Evidence that binding of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase to membranes in rat hepatocytes is modulated by the ratio of bilayer- to non-bilayer-forming lipids.

The mechanism by which phospholipase C (PLC) digestion of cultured cells mediates binding of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase to cellular membranes was investigated. Incubation of choline-depleted rat hepatocytes with PLC caused a translocation of enzyme from cytosol to membranes concomitant with a decrease in the concentration of phosphatidylcholine with no effect on the concentration of other phospholipids. Removal of PLC and supplementation with choline restored the amount of phosphatidylcholine in the cells and translocated cytidylyltransferase to the cytosol. However, when phosphatidylcholine levels were decreased by incubation with phospholipase A2 (PLA2), there was no significant redistribution of cytidylyltransferase activity. With PLA2 the concentration of phosphatidylethanolamine, as well as of phosphatidylcholine, was significantly decreased. Since PLC, but not phospholipase A2, raised the cellular concentration of diacylglycerol, possibly diacylglycerol mediated the binding of cytidylyltransferase to membranes. This possibility was examined, but is unlikely, since addition of lysophosphatidylcholine to PLC-treated cells restored the concentration of phosphatidylcholine and released cytidylyltransferase into the cytosol, but did not lower diacylglycerol levels to normal values. Studies in vitro, incubations of cells with choline analogues and a survey of the literature suggested that the over-riding common factor in regulation of cytidylyltransferase binding to membranes may be the ratio of bilayer to non-bilayer lipids in that membrane.