Phospholipase A1 (PLA1) is an enzyme that cleaves an ester bond at the sn-1 position of glycerophospholipids, producing a free fatty acid and a lysophospholipid. PLA1 activities have been detected both extracellularly and intracellularly, which are well conserved in higher eukaryotes, including fish and mammals. All extracellular PLA1s belong to the lipase family. In addition to PLA1 activity, most mammalian extracellular PLA1s exhibit lipase activity to hydrolyze triacylglycerol, cleaving the fatty acid and contributing to its absorption into the intestinal tract and tissues. Some extracellular PLA1s exhibit PLA1 activities specific to phosphatidic acid (PA) or phosphatidylserine (PS) and serve to produce lysophospholipid mediators such as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and lysophosphatidylserine (LysoPS). A high level of PLA1 activity has been detected in the cytosol fractions, where PA-PLA1/DDHD1/iPLA1 was responsible for the activity. Many homologs of PA-PLA1 and PLA2 have been shown to exhibit PLA1 activity. Although much has been learned about the pathophysiological roles of PLA1 molecules through studies of knockout mice and human genetic diseases, many questions regarding their biochemical properties, including their genuine in vivo substrate, remain elusive.
Keywords: fatty acid; lysophospholipid; phospholipase A1; phospholipid metabolism.