Phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate: lipids in search of a function

Purification and partial characterization of the phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate kinase from rat brain

Phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) kinase was purified from cytosolic and particulate material of rat brain. The purification procedure of the enzyme from cytosol consisted of (NH4)2SO4 precipitation. DEAE-cellulose column chromatography and preparative isoelectric focusing. Other methods after DEAE-cellulose column chromatography failed to achieve further purification of the PtdIns4P kinase, probably caused by the tendency of the enzyme to aggregate with contaminating proteins. The final purification was 67-fold, and the recovery was 0.6%. After isoelectric focusing the fraction containing the highest PtdIns4P kinase activity showed only one protein as visualized by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and silver staining. The apparent Mr of this protein was 45 kDa and the isoelectric point about 5.8. The activity of PtdIns4P kinase was dependent on the concentration of divalent cations in the incubation medium. PtdIns4P kinase activity was found to be optimal at 10-30 mM-Mg2+. In an attempt to compare the cytosolic with the membrane-derived kinase activity, a Triton/KCl extract from synaptic membranes was subjected to the same purification procedure as the cytosolic enzyme. A difference in isoelectric focusing was observed, possibly due to a higher tendency to form aggregates. However, we tend to conclude that also in the membranes the PtdIns4P kinase activity is present as a 45 kDa protein, identical with that found in the cytosol.

Inositol trisphosphates in carbachol-stimulated rat parotid glands

Carbachol stimulation of rat parotid gland fragments prelabelled with myo-[3H]-inositol results in a large accumulation after 15 min of [3H]inositol trisphosphate. Only some of this is the D-1,4,5 isomer which would be expected to be derived from the known phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate. The predominant inositol trisphosphate is not susceptible to hydrolysis by human erythrocyte membranes. It yields altritol after periodate treatment followed by reduction and dephosphorylation, and, from partial dephosphorylation experiments, does not have a phosphate in the 2 position; the most likely structure of this inositol trisphosphate is therefore (D/L)-myo-inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate. The possible origin and significance of this compound are discussed.

The effects of ACTH, serotonin, K+ and angiotensin analogues on 32P incorporation into phospholipids of the rat adrenal cortex: basis for an assay method using zona glomerulosa cells

The effects of various concentrations of serotonin, ACTH, K+, angiotensin II (AII), angiotensin III (AIII) and [Sar1]angiotensin II (SAII) on steroidogenesis and the incorporation of 32P (after preincubation to near equilibrium with the ATP pool) into phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) in a preparation of capsular cells from rat adrenals, consisting of 95% zona glomerulosa (z.g.) and 5% zona fasciculata plus reticularis (z.f.r.) cells, were investigated. Serotonin and ACTH stimulated steroidogenesis in the usual manner but had little or no effect on 32P incorporation into any of the three phospholipids. However, AII, AIII and SAII stimulated steroidogenesis and also 32P incorporation into PA and PI (maximally to about 280% of control values) but not into PC. These results taken together with other data on effects on the cAMP output and Ca2+ fluxes of z.g. cells suggest that stimulation by ACTH and serotonin is mediated by cAMP as second messenger. However, the angiotensins probably act through Ca2+, with associated changes in phospholipid metabolism. The 32P incorporation into PA as a function of lg concentration of AII was linear and showed a reasonable index of precision (0.36 +/- 0.03, eight experiments, 0.23 +/- 0.02 for a further eight experiments) and correlation with steroidogenesis. The corresponding incorporation into PI showed a maximum effect and a much poorer index of precision (1.02 +/- 0.30 (4.69 +/- 3.7] over the same full range of AII concentration used. The effects of AIII and SAII showed similar characteristics for 32P incorporation into both PA and PI, but, as for stimulation of steroidogenesis, at higher concentrations for AIII than for AII. The effects of different doses of AII, AIII and ACTH on the corticosterone output and 32P incorporation into PA, PI and PC of a preparation of cells, consisting of more than 98% z.f.r. cells, from rat decapsulated adrenals were also studied. ACTH, at low doses, which nevertheless markedly stimulated corticosterone output, had a small (maximally to about 125% of control values) but significant effect on 32P incorporation into PA, PI and PC. The maximum effect was usually at about 10(-10) M ACTH and was not significant at 10(-8) M.

