title: Failure of phosphatidic acid to translocate Ca2+ across phosphatidylcholine membranes.
abstract: The putative role of phosphatidic acid (PA) as a Ca2+ ionophore has offered an attractive explanation for the relationship between Ca2+ influx and the turnover of phosphoinositides in stimulated cells. The ionophoretic properties of PA are evident in its ability to translocate Ca2+ across a layer of organic solvent. When added exogenously to some cells, PA produces a physiological response and in neuroblastoma cells stimulation of Ca2+ uptake can also be detected. It was later shown that low levels of PA added exogenously to, or incorporated endogenously in liposomes, increase their permeability to Ca2+ (refs 7, 8), indicating a direct effect of PA on lipid bilayer properties. We now report, however, that we have not been able to demonstrate facilitation by PA of Ca2+ fluxes across liposomal membranes. Ascribing such a role to PA does not seem compatible with known features of biological membranes or the properties of ionophores known to translocate ions across membranes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002118:Calcium; D002413:Cations, Divalent; D004530:Egg Yolk; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000032:analysis; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D008081:Liposomes; D008954:Models, Biological; D010539:Permeability; D010712:Phosphatidic Acids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines
chemical_list: D002413:Cations, Divalent; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D008081:Liposomes; D010712:Phosphatidic Acids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D002118:Calcium