Subcellular site and mechanism of vasopressin-stimulated hydrolysis of phosphoinositides in rat hepatocytes

The intracellular site of vasopressin-induced phosphoinositide breakdown in rat hepatocytes was investigated. After 45 s of vasopressin treatment of hepatocytes prelabeled with 32Pi, the levels of 32P-labeled phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI-P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI-P2) in the plasma membrane decreased by approximately 40%, then gradually returned to near control levels after 10 min of treatment. Only small changes in the levels of [32P] PI-P and [32P]PI-P2 were observed in the other subcellular fractions, and were attributed to contamination of these fractions by plasma membranes. The level of 32P-labeled phosphatidylinositol in the plasma membrane decreased by 15% after 45 s of vasopressin treatment and then increased above control levels at later times while 32P-labeled phosphatidic acid levels in the plasma membrane gradually increased to 2-fold greater than control after 5 min of treatment. Using 32P-labeled plasma membranes obtained from prelabeled hepatocytes, it was found that PI-P and PI-P2 were rapidly degraded by a calcium-dependent polyphosphoinositide-specific phosphodiesterase. The enzyme was activated by physiological concentrations (200 nM) of free calcium when assayed at low ionic strength, but the calcium requirement shifted to micromolar concentrations under isosmotic, intracellular-like, ionic conditions. Addition of vasopressin (200 nM) to the 32P-labeled plasma membranes stimulated the breakdown of 20% of the [32P]PI-P2 present in the plasma membranes in 1 min when assayed under isosmotic conditions in the presence of 2 nM MgCl2 and approximately 200 nM free calcium. This suggests that the phosphoinositide-specific phosphodiesterase is not active under normal cellular conditions, but is activated upon the addition of vasopressin to the intact cell.     

Effects of insulin on inositol phosphate production in cultured rat hepatocytes

Addition of vasopressin (100 nM) to rat hepatocytes prelabelled with [3H]inositol stimulated the production of inositol phosphates in the presence of 20 mM Li+. Preincubation of hepatocytes with insulin (50 nM) or glucagon (10 nM) had no significant effect alone but enhanced the effects of vasopressin after a lag period of at least 1 min. The effects of insulin and glucagon appeared additive in this respect. Insulin also enhanced the norepinephrine-mediated stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation. The enhancement by insulin of the effects of vasopressin required at least 0.5-5 nM insulin and did not involve changes in [3H]inositol lipid labelling or IP3 phosphatase activity. The effect of insulin appeared insensitive to prior treatment of hepatocytes with pertussis toxin (200 ng/ml for 18-24 h) or cholera toxin (100 ng/ml for 3-4 h). The glucagon enhancement of the effects of vasopressin was not affected by pertussis toxin but was mimicked by cholera toxin. The response of hepatocytes to vasopressin in the absence of Li+ was smaller and more transient. Under these conditions a 5 min prior incubation with insulin inhibited the stimulation by vasopressin of inositol phosphate accumulation. A similar inhibitory effect of prior insulin exposure on the transient activation by vasopressin of exogenous phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate breakdown by hepatocyte homogenates was also seen. These data indicate that insulin, although having no effect on basal inositol phosphate accumulation, can either enhance or antagonise the effects of vasopressin in primary rat liver hepatocyte cultures depending on the experimental conditions.     

Phosphatidylinositol metabolism in rat hepatocytes stimulated by vasopressin.

In isolated rat hepatocytes, vasopressin evoked a large increase in the incorporation of [32P]Pi into phosphatidylinositol, accompanied by smaller increases in the incorporation of [1-14C]oleate and [U-14C]glycerol. Incorporation of these precursors into the other major phospholipids was unchanged during vasopressin treatment. Vasopressin also promoted phosphatidylinositol breakdown in hepatocytes. Half-maximum effects on phosphatidylinositol breakdown and on phosphatidylinositol labelling occurred at about 5 nM-vasopressin, a concentration at which approximately half of the hepatic vasopressin receptors are occupied but which is much greater than is needed to produce half-maximal activation of glycogen phosphorylase. Insulin did not change the incorporation of [32P]Pi into the phospholipids of hepatocytes and it had no effect on the response to vasopressin. Although the incorporation of [32P]Pi into hepatocyte lipids was decreased when cells were incubated in a Ca2+-free medium, vasopressin still provoked a substantial stimulation of phosphatidylinositol labelling under these conditions. Studies with the antagonist [1-(beta-mercapto-beta, beta-cyclopentamethylenepropionic acid),8-arginine]vasopressin indicated that the hepatic vasopressin receptors that control phosphatidylinositol metabolism are similar to those that mediate the vasopressor response in vivo. When prelabelled hepatocytes were stimulated for 5 min and then subjected to subcellular fractionation. The decrease in [3H]phosphatidylinositol content in each cell fraction with approximately in proportion to its original phosphatidylinositol content. This may be a consequence of phosphatidylinositol breakdown at a single site, followed by rapid phosphatidylinositol exchange between membranes leading to re-establishment of an equilibrium distribution.     

