Cytosolic phospholipase A and lysophospholipid acyltransferases.

Phospholipase A (PLA) enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of ester bonds at sn-2 positions of glycerophospholipids (PL), producing free fatty acids and lysophospholipids. In mammals, the PLA superfamily comprises more than 30 known enzymes, including various structurally and biochemically different enzymes with diverse biological functions. Some of the enzymes are involved in the production of lipid mediators, including eicosanoids and lysophospholipid-related lipid mediators. Among them, cytosolic PLAα (cPLAα), a member of cPLA family, is one of the most important intracellular PLAs. Upon cell activation, cPLAα is activated and involved in eicosanoid production under various physiological and pathological conditions. PLAs also play a role in membrane PL remodeling by coupling with re-acylation processes mediated by lysophospholipid acyltransferases (LPLATs) to generate sn-1/sn-2 fatty acid asymmetry of PLs. This review summarizes the biochemical and in vivo roles of cPLA enzymes and LPLATs, including results from animal and human studies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Novel functions of phospholipase A Guest Editors: Makoto Murakami and Gerard Lambeau.