Phosphodiesteratic breakdown of endogenous polyphosphoinositides in nerve ending membranes

When a membrane preparation, obtained by freezing and thawing nerve endings labeled by preincubation with 32pi, is incubated in the presence of millimolar Ca2+, there is a rapid and selective loss of label from the polyphosphoinositides and a concomitant increase in labeled inositol di- and triphosphates recovered. When the membranes are not prelabeled and are exposed to gamma-32P]ATP under similar conditions, phosphatidate labeling is enhanced, indicating increased availability of diacylglycerol. These observations provide evidence for the presence of membrane-bound, Ca2+-stimulated phosphodiesterase activity (phospholipase C) acting on endogenous polyphosphoinositides. The implications of these findings are discussed in respect to the "phosphatidylinositol" cycle.