Phorbol ester induces inhibition of arachidonate incorporation into phospholipids in human neutrophils

PMA is known to enhance calcium ionophore A-23187 induced arachidonate release in human neutrophils. Mechanism of enhancement by PMA is not clear. We have found that neutrophils pretreated with PMA showed significant reduction in labeled arachidonate uptake. Decrease in arachidonate uptake following PMA treatment was attributed, at least in part, to inactivation of arachidonoyl CoA synthase and arachidonoyl CoA lysophosphatide acyltransferase, two key enzymes involved in arachidonate incorporation into phospholipids. These results suggest that PMA may induce protein kinase C activation which in turn may cause inactivation of the two enzymes involved in incorporation of arachidonate resulting in greater availability of arachidonate which is liberated by A-23187 for oxygenation and release into extracellular space. Abbreviations: PMA, 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate; PDD, 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate; TXB2, thromboxane B2; LTB4, leukotriene B4; PC, phosphatidylcholine; LPC, lysophosphatidylcholine; DMSO, dimethylsulfoxide.     

Primary stimuli of icosanoid release inhibit arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase and lysophospholipid acyltransferase. Mechanism of action of hydrogen peroxide and methyl mercury in platelets

Icosanoid formation in platelets depends on the concentration of free arachidonate that is mainly liberated from membrane phospholipids by phospholipase A2. The concentration of free arachidonate is also controlled by the activities of the reacylating enzymes arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase and lysophospholipid acyltransferase. In human platelet microsomes we determined the high enzyme activities of 5.9 nmol.min-1.(10(9) platelets)-1 for the arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase and 37 nmol.min-1.(10(9) platelets)-1 for the lysophospholipid acyltransferase. The activities of these reacylating enzymes were strongly reduced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and methyl mercury that are primary stimuli of arachidonate release in intact platelets. H2O2 inhibited the arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase with an IC50 of 3.3 mmol/l without affecting the lysophospholipid acyltransferase. Sulfhydryl group protection by 3-mercapto-1,2-propanediol did not overcome the inhibition but glutathione prevented the inhibition of the arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase by H2O2. This suggests that glutathione by virtue of the glutathione peroxidase reduces H2O2 rather than that it protects free sulfhydryl groups of the arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase. Methyl mercury left the arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase activity unaffected but inhibited the lysophospholipid acyltransferase activity with an IC50 of 3.4 mumol/l. The inhibition is probably evoked by the blockade of sulfhydryl groups of the lysophospholipid acyltransferase because it disappeared when 3-mercapto-1,2-propanediol was added at a concentration higher than that of methyl mercury. Thrombin as a physiological full agonist, Ca2+ less than or equal to 1 mmol/l, the calcium ionophore A23187 and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA) and 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol as model stimuli of protein kinase C neither influenced arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase nor lysophospholipid acyltransferase. It is concluded that the inhibitory effect of H2O2 and methyl mercury on the arachidonate-reacylating enzymes arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase or lysophospholipid acyltransferase, respectively, are responsible for their capacity to stimulate icosanoid release in intact cells. Thrombin and its intracellular messengers Ca2+ and diacylglycerol do not directly affect arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase and lysophospholipid acyltransferase.     

Synergistic stimulation of thromboxane biosynthesis by calcium ionophore and phorbol ester or thrombin in human platelets

Phorbol ester PMA and low concentrations of calcium ionophore A-23187, which given separately have minimal effect in stimulating thromboxane synthesis in human platelets, showed marked synergism when given simultaneously. A similar synergism can be also demonstrated between thrombin or collagen and low concentrations of A-23187 but not of PMA. Simultaneous addition of thrombin and PMA results in less synthesis of thromboxane than that of thrombin alone. These studies suggest that protein kinase C activation by agonists may not only induce but also regulate thromboxane synthesis in human platelets.     

