Phospholipase D activation by sphingosine 1-phosphate regulates interleukin-8 secretion in human bronchial epithelial cells

Science review: searching for gene candidates in acute lung injury

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a complex and devastating illness, often occurring within the setting of sepsis, and carries an annual mortality rate of 30-50%. Although the genetic basis of ALI has not been fully established, an increasing body of evidence suggests that genetic predisposition contributes to disease susceptibility and severity. Significant difficulty exists, however, in defining the exact nature of these genetic factors, including large phenotypic variance, incomplete penetrance, complex gene-environment interactions, and strong potential for locus heterogeneity. We utilized the candidate gene approach and an ortholog gene database to provide relevant gene ontologies and insights into the genetic basis of ALI. We employed a Medline search of selected basic and clinical studies in the English literature and studies sponsored by the HopGene National Institutes of Health sponsored Program in Genomic Applications. Extensive gene expression profiling studies in animal models of ALI (rat, murine, canine), as well as in humans, were performed to identify potential candidate genes http://www.hopkins-genomics.org/. We identified a number of candidate genes for ALI, with blood coagulation and inflammation gene ontologies being the most highly represented. The candidate gene approach coupled with extensive gene profiling and novel bioinformatics approaches is a valuable way to identify genes that are involved in ALI.

Activation of formyl peptide receptor-like 1 by WKYMVm induces serine phosphorylation of STAT3, which inhibits its tyrosine phosphorylation and nuclear translocation induced by hydrogen peroxide

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an important transcription factor that modulates the expression of several genes. The activation of STAT3 accompanies tyrosine phosphorylation and its translocation to the nucleus. Formyl peptide receptor like 1 (FPRL1) is an important classical chemoattractant receptor. In this study, we observed that the stimulation of FPRL1 by Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-D-Met (WKYMVm) caused serine phosphorylation but not tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT3 in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. Moreover, downstream of FPRL1 stimulation, phospholipase D (PLD) activity was dramatically increased. n-butanol, a well-known phosphatidic acid (PA) acceptor, completely inhibited WKYMVm-induced STAT3 serine phosphorylation. Moreover, the exogenous addition of PA mimicked STAT3 phosphorylation by WKYMVm. We also found that WKYMVm stimulated extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), and that ERK activity is required for STAT3 serine phosphorylation. This WKYMVm-induced ERK activation was inhibited by n-butanol, whereas ERK activation was also induced by the addition of exogenous PA. In terms of the functional aspects of the WKYMVm-induced serine phosphorylation of STAT3, we found that hydrogen peroxide-stimulated STAT3 activation was blocked by pretreating WKYMVm. Taken together, we found that WKYMVm stimulated FPRL1, and that this resulted in STAT3 serine phosphorylation via PLD-mediated ERK activation, and that the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 blocked hydrogen peroxide-induced STAT3 activity.

Protein Kinase Cδ Mediates Lysophosphatidic Acid-induced NF-κB Activation and Interleukin-8 Secretion in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a potent bioactive lipid, elicits many of its biological actions via the specific G-protein-coupled receptors LPA1, LPA2, LPA3, and LPA4. Recently, we have shown that LPA-induced transactivation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta is regulated by phospholipase D2 in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEpCs) (Wang, L., Cummings, R. J., Zhao, Y., Kazlauskas, A., Sham, J., Morris, A., Brindley, D. N., Georas, S., and Natarajan, V. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 39931-39940). Here, we report that protein kinase Cdelta (PKCdelta) mediates LPA-induced NF-kappaB transcription and interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion in HBEpCs. Treatment of HBEpCs with LPA increased both IL-8 gene and protein expression, which was coupled to Gi and G(12/13) proteins. LPA caused a marked activation of NF-kappaB in HBEpCs as determined by IkappaB phosphorylation and of NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and a strong induction of NF-kappaB promoter-mediated luciferase activity. Furthermore, LPA-activated PKCdelta and the LPA-mediated activation of NF-kappaB and IL-8 production were attenuated by overexpression of dominant-negative PKCdelta and rottlerin. Intratracheal administration of LPA in mice resulted in elevated levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-2, a murine homolog of IL-8, and an influx of neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. These results demonstrate for the first time that LPA is a potent stimulator of IL-8 production in HBEpCs, which involves PKCdelta/NF-kappaB signaling pathways.

