Characterization of Lysophospholipase D Activity in Mammalian Cell Membranes

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a lipid mediator that binds to G-protein-coupled receptors, eliciting a wide variety of responses in mammalian cells. Lyso-phospholipids generated via phospholipase A2 (PLA2) can be converted to LPA by a lysophospholipase D (lyso-PLD). Secreted lyso-PLDs have been studied in more detail than membrane-localized lyso-PLDs. This study utilized in vitro enzyme assays with fluorescent substrates to examine LPA generation in membranes from multiple mammalian cell lines (PC12, rat pheochromocytoma; A7r5, rat vascular smooth muscle; Rat-1, rat fibroblast; PC-3, human prostate carcinoma; and SKOV-3 and OVCAR-3, human ovarian carcinoma). The results show that membranes contain a lyso-PLD activity that generates LPA from a fluorescent alkyl-lyso-phosphatidylcholine, as well as from naturally occurring acyl-linked lysophospholipids. Membrane lyso-PLD and PLD activities were distinguished by multiple criteria, including lack of effect of PLD2 over-expression on lyso-PLD activity and differential sensitivities to vanadate (PLD inhibitor) and iodate (lyso-PLD inhibitor). Based on several lines of evidence, including siRNA knockdown, membrane lyso-PLD is distinct from autotaxin, a secreted lyso-PLD. PC-3 cells express GDE4 and GDE7, recently described lyso-PLDs that localize to membranes. These findings demonstrate that membrane-associated lyso-D activity, expressed by multiple mammalian cell lines, can contribute to LPA production.