Although organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus are highly compartmentalized, these organelles are interconnected through a network of vesicular trafficking. The marine sponge metabolite ilimaquinone (IQ) is known to induce Golgi membrane fragmentation and is widely used to study the mechanism of vesicular trafficking. Although IQ treatment causes protein kinase D (PKD) activation, the detailed mechanism of IQ-induced Golgi membrane fragmentation remains unclear. In this work, we found that IQ treatment of cells caused a robust activation of phospholipase D (PLD). In the presence of 1-butanol but not 2-butanol, IQ-induced Golgi membrane fragmentation was completely blocked. In addition, IQ failed to induce Golgi membrane fragmentation in PLD knock-out DT40 cells. Furthermore, IQ-induced PKD activation was completely blocked by treatment with either 1-butanol or propranolol. Notably, IQ-induced Golgi membrane fragmentation was also blocked by propranolol treatment. These results indicate that PLD-catalyzed formation of phosphatidic acid is a prerequisite for IQ-induced Golgi membrane fragmentation and that enzymatic conversion of phosphatidic acid to diacylglycerol is necessary for subsequent activation of PKD and IQ-induced Golgi membrane fragmentation.Regulated vesicular trafficking is essential for the transport of proteins and lipids between subcellular compartments and for the maintenance of organelles in eukaryotic cells. These organelles help the cell establish an ordered structure within which its complex biochemical reactions and signaling processes are executed. The molecular mechanism underlying vesicular trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) 2 to the cell surface through the Golgi apparatus has been investigated extensively. Malhotra and coworkers (1) have reported that the marine sponge metabolite ilimaquinone (IQ) inhibits protein trafficking events by reversibly breaking the Golgi apparatus into small vesicles. Several attempts were made to identify downstream molecules necessary for IQ-induced Golgi membrane vesiculation. Using a reconstitution assay system, protein kinase D (PKD) was identified as a key enzyme responsible for IQinduced Golgi membrane vesiculation (2). However, the exact mechanism underlying IQ-induced Golgi apparatus breakdown, especially a relationship between PKD and lipid remodeling, remains unclear. Membrane trafficking is energetically unfavorable and does not occur spontaneously in vivo, but occurs under strict control of specialized proteins. Evidence is accumulating that these proteins do not act alone but in concert with particular membrane lipids such as phosphoinositides (3), diacylglycerol (DAG) (4), and phosphatidic acid (PA) (5-7). Phospholipases hydrolyze phospholipids, the backbone of biological membranes. Phospholipase activity not only has a profound impact on the structure and stability of cellular membranes but also plays a pivotal role in regulating many critical cellular functions. Phospholipase D (PLD) generates PA, a mul...