Phospholipases. III. Effects of ionic surfactants on the phospholipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of unsonicated egg lecithin liposomes.

Apparent values of Km and Vmax have been measured for catalysis of hydrolysis of unsonicated egg lecithin liposomes, activated through addition of 0.4 M n-hexanol, by phospholipases A2 from bee and snake venoms and by phospholipase C from Clostridium welchii as a function of the concentration of three surfactants: hexadecylamine, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and dihexadecyl phosphate. For all three enzymes, values of Km and Vmax show little or no dependence on the concentration of these ionic surfactants, demonstrating that the liposomal surface charge is not a crucial factor in determining susceptibility to phospholipase-catalyzed hydrolysis.