Phospholipid remodeling in human neutrophils. Parallel activation of a deacylation/reacylation cycle and platelet-activating factor synthesis

A23187 stimulated two enzymatic activities of human neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes), phospholipase A2 and fatty acyl-CoA acyltransferase, which resulted in a stimulated deacylation/reacylation cycle. The incorporation of fatty acids, other than arachidonic or eicosapentaenoic acid, into diacyl and alkylacyl species of choline phosphoglycerides was stimulated by 10-fold by A23187. These fatty acids were exclusively incorporated into the sn-2 position, and [3H]glycerol labeling showed there was no stimulation of de novo synthesis. A23187 also stimulated fatty acid incorporation into other phospholipids, but de novo synthesis accounted for a portion of this uptake. Inhibitors of protein kinase C prevented the stimulated recycling of phosphatidylcholine, and the simultaneous induction of platelet-activating factor synthesis, by inhibiting phospholipase A2 activation. They inhibited [3H]arachidonate release from prelabeled polymorphonuclear leukocytes, but had no effect on in vitro fatty acyl-CoA acyltransferase or acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase activity. Extracts from A23187-treated cells contained a fatty acyl-CoA acyltransferase, which did not utilize arachidonoyl-CoA, that was 2.3-fold more active than that of control extracts. Phosphatase treatment decreased this stimulated activity by 66%. Thus, A23187 stimulated a phospholipase A2 activity that generated both 1-alkyl and 1-acyl lysophosphatidylcholines. A stimulated acetyltransferase used a portion of the alkyl species for platelet-activating factor synthesis, while the acyl species and residual alkyl species were rapidly reacylated to phosphatidylcholine by a stimulated acyl-transferase. Arachidonate, an eicosanoid precursor, was spared by this process.     

The diacylglycerols dioctanoylglycerol and oleoylacetylglycerol enhance prostaglandin synthesis by inhibition of the lysophosphatide acyltransferase.

Prostanoids are synthesized by resident macrophages upon stimulation with diacylglycerols. Oleoylacetylglycerol and dioctanoylglycerol induced prostaglandin E and thromboxane synthesis in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Both diacylglycerols inhibited the lysophosphatide acyltransferase, which is the key enzyme in the reacylation of arachidonic acid. By this mechanism the pool of free arachidonic acid available for prostanoid synthesis is increased. Both diacylglycerols were able to inhibit the membrane-bound lysophosphatide acyltransferase by a direct interaction independent of protein kinase C. Thus lysophosphatide acyltransferase could be shown to be a new target of these diacylglycerols, known as activators of protein kinase C.     

Calcium ionophore potentiates chemotactic peptide and platelet activating factor in stimulating thromboxane B2 and leukotriene B4 biosynthesis in human neutrophils

Formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (FMLP) and platelet activating factor (PAF) stimulated the synthesis of thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) to a small degree in human neutrophils. Calcium ionophore A-23187 enhanced synergistically both FMLP and PAF induced eicosanoid synthesis, whereas phorbol ester PMA attenuated PAF but not FMLP stimulated arachidonate metabolism. These results suggest that calcium mobilization may be a rate limiting step in FMLP and PAF induced synthesis of TXB2 and LTB4 and that protein kinase C activation may play a negative regulatory role in PAF stimulated eicosanoid synthesis.     

A possible role of protein kinase C in regulating prostaglandin synthesis of mouse peritoneal macrophages

The addition of the analogue of diacylglycerol, 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol (OAG), to resident macrophages isolated from the peritoneal cavity of mice led to a dose and time dependent increase in the synthesis of prostaglandin E. This was likely due to an enhanced amount of arachidonic acid available for eicosanoid synthesis as OAG suppressed the incorporation of arachidonic acid into cellular phospholipids by inhibiting acyl-CoA:lysophosphatide acyltransferase. Since OAG has been shown to activate protein kinase C in various cells, these data lead us to suggest that synthesis of eicosanoids in peritoneal macrophages is mediated by the activation of protein kinase C.     

