Purification and some properties of rat spleen phospholipase A

Regional differences of phospholipase A2 activity in the rabbit oviductal epithelium

To evaluate the biosynthesis of prostaglandins in the oviducts, phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) activities were first measured in the epithelial cells obtained from rabbit oviducts. At least four kinds of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activities with respect to calcium dependency and pH requirement were observed. There were two calcium-dependent, pH optima of 7.5 and 8.5 activities, and two calcium-independent, pH optima of 4.0 and 8.0 activities. One of those activities, a calcium-dependent and alkaline active PLA2 activity of the epithelial cells was then compared between the ampullary portion and the isthmic portion of the oviducts. The activity was significantly higher in the ampullary epithelium than in the isthmic epithelium (223.2 +/- 57.2 or 103.8 +/- 32.3 pmol/min/mg, p < 0.05). These results support the idea that the production of prostaglandins, which is dependent upon the activity of the arachidonate cascades, was higher in the ampullary portion of oviduct than that in the isthmic portion. The PLA2 activity of the ampullary epithelium may thus play an important role in the regulation of smooth muscle contractility and ciliary movement.

Identification of a calcium-independent phospholipase A2 in rat lung cytosol and differentiation from acetylhydrolase for 1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PAF-acether)

The 100 000 X g supernatant of total rat lung homogenate was found to contain at least three phospholipase A2-type activities. Gel filtration separated a low molecular weight and Ca2+-requiring phospholipase A2 from Ca2+-independent acylhydrolase peak with an apparent higher molecular weight. Upon DEAE-cellulose chromatography this fraction was separated into a Ca2+-independent acylhydrolase and a Ca2+-independent platelet-activating factor-acetylhydrolase with no apparent overlap in acyl chain length specificity. The long-chain acylhydrolase was shown to exhibit specificity for the ester bond at the sn-2-position. Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 activity was inhibited by p-bromophenacylbromide and was resistant to diisopropylfluorophosphate. In contrast, the Ca2+-independent acetylhydrolase activity was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate but was unaffected by p-bromophenacylbromide.

Tumor promoter-stimulated protein phosphorylation in mouse epidermis is inhibited by bromophenacyl bromide

Phosphorylation of mouse epidermal proteins by endogenous protein kinases and production of arachidonic acid are processes stimulated by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. In mouse epidermal homogenates, each process, as well as production of diacylglycerol (the physiologic activator of protein kinase C), was inhibited by bromophenacyl bromide at concentrations equivalent to those that inhibit tumor promotion. These results lend support to the hypothesis that tumor promotion in mouse skin may be mediated by activation of protein kinase C.

Regional distribution of lipids and phospholipase A2 activity in normal and cataractous rat lens

The objectives of this study were to investigate the cause of the great difference in the concentration of phospholipids between the cortex and nucleus of the ocular lens and to further investigate the mechanism of cataract induction by the sterol synthesis-inhibitor U18666A. The nucleus of the young rat lens was found to contain less than one-third the concentration (micrograms/mg lens region, dry wt) of total phospholipid present in the cortex. The sterol to phospholipid molar ratio in the nucleus was more than double that in the cortex. Phosphatidylcholine plus phosphatidylethanolamine were the principal phospholipids in both the lens cortex and nucleus. The activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), an enzyme important for turnover of cellular phospholipids, was measured in the total water-insoluble fraction from whole lenses and from isolated lens regions by the release of 1-14C-linoleic acid from the number two position of a synthetic phosphatidylcholine. The cortex was found to possess about 75% of the total PLA2 activity in the lens. Most of the remaining activity was in the nucleus. The low concentration of phospholipid in the lens nucleus could be due to breakdown of phosphoglycerides by PLA2 in the cortex as equatorial fiber cells shift toward the nucleus with aging. The cataract induced in rats by the sterol synthesis inhibitor U18666A was found to involve a major loss of total sterol from the lens cortex and almost total substitution of desmosterol for the cholesterol remaining in this region. By comparison, nuclear sterols were little affected by drug treatment and cataract development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Phospholipase A2 activity in carrageenin-induced inflammatory tissue of rats

Phospholipase A2 activity was detected in 7-day-old carrageenin-induced inflammatory tissue of rats using a synthetic substrate. 1-acyl-2-[3H]arachidonyl-phosphatidylcholine. The inflammatory tissue was homogenized in saline containing 1 M KCl, and the 105,000 g supernatant fraction was placed on a Sephadex G-100 column. The partially purified phospholipase A2 had a pH optimum at 6-7 and was Ca2+ dependent. p-Bromophenacyl bromide was strongly inhibitory to the partially purified phospholipase A2 (IC50 = 1.44 x 10(-5) M). A moderate inhibition was observed with indomethacin. Cycloheximide and dexamethasone, which inhibit prostaglandin production in inflammatory tissue, exerted no direct inhibitory action on the phospholipase A2. There were no direct inhibitory effects of quinacrine, bradykinin, or actinomycin D. The cell-free supernatant fraction of the inflammatory exudate of 7-day-old carrageenin-induced granulation tissue was found to have no phospholipase A2 activity.