| PLC beta 1, or phospholipase C beta 1, is a key effector enzyme of the PLC-beta subfamily that acts downstream of G protein-coupled receptors to hydrolyze membrane phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate into the second messengers inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, which triggers calcium release, and diacylglycerol, which activates protein kinase C, primarily in response to stimulation by G alpha q/11 and G beta gamma subunits. PLC beta 1 contains an N-terminal pleckstrin homology domain for binding phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate and G beta gamma, four EF-hand motifs for calcium coordination, a catalytic TIM-barrel formed by X and Y domains housing the active site, a C2 domain for calcium and phospholipid docking, and an approximately four-hundred-residue C-terminal extension. This C-terminal segment is divided into a proximal C-terminal domain for G alpha q helical domain binding, a flexible linker, and a distal C-terminal domain with a coiled-coil structure important for membrane tubulation and caveolae association. Splice variants PLC beta 1a and PLC beta 1b differ in their C-termini, with the former containing a PDZ motif and the latter a proline-rich region. The core function of PLC beta 1 involves G alpha q bound to GTP interacting with the proximal C-terminal domain to relieve autoinhibition and enable phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis at the XY interface, catalyzed by a histidine and glutamate dyad. This activity is further amplified by G beta gamma at the pleckstrin homology domain and membrane recruitment via the C2, EF, and C-terminal regions. Basal activity is low, and isoforms differ in their sensitivity to Gq proteins. PLC beta 1 is involved in regulating calcium oscillations, myogenesis through beta-catenin, c-Jun, and cyclin D3, osteogenesis and hematopoiesis, neuronal signaling, and the nuclear G1 to S phase transition, with PLC beta 1a and PLC beta 1b showing distinct roles; PLC beta 1b also scaffolds with Homer and Shank proteins at the sarcolemma. Dysregulation of PLC beta 1 is linked to diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and cancer through aberrant calcium and PKC signaling, and its distal C-terminal domain acts as a sensor of membrane curvature to modulate activity. |