Accumulation of ester- and ether-linked phosphatidates by HeLa cells in response to ionophore A23187 through activation of phospholipase D.

Phosphatidates seem to play an important role in the control of cell proliferation modified by ligands (M. Kaszkin et al. 1991, Cancer Res. 51, 4328-4335). In this study the potency of calcium ionophore A23187 to alter phosphatidate levels in HeLa cells as a model was studied in detail. HeLa cells prelabeled with [14C]arachidonic acid responded to calcium ionophore A23187 with a rapid accumulation of labeled 1,2-diacylglycerophosphate (acyl-PA) and 2-acyl-1-O-alkylglycerophosphate (alkyl-PA) with a first peak at 5 min and a second increase starting at 20-30 min. In cells prelabeled with [14C]oleic acid the ionophore mobilized relatively more of labeled acyl-PA. The total amount of phosphatidates mobilized was in the order of 0.2 micrograms/10(6) cells, i.e. an almost 10(-4)M concentration. The transphosphatidylation of labeled acyl- and alkyl-PA to 1-butanol in all cases showed that activation of phospholipase D had occurred. The reaction became detectable at 10(-6)M ionophore and was fully expressed at 10(-5)M. Butyl phosphatidate generated during 1 h treatment with ionophore amounted to approx. 0.5 nmol per 10(6) cells (i.e. 10(-4)M conc. within cells) as shown by the use of [14C]butanol. The 3-5-fold rise of the overall phosphatidate level is probably sufficient to alter physically cellular membranes, particularly if the new phosphatidate is restricted to certain compartment(s).