The role of cytosolic phospholipase A2 in cell cycle progression.

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) cleaves fatty acids from the sn-2 position of phospholipids resulting in the release of arachidonic acid. cPLA2 is activated upon phosphorylation, followed by a Ca(2+)-dependent translocation to cellular membranes. The activity of cPLA2 has been demonstrated to fluctuate during the M, G1 and S-phases of the cell cycle, and it has been shown recently that inhibition of the relatively high activity during the initial phases of the cell cycle results in a drastic reduction in S-phase entry. These findings demonstrate that in addition to a role in the inflammatory response, cPLA2 plays also an important regulatory role in cell cycle progression.