Budnik Lygia T, Mukhopadhyay Amal K
Institute for Hormone and Fertility Research, University of Hamburg, Grandweg 64, D-22529 Hamburg, Germany.
Biol Reprod. 2002 Apr;66(4):859-65. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod66.4.859.
Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) belongs to a new family of lipid mediators that are endogenous growth factors and that elicit diverse biological effects, usually via the activation of G protein-coupled receptors. LPA can be generated after cell activation through the hydrolysis of preexisting phospholipids in the membranes of stimulated cells. A dramatic elevation of LPA levels was found in serum of patients suffering from ovarian carcinoma. Because these high LPA amounts can be detected as early as stage I of the disease, LPA has been introduced as a new marker for ovarian cancer. Progression of the malignancy is correlated with a differential expression of various LPA receptor subtypes. The presence of LPA in the follicular fluid of healthy individuals implicates that this biological mediator may be relevant to normal ovarian physiology. LPA induces proliferation and mitogenic signaling of prostate cancer cells, and a novel LPA receptor isoform has been recognized in healthy prostate tissues. This evidence indicates multiple roles for LPA in both male and female reproductive physiology and pathology. In this review, we summarize the literature on LPA generation, the way it is degraded, and the mechanisms by which signals are transduced by various LPA receptors in reproductive tissues, and we discuss possible future research directions in these areas.
溶血磷脂酸（LPA）属于一类新的脂质介质家族，它们是内源性生长因子，通常通过激活G蛋白偶联受体引发多种生物学效应。LPA可在细胞激活后通过刺激细胞的膜中预先存在的磷脂水解产生。在卵巢癌患者的血清中发现LPA水平显著升高。由于早在疾病的I期就能检测到这些高LPA量，LPA已被引入作为卵巢癌的一种新标志物。恶性肿瘤的进展与各种LPA受体亚型的差异表达相关。健康个体卵泡液中存在LPA表明这种生物介质可能与正常卵巢生理有关。LPA诱导前列腺癌细胞的增殖和促有丝分裂信号传导，并且在健康前列腺组织中已识别出一种新的LPA受体亚型。这一证据表明LPA在男性和女性生殖生理及病理中具有多种作用。在本综述中，我们总结了关于LPA产生、其降解方式以及各种LPA受体在生殖组织中传导信号的机制的文献，并讨论了这些领域未来可能的研究方向。