Changes in the concentration and fatty acid composition of phosphoinositides induced by hormones in hepatocytes

The hormonal regulation of phosphoinositide levels in isolated hepatocytes was studied using chemical means. Extracted inositol phospholipids were adsorbed to neomycin-coated glass beads and then eluted and quantitated by charring after separation by thin layer chromatography on silica gel. The amounts (in nanograms/mg wet weight) of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP), and phosphatidylinositol (PI) were 20 +/- 1, 16 +/- 1, and 1790 +/- 140, respectively). Incubation of the cells with 100 nM vasopressin decreased the value for PIP2 to 10 +/- 0.2 at 15 s, 12 +/- 1.5 at 1 min, and 14 +/- 2.1 at 5 and 30 min. In contrast, the hormone increased 1,2-diacylglycerol plus phosphatidate by over 200 ng/mg wet weight at 5 min under similar conditions (Bocckino, S. B., Blackmore, P. F., Wilson, P. B., and Exton, J. H. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 15309-15315). PIP2 was also significantly decreased at 15 s by angiotensin II (100 nM), ATP (100 microM), and epinephrine (1 microM). In contrast, PIP was not significantly changed, and PI was significantly decreased (by approximately 15%) at later times (15 and 30 min). The changes in phosphoinositide mass were well correlated with changes in labeled phosphoinositides in hepatocytes previously incubated with [3H]inositol for 90 min. The amounts of inositol phospholipids in liver plasma membranes (in micrograms/mg protein) were 2.1 +/- 0.2 for PIP2, 0.24 +/- 0.03 for PIP, and 23 +/- 4 for PI. Comparison of these values with those for whole cells suggests that PIP2 is enriched in the plasma membrane, whereas PIP is present elsewhere in the cell. The fatty acid composition of whole cell PIP2 showed significant differences from that of PI. The percentages of palmitic, stearic, linoleic, and arachidonic acids were, respectively, 14, 41, 10, and 25 for PIP2 and 10, 34, 7, and 37 for PI. Vasopressin treatment for 15 s did not alter the fatty acid composition of PIP2. The corresponding fatty acid percentages for liver plasma membranes were 13, 41, 11, and 21 for PIP2 and 8, 34, 0, and 40 for PI. The fatty acid composition of PIP in whole cells and plasma membranes resembled that of PIP2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

On the source of the vasopressin-induced increases in diacylglycerol in hepatocytes

In hepatocytes pre-labelled with [3H]glycerol, vasopressin increased by 20% the amount of radioactivity present in diacylglycerols. The effect of vasopressin was partially dependent on Ca2+. The magnitude of the increase in [3H]diacylglycerol was 5-times the sum of the radioactivity present in phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. No stimulation by vasopressin of the initial rate of incorporation of radioactivity into diacylglycerols was observed in cells incubated in the presence of 10 mM [3H]glycerol. Treatment of hepatocytes labelled with either [3H]ethanolamine or [3H]choline with vasopressin, ionophore A23187 or phospholipase C increased the amount of radioactivity present in trichloroacetic acid extracts of the cells. The effect of vasopressin was dependent on extracellular Ca2+. It is concluded that in hepatocytes vasopressin increases diacylglycerols by a process which does not principally involve the conversion of phosphoinositides to diacylglycerol or the de novo synthesis of diacylglycerol from glycerol 3-phosphate, but does involve the Ca2+-dependent conversion of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine to diacylglycerol.     

