Regulation of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in mammalian cells. I. Effects of phospholipase C treatment on phosphatidylcholine metabolism in Chinese hamster ovary cells and LM mouse fibroblasts.

Addition of phospholipase C from Clostridium perfringens to cultures of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells resulted in rapid degradation of cellular phosphatidylcholine with concomitant release of phosphocholine. The rate of incorporation of radiolabeled choline into lipids was increased 2-fold in phospholipase C-treated CHO cells as compared to untreated controls. The only enzyme in the pathway of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis with increased activity in phospholipase C-treated cells was CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase, indicating that the cytidylyltransferase plays an important role in the stimulation of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. The phospholipase treatment was toxic to a CHO mutant cell line with abnormally low cytidylyltransferase activity. Mouse LM fibroblasts were resistant to enzymatic attack by phospholipase C, and cytidylyltransferase activity in LM cells did not change upon phospholipase C treatment.