Calcium-dependent generation of N-acylethanolamines and lysophosphatidic acids by glycerophosphodiesterase GDE7.

N-Acylethanolamines form a class of lipid mediators and include an endocannabinoid arachidonoylethanolamide (anandamide), analgesic and anti-inflammatory palmitoylethanolamide, and appetite-suppressing oleoylethanolamide. In animal tissues, N-acylethanolamines are synthesized from N-acylated ethanolamine phospholipids directly by N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine-hydrolyzing phospholipase D or through multi-step pathways via N-acylethanolamine lysophospholipids. We previously reported that glycerophosphodiesterase (GDE) 4, a member of the GDE family, has lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD) activity hydrolyzing N-acylethanolamine lysophospholipids to N-acylethanolamines. Recently, GDE7 was shown to have lysoPLD activity toward lysophosphatidylcholine to produce lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Here, we examined the reactivity of GDE7 with N-acylethanolamine lysophospholipids as well as the requirement of divalent cations for its catalytic activity. When overexpressed in HEK293 cells, recombinant GDE7 proteins of human and mouse showed lysoPLD activity toward N-palmitoyl, N-oleoyl, and N-arachidonoyl-lysophosphatidylethanolamines and N-palmitoyl-lysoplasmenylethanolamine to generate their corresponding N-acylethanolamines and LPAs. However, GDE7 hardly hydrolyzed glycerophospho-N-palmitoylethanolamine. Overexpression of GDE7 in HEK293 cells increased endogenous levels of N-acylethanolamines and LPAs. Interestingly, GDE7 was stimulated by micromolar concentrations of Ca(2+) but not by millimolar concentrations of Mg(2+), while GDE4 was stimulated by Mg(2+) but was insensitive to Ca(2+). GDE7 was widely distributed in various tissues of humans and mice with the highest levels in their kidney tissues. These results suggested that GDE7 is a novel Ca(2+)-dependent lysoPLD, which is involved in the generation of both N-acylethanolamines and LPAs.