INTERCELLULAR SIGNALING BY LYSOPHOSPHATIDATE - RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Lysophosphatidate (LPA) is an intercellular phospholipid messenger wit h a wide range of biologic effects. The first discovered source of LPA in the human body were activated platelets, but several other sites o f LPA generation are now known. The number of cellular interactions is also growing steadily and responses to the compound range wide, from induction of mitogenesis to neurite retraction. LPA acts via a specifi c G protein-coupled receptor, of which one or more subtypes may exist. Intracellularly, this receptor activates several heterotrimeric G pro teins. LPA induces cell proliferation via the small GTP-binding protei ns ras, and triggers actin-based cytoskeletal events through rho. This review describes the most relevant recent developments in our underst anding of LPA signaling.