Turnover of inositol phospholipids and signal transduction

Various extracellular informational signals such as those from a group of hormones and some neurotransmitters appear to be passed from the cell surface into the cell interior by two routes, protein kinase C activation and Ca2+ mobilization. Both routes usually become available as the result of an interaction of a single ligand and a receptor and act synergistically to evoke subsequent cellular responses such as release reactions. The signal-dependent breakdown of inositol phospholipids, particularly phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate, now appears to be a key event for initiating these processes.

Secretagogue-induced phosphoinositide metabolism in human leucocytes

The relationship between receptor binding of the formylated peptide chemoattractant formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMet-Leu-Phe), lysosomal enzyme secretion and metabolism of membrane phospholipids was evaluated in both human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) and the dimethyl sulphoxide (Me2SO)-stimulated human myelomonocytic HL-60 leukaemic cell line. In both cell types, exposure to fMet-Leu-Phe (100 nM) induced rapid lysosomal enzyme secretion (maximal release less than 30 s) and marked changes in the 32P-labelling of the inositol lipids phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns), phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P), phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] as well as phosphatidic acid (PtdA). Specifically, levels of [32P]PtdIns and [32P]PtdIns(4,5)P2 decreased rapidly (peak decrease at 10-15s), with a subsequent increase at 30 s and later. PtdIns4P and PtdA showed only an increase. In Me2SO-differentiated HL-60 cells prelabelled with [3H]inositol for 20 h, fMet-Leu-Phe caused a net increase in the cellular content of [3H]inositol phosphates, including a rapid increase in [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, suggesting that PtdIns(4,5)P2 breakdown occurs by a phospholipase C mechanism. Both lysosomal enzyme secretion and changes in phospholipid metabolism occur over the same agonist concentration range with a similar time course. Binding of [3H]fMet-Leu-Phe, although occurring over the same concentration range, exhibited markedly slower kinetics. Although depletion of extracellular Ca2+ had no effect on ligand-induced polyphosphoinositide turnover, PtdIns turnover, PtdA labelling and lysosomal enzyme secretion were severely curtailed. These studies demonstrate a receptor-mediated enhancement of phospholipid turnover that correlates with a specific biological response to fMet-Leu-Phe. Further, the results are consistent with the idea that phospholipase C-mediated degradation of PtdIns(4,5)P2, which results in the formation of inositol trisphosphate, is an early step in the stimulus-secretion coupling pathway of the neutrophil. The lack of correlation between these two responses and the equilibrium-binding condition suggests that either these parameters are responsive to the rate of ligand-receptor interaction or only fractional occupation is required for a full biological response.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone rapidly alters polyphosphoinositide metabolism in rat granulosa cells

This report describes the rapid effects of GnRH and an agonist [D-Ala6, des-Gly10] GnRH ethylamide (GnRHa) on polyphosphoinositide metabolism in rat granulosa cells. As indicated by the depletion of cellular levels of 32P-prelabeled triphosphoinositide (TPI) and diphosphoinositide (DPI), GnRHa rapidly stimulated the hydrolysis of TPI and DPI. The effect of GnRHa was maximal at the earliest time point examined (30 sec) and preceded GnRHa-induced increases in labeling of phosphatidylinositol. A specific GnRH antagonist had no effect on TPI or DPI levels, but prevented the polyphosphoinositide depletion induced by GnRH. LH did not stimulate depletion of 32P-polyphosphoinositides. The rapid and specific effects of GnRH on polyphosphoinositide depletion may represent an early and possibly initiating event in the action of GnRH.

