Lysophosphatidic Acid, a Multifunctional Phospholipid Messenger

Research into phospholipid signaling continues to flourish, as more and more bioactive lipids are being identified and their actions characterized. One interesting addition to the growing list of lipid messengers is lysophosphatidic acid (LPA1(1) ; 1-acyl-glycerol-3-phosphate), the simplest of all glycerophospholipids. While LPA has long been known as a precursor of phospholipid biosynthesis in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, only recently has LPA emerged as an intercellular signaling molecule that is rapidly produced and released by activated cells, notably platelets, to influence target cells by acting on a specific cell-surface receptor (1).