Effect of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on agonist-induced arachidonate release and 5-hydroxytryptamine secretion in human platelets. Dependence of effects on agonist type and time of incubation with PMA

We have previously demonstrated synergistic potentiation of secretion by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and platelet agonists such as thrombin and the thromboxane mimetic, U46619, with short (less than 2 min) pre-incubations of PMA, despite inhibition of agonist-induced [Ca2+]i mobilization and arachidonate/thromboxane release. In this study, the effect of PMA on 5-hydroxytryptamine secretion in relation to arachidonate/thromboxane B2 release induced by collagen as well as the 'weak agonists', ADP, adrenaline and platelet-activating factor (PAF), was investigated using human platelet-rich plasma. Short incubations (10-30 s) with PMA (400 nM) before agonist addition caused an inhibition (60-100%) of 5-hydroxy[14C]tryptamine secretion and thromboxane B2 formation in response to maximally effective doses of ADP (10 microM), adrenaline (10 microM) and PAF (0.5 microM) but potentiated collagen-induced 5-hydroxy[14C]tryptamine secretion and [3H]arachidonate/thromboxane release. However, a longer pre-incubation with PMA (5 min) caused a significant reduction (20-50%) in the extent of collagen-induced 5-hydroxy[14C]tryptamine secretion and thromboxane B2 formation as seen earlier with thrombin, although collagen-induced [3]arachidonate release was still unaffected. Pretreatment of platelets with the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin (10 microM), abolished 5-hydroxy[14C]tryptamine secretion in response to the weak agonists and reduced collagen (2.5-10 micrograms/ml) -induced secretion by 50-90%, depending on the collagen concentration. Addition of PMA (400 nM) 10 s before these agonists in indomethacin-treated platelets resulted in synergistic interactions between agonist and PMA leading to enhanced 5-hydroxy[14C]tryptamine secretion, although this was notably less than the synergism observed previously between thrombin and PMA or U46619 and PMA. The results suggest that the effect of short incubations with PMA on 5-hydroxytryptamine secretion induced by 'thromboxane-dependent' agonists, such as those examined in this study, is determined by the effect on agonist-induced thromboxane synthesis. However, when endogenous thromboxane synthesis is blocked, weak agonists as well as collagen can synergize with PMA at potentiating 5-hydroxytryptamine secretion, albeit to a weaker extent than thrombin or U46619. The results also suggest that PMA has differential effects on arachidonate release induced by collagen and thrombin.     

Control of prostanoid synthesis: Role of reincorporation of released precursor fatty acids

Prostanoid synthesis is limited by the availability of free arachidonic acid. This polyunsaturated fatty acid is liberated by phospholipases and usually is an intermediate of the deacylation-reacylation cycle of membrane phospholipids. In rat peritoneal macrophages, ethylmercurisalicylate (merthiolate) or N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) dose dependently inhibited the incorporation of arachidonic acid into cellular phospholipids, at lower concentrations specifically into phosphatidylcholine. Furthermore, merthiolate could be shown to be a rather selective inhibitor of lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase. In contrast, phospholipase A₂ activity was not affected over a wide dose range. Consequently, macrophages showed a large increase in prostanoid synthesis (prostaglandin E, prostacyclin and thromboxane) in the presence of both lysophosphatide acyltransferase inhibiting agents. Similar results were obtained with human platelets, in which merthiolate increased the release of thromboxane. Addition of free arachidonic acid also enhanced prostanoid synthesis in macrophages. At optimal concentrations, merthiolate had no further augmenting effect. It is concluded that the rate of prostanoid synthesis is not only controlled by phospholipase A₂ activity, but rather by the activity of the reacylating enzymes, mainly lysophosphatide acyltransferase.     

