A calcium-dependent acyltransferase that produces N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamines
July 11th, 2016 by Yuji Ogura
Nature Chemical Biology 12, 669 (2016). doi:10.1038/nchembio.2127
Authors: Yuji Ogura, William H Parsons, Siddhesh S Kamat & Benjamin F Cravatt
More than 30 years ago, a calcium-dependent enzyme activity was described that generates N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs), which are precursors for N-acyl ethanolamine (NAE) lipid transmitters, including the endocannabinoid anandamide. The identity of this calcium-dependent N-acyltransferase (Ca-NAT) has remained mysterious. Here, we use activity-based protein profiling to identify the poorly characterized serine hydrolase PLA2G4E as a mouse brain Ca-NAT and show that this enzyme generates NAPEs and NAEs in mammalian cells.