Nonspecific phospholipase C of Listeria monocytogenes: activity on phospholipids in Triton X-100-mixed micelles and in biological membranes.

Listeria monocytogenes secretes a phospholipase C (PLC) which has 39% amino acid sequence identity with the broad-specificity PLC from Bacillus cereus. Recent work indicates that the L. monocytogenes enzyme plays a role during infections of mammalian cells (J.-A. Vazquez-Boland, C. Kocks, S. Dramsi, H. Ohayon, C. Geoffroy, J. Mengaud, and P. Cossart, Infect. Immun. 60:219-230, 1992). The homogeneous enzyme has a specific activity of 230 mumol/min/mg when phosphatidylcholine (PC) is dispersed in sodium deoxycholate. With phospholipid-Triton X-100 mixed micelles, the enzyme had a broad pH optimum between 5.5 and 8.0, and the rates of lipid hydrolysis were in the following order: PC > phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) > phosphatidylserine > sphingomyelin >> phosphatidylinositol (PI). Activity on PC was stimulated 35% by 0.5 M NaCl and 60% by 0.05 mM ZnSO4. When Escherichia coli phospholipids were dispersed in Triton X-100, PE and phosphatidylglycerol, but not cardiolipin, were hydrolyzed. The enzyme was active on all phospholipids of vesiculated human erythrocytes including PI, which was rapidly hydrolyzed at pH 7.0. PI was also hydrolyzed in PI-PC-cholesterol liposomes by the nonspecific PLC from L. monocytogenes and by the homologous enzyme from B. cereus. The water-soluble hydrolysis product was identified as inositol-1-phosphate. For the hydrolysis of human erythrocyte ghost phospholipids, a broad pH optimum was also observed. 32P-labelled Clostridium butyricum protoplasts, which are rich in ether lipids, were treated with PLC. The enzyme hydrolyzed the plasmalogen form of PE, its glycerol acetal, and cardiolipin, in addition to PE. I-, Cl- and F- stimulated activity on either PC- Triton X-100 mixed micelles or human erythrocyte ghosts, unlike the enzyme from B. cereus which is strongly inhibited by halides. Tris-HCl, phosphate, and calcium nitrate had similar inhibitory effects on the enzyme on the enzymes from L. monocytogenes and B. cereus.