Control of prostanoid synthesis: role of reincorporation of released precursor fatty acids

Prostanoid synthesis is limited by the availability of free arachidonic acid. This polyunsaturated fatty acid is liberated by phospholipases and usually is an intermediate of the deacylation-reacylation cycle of membrane phospholipids. In rat peritoneal macrophages, ethylmercurisalicylate (merthiolate) or N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) dose dependently inhibited the incorporation of arachidonic acid into cellular phospholipids, at lower concentrations specifically into phosphatidylcholine. Furthermore, merthiolate could be shown to be a rather selective inhibitor of lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase. In contrast, phospholipase A2 activity was not affected over a wide dose range. Consequently, macrophages showed a large increase in prostanoid synthesis (prostaglandin E, prostacyclin and thromboxane) in the presence of both lysophosphatide acyltransferase inhibiting agents. Similar results were obtained with human platelets, in which merthiolate increased the release of thromboxane. Addition of free arachidonic acid also enhanced prostanoid synthesis in macrophages. At optimal concentrations, merthiolate had no further augmenting effect. It is concluded that the rate of prostanoid synthesis is not only controlled by phospholipase A2 activity, but rather by the activity of the reacylating enzymes, mainly lysophosphatide acyltransferase.     

Potentiation of arachidonic acid release by phorbol myristate acetate in platelets is not due to inhibition of arachidonic acid uptake or incorporation into phospholipids

Activators of protein kinase C, such as tumor-promoting phorbol esters (e.g., phorbol myristate acetate), mezerein, (-)-indolactam V and 1-oleoyl 2-acetoyl glycerol, potentiate arachidonic acid release caused by elevation of intracellular Ca2+ with ionophores. This action of protein kinase C-activators required protein phosphorylation, and was attributed to enhanced hydrolysis of phospholipids by phospholipase A2 (Halenda, et al. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 7356-7363). Recently Fuse et al. ((1989) J. Biol. Chem 264, 3890-3895) reported that the apparent enhanced release of arachidonate was actually due to inhibition of the processes of re-uptake and re-esterification of released arachidonic acid. They attributed this to loss of arachidonyl-CoA synthetase and arachidonyl-CoA lysophosphatide acyltransferase activities, which were measured in membranes obtained from phorbol myristate acetate-treated platelets. In this paper, we show that phorbol myristate acetate, at concentrations that strongly potentiate arachidonic acid release, does not inhibit either arachidonic acid uptake into platelets or its incorporation into specific phospholipids. Furthermore, the fatty acid 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid, a competitive substrate for arachidonyl-CoA synthetase, totally blocks arachidonic acid uptake into platelets, but, unlike phorbol myristate acetate, does not potentiate arachidonic acid release by Ca2+ ionophores. We conclude that the action of phorbol myristate acetate is to promote the process of arachidonic acid release by phospholipase A2.     

Phorbol myristate acetate and the calcium ionophore A23187 synergistically induce release of LTB4 by human neutrophils: involvement of protein kinase C activation in regulation of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway

Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), a tumor-promoting phorbol ester, and the calcium ionophore A23187 synergistically induced the noncytotoxic release of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and other 5-lipoxygenase products of arachidonic acid metabolism from human neutrophils. Whereas neutrophils incubated with either A23187 (0.4 microM) or PMA (1.6 microM) alone failed to release any 5-lipoxygenase arachidonate products, neutrophils incubated with both stimuli together for 5 min at 37 degrees C released LTB4 as well as 20-COOH-LTB4, 20-OH-LTB4, 5-(S),12-(R)-6-trans-LTB4, 5-(S),12-(S)-6-trans-LTB4, and 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, as determined by high pressure liquid chromatography. This synergistic response exhibited concentration dependence on both PMA and A23187. PMA induced 5-lipoxygenase product release at a concentration causing a half-maximal effect of approximately 5 nM in the presence of A23187 (0.4 microM). Competition binding experiments showed that PMA inhibited the specific binding of [3H]phorbol dibutyrate ([3H]PDBu) to intact neutrophils with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of approximately 8 nM. 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol (OAG) also acted synergistically with A23187 to induce the release of 5-lipoxygenase products. 4 alpha-phorbol didecanoate (PDD), an inactive phorbol ester, did not affect the amount of lipoxygenase products released in response to A23187 or compete for specific [3H]PDBu binding. PMA and A23187 acted synergistically to increase arachidonate release from neutrophils prelabeled with [3H]arachidonic acid but did not affect the release of the cyclooxygenase product prostaglandin E2. Both PMA and OAG, but not PDD, induced the redistribution of protein kinase C activity from the cytosol to the membrane fraction of neutrophils, a characteristic of protein kinase C activation. Thus, activation of protein kinase C may play a physiologic role in releasing free arachidonate substrate from membrane phospholipids and/or in modulating 5-lipoxygenase activity in stimulated human neutrophils.     

