Phospholipid-specific Phospholipase C Research Articles

Possible involvement of phosphoinositide-Ca2+ signaling in the regulation of alpha-amylase expression and germination of rice seed (Oryza sativa L.).

We have studied the effects of neomycin, a potent inhibitor of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC), on the germination of rice seed and the gibberellin-induced expression of alpha-amylase in the aleurone layer and the scutellar tissues. It was shown that, in the absence of exogenous Ca2+, neomycin markedly reduced the germination speed and seedling growth of rice seeds and inhibited the gibberellin-induced expression of alpha-amylase in both secretory tissues. In addition, neomycin decreased the formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) in the gibberellin-treated aleurone layer and the scutellar tissues. However, the inhibitory effects on the germination speed and the expression of alpha-amylase activity were overcome by supplementation of Ca2+. In addition, gibberellin elevated the level of IP3, and ABA prevented the gibberellin-induced formation of IP3, although ABA alone did not alter the IP3 level. The expression of a membrane-bound PLC molecule in rice aleurone layer was shown to be induced by gibberellin, and the gibberellin-induced expression of PLC was markedly delayed by treatment with ABA. These results strongly suggest that the phosphoinositide-Ca2+ signal transduction pathway may play an important role in the gibberellin-induced expression of alpha-amylase molecules closely related to the germination processes of rice seed.

Stimulation of phospholipase C-β2 by Rho GTPases

This chapter describes the stimulation of phospholipase C-β 2 by Rho guanosine 5'-triphosphates (GTPases). It has been shown that the cytosolic preparations of myeloid differentiated HL-60 cells and of bovine neutrophils contain a soluble phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) that is activated by the poorly hydrolyzable GTP analog GTPγS. The chapter discusses the purification of recombinant PLC-β 2 Δ, the purification of native and recombinant heterodimers of LyGD1 and Rho GTPases, and the in vitro assays used to measure GTPγS binding to and stimulation of PLC- β 2 by Rho GTPases. The purification method described in this chapter not only proves to be satisfactory in studying PLC β 2 stimulation by recombinant LyGDI-Rho heterodimers but also enables the crystallization of LyGDI-Rac2 dimer to analyze its structure by X-ray crystallograph. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the expression of recombinant PLC-β 2 Δ in insect cells.

Measurement of inositol (poly)phosphate formation using [3H]inositol labeling protocols in permeabilized cells.

AbstractHormones, neurotransmitters, chemoattractants, and growth factors all elicit intracellular responses, on binding to cell surface receptors, by activating inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC). Activated PLC catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2), a minor membrane phospholipid, to form two second messengers, diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol (1,4,5)trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5,)P3]. DAG is a direct activator of protein kinase C isozymes, Ins(1,4,5)P3 mobilizes intracellular Ca2+. G protein-coupled receptors couple to the PLC-β family via G proteins, and tyrosine kinase receptors activate PLCγ isozymes (1). Regardless of the PLC isozyme activated, the product is invariantly Ins(1,4,5)P3.KeywordsHL60 CellPermeabilized CellInositol PhosphateInositol TrisphosphateAssay TubeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Tyrosine phosphorylation and translocation of phospholipase C-γ 2 in polymorphonuclear leukocytes treated with pervanadate

We examined in detail the tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins, especially inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) γ 2, during activation of respiratory burst of guinea pig polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) by pervanadate. The pervanadate, generated from a combination of H 2O 2 and orthovanadate, induced concomitantly tyrosine phosphorylation of 145, 120, 104, 76, 68, 60, 53, 42, 37, 28, and 25 kDa proteins and superoxide anion (O 2 −) production of PMNs. The pretreatment of PMNs with genistein caused an inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation of these proteins, and also markedly depressed O 2 − production. Among the above proteins, a 145 kDa protein was found to be identical with the protein recognized by the anti-PLCγ 2 antibody on Western blots. PLCγ 2 was detected in the cytosol fraction but not in the membrane fraction of resting PMNs, whereas it was detected in both cytosol and membrane fractions of pervanadate treated PMNs. PLC activity of pervanadate treated PMNs was higher than that of resting cells. In addition, the enzyme activity of the cytosol fraction from the former cells was significantly lower than that from the latter cells, whereas the enzyme activity of membrane fraction from the former cells was significantly higher than that from the latter cells. These findings suggest that the tyrosine residue(s) of PLCγ 2 is phosphorylated and the enzyme is translocated from the cytosol to membrane fractions in PMNs by pervanadate treatment.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Binding to the Pleckstrin Homology Domain of Phospholipase C-δ1 Enhances Enzyme Activity

