Hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate is a common mechanism of stimulus transduction (1). Diacylglycerol (DAG) 1 released in this reaction activates protein kinase C (PKC) and is then rapidly metabolized back to phosphatidylinositol in a series of reactions initiated by a diacylglycerol kinase (DGK). As such, DGKs attenuate DAG-mediated PKC activation (2). Recent studies indicate that DGKs are also activated by mechanisms independent of phosphoinositide turnover (3, 4). Diacylglycerol kinases catalyze the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of sn-1,2-diacylglycerol to form phosphatidic acid (PA), which is also a lipid mediator (5, 6). Several DGK isoforms have been cloned (7). All these sequences share a homologous catalytic domain and two or three C1 protein kinase C homology domains (7-9). Some DGKs contain EF hands, which are Ca 2ϩ -binding sites (7). These DGKs also have a domain at their N termini with homology to the recoverin family of neuronal calcium sensors (Fig. 1). We term this the recoverin homology (RVH) domain. In S-modulin, the frog orthologue of recoverin, this domain associates with the EF hands to mediate Ca 2ϩ -dependent inhibition of rhodopsin kinase (10).The varied structures of DGK regulatory domains suggest divergent mechanisms of regulation. Several studies have shown variation among DGKs with regard to activation by phospholipids, sphingosine, or Ca 2ϩ (11)(12)(13)(14)(15). Kanoh and coworkers (16 -18) have studied DGK␣, a Ca 2ϩ -activated isoform highly expressed in oligodendrocytes and thymocytes. They have shown that Ca 2ϩ binds the EF hand region of the enzyme and that deletion of the EF hands results in constitutive enzyme activation (19,20). We have now examined a series of DGK␣ mutants in which the RVH and EF hand domains are sequentially deleted. Our results indicate that the N-terminal RVH domain is required for Ca 2ϩ to activate this enzyme. In contrast to the constitutive activation seen with deletion of the EF hands, DGKs with deletions involving only the RVH domain expressed activity similar to that of wild-type enzyme in the absence of Ca 2ϩ . Sites within both the EF hands and RVH domain were protected from trypsin proteolysis by Ca 2ϩ , indicating that both domains participate in a Ca 2ϩ -induced conformational change. A cationic amphiphile, octadecyltrimethylammonium chloride, markedly stimulated DGK␣ activity in vitro. This effect, like Ca 2ϩ -dependent activation, was dependent on the RVH domain. The DGK␣ RVH domain does not itself bind Ca 2ϩ . However, it does appear to function together with the EF hands to couple Ca 2ϩ binding to release of EF handmediated autoinhibition of DGK␣.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Materials-Restriction