Arachidonate activation of protein kinase C may be involved in the stimulation of protein synthesis by insulin in L6 myoblasts

Insulin stimulated protein synthesis in L6 myoblasts but did not increase the labelling of DAG or the release of phosphocholine from phosphatidylcholine. The DAG lipase inhibitor, RHC 80267, more than doubled the amount of label appearing in DAG but did not stimulate protein synthesis. Even in the presence of the DAG lipase inhibitor insulin failed to have any effect on DAG labelling, and conversely RHC 80267 did not modify the insulin-induced increase in protein synthesis. These results suggest that endogenous DAG production is not involved in the stimulation of protein synthesis by insulin. However, exogenous diacylglycerols (1-oleoyl-2-acetyl glycerol and 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl glycerol) both stimulated protein synthesis in L6 myoblasts. The efficacy of the former (arachidonatefree) DAG suggested that their action was by activation of protein kinase C rather than by arachidonate release and prostaglandin formation. Ibuprofen, an inhibitor of cyclo-oxygenase failed to block the effects of insulin whereas a second cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin had only a partial inhibitory effect. The protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, RO-31-8220, totally blocked the effect of insulin. Since indomethacin is also recognised to inhibit phospholipase A₂, the data suggests that insulin acts on protein synthesis in myoblasts by arachidonate activation of PKC.     

Stimulations of arachidonate release and inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate formation are mediated by distinct G-proteins in human platelets

Addition of fluoroaluminate to human platelet suspension stimulated thromboxane synthesis and inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate formation in a time and dose dependent manner. Neomycin inhibited markedly fluoroaluminate induced inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate formation without significantly affecting thromboxane synthesis. Preincubation of platelets with PGE1, also inhibited significantly inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate formation with modest reduction of thromboxane synthesis. On the contrary, pretreatment of platelets with pertussis toxin inhibited fluoroaluminate stimulated thromboxane synthesis without affecting inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate formation. Similarly, preincubation of platelets with phorbol ester, PMA, inhibited markedly thromboxane synthesis with modest reduction of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate formation. These results indicate that inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate formation and arachidonate release and thromboxane synthesis are controlled separately and are mediated by different G-proteins which are coupled to phospholipase C and phospholipase A2 respectively in platelets.     

Inhibitory effect of the intrauterine infusion of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol on the decidual cell reaction in rats

In rats, prostaglandins (PGs) have an essential role in the decidual cell reaction (DCR), but their mechanism of action at the cellular level within the endometrium is at present uncertain. To test the hypothesis that both protein kinase C activation and calcium mobilization mediate the action of PGs within the endometrium during decidualization, the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or the synthetic diacylglycerol 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol (OAG), activators of protein kinase C in vitro, and the calcium ionophore A23187, which causes calcium mobilization, were infused, alone or combined, into the uterine lumen of rats sensitized for the DCR. The results obtained indicate that both PMA and OAG have an inhibitory effect on the DCR in rats. The calcium ionophore A23187, although having no apparent effect by itself, had a synergistic effect with PMA, but not with OAG, in inhibiting the DCR. The intrauterine infusion of PMA and/or A23187 had no effect on the increase in endometrial vascular permeability (EVP), which precedes the DCR. The inhibitory effect of PMA or PMA plus A23187 on decidualization is probably not mediated by a decrease in uterine PG synthesis, as assessed by the measurement of uterine prostaglandin E concentrations at various times during the intraluminal infusion. These data suggest that activation of protein kinase C can modulate the DCR.     

