Group 3 secretory phospholipase A2
phosphatidylinositol metabolic process
Group III phospholipase A<sub>2</sub> promotes colitis and colorectal cancer.
Lipid mediators play pivotal roles in colorectal cancer and colitis, but only a limited member of the phospholipase A<sub>2</sub> (PLA<sub>2</sub>) subtypes, which lie upstream of various lipid mediators, have been implicated in the positive or negative regulation of these diseases. Clinical and biochemical evidence suggests that secreted PLA<sub>2</sub> group III (sPLA<sub>2</sub>-III) is associated with colorectal cancer, although its precise role remains obscure. Here we have found that sPLA<sub>2</sub>-III-null (Pla2g3 <sup>-/-</sup>) mice are highly resistant to colon carcinogenesis. Furthermore, Pla2g3 <sup>-/-</sup> mice are less susceptible to dextran sulfate-induced colitis, implying that the amelioration of colonic inflammation by sPLA<sub>2</sub>-III ablation may underlie the protective effect against colon cancer. Lipidomics analysis of the colon revealed significant reduction of pro-inflammatory/pro-tumorigenic lysophosholipids as well as unusual steady-state elevation of colon-protective fatty acids and their oxygenated metabolites in Pla2g3 <sup>-/-</sup> mice. Overall, our results establish a role of sPLA<sub>2</sub>-III in the promotion of colorectal inflammation and cancer, expand our understanding of the divergent roles of multiple PLA<sub>2</sub> enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract, and point to sPLA<sub>2</sub>-III as a novel druggable target for colorectal diseases.