Stimulation of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate phosphorylation in human placenta membranes by GTP gamma S.

In human placenta membranes the rate limiting enzyme for PIP2 formation from PI is PIP kinase. GTP gamma S is shown to activate PIP kinase by increasing Vmax of the enzyme. It is suggested that a guanine nucleotide regulatory protein is involved in the activation of PIP kinase although coupling with a specific receptor is not yet known. Since PIP2 is the preferred substrate of phospholipase C, the possibility exists that an increase of PIP2 due to activation of PIP kinase leads to an enhancement of phospholipase C activity and hence to an increased production of IP3 and DAG.