Differential role for phospholipase D1 and phospholipase D2 in 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-phorbol acetate-stimulated MAPK activation, Cox-2 and IL-8 expression

Phospholipase D (PLD) is expressed in many tissues and stimulated by growth factors and cytokines. However, the role of PLD in signal transduction is still not well-understood. Human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells exhibit low levels of both PLD1 and PLD2 mRNA, however, only PLD1 protein was detected by Western blot. When either isoform of PLD was stably expressed in HEK-293 cells, we observed an increased PLD activity in a cell-free system and a 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-phorbol acetate (TPA)-stimulated increase in PLD activity in intact cells. This system was then used to elucidate the effects of PLD activity on TPA-stimulated signaling pathways. Two such pathways, the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) and p38 are activated by growth factors and cellular stress, respectively. We found that TPA stimulated ERK phosphorylation regardless of the expression status of PLD. In contrast to ERK kinase, HEK-293 cells were unable to induce p38 phosphorylation by TPA stimulation. When HEK-293 cells expressed either PLD1 or PLD2, we observed elevated p38 phosphorylation in response to TPA stimulation. The ERK and p38 MAPKs can also stimulate the expression of both cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and interleukin-8 (IL-8). We used this system to differentiate the effect of PLD1 or PLD2 activity on the expression of Cox-2 and IL-8. Increased Cox-2 and IL-8 expression was found only in HEK-293 cells expressing PLD1. These data identify a novel role for the PLD1 isoform in the induction of gene expression and provide new insight into the differential role of PLD1 and PLD2 in cells.

Sphingosine kinase mediates activation of extracellular signal-related kinase and Akt by respiratory syncytial virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) preferentially infects lung epithelial cells. Infected cells remain viable well into the infection. This prolonged survival results from RSV-induced activation of pro-survival pathways, including Akt and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK). Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a sphingolipid metabolite with demonstrated links to cell survival. It is enzymatically generated by sequential activation of ceramidase (generation of sphingosine) and sphingosine kinase (generation of S1P). In these studies, we found that RSV stimulated neutral ceramidase and sphingosine kinase activities in lung epithelial cells. The combined effect of activation of these two enzymes would decrease proapoptotic ceramide and increase antiapoptotic S1P. S1P activated Akt and ERK within minutes, and inhibition of sphingosine kinase blocked RSV-induced ERK and Akt activation, leading to accelerated cell death after viral infection. RSV infection does eventually kill infected cells but activation of cell survival pathways significantly delays cell death. The studies are the first evidence linking sphingolipid metabolites to cell survival mechanisms in the context of a viral infection.

Phosphatidic acid regulates systemic inflammatory responses by modulating the Akt-mammalian target of rapamycin-p70 S6 kinase 1 pathway

Macrophages are pivotal effector cells in the innate immune system. When microbial products bind to pathogen recognition receptors, macrophages are activated and release a broad array of mediators, such as cytokines, that orchestrate the inflammatory responses of the host. Phosphatidic acid (PA) has been implicated as an important metabolite of phospholipid biosynthesis and in membrane remodeling and has been further suggested to be a crucial second messenger in various cellular signaling events. Here we show that PA is an essential regulator of inflammatory response. Deleterious effects of PA are associated with the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-6, and the production of nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, which are predominantly released by macrophage Raw264.7 cells. Furthermore, the administration of PA to mice increased the serum cytokine level. Moreover, direct or lipopolysaccharide-induced PA accumulation by macrophages led to the Akt-dependent activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin-p70 S6 kinase 1, a process required for the induction of inflammatory mediators. These findings demonstrate the importance of the role of PA in systemic inflammatory responses, and provide a potential usefulness as specific targets for the development of therapies.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate in amniotic fluid modulates cyclooxygenase-2 expression in human amnion-derived WISH cells

