A guanine nucleotide-binding protein participates in IgE receptor-mediated activation of endogenous and reconstituted phospholipase A2 in a permeabilized cell system.

Activation of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) by the aggregation of receptors for immunoglobulin E (IgE) can be studied in streptolysin O-permeabilized rat basophilic leukemia cells. Under these conditions, 40 microM guanosine 5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate (GTP gamma S) stimulates PLA2 activity 5-6-fold when free Ca2+ concentrations are buffered at 10(-7)-10(-5) M. Antigen-mediated cross-linking of receptors for IgE synergizes with low concentrations of GTP gamma S (0.1 microM) to cause similar stimulation. When the endogenous PLA2 activity is inactivated by chemical modification, we find that exogenously supplied PLA2 from porcine pancreas and Naja naja venom is also activated by the aggregation of cell-surface IgE receptors in these permeabilized cells. As with endogenous PLA2, GTP gamma S synergizes with IgE receptor-aggregation to activate exogenous PLA2 approximately 10-fold at 10(-7)-10(-6) M free Ca2+. These data indicate that receptor-mediated activation of a guanine nucleotide-binding protein can shift the Ca2+ dependence of PLA2 activity resulting in greatly enhanced activity at physiological concentrations of intracellular free Ca2+. The partial reconstitution of various PLA2 forms into such a broken-cell system offers a new approach for studying the mechanisms of G-protein-mediated activation of PLA2.