ABSTRACT
Cellular membrane phospholipids are important structural elements that also serve as precursors for second messenger molecules that have important roles in cellular signaling processes. These second messenger molecules are generated by the action of intracellular or extracellular phospholipases. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes are a ubiquitous group of esterases that cleave the sn-2 bond of phospholipids, leading to the stoichiometric release of a free fatty acid and a lysophospholipid. Free arachidonic acid serves as a precursor for eicosanoids such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Eicosanoids bind to speci c G-protein-coupled receptors and participate in several in ammatory processes including atherosclerosis and asthma [1,2]. Lysophospholipids act as detergents and are, therefore, injurious to cells. They can further be acetylated to generate the platelet-activating factor (PAF), an important mediator in the recruitment of in ammatory cells to the endothelium [3]. Due to the diversity of PLA2 enzymes and the role that each, or several, can play under speci c conditions, it is of critical importance to characterize their diversity and their regulators.
