The X-ray structure of a mutant porcine pancreatic phospholipase A, inhibitor complex [Thunnissen et al. (1990) Nature 347, 689-6911 has been determined. This structure shows several interactions between the sn-2-acyl chain and the phosphate moiety of the inhibitor at sn-3 and the protein. The interactions of the remaining part of the polar head group are less clear. Because Arg53 is in close proximity to the head group, we tested the importance of charge at position 53 on enzymatic activity and specificity. Arg53 has been replaced by a glutamine and a glutamic acid in mutants R53Q and R53E, respectively. The effects of the mutations were tested with both zwitterionic and anionic substrates. With monomeric, zwitterionic, (R,S)-1,2-dihexanoyldithiopropyl-3-phosphocholine as substrate, the mutants R53Q and R53E display twofold and sevenfold, respectively, increased kJKm values, composed of increased k,, and decreased K , values. Tested on micelles of zwitterionic (R)-l,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-phosphocholine the mutants R53Q and R53E are more active than the native enzyme, whereas these mutations have an opposite effect on the activity on anionic (R)-l,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-phosphoglycol. Thus, whereas the native enzyme is 0.3 times as active on zwitterionic as on the anionic substrate, these ratios are 1.0 (R53Q) and 1.7 (R53E) for the mutants. No changes in activity were observed with the anionic substrate (R)-1,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-sulfate. Binding studies with substrate-derived inhibitors confirmed the increased affinity for zwitterionic phospholipids and the reduced affinity for anionic phospholipids. The kinetic and binding data indicate the involvement of the charge of residue 53 in head-group specificity and suggest a position of residue 53 closer to the choline or glycol than to the phosphate.The lipolytic enzyme phospholipase A, (PLA,) hydrolyzes the sn-2 ester bond of phosphoglycerides in a calcium-dependent and stereospecific reaction. Phospholipases occur both extracellularly and intracellularly. The extracellular enzymes are found abundantly in mammalian pancreas and in snake or bee venoms serving a digestive function. In addition the venom phospholipases show a wide range of pharmacological actions. The intracellular phospholipases are present in low concentrations in almost every mammalian cell and have an important role in inflammation processes by Abbreviations. PLA,, phospholipase A,; R53Q and R53E, mutants of PLA, with Arg53 changed to glutamine and glutamic acid, respectively ; Oco,GroSO,H, (R)-l,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-sulfate ; Oco,GroPGlo, (R)-l,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-phosphoglycol; Oc0,GroPCho, (R)-l,2-dioctanoylglycero-3-phosphocholine; Lau,GroPCho, (R)-l,2-didodecanoylglycero-3-phosphocholine; HxoS,GroPCho, (R,S')-1,2dihexanoyldithiopropyl-3-phosphocholine; DodPCho, n-dodecylphosphocholine; HxdPCho, n-hexadecylphosphocholine; MyrAholPCho, (R)-2-tetradecanoylaminohexanol-l-phosphocholine ; MyrAholPGlo, (R)-2-tetradecanoylaminohexanol-1 -phosphoglycol; KL, two-dimensional Michaelis Menten const...