Substrate specificity of the agonist-stimulated release of polyunsaturated fatty acids from vascular endothelial cells

Stimulation of vascular endothelial cells with agonists such as histamine and thrombin results in release of arachidonic acid from membrane lipids and subsequent eicosanoid synthesis. As shown previously, the agonist-stimulated deacylation is specific for arachidonate, eicosapentaenoate, and 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate. This study has utilized radiolabeled fatty acids differing in chain length and position of double bonds to further elucidate the fatty acyl specificity of agonist-stimulated deacylation. Replicate wells of confluent human umbilical vein endothelial cells were incubated with 14C-labeled fatty acids and then challenged with histamine, thrombin, or the calcium ionophore A23187. Comparison of the results obtained with isomeric eicosatetraenoic fatty acids with initial double bonds at carbons 4, 5, or 6 indicated that the deacylation induced by all three agonists exhibited marked specificity for the cis-5 double bond. Lack of stringent chain length specificity was indicated by agonist-stimulated release of 5,8,11,14- tetraenoic fatty acids with 18, 19, 20, and 21 carbons. Release of 5,8,14-14C]eicosatrienoate was two-to threefold that of 5,11,14-14C]eicosatrienoate, thus indicating that the cis-8 double bond may also contribute to the stringent recognition by the agonist-sensitive phospholipase. The present study has also demonstrated that histamine, thrombin, and A23187 do not stimulate release of docosahexaenoate from endothelial cells.