biomolecules Review Updating Phospholipase A2 Biology Makoto Murakami * , Hiroyasu Sato and Yoshitaka Taketomi Laboratory of Microenvironmental and Metabolic Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan;
[email protected] (H.S.);
[email protected] (Y.T.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +81-3-5841-1431 Received: 24 September 2020; Accepted: 15 October 2020; Published: 19 October 2020 Abstract: The phospholipase A2 (PLA2) superfamily contains more than 50 enzymes in mammals that are subdivided into several distinct families on a structural and biochemical basis. In principle, PLA2 has the capacity to hydrolyze the sn-2 position of glycerophospholipids to release fatty acids and lysophospholipids, yet several enzymes in this superfamily catalyze other reactions rather than or in addition to the PLA2 reaction. PLA2 enzymes play crucial roles in not only the production of lipid mediators, but also membrane remodeling, bioenergetics, and body surface barrier, thereby participating in a number of biological events. Accordingly, disturbance of PLA2-regulated lipid metabolism is often associated with various diseases. This review updates the current state of understanding of the classification, enzymatic properties, and biological functions of various enzymes belonging to the PLA2 superfamily, focusing particularly on the novel roles of PLA2s in vivo. Keywords: fatty acid; knockout mouse; lipid mediator; lipidomics; lysophospholipid; membrane; phospholipase A2; phospholipid 1. Introduction Based on their structural relationships, the PLA2 superfamily is classified into several 2+ families, including the secreted PLA2 (sPLA2), cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2), Ca -independent PLA2 (iPLA2, also called patatin-like phospholipase (PNPLA)), platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH), lysosomal PLA2 (LPLA2), PLA/acyltransferase (PLAAT), α/β hydrolase (ABHD), and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-specific PLA2 families.