaptosomes was activated by deoxycholate but not taurocholate. Calcium stimulated enzymic hydrolysis by both detergents, but the stimulatory effect of taurocholate was less than that of deoxycholate. Peak stimulation for deoxycholate was observed at 1 mg/ml, whereas that for taurocholate was 4 mg/ml. When 1 mM EDTA was added to the taurocholate (4 mg/ml) and Ca2+ (3.5 mM) system, synaptosomal PI-PLC activity was greatly stimulated, to almost the same level as the deoxycholate + Ca2+ system. This system required the presence of all three factors, and EGTA could not effectively replace EDTA in the stimulatory action. The detergent-induced hydrolysis of synaptosomal PI by the deoxycholate + Ca2+ and the taurocholate + Ca2+ + EDTA systems was strongly inhibited by divalent metal ions such as Zn2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, and Fe2+, whereas Mg2+ and Ca2+ were ineffective. Nevertheless, only the deoxycholate + Ca2+ system was responsive to enzyme inhibition by membrane-perturbing agents such as lysophospholipids and free fatty acids. The specific requirement for EDTA in the taurocholate system may be due to the release of a pool of inhibitory divalent metal ions from the membranes.