The metabolism of arachidonic acid, in particular the generation of prostaglandins (PGs), has been proposed to play a key role in the regulation of labor. Moreover, several extracellular proteins have been reported to modulate PG synthesis in amnion cells. In this study, we found that lipid components dissolved in the amniotic fluid modulate PG synthesis in WISH human amnion cells and identified one of these components as a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). WISH cells express several S1P receptors including S1P1, S1P2, and S1P3. When WISH cells were stimulated with S1P, PGE2 synthesis increased in a concentration-dependent manner, showing maximal activity at around 100 nM. S1P treatment also caused the up-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA and protein, which was apparent within 3-12 h of stimulation. In terms of the intracellular signaling pathway of S1P-induced WISH cell activation, we found that S1P stimulated two kinds of MAPK, ERK, and p38 kinase. We examined the roles of these two MAPKs in S1P-induced COX-2 expression. S1P-induced COX-2 expression was blocked completely by PD-98059 but not by SB-203580, suggesting that ERK has a critical role in the process. Transfection of S1P1 or S1P3 but not of S1P2 antisense oligonucleotide inhibited S1P-induced COX-2 expression and PGE2 production in WISH cells, indicating the involvements of S1P1 and S1P3 in the processes. This study demonstrates the physiological role of S1P in amniotic fluid and its effect on the modulation of COX-2 expression and PGs synthesis in WISH cells.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate stimulates cortisol secretion

We show here for the first time that sphingosine-1-phosphate (Sph-1-P) stimulates cortisol secretion in zona fasciculata cells of bovine adrenal glands. This effect was dependent upon protein kinase C (PKC) and extracellular Ca2+, and was inhibited by pertussis toxin. Sph-1-P activated phospholipase D (PLD) through a pertussis toxin-sensitive mechanism, also involving extracellular Ca2+ and PKC. Primary alcohols, which attenuate formation of phosphatidic acid (the product of PLD), and cell-permeable ceramides, which inhibit PLD, blocked Sph-1-P-induced cortisol secretion. In conclusion, Sph-1-P stimulates cortisol secretion through a mechanism involving Gi/o protein-coupled receptors, extracellular Ca2+, PKC and PLD.

Involvement of phospholipases D1 and D2 in sphingosine 1-phosphate-induced ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) activation and interleukin-8 secretion in human bronchial epithelial cells

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a metabolite of sphingomyelin degradation, stimulates interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion in human bronchial epithelial (Beas-2B) cells. The molecular mechanisms regulating S1P-mediated IL-8 secretion are yet to be completely defined. Here we provide evidence that activation of phospholipases D1 and D2 (PLD1 and PLD2) by S1P regulates the phosphorylation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and IL-8 secretion in Beas-2B cells. S1P, in a time- and dose-dependent manner, enhanced the threonine/tyrosine phosphorylation of ERK. The inhibition of S1P-induced ERK phosphorylation by pertussis toxin and PD 98059 indicated coupling of S1P receptors to G(i) and the ERK signalling cascade respectively. Treatment of Beas-2B cells with butan-1-ol, but not butan-3-ol, abrogated the S1P-induced phosphorylation of Raf-1 and ERK, suggesting that PLD is involved in this activation. The roles of PLD1 and PLD2 in ERK activation and IL-8 secretion activated by S1P were investigated by infecting cells with adenoviral constructs of wild-type and catalytically inactive mutants of PLD1 and PLD2. Infection of Beas-2B cells with the wild-type constructs resulted in the activation of PLD1 and PLD2 by S1P and PMA. Also, the enhanced production of [(32)P]phosphatidic acid and [(32)P]phosphatidylbutanol in the presence of butan-1-ol and the increased phosphorylation of ERK by S1P were blocked by the catalytically inactive mutants hPLD1-K898R and mPLD2-K758R. Transient transfection of Beas-2B cells with human PLD1 and mouse PLD2 cDNAs potentiated S1P-mediated IL-8 secretion compared with vector controls. In addition, PD 98059 attenuated IL-8 secretion induced by S1P in a dose-dependent fashion. These results demonstrate that both PLD1 and PLD2 participate in S1P stimulation of ERK phosphorylation and IL-8 secretion in bronchial epithelial cells.