Phospholipase

Phospholipase is a type of enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids into fatty acids and other lipophilic substances. There are four major classes, termed A, B, C and D, distinguished by the type of reaction which they catalyze.

Phospholipase A

Phospholipase A enzymes remove the "A" (sn-1) fatty acid from phospholipids, yielding a phosphatidic acid.

Phospholipase B

Phospholipase B enzymes act on phospholipids to create a fatty acid and a lysophospholipid.

Phospholipase C

Phospholipase C enzymes split a phospholipid just before the phosphate, yielding diacylglycerol and a phosphate-containing head group. Most often, the resulting molecule is inositol trisphosphate.

Phospholipase D

Phospholipase D enzymes split a phospholipid at the last phosphate, yielding phosphatidic acid and an alcohol.

Clinical significance

Phospholipase enzymes have been implicated in a variety of diseases, including inflammation, atherosclerosis, and cancer. They are also the target of various drugs, such as corticosteroids, which inhibit phospholipase A2.

See also

• Lipase
• Phospholipid

References

Phospholipase Resources
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