The pleckstrin homology (PH) domain is a newly recognized protein module believed to play an important role in signal transduction. While the tertiary structures of several PH domains have been determined, some co-complexed with ligands, the function of this domain remains elusive. In this report, the PH domain located in the N terminus of human phospholipase C-delta1 (PLCdelta1) was found to regulate enzyme activity. The hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol (PI) was stimulated by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in a dose-dependent manner with an EC50 = 1 microM (0.3 mol%), up to 9-fold higher when 5 microM (1.5 mol%) of PIP2 was incorporated into the PI/phosphatidylserine (PS)/phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles (30 microM of PI with a molar ratio of PI:PS:PC = 1:5:5). Stimulation was specific for PIP2, since other anionic phospholipids including phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate had no stimulatory effect. PIP2-mediated stimulation was, however, inhibited by inositol 1,4, 5-triphosphate (IP3) in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting a modulatory role for this inositol. When a nested set of PH domain deletions up to 70 amino acids from the N terminus of PLCdelta1 were constructed, the deletion mutant enzymes all catalyzed the hydrolysis of the micelle forms of PI and PIP2 with specific activities comparable with those of the wild type enzyme. However, the stimulatory effect of PIP2 was greatly diminished when more than 20 amino acid residues were deleted from the N terminus. To identify the specific residues involved in PIP2-mediated enzyme activation, amino acids with functional side chains between residues 20 and 40 were individually changed to glycine. While all these mutations had little effect on the ability of the enzyme to catalyze the hydrolysis of PI or PIP2 micelles, the catalytic activity of mutants K24G, K30G, K32G, R38G, or W36G was markedly unresponsive to PIP2. Analysis of PIP2-stimulated PI hydrolysis by a dual substrate binding model of catalysis revealed that the micellar dissociation constant (Ks) of PLCdelta1 for the PI/PS/PC vesicles was reduced from 558 microM to 53 microM, and the interfacial Michaelis constant (Km) was reduced from 0.21 to 0.06 by PIP2. The maximum rate of PI hydrolysis (Vmax) was not affected by PIP2. These results demonstrate that a major function of the PH domain of PLCdelta1 is to modulate enzyme activity. Further, our results identify PIP2 as a functional ligand for a PH domain and suggest a general mechanism for the regulation of other proteins by PIP2.

Mechanisms of hormone and growth factor action in the bovine corpus luteum

The binding of hormones and growth factors to their cell surface receptors leads to an orderly cascade of events leading to activation of cytoplasmic effector molecules. The mechanism of action of luteinizing hormone involves the stimulation of multiple signal transduction effector systems including adenylyl cyclase and inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC). This results in the formation of second messengers that activate cAMP-dependent, Ca 2+-dependent and lipid-dependent protein kinases. Prostaglandin F 2α activates PLC which increases intracellular calcium and activates protein kinase C. This results in the activation of a series of protein kinases in the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade, leading to the activation of nuclear transcription factors c-fos and c-jun. Hormone responsive effector systems, therefore, operate by activating families of protein kinases which regulate cell metabolism, secretion, and gene transcription. Growth factors activate specific receptor protein tyrosine kinases which recruit additional signaling molecules (phospholipase Cγ, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Shc, Grb2, etc.) initiating a cascade of events mediated via MAP kinases. The signaling pathways activated by hormones interact or cross talk with the signaling pathways activated by growth factors. The diversity of cellular signaling mechanisms elicited by hormones and the potential for interactions with signals generated by growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, may allow fine tuning of cellular responses during the life span of the corpus luteum.

The rat phospholipase C beta 4 gene is expressed at high abundance in cerebellar Purkinje cells.

Inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) generates two important second messengers, inositol triphosphate and diacylglycerol. The recently cloned rat PLC beta 4 cDNA is highly homologous to the norpA cDNA of Drosophila melanogaster. We have mapped the PLC beta 4 gene expression in rat brain tissue sections by in situ hybridization. The PLC beta 4 gene is expressed at high abundance in cerebellar Purkinje cells and neurones of the substantia nigra, the median geniculate bodies and the thalamic nuclei. PLC beta 4 transcripts are also detected in the mammillary nuclei, the neocortex, the habenula and the olfactory bulbs. The specific pattern of gene expression we have observed should help to clarify the relationships between the PLC beta 4 and various constituents of second-messenger systems involved in transduction mechanisms triggered by the stimulation of seven transmembrane domain receptors. The strong gene expression in Purkinje cells and retinal neurones suggests that PLC beta 4 may be involved in the pathogenesis of mouse and human neurological diseases characterized by ataxia and retinal degeneration.

Mass measurement of key phosphoinositide cycle intermediates.

AbstractThe phosphoinositide cycle is now established as a major pathway by which a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters, and other signaling molecules can generate second messengers and thus affect the intracellular milieu (1). Receptor-mediated activation of membrane-associated enzymic activities act on the minor membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] to generate three second messenger molecules: inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] and 1,2-diacylglycerol via inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity, and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate via phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity (2).KeywordsWash BufferInositol PhosphateMass DeterminationInositol PhospholipidRadioisotopic LabelThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

A Chinese hamster fibroblast mutant defective in thrombin-induced signaling has a low level of phospholipase C-beta 1.

A mutant fibroblast, 2A4b, was isolated from the Chinese hamster lung cell line CCL39 by a previously described selection (Rath, H. M., Doyle, G. A. R., and Silbert, D. F. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 13387-13390) for cells deficient in thrombin-induced signaling. Although the antiporter activation by thrombin in 2A4b is only approximately 60% that in CCL39, the stimulation by serum is not significantly impaired, indicating that the defect in 2A4b lies upstream of the antiporter in the signaling pathway. The addition of thrombin to serum-starved 2A4b cells causes blunted responses both in production of inositol phosphates and in the cytosolic [Ca2+] transient, particularly when no Ca2+ is added to the external medium. The in vitro inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) activity of 2A4b cytosol plus membrane extracts exceeds that in CCL39. However, immunoblots with antibodies to PLC isozymes show that although the levels of PLC-delta 1, PLC-gamma 1, and PLC-beta 3 are at least as great as those in CCL39, the amount of PLC-beta 1 in 2A4b is markedly deficient (< or = 10%). PLC-beta 1 is found primarily in the nucleus and in non-nuclear membranes of CCL39 and is proportionately low in these subcellular locations of 2A4b. Thrombin activation of phospholipases D and A2 is impaired in 2A4b. We postulate that the deficiency in PLC-beta 1 causes defective targeting of protein kinase C-alpha to specific membrane sites, which may be required for activation of these downstream phospholipases.

Phospholipase C-gamma 1 can induce DNA synthesis by a mechanism independent of its lipase activity.

Inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) is involved in several signaling pathways leading to cellular growth and differentiation. Our previous studies reported the induction of DNA synthesis in quiescent NIH 3T3 cells after microinjection of PLC and the inhibition of serum- or Ras-stimulated DNA synthesis by a mixture of monoclonal antibodies to PLC-gamma 1. In the course of our investigation of anti-PLC-gamma 1 monoclonal antibodies, we found that each antibody exerts different inhibitory effects on the phosphatidylinositol-hydrolyzing activity of PLC-gamma 1 and that the inhibition of enzymatic activity does not correlate with the inhibition of DNA synthesis observed in the microinjection assay. PLC-gamma 1 with defective enzymatic activity was synthesized by substituting phenylalanine for histidine within the PLC-gamma 1 catalytic domain at amino acids 335 and 380, and mutant enzymes were expressed using a vaccinia expression system. The mutant enzymes were purified and microinjected into quiescent NIH 3T3 cells to evaluate their mitogenic activity. A moderate induction of DNA synthesis occurred after injection of mutant PLC-gamma 1. This mitogenic activity was inhibited by an antibody (alpha E 8-4) that does not significantly inhibit PLC-gamma 1 enzyme activity, which indicates that something else has to be inhibited. Furthermore, the partial induction of DNA synthesis observed with mutant PLC-gamma 1 was increased to levels seen with wild-type PLC-gamma 1 by coinjection of mutant PLC-gamma 1 with two second messengers, diacylglycerol and inositol trisphosphate. These results suggest that the mitogenic activity of PLC-gamma 1 does not exclusively result from the enzymatic activity of the lipase and that another activity inherent to the PLC-gamma 1 molecule can also induce DNA synthesis in quiescent cells.