Vasopressin and norepinephrine stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation in rat hepatocytes are modified differently by protein f1nase C and protein kinase A

Rat hepatocytes were maintained in primary monolayer culture for 24 h in the presence of serum. Treatment of hepatocytes with 1 microM 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate (PMA) for 5-15 min increased membrane-associated protein kinase C activity and concomitantly decreased soluble activity. Membrane protein kinase C activity returned to basal values within 1 h then decreased by more than 50% within 2 h. Prolonged (2-18 h) incubation with PMA did not further decrease protein kinase C activity. Pretreatment of hepatocytes with PMA for 5-15 min had little effect on the subsequent actions of 100 nM vasopressin but abolished the stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation by 3 nM vasopressin and 20 microM norepinephrine. Long-term exposure (2-18 h) of hepatocytes to 1 microM PMA actually enhanced the effects of vasopressin and 20 microM norepinephrine. The stimulation by norepinephrine (20 microM) of inositol phosphate accumulation was abolished by the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist prazosin (1 microM), whereas the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol (30 microM) had little effect. Addition of 8Br-cAMP (100 microM) or glucagon (10 nM) for 5 min or 8 h had no significant effect alone, but enhanced the subsequent vasopressin stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation. There was no effect of 8Br-cAMP or glucagon on norepinephrine stimulation of phosphoinositide breakdown. These data indicate that the stimulation of phospholipase C activity in rat hepatocytes by 3 nM vasopressin is enhanced by cyclic AMP-dependent kinase but inhibited by protein kinase C. In contrast, down regulation of protein kinase C markedly enhanced the maximal phosphoinositide response due to both vasopressin and norepinephrine.     

Phosphatidylinositol metabolism in rat hepatocytes stimulated by glycogenolytic hormones. Effects of angiotensin, vasopressin, adrenaline, ionophore A23187 and calcium-ion deprivation

1. The effects on phosphatidylinositol metabolism of three Ca(2+)-mobilizing glycogenolytic hormones, namely angiotensin, vasopressin and adrenaline, have been investigated by using rat hepatocytes. 2. All three hormones stimulate both phosphatidylinositol breakdown and the labelling of this lipid with (32)P. 3. The response to angiotensin occurs quickly, requires a high concentration of the hormone and is prevented by [1-sarcosine, 8-isoleucine]angiotensin, a specific angiotensin antagonist that does not prevent the responses to vasopressin and to adrenaline. This response therefore seems to be mediated by angiotensin-specific receptors. 4. [1-Deaminocysteine,2-phenylalanine,7-(3,4-didehydroproline),8-arginine] vasopressin, a vasopressin analogue with enhanced antidiuretic potency, is relatively ineffective at stimulating phosphatidylinositol metabolism. This suggests that the hepatic vasopressin receptors that stimulate phosphatidylinositol breakdown are different in their ligand selectivity from the antidiuretic vasopressin receptors that activate renal adenylate cyclase. 5. Incubation of hepatocytes with ionophore A23187, a bivalent-cation ionophore, neither mimicked nor appreciably changed the effects of vasopressin on phosphatidylinositol metabolism, suggesting that phosphatidylinositol breakdown is not controlled by changes in the cytosol Ca(2+) concentration. This conclusion was supported by the observation that hormonal stimulation of phosphatidylinositol breakdown and resynthesis persists in cells incubated for a substantial period in EGTA, although this treatment somewhat decreased the phosphatidylinositol response of the hepatocyte. The phosphatidylinositol response of the hepatocyte therefore appears not to be controlled by changes in cytosol [Ca(2+)], despite the fact that this ion is thought to be the second messenger by which the same hormones control glycogenolysis. 6. These results may be an indication that phosphatidylinositol breakdown is an integral reaction in the stimulus-response coupling sequence(s) that link(s) activation of alpha-adrenergic, vasopressin and angiotensin receptors to mobilization of Ca(2+) in the rat hepatocyte.     