Phorbol esters and oleoyl acetoyl glycerol enhance release of arachidonic acid in platelets stimulated by Ca2+ ionophore A23187

Washed human platelets prelabeled with [14C]arachidonic acid and then exposed to the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 mobilized [14C]arachidonic acid from phospholipids and formed 14C-labeled thromboxane B2, 12-hydroxy-5-8,10-heptadecatrienoic acid, and 12-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid. Addition of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) by itself at concentrations from 10 to 1000 ng/ml did not release arachidonic acid or cause the formation of any of its metabolites, nor did it affect the metabolism of exogenously added arachidonic acid. When 1 microM A23187 was added to platelets pretreated with 100 ng of PMA/ml for 10 min, the release of arachidonic acid, and the amount of all arachidonic acid metabolites formed, were greatly increased (average 4.1 +/- 0.5-fold in eight experiments). This effect of PMA was mimicked by other stimulators of protein kinase C, such as phorbol dibutyrate and oleoyl acetoyl glycerol, but not by 4-alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, which does not stimulate protein kinase C. However, phosphorylation of the cytosolic 47-kDa protein, the major substrate for protein kinase C in platelets, was produced at lower concentrations of PMA and at a much higher rate than enhancement of arachidonic acid release by PMA, suggesting that 47-kDa protein phosphorylation is not directly involved in mobilization of the fatty acid. PMA also potentiated arachidonic acid release when stimulation of phospholipase C by the ionophore (which is due to thromboxane A2 and/or secreted ADP) was blocked by aspirin plus ADP scavengers, i.e. apyrase or creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase. Increased release of arachidonic acid was attributable to loss of [14C]arachidonic acid primarily from phosphatidylcholine (79%) with lesser amounts derived from phosphatidylinositol (12%) and phosphatidylethanolamine (8%). Phosphatidic acid, whose production is a sensitive indicator of phospholipase C activation, was not formed. Thus, the potentiation of arachidonic acid release by PMA appeared to be due to phospholipase A2 activity. These results suggest that diacylglycerol formed in response to stimulation of platelet receptors by agonists may cooperatively promote release of arachidonic acid via a Ca2+/phospholipase A2-dependent pathway.     

Characterization of a potent platelet aggregation inhibitor from Agkistrodon rhodostoma snake venom

By means of CM-Sephadex C-50 column chromatography and gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 and G-50 columns, a potent platelet aggregation inhibitor was purified and characterized. It was a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 31,000. It was devoid of phospholipase A, ADPase, esterase and fibrino(geno)lytic activities. It inhibited dose-dependently the aggregation of washed platelets induced by collagen, thrombin, sodium arachidonate, platelet activating factor and ionophore A23187 with a similar IC50 (5-10 micrograms/ml). It was also active in platelet-rich plasma, with an IC50 of 10-15 micrograms/ml. The venom inhibitor reduced the elasticity of whole blood clot and inhibited the thrombin-induced clot retraction of platelet-rich plasma. These activities were related to its inhibitory activity on platelet aggregation rather than blood coagulation. The venom inhibitor had various effects on [14C]serotonin release stimulated by aggregation agonists. It had no effect on thromboxane B2 formation of platelets stimulated by sodium arachidonate, collagen and ionophore A23187. The presence of this venom inhibitor prior to the initiation of aggregation was a prerequisite for the maintenance of its maximal activity. It showed a similar inhibitory effect on collagen or thrombin-induced aggregation even when it was added after the platelets had undergone the shape change. High fibrinogen levels partially antagonized its activity. The venom inhibitor completely inhibited the fibrinogen-induced aggregation of alpha-chymotrypsin-treated platelets. It is concluded that this venom inhibitor interferes with the interaction of fibrinogen with fibrinogen receptors, leading to inhibition of aggregation.     