Fertilization increases the polyphosphoinositide content of sea urchin eggs

Fertilization of the sea urchin egg stimulates a wave of exocytosis of cortical vesicles, but the mechanism by which fertilization regulates this secretion is not fully understood. We describe here experiments which suggest that polyphosphoinositide metabolism could be a factor in this regulation. We find that the cortical vesicle exocytosis in the egg of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is preceded by a 40% increase in its content of triphosphoinositide (TPI) and a 22% increase of diphosphoinositide (DPI).

Acetylglyceryl ether phosphorylcholine (AGEPC; platelet-activating factor)-induced stimulation of rabbit platelets: correlation between phosphatidic acid level, 45Ca2+ uptake, and [3H]serotonin secretion

When 32Pi-labeled rabbit platelets were incubated with 5 X 10(-10) M 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine (AGEPC), either in the presence or absence (0.1 mM EGTA) of added Ca2+, there was a three- to five-fold increase in the [32P]phosphatidic acid (PA) pool within 15 to 20 s. This event was followed by a gradual decrease in the [32P]PA level to near basal level in 5 min. AGEPC effected this change in [32P]PA in a characteristic dose- and time-dependent manner. Polar head group analogs of AGEPC, such as AGEDME and AGEMME, also effected an increase in PA labeling at levels comparable to those previously reported for their activity toward rabbit platelets [K. Satouchi, R. N. Pinckard, L. M., McManus, and D. J. Hanahan (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 4425-4432]. Other analogs, i.e., lysoGEPC and the enantiomer, sn-1-AGEPC, which are inactive toward rabbit platelets, also showed no effect on the level of [32P]PA. The finding that the PA level in rabbit platelets could be manipulated by the addition of AGEPC, without any added Ca2+, provided an excellent model system for establishing a correlation between the uptake of Ca2+, serotonin release, and PA level. Thus, PA must be regarded as a sensitive indicator of a reaction mechanism important to the platelet response to AGEPC, and could be the focal point in promoting calcium uptake during the stimulation process.

The Ca2+-activated polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase of human and rabbit neutrophil membranes

Addition of Ca2+ to a plasma-membrane fraction derived from human or rabbit neutrophils led to the specific breakdown of polyphosphoinositides. The degradation products were identified as diacylglycerol and inositol bis- and tris-phosphate, thus demonstrating the presence of a Ca2+-activated phospholipase C. The newly generated diacylglycerol resembled the polyphosphoinositides in its fatty acid composition, and in the presence of MgATP2- it was converted into phosphatidate. These results therefore demonstrate the presence in neutrophil plasma membranes not only of polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase but also of diacylglycerol kinase.

Neurotransmitter receptors mediate cyclic GMP formation by involvement of arachidonic acid and lipoxygenase

Evidence is presented that has led us to abandon the hypothesis that receptor-mediated cyclic GMP formation in cultured nerve cells occurs via the influx of extracellular calcium ions and an increase in the cytosolic free calcium ion concentration. While the cyclic GMP response is absolutely dependent on the presence of Ca2+, there is no increase in free intracellular Ca2+ subsequent to agonist stimulation. Instead, we have found that muscarinic or histamine H1 receptor stimulation elicits the release of arachidonic acid through a quinacrine-sensitive mechanism, possibly phospholipase A2. Inhibition of the release or metabolism of arachidonate by the lipoxygenase pathway prevents receptor-mediated cyclic GMP formation. We hypothesize that neurotransmitter receptors that mediate cyclic GMP synthesis function by releasing arachidonic acid and that an oxidative metabolite of arachidonic acid then stimulates soluble guanylate cyclase.

The second messenger linking receptor activation to internal Ca release in liver

The increase in cytosolic [Ca2+] induced by Ca-mobilizing hormones in liver is mainly due to release of Ca from intracellular stores. For Ca to be released from internal sites a messenger must be formed at the plasma membrane which diffuses into the cytosol to signal Ca release from the intracellular organelles. One of the first actions of these hormones is to cause breakdown of the polyphosphoinositides to form soluble inositol phosphates. Some evidence for the idea that these substances could be the second messenger has been obtained in pancreatic acinar cells. Here we have found that hormone activation of hepatocytes causes rapid breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [ PtdIns (4,5)P2] to form inositol trisphosphate ( InsP3 ). When applied to permeabilized hepatocytes, InsP3 releases Ca from non-mitochondrial ATP-dependent pools. This suggests that InsP3 could be the messenger linking Ca-mobilizing receptor activation to intracellular Ca release in liver.