Mechanisms of hormone action

The binding of luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin (LH/CG) to its receptor leads to an orderly cascade of events leading to activation of cytoplasmic effector molecules. The mechanism of action of LH includes stimulation of multiple signal transduction effector systems, including adenylyl cyclase (AC) and inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase-C (PLC). These effector systems operate by activating families of protein kinases (PKs) which regulate cell metabolism, secretion, gene induction, cellular proliferation and differentiation. The signaling pathways activated by LH interact or cross-talk with the signaling pathways activated by growth factors. The diversity of cellular signaling mechanisms elicited by LH and the potential for interactions with signals generated by growth factors may allow fine tuning of cellular responses during the process of follicular development, ovulation, and corpus luteum formation.

Activation of phospholipase C-beta 2 mutants by G protein alpha q and beta gamma subunits.

The beta- but not the gamma- and delta-type isozymes of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) are activated by G protein alpha q and beta gamma subunits. The beta-type PLC isozymes differ from other isozymes in that they contain a long carboxyl-terminal region downstream of the Y catalytic domain and a region rich in acidic amino acids between the two separated X and Y catalytic domains. To determine the sites on PLC-beta 2 that participate in the interaction of the enzyme with alpha q and beta gamma subunits, we introduced specific truncations and substitutions in the PLC-beta 2 cDNA at positions corresponding to the carboxyl-terminal and acidic amino acid-rich regions, respectively. After transient expression of these cDNA clones in CV-1 cells, the mutant enzymes were partially purified and their capacity to be activated by alpha q and beta gamma subunits determined. Substitution of glutamine residues for three or all seven of a stretch of consecutive glutamic acids in the acidic domain of PLC-beta 2 affected neither alpha q- nor beta gamma-dependent activation significantly. Carboxyl-terminal truncation to residue Gly-934 or to residue Ala-867 resulted in enzymes that were activated by beta gamma but not by alpha q. This result suggests that the carboxyl-terminal region of PLC-beta 2 is required for activation by alpha q, and that beta gamma subunits interact with a different region of the enzyme. Thus, alpha q and beta gamma subunits may independently modulate a single PLC-beta 2 molecule concurrently.

Purification, molecular cloning, and sequencing of phospholipase C-beta 4.

We have characterized inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes in bovine retina. Chromatography of a retinal homogenate on a heparin column partially resolved six peaks of PLC activity, which differed in their relative selectivities for the substrates phosphatidyl 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and phosphatidylinositol (PI). Five of the peaks were shown to correspond to the known PLC isozymes PLC-beta 1, PLC-beta 3, PLC-gamma 1, PLC-delta 1, and PLC-delta 2. PLC-beta 1, PLC-beta 3, PLC-gamma 1, and PLC-delta 1 in the retinal fractions were identified by immunoblotting with isozyme-specific antibodies, and PLC-delta 2 was identified by direct sequencing of tryptic peptides. PLC-gamma 2 and PLC-beta 2 were not detectable by immunoblot analysis. In addition to five of the seven mammalian PLC isozymes identified to date, bovine retina contained a previously unidentified PLC, which exhibited the highest selectivity for PIP2 over PI. The new PLC was purified from a retinal particulate fraction to yield a preparation that contained a major protein band with an apparent molecular mass of 130 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Sequence analysis of 12 tryptic peptides derived from the 130-kDa protein suggested that the primary structure of the new PLC is similar to those members of beta-type PLC isozymes, especially to that of PLC-norpA, which was originally identified in Drosophila eye. The new enzyme was thus named PLC-beta 4. A search of a rat brain cDNA library with the polymerase chain reaction and oligonucleotide primers based on common PLC amino acid sequences resulted in the cloning of a rat brain cDNA corresponding to a previously uncharacterized PLC. The cDNA encoded a putative polypeptide of 1176 amino acids, with a calculated molecular mass of 134,532 daltons, that contained the sequences of all 12 tryptic peptides of PLC-beta 4. Furthermore, the deduced amino acid sequence of the encoded protein was more related to PLC-norpA than to any of the three mammalian PLC-beta isozymes. These results suggest that the brain cDNA encodes PLC-beta 4, which is likely a mammalian homolog of PLC-norpA.