Hormonal regulation of phosphatidylinositol breakdown

Cyclic AMP and Ca2+ are intracellular mediators of hormone action. Catecholamines interact with beta adrenoceptors to activate adenylate cyclase or with alpha 2 adrenoceptors to inhibit adenylate cyclase. Alpha 1 adrenoceptor activation results in elevation of cytosol Ca2+ and an increased breakdown of phosphatidylinositol. In blowfly salivary glands, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) interacts with beta type receptors resulting in adenylate cyclase activation while alpha type receptors are involved in phosphatidylinositol breakdown and elevation of cytosol Ca2+. The link between Ca2+ mobilization and phosphatidylinositol breakdown remains to be established but breakdown of the receptor-regulated pool of phosphatidylinositol is not secondary to the rise in Ca2+. Direct addition of 5-HT to cell-free homogenates of blowfly salivary glands results in activation of phosphatidylinositol breakdown in the absence of Ca2+. In rat liver plasma membrane preparations, vasopressin increases phosphatidylinositol breakdown in the absence of Ca2+ or cytosol if deoxycholate is present. The data do not indicate whether hormone activation increases the availability of substrate to enzymatic hydrolysis or activates phospholipase C. However, they demonstrate that hormones directly accelerate phosphatidylinositol breakdown.     

Relationship between inositol polyphosphate production and the increase of cytosolic free Ca2+ induced by vasopressin in isolated hepatocytes

Addition of vasopressin to rat hepatocytes prelabeled with myo-[2-3H]inositol resulted in a very rapid decrease [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (Ptd-Ins-4,5-P2) which was paralleled by increases of up to 3-fold in the levels of [3H]inositol trisphosphate (Ins-P3) and [3H]inositol bisphosphate (Ins-P2). Increases of [3H]inositol phosphate (Ins-P) were not detected until about 5 min after hormone addition. These data indicate that the major pathway for hormone-induced lipid breakdown in liver is through a phosphodiesterase for PtdIns-4,5-P2 and that decreases of phosphatidylinositol are a secondary result of increased PtdIns-4,5-P2 resynthesis. Using the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator Quin 2, cytosolic free Ca2+ increased from 160 nM to about 400 nM after vasopressin addition to hepatocytes and preceded the conversion of phosphorylase b to a. Half-maximal and maximal increases of cytosolic free Ca2+ and phosphorylase a activity were observed at 0.2 and 1 nM vasopressin, respectively. The dose-response curve for the initial rate of cytosolic free Ca2+ increase was very similar to those obtained for the initial rates of Ins-P3 production and PtdIns-4,5-P2 breakdown. Pretreatment of hepatocytes with Li+ caused a 3--4-fold potentiation of vasopressin-induced elevations of Ins-P, Ins-P2, and Ins-P3, with half-maximal effects at 0.5, 1, and 5 mM, respectively. The calculated maximal concentrations of Ins-P3 in cells treated with 20 nM vasopressin were 10 and 30 microM, respectively, without and with Li+. Lithium did not affect the initial rate of inositol polyphosphate production or Ca2+ mobilization. The increase of Ins-P3 which correlated with peak cytosolic free Ca2+ elevation was about 0.6 microM. In a saponin-permeabilized hepatocyte preparation, Ins-P3 (1 microM) caused Ca2+ release from a vesicular, ATP-dependent Ca2+ pool. The data presented here suggest that Ins-P3 may be a second messenger for the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ by hormones in liver.     

Central cardiovascular effects of mammalian neurohypophyseal peptides in conscious rats

To confirm and extend the results of previous studies which demonstrated central cardiovascular effects of vasopressin in anesthetized rats, we determined blood pressure and heart rate changes for 30 minutes after intracerebroventricular injections of arginine vasopressin, arginine vasotocin and oxytocin in conscious rats. As compared to sham injections, significantly greater increases in either systolic or diastolic blood pressure were noted over the 30 minutes which followed the injection of 0.15, 1.0 or 10.0 nM of either vasopressin or vasotocin. In animals given vasopressin, plasma levels of the peptide were determined. There was a substantial increase in plasma vasopressin only after the highest dose. Overall blood pressure responses to doses of oxytocin as high as 100 nM were not significantly different than sham injections. Heart rate following both vasopressin and vasotocin was increased at 0.15 nM, was initially decreased then increased at 1.0 nM and was substantially decreased after the 10.0 nM dose. There was a significant increase in heart rate at the 10.0 nM and 100 nM doses of oxytocin. Dose response curves for systolic blood pressure and heart rate 20 minutes after injection were similar for vasopressin and vasotocin. We conclude that arginine vasopressin has significant central pressor and tachycardic effects in conscious rats, and it is related, at least in part, to the tail structure of the peptide, which is shared with arginine vasotocin.     