C20 polyunsaturated fatty acids and phorbol myristate acetate enhance agonist-stimulated synthesis of 1-radyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine in vascular endothelial cells

This study has investigated the effect of supplementation of vascular endothelial cells with arachidonate and other polyunsaturated fatty acids on the agonist-stimulated synthesis of platelet activating factor (PAF; 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; 1-alkyl-2-acetyl-GPC). Incubation of calf pulmonary artery endothelial cells for 48 h in medium containing 40 microM arachidonate resulted in a 2-3-fold enhancement of [3H]acetate incorporation into 1-radyl-2[3H]acetyl-GPC in response to either bradykinin or calcium ionophore A23187. The effects of arachidonate supplementation were both dose- and time-dependent, requiring a minimum exogenous arachidonate concentration of 2.5 microM and an incubation time of 4-6 h. Eicosapentaenoate and docosahexaenoate also enhanced the synthesis of 1-radyl-2-[3H]acetyl-GPC, but were less potent than arachidonate; alpha-linolenate, linoleate and oleate were without effect. Although not effective as an agonist, phorbol myristate acetate potentiated A23187- and bradykinin-stimulated synthesis of 1-radyl-2-[3H]acetyl-GPC. The effects of arachidonate supplementation were synergistic with potentiation by phorbol myristate acetate. Sphingosine inhibited agonist-stimulated incorporation of [3H]acetate into 1-radyl-2-[3H]acetyl-GPC both in the presence and absence of PMA. Characterization of the radiolabeled material indicated that the primary product was the acyl analogue of PAF (1-acyl-2-acetyl-GPC) rather than PAF. The results from this study suggest that agonist-stimulated synthesis of 1-radyl-2-acetyl-GPC in vascular endothelial cells is modulated both by cellular fatty acyl composition and activation of protein kinase C. Enrichment of vascular endothelial cells with fatty acids, which are mobilized by agonist-stimulated phospholipase A2, may enhance subsequent deacylation of choline phospholipids and, thus, increase synthesis of both 1-acyl-2-acetyl-GPC and PAF.     

Signal transmission in exocrine cells is associated with rapid activity changes of acyltransferases and diacylglycerol kinase due to reversible protein phosphorylation

Stimulation of secretion in guinea pig parotid gland lobules by either isoproterenol or carbachol is associated with a removal of acyl groups from the acyl-CoA pool and their incorporation into diacylglycerols and triglycerides (S?ling, H. D., Machado-De Domenech, E., Kleineke, J., and Fest, W. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 16786-16792). This is associated with an increased incorporation of glycerol into diacylglycerol. These changes occur during the first 20-30 s of stimulation. We can show now that these changes are associated with a significant increase in the activities of lysophosphatidate acyltransferase, diacylglycerol kinase, and diacylglycerol acyltransferase which reaches a maximum during the first 60 s after stimulation. In vitro experiments with isolated parotid microsomes, the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent or Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, and with purified protein phosphatases indicate that the activation of enzyme activities in intact parotid gland cells results from protein phosphorylation. The two protein kinases seem to activate the three enzymes by phosphorylating the same site(s). Protein kinase C was almost ineffective. Glycerol kinase, glycerolphosphate acyltransferase, phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, CTP:phosphatidate cytidylyltransferase, and phosphatidylinositol synthase remained unchanged in the intact cell as well as during incubation with protein kinases in vitro. Lysophosphatidate acyltransferase, diacylglycerol kinase, and diacylglycerol acyltransferase can be activated by the two protein kinases also in microsomes from guinea pig cerebellum. It seems, therefore, that the regulation leading to rapid changes of enzyme activities during signal transmission in parotid acinar cells could be operative also in other cell types.