CD3 stimulation causes phosphorylation of phospholipase C-gamma 1 on serine and tyrosine residues in a human T-cell line.

The human T-cell line Jurkat was found to contain at least two immunologically distinct isoforms of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC), PLC-beta 1 and PLC-gamma 1. Treatment of Jurkat cells with antibody to CD3 led to phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 but not of PLC-beta 1. The phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 occurred rapidly and transiently on both serine and tyrosine residues; tyrosine phosphorylation reached a maximum level less than 1 min after stimulation and decreased rapidly, both in the presence and in the absence of orthovanadate. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide map analysis revealed that the major sites of tyrosine and serine phosphorylation in PLC-gamma 1 from activated Jurkat cells are the same as those in PLC-gamma 1 from cells treated with peptide growth factors such as epidermal growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor. Previously, it has been shown that multiple phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 by the growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases leads to activation of PLC-gamma 1. Thus, the current data suggest that inositol phospholipid hydrolysis triggered by the T-cell antigen receptor-CD3 complex is due, at least in part, to activation of PLC-gamma 1 and that the mechanism by which this activation is achieved involves phosphorylation of multiple tyrosine residues on PLC-gamma 1 by a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase coupled to the T-cell antigen receptor-CD3 complex.

Inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation prevents T-cell receptor-mediated signal transduction.

The binding of antigen to the multicomponent T-cell receptor (TCR) activates several signal transduction pathways via coupling mechanisms that are poorly understood. One event that follows antigen receptor engagement is the activation of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC). TCR activation by antigen, lectins, or anti-TCR monoclonal antibody has also been shown to cause increases in tyrosine phosphorylation of TCR-zeta and other substrates, suggesting stimulation of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity. A critical question is whether these two pathways, PLC and PTK, are independently activated or whether one initiates and/or regulates the other. In the former case, PLC activation could be coupled to the TCR via a GTP-binding protein (G protein). We have reported, however, that tyrosine phosphorylation of intracellular substrates precedes detection of PLC activation and intracellular calcium elevation, suggesting that inositol phospholipid turnover in T cells is initiated by a PTK pathway. In this study, we test this hypothesis by treating T cells with the drug herbimycin A. We demonstrate that this agent inhibits substrate tyrosine phosphorylation, TCR-mediated inositol phospholipid hydrolysis, and calcium elevation. In contrast, under these conditions G-protein-mediated PLC activity, as tested by addition of aluminum fluoride, remains intact. Furthermore, whereas herbimycin treatment prevents TCR-mediated interleukin 2 production and interleukin 2 receptor expression, phorbol ester-induced effects are substantially resistant to herbimycin. The drug thus appears to abrogate TCR-mediated signaling without affecting distal signaling mechanisms.

Feedback regulation of phospholipase C-beta by protein kinase C.

Treatment of a variety of cells and tissues with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC) results in the inhibition of receptor-coupled inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) activity. To determine whether or not the targets of TPA-activated PKC include one or more isozymes of PLC, studies were carried out with PC12, C6Bu1, and NIH 3T3 cells, which contain at least three PLC isozymes, PLC-beta, PLC-gamma, and PLC-delta. Treatment of the cells with TPA stimulated the phosphorylation of serine residues in PLC-beta, but the phosphorylation state of PLC-gamma and PLC-delta was not changed significantly. Phosphorylation of bovine brain PLC-beta by PKC in vitro resulted in a stoichiometric incorporation of phosphate at serine 887, without any concomitant effect on PLC-beta activity. We propose, therefore, that rather than having a direct effect on enzyme activity, the phosphorylation of PLC-beta by PKC may alter its interaction with a putative guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein and thereby prevent its activation.

Inhibition of Serum- and Ras-Stimulated DNA Synthesis by Antibodies to Phospholipase C

Several immunologically distinct isozymes of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) have been purified from bovine brain. Murine NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were found to express PLC-gamma, but the expression of PLC-beta was barely detectable by radioimmunoassay or protein immunoblot. A mixture of monoclonal antibodies was identified that neutralizes the biological activity of both endogenous and injected purified PLC-gamma. When co-injected with oncogenic Ras protein or PLC-gamma, this mixture of antibodies inhibited the induction of DNA synthesis that characteristically results from the injection of these proteins into quiescent 3T3 cells. However, when oncogenic Ras protein or PLC-gamma was co-injected with a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to Ras, only the DNA synthesis induced by the Ras protein was inhibited--that induced by PLC was unaffected. These results suggest that the Ras protein is an upstream effector of PLC activity in phosphoinositide-specific signal transduction and that PLC-gamma activity is necessary for Ras-mediated induction of DNA synthesis.