Comparison of calcitonin, epinephrine and glucagon effects on plasma membrane Ca-ATPase activity and calcium content in liver of rats

The effects of calcitonin (CT), epinephrine and glucagon on the plasma membrane Ca-ATPase activity and the calcium content in the liver were investigated 30 min after a single subcutaneous administration of hormones to rats. Ca-ATPase activity in the plasma membrane fraction was significantly decreased by CT (80 MRC mU/100 g BW), while it was not significantly lowered by insulin (100 mU/100 g BW), epinephrine (100 micrograms/100 g BW), glucagon (50 micrograms/100 g BW), or parathyroid hormone (25 U/100 g BW). The calcium content in the liver was markedly increased by CT, while it was not significantly elevated by epinephrine or glucagon. Meanwhile, the decrease of Ca-ATPase activity in the plasma membrane fraction produced by CT was significantly prevented by simultaneous administration of epinephrine or glucagon, and also the increase in liver calcium was noticeably interfered with. The present results suggests that the action of CT on liver calcium may differ from that of epinephrine or glucagon which causes an increase in cyclic AMP in the liver cells.     

Effect of insulin and insulin-like growth factors I and II on phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate breakdown in liver from humans with and without type II diabetes

We have characterized a plasma membrane phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2)-specific phospholipase C (PLC) and a cytosolic phosphatidylinositol (PI)-specific PLC in human liver. Epinephrine, 1 x 10(-5) M, and vasopressin, 1 x 10(-8) M, stimulated PIP2-PLC which was enhanced by guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S). PI-PLC stimulation was not observed by these agents. Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) in the presence and absence of GTP gamma S did not stimulate PIP2-PLC or PI-PLC in plasma membranes and cytosol preparations nor phosphoinositide breakdown in isolated human hepatocytes. Furthermore, serendipitly we found that PIP2-PLC activity was increased in liver membranes from obese patients with type II diabetes when compared to obese and lean controls. We conclude that in human liver, insulin and IGFs are not members of the family of hormones generating inositol trisphosphate (IP3) as a second messenger. Furthermore, the increased PIP2-PLC in diabetic liver may result in: (a) increased intracellular concentrations of IP3 and thus increased Ca2+, which has been postulated to induce insulin resistance; and (b) increased diacylglycerol and thus increased protein kinase C which phosphorylates the insulin receptor at serine residues inactivating the insulin receptor kinase. While the mechanism of increased PIP2-PLC activity in diabetes is unknown, it may initiate a cascade of events that result in insulin resistance.     

Effects of vasopressin on the water and ionic composition of toad bladder epithelial cells

Summary Isolated sheets of epithelial cells as well as epithelial cells scraped from paired hemibladders mounted in chambers both showed significant increases in water, sodium and chloride contents after exposure to vasopressin (100 mU/ml), without any change in potassium content. In the isolated cells these changes were prevented by amiloride (10^–5 m), suggesting that the gain of sodium after vasopressin occurs across the mucosal membrane. This hypothesis was confirmed in experiments in which it was found that, in hemibladders mounted in chambers and bathed on their mucosal surface by sodium Ringer's with²⁴Na, the gains of chemical sodium and²⁴Na after vasopressin were equivalent.     

Stimulation of inositol trisphosphate formation in hepatocytes by vasopressin, adrenaline and angiotensin II and its relationship to changes in cytosolic free Ca2+.

