Physiological importance of phospholipase D signalling

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Hormones, neurotransmitters (chemicals released from nerve cells) and growth factors regulate the body's functions by activating processes in cells that produce signals to control the way a cell grows, divides, moves or secretes. One of these signalling pathways involves activation of the enzyme phospholipase D which produces a messenger called phosphatidic acid. Studies in cells in tissue culture have suggested that this pathway is activated in many responses and is involved in processes such as how inflammation is activated, how cells move and how they secrete factors. There is a need to understand how these pathways are regulated and the precise roles played by this signalling event, since distortion of the regulation is implicated in inflammatory disorders and other diseases including cancer. The only way to understand this physiological role is to generate and study a genetically modified mouse model. We will isolate cells from the mice and thereby characterise the role and regulation of the signalling. This work has the potential to identify targets for future therapeutic intervention.

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