Phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis and protein kinase C activation for intracellular signaling network

Abstract

Agonist-stimulated inositol phospholipid hydrolysis by phospholipase C was once thought to be the sole mechanism to produce diacylglycerol that transduce extracellular signals into intracellular events through activation of protein kinase C. It is becoming clear that agonist-induced hydrolysis, of the other membrane phospholipids, particularly phosphatidylcholine, by phospholipase A₂ and phospholipase D also takes part in cellular responses such as cell proliferation and differentiation. Possibly, the members of the protein kinase C family may be activated differently by various combinations of phospholipid degradation products, and play each distinct role in signal transduction for the control of various cellular functions.