At maximally effective concentrations, vasopressin (10(-7) M) increased myo-inositol trisphosphate (IP3) in isolated rat hepatocytes by 100% at 3 s and 150% at 6 s, while adrenaline (epinephrine) (10(-5) M) produced a 17% increase at 3 s and a 30% increase at 6 s. These increases were maintained for at least 10 min. Both agents increased cytosolic free Ca2+ [( Ca2+]i) maximally by 5 s. Increases in IP3 were also observed with angiotensin II and ATP, but not with glucagon or platelet-activating factor. The dose-responses of vasopressin and adrenaline on phosphorylase and [Ca2+]i showed a close correspondence, whereas IP3 accumulation was 20-30-fold less sensitive. However, significant (20%) increases in IP3 could be observed with 10(-9) M-vasopressin and 10(-7) M-adrenaline, which induce near-maximal phosphorylase activation. Vasopressin-induced accumulation of IP3 was potentiated by 10mM-Li+, after a lag of approx. 1 min. However the rise in [Ca2+]i and phosphorylase activation were not potentiated at any time examined. Similar data were obtained with adrenaline as agonist. Lowering the extracellular Ca2+ to 30 microM or 250 microM did not affect the initial rise in [Ca2+]i with vasopressin but resulted in a rapid decline in [Ca2+]i. Brief chelation of extracellular Ca2+ for times up to 4 min also did not impair the rate or magnitude of the increase in [Ca2+]i or phosphorylase a induced by vasopressin. The following conclusions are drawn from these studies. IP3 is increased in rat hepatocytes by vasopressin, adrenaline, angiotensin II and ATP. The temporal relationships of its accumulation to the increases in [Ca2+]i and phosphorylase a are consistent with it playing a second message role. Influx of extracellular Ca2+ is not required for the initial rise in [Ca2+]i induced by these agonists, but is required for the maintenance of the elevated [Ca2+]i.     

Nocodazole inhibition of the vasopressin-induced water permeability increase in toad urinary bladder

Nocodazole is a synthetic antitumor drug that binds rapidly to tubulin. When this drug is applied to toad bladder prior to vasopressin stimulation it inhibits the vasopressin response. A maximum inhibition (68%) is reached with a dose level of 10 μ/ml applied one-half hour prior to vasopressin stimulation (20 mU/ml). This compares with an inhibition of 50% seen with a 3-h exposure of the tissue to colchicine (0.1 mM) prior to stimulation with vasopressin. Application of nocodazole (1 μ/ml) 3 min after hormonal stimulation shows no inhibition of the response at one-half hour past stimulation. These data support the view that microtubules are involved in the vasopressin-induced increase in water permeability in toad bladder and also indicate that this involvement is limited to the period prior to or directly after stimulation.     

Possible contribution of protein kinase C activation to priming for DNA synthesis induced by epidermal growth factor with insulin and its inhibition by plasma membrane in primary cultured rat hepatocytes

In primary cultured rat hepatocytes, DNA synthesis was markedly induced 48 h after plating by epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin added at 24 h, but not by 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA). When EGF and insulin were added at 6 h, DNA synthesis at 30 h was 7% of DNA synthesis seen at 48 h, but became 27% by pretreatment with TPA. The similar pretreatment effect was also seen with vasopressin. Such induction at 30 h was inhibited by rat liver plasma membrane added at 2 h even in the presence of TPA or vasopressin, and also by 1-(5-isoquinolinyl-sulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine more extensively than N-(2-guanidinoethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide. These results suggest that DNA synthesis induction by EGF and insulin may require a priming period related to protein kinase C activation in primary cultured rat hepatocytes, which is inhibited by plasma membrane.     

Degradation of poly-phosphoinositides in brain subcellular membranes in response to decapitation insult

Although it has been well demonstrated that decapitation insult results in a rapid breakdown of the poly-phosphoinositides in brain, the subcellular site(s) for this event has not been examined in detail. Using rats that were injected intracerebrally with ³²Pi to label the brain membrane phosphoinositides, decapitation treatment (0.5, 1.5 and 3.5 min) resulted in a decrease in labeled phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphates and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphates in almost all subcellular fractions except myelin. However, the fractions exhibiting the most changes were synaptic vesicles, synaptic plasma membranes and the non-synaptic plasma membranes. The rapid response of poly-phosphoinositides in synaptic vesicles towards decapitation insult demonstrated a role of these phospholipids in vesicular membrane function. Besides the decrease in labeled phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphates which is attributed mainly to the action of phospholipase C, decapitation insult also elicited a near parallel decrease in labeled phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphates, and this was accompanied by a concomitant increase in labeled phosphatidylinositol which was observed mainly in the synaptic vesicles and synaptic plasma membrane fractions. This latter event suggests that besides degradation of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphates by phospholipase C, some phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphates may have been degraded through the phosphomonoesterase pathway.     

