The role of cytosolic phospholipase A 2 (cPLA 2 ) in the regulation of ceramide formation was examined in a cell line (L929) responsive to the cytotoxic action of tumor necrosis factor ␣ (TNF␣). In L929 cells, the addition of TNF␣ resulted in the release of arachidonate, which was followed by a prolonged accumulation of ceramide occurring over 5-12 h and reaching 250% over base line. The formation of ceramide was accompanied by the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin and the activation of three distinct sphingomyelinases (neutral Mg 2؉ -dependent, neutral Mg 2؉ -independent, and acidic enzymes). The variant cell line C12, which lacks cPLA 2 , is resistant to the cytotoxic action of TNF␣. TNF␣ was able to activate nuclear factor B in both the wild-type L929 cells and the C12 cells. However, TNF␣ was unable to cause the release of arachidonate or the accumulation of ceramide in C12 cells. C 6 -ceramide overcame the resistance to TNF␣ and caused cell death in C12 cells to a level similar to that in L929 cells. The introduction of the cPLA 2 gene into C12 cells resulted in partial restoration of TNF␣-induced arachidonate release, ceramide accumulation, and cytotoxicity. This study suggests that cPLA 2 is a necessary component in the pathways leading to ceramide accumulation and cell death.The sphingomyelin (SM) 1 cycle, first described by Okazaki et al.(1), has gained recognition over the past few years as a key mechanism for regulating anti-mitogenic signals. Activation of this cycle through the regulation of a signal-induced sphingomyelinase (SMase) results in generation of the lipid second messenger ceramide. Ceramide then modulates a number of biological fates, including growth inhibition (1-3), differentiation (2), apoptosis (4 -6), and cell cycle arrest (7). Although recent studies have begun to catalogue inducers such as TNF␣, interleukin-1, nerve growth factor, and Fas that are capable of signaling through the SM cycle (see Refs. 5, 6, and 8 for reviews), the mechanisms by which these inducers stimulate SMase activity remain poorly understood.TNF␣, through interaction with either a 55-or 75-kDa TNF receptor (9, 10), impacts upon a myriad of intracellular signaling cascades, including protein phosphorylation cascades, transcription factors, and lipid messengers (11). Two classes of lipid mediators have been implicated in TNF␣ signaling, glycerophospholipid metabolites and sphingolipid metabolites (11,12), and recent evidence suggests that these two classes of lipids may interact (13). In HL-60 cells, a linear correlation was established among TNF␣ stimulation, AA generation, and SM cycle activation: TNF␣-stimulated AA liberation preceded ceramide generation, and AA reproduced the effects of TNF␣ on the SM cycle (13). Although these studies suggested that AA and/or its metabolites may be involved in activation of SMase, the physiologic role of the PLA 2 /AA pathway in regulating SMase activity has not been determined.In this study, we examined the role of PLA 2 in SMase activation in the L929 murine fibroblast cell l...