Glycosylphosphatidylinositol Specific Phospholipase D1 (GPLD1)

Many proteins are tethered to the extracellular face of eukaryotic plasma membranes by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. The GPI-anchor is a glycolipid found on many blood cells. The protein encoded by this gene is a GPI degrading enzyme. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase D1 hydrolyzes the inositol phosphate linkage in proteins anchored by phosphatidylinositol glycans, thereby releasing the attached protein from the plasma membrane.

The deduced amino acid sequence contains 4 regions of internal homology that are similar to the metal ion binding domains of integrin alpha subunits. Bovine PIGPLD does not exhibit phosphatidylcholine-specific PLD activity.