Short-term effects of carbon tetrachloride on the lipoprotein secretion in isolated rat hepatocytes

Short-term exposure of isolated rat hepatocytes in suspension to a low dose of CCl4 (20 micrograms/ml) leads within minutes to characteristic structural alterations. The earliest reaction is a disappearance of the microvilli border 5 min after starting the incubation. After 10 min the number of Golgi VLDL is decreased by about 80% and reaches zero after 20 min. The reduction in Golgi VLDL is associated with a decrease in the volume density of the Golgi complexes by about 50% compared with controls and by a marked elevation of intracytoplasmic and intralysosomal lipid deposits after 20 min incubation. Concomitantly with these alterations the total number of VLDL particles within single and multiple particle secretory vesicles located along the cell periphery decreases by about 50% 10 min after CCl4 exposure. This is followed 10 min later by a significant increase of about 20% compared with the corresponding controls. The elevation in the total number of VLDL is combined with an increase in the number of the multiple particle secretory vesicles. The particle content per vesicle, however; is significantly lower compared with controls. No reaction is detectable in the mitochondria, whereas the amount of RER appears to be decreased and that of the SER increased. The incubation of 14C-sodium palmitate prelabeled hepatocytes in the presence of CCl4 leads to a significantly higher content of labeled lipids in the total Golgi fraction and in the cytosol 20 min after CCl4 administration, whereas considerably less labeled lipids are secreted into the incubation medium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Visualization of cell surface vasopressin V1a receptors in rat hepatocytes with a fluorescent linear antagonist.

To visualize cell surface V1a vasopressin receptors in rat hepatocytes in the absence of receptor-mediated endocytosis, we used a high-affinity fluorescent linear antagonist, Rhm8-PVA. Epifluorescence microscopy (3CCD camera) and fluorescence spectroscopy were used. Rhm8-PVA alone did not stimulate Ca2+ signals and competitively blocked Ca2+ signals (Kinact of 3.0 nM) evoked by arginine vasopressin (vasopressin). When rat hepatocytes were incubated with 10 nM of Rhm8-PVA for 30 min at 4C, the fluorescent antagonist bound to the surface of cells, presumably the plasma membrane. The V1a receptor specificity of Rhm8-PVA binding was confirmed by its displacement by the nonfluorescent antagonist V4253 and by the natural hormone vasopressin at 4C. Prior vasopressin-mediated endocytosis of V1a receptors at 37C abolished binding of the labeled antagonist, whereas in non-preincubated cells, Rhm8-PVA labeled the cell surface of rat hepatocytes. When cells labeled with Rhm8-PVA at 4C were warmed to 37C to initiate receptor-mediated internalization of the fluorescent complex, Rhm8-PVA remained at the cell surface. Incubation temperature at 4C or 37C had little effect on binding of Rhm8-PVA. We conclude that Rhm8-PVA is unable to evoke receptor-mediated endocytosis and can readily be used to visualize cell surface receptors in living cells.     

Na+ and K+ uptake and exchange by the amphibian oocyte during the first meiotic division

The uptake and efflux of ²²Na and ⁴²K were studied in denuded Rana pipiens oocytes following progesterone induction of the resumption of meiotic maturation. Coincident with the breakdown of the large nucleus, or germinal vesicle, there is a virtual disappearance of K⁺ permeability of the oocyte plasma membrane. Only about 1–2% of the total [K⁺]_i is exchanged by completion of nuclear breakdown (8–10 hr) and accounts for the finding that there is no detectable change in total [K⁺]_i during the first meiotic division (20–24 hr). In the case of Na⁺, influx, exchange, and efflux kinetics were unchanged during the first meiotic division, with 20 and 35% of the total oocyte Na⁺ exchanging by the completion of nuclear breakdown and first meiotic division, respectively. Removal of Na⁺ from the incubation medium produced and earlier nuclear breakdown, whereas a K-free medium delayed breakdown. There was no effect of 10 μm/ml tetrodotoxin or 10^?5M strophanthidin on the time course of nuclear breakdown. Thus one action of progesterone appears to be a selective turning off of “K channels” in the oocyte plasma membrane. The disappearance of K selectivity of the oocyte plasma membrane coincides with plasma membrane depolarization, as well as nuclear swelling and breakdown.