A low-molecular weight phospholipase A2 from Arabidopsis thaliana, isoform phospholipase A2-alpha, has been expressed in Escherichia coli in the form of inclusion bodies, refolded, and purified to homogeneity to yield the active mature enzyme. The enzyme was characterized with respect to pH, temperature optimum, and Ca2+ ion requirement. The enzyme has been shown to be a true secretory phospholipase A2 that requires Ca2+ ions in the millimolar range and belongs to group XIB. On the basis of the three-dimensional structures of secretory phospholipase A2 forms (sPLA2s) from bee venom and bovine pancreas, a homology model was generated. Analysis of this model and alignments of different plant sPLA2s showed that the common His-Asp dyad of animal sPLA2s does not exist in plant sPLA2s. In place of the aspartate residue of the dyad, the plant enzymes of group XIA contain a histidine residue, and the enzymes of group XIB contain a serine or an asparagine residue. Mutagenesis of amino acids supposed to be involved in catalysis has shown that His62, the calcium-coordinating Asp63, and the above-mentioned Ser79 residue are essential for activity.