Tissue- and cell type-specific expression of mRNAS for four types of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C

The mRNA levels for four types of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) in various tissues and cell cultures have been studied by Northern analysis using cDNA probes for PLC isozyme I, II, and III [ Sue, P. -G., Ryu, S.H., Moon, K.H., Sue, H.W., and Rhee, S.G. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 5419–5423 and Cell 54, 161–169 ], and the recently identified isozyme IV. All four types are ubiquitously expressed in rat tissues, but the levels of the mRNAs vary among tissues and cell lines. PLC-I mRNA levels are extremely high in brain and rat C6 glioma cells with lower levels in other tissues tested. PLC-II and -III have a more widespread distribution, with relatively high levels in brain, lung, spleen, thymus, and testis in the case of PLC-II, and in skeletal muscle, spleen, and testis for PLC-III. PLC-II and -III mRNAs were also detected in all cell lines examined except human promyelocytic HL60 cells. PLC-IV mRNA levels are extraordinarily high in spleen and HL60 cells. These results indicate that rat C6 glioma cells, together with most rat tissues, contain all four PLC isozymes. Other cultured cell types examined also contain two or three PLC isozymes except for HL60 cells, which contain only PLC-IV. The concomitant expression of PLC isozymes in cultured cells suggests a diverse function for PLC isozymes in single cells.

S-phase induction and transformation of quiescent NIH 3T3 cells by microinjection of phospholipase C.

Two inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes (PLC-I and -II) have been purified from bovine brain. When PLC-I or PLC-II was microinjected (100-700 micrograms/ml) into quiescent NIH 3T3 cells, a time- and dose-dependent induction of DNA synthesis occurred, as demonstrated by [3H]thymidine incorporation into nuclear DNA. In addition, approximately to 8 hr after PLC injection, NIH 3T3 fibroblasts appeared spindle-shaped, refractile, and highly vacuolated, displaying a morphology similar to transformed cells. The morphologic transformation was apparent for 26-30 hr after which the injected cells reverted back to a normal phenotype. Microinjected PLC at a high concentration (1 mg/ml) was cytotoxic, dissolving the cytoplasmic membrane and leaving behind cellular ghosts. PLC is a key regulatory enzyme involved in cellular membrane signal transduction. Introduction of exogenous PLC into NIH 3T3 cells by microinjection induced a growth and oncogenic potential, as demonstrated by the ability of microinjected PLC (approximately 10,000 molecules per cell) to override the cellular G0 block, inducing DNA synthesis and morphologic transformation of growth-arrested fibroblast cells.

Isolation and characterization of two different forms of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C from rat brain.

Two different forms of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C (PLC) have been purified 2810- and 4010-fold, respectively, from a crude extract of rat brain. The purification procedures consisted of chromatography of both enzymes on Affi-Gel blue and cellulose phosphate, followed by three sequential high performance liquid chromatography steps, which were different for the two enzymes. The resultant preparations each contained homogeneous enzyme with a Mr of 85,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. One of these enzymes (PLC-II) was found to hydrolyze phosphatidyl-inositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) at a rate of 15.3 mumol/min/mg of protein and also phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate and phosphatidylinositol (PI) at slower rates. For hydrolysis of PI, this enzyme was activated by an acidic pH and a high concentration of Ca2+ and showed a Vmax value of 19.2 mumol/min/mg of protein. The other enzyme (PLC-III) catalyzed hydrolysis of PIP2 preferentially at a Vmax rate of 12.9 mumol/min/mg of protein and catalyzed that of phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate slightly. The rate of PIP2 hydrolysis by this enzyme exceeded that of PI under all conditions tested. Neither of these enzymes had any activity on phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, or phosphatidic acid. These two enzymes showed not only biochemical but also structural differences. Western blotting showed that antibodies directed against PLC-II did not react with PLC-III. Furthermore, the two enzymes gave different peptide maps after digestion with alpha-chymotrypsin or Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease. These results suggest that these two forms of PLC belong to different families of PLC.