The reported cDNA sequence for phospholipase C alpha encodes protein disulfide isomerase, isozyme Q-2 and not phospholipase-C.

We have previously shown that the cDNA sequence published for the rat gene encoding phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase C alpha (1) may be identical to the sequence of a new isoform of protein disulfide isomerase, Isozyme Q2 (2). To determine whether the presumed phospholipase C alpha gene encodes phospholipase C or protein disulfide isomerase, we have now expressed the cDNA in Escherichia coli and find that the 55.5 kDa protein that it synthesized contains no phospholipase C activity. Moreover, an extract of Escherichia coli containing the expressed protein shows a concentration dependent increase in protein disulfide isomerase activity. The expressed protein is identical to protein disulfide isomerase, Isozyme Q2 on SDS-PAGE and by Western blot analysis. These current studies confirm that the published sequence of phospholipase C alpha is, in fact, the sequence of protein disulfide isomerase, Isozyme Q2.