Exp Mol Med.  2012 Oct;44(10):571-577.

The hydrophobic amino acids involved in the interdomain association of phospholipase D1 regulate the shuttling of phospholipase D1 from vesicular organelles into the nucleus

• Jang YH
• Min DS

Abstract

Phospholipase D (PLD) catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine to generate the lipid second messenger, phosphatidic acid. PLD is localized in most cellular organelles, where it is likely to play different roles in signal transduction. PLD1 is primarily localized in vesicular structures such as endosomes, lysosomes and autophagosomes. However, the factors defining its localization are less clear. In this study, we found that four hydrophobic residues present in the N-terminal HKD catalytic motif of PLD1, which is involved in intramolecular association, are responsible for vesicular localization. Site-directed mutagenesis of the residues dramatically disrupted vesicular localization of PLD1. Interestingly, the hydrophobic residues of PLD1 are also involved in the interruption of its nuclear localization. Mutation of the residues increased the association of PLD1 with importin-beta, which is known to mediate nuclear importation, and induced the localization of PLD1 from vesicles into the nucleus. Taken together, these data suggest that the hydrophobic amino acids involved in the interdomain association of PLD1 are required for vesicular localization and disturbance of its nuclear localization.

Keyword

cytoplasmic vesicles; nuclear localization signals; phospholipase D1

MeSH Terms

Amino Acid Motifs
Amino Acid Sequence
Amino Acids/chemistry
Cell Nucleus/*enzymology
Endosomes/enzymology
HEK293 Cells
Humans
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Lysosomes/enzymology
Phagosomes/enzymology
Phospholipase D/chemistry/*metabolism
Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
Protein Transport
Transport Vesicles/*enzymology