Cytoplasmic Ca2+ in platelets is controlled by cyclic AMP: antagonism between stimulators and inhibitors of adenylate cyclase

Activation of platelets by thrombin rapidly increases cytoplasmic free calcium, [Ca2+]i, measured by Quin -2, and induces secretion. Stimulators of adenylate cyclase (i.e. PGI2, PGD2, forskolin) suppressed or reversed the increase of [Ca2+]i. Inhibitors of adenylate cyclase (i.e. epinephrine, ADP), added before or after thrombin, counteracted PGI2, PGD2 and forskolin and thereby increased [Ca2+]i and restored secretion. Responses to epinephrine (via alpha-2 adrenoreceptors) and ADP were independent of extracellular Ca2+, but required maintained occupancy of thrombin receptors and intact cAMP-phosphodiesterase activity. These results indicate that cAMP serves as an inhibitory second-messenger that antagonizes the mobilization of Ca2+, an activator second-messenger.

The role of protein kinase C in cell surface signal transduction and tumour promotion

Protein kinase C has a crucial role in signal transduction for a variety of biologically active substances which activate cellular functions and proliferation. When cells are stimulated, protein kinase C is transiently activated by diacylglycerol which is produced in the membrane during the signal-induced turnover of inositol phospholipids. Tumour-promoting phorbol esters, when intercalated into the cell membrane, may substitute for diacylglycerol and permanently activate protein kinase C. The enzyme probably serves as a receptor for the tumour promoters. Further exploration of the roles of this enzyme may provide clues for understanding the mechanism of cell growth and differentiation.

Metabolism of inositol phosphates in parotid cells: implications for the pathway of the phosphoinositide effect and for the possible messenger role of inositol trisphosphate

Rat parotid acinar cells were used to investigate the time course of formation and breakdown of inositol phosphates in response to receptor-active agents. In cells preincubated with [3H]inositol and in the presence of 10 mM LiCl (which blocks hydrolysis of inositol phosphate), methacholine (10(-4)M) caused a substantial increase in cellular content of [3H]inositol phosphate, [3H]inositol bisphosphate and [3H]inositol trisphosphate. Subsequent addition of atropine (10(-4) M) caused breakdown of [3H]inositol trisphosphate and [3H]inositol bisphosphate and little change in accumulated [3H]inositol phosphate. The data could be fit to a model whereby inositol trisphosphate and inositol bisphosphate are formed from phosphodiesteratic breakdown of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol phosphate respectively, and inositol phosphate is formed from hydrolysis of inositol bisphosphate rather than from phosphatidyl-inositol. Consistent with this model was the finding that [3H]inositol trisphosphate and [3H]inositol bisphosphate levels were substantially increased in 5 sec while an increase in [3H]inositol phosphate was barely detectable at 60 sec. These results indicate that in the parotid gland the phosphoinositide cycle is activated primarily by phosphodiesteratic breakdown of the polyphosphoinositides rather than phosphatidyl-inositol. Also, the results show that formation of inositol trisphosphate is probably sufficiently rapid for it to act as a second messenger signalling internal Ca2+ release in this tissue.

Analysis of the metabolic turnover of the individual phosphate groups of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Validation of novel analytical techniques by using 32P-labelled lipids from erythrocytes

We have developed methods that yield estimates of the 32P content of each of the individual phosphate groups of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, thus extending the information available from studies of the labelling of these lipids in intact cells or membrane preparations. The analyses are undertaken with the deacylated lipids. Assay of the 5-phosphate of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate is achieved by the use, under conditions of first-order kinetics, of a 5-phosphate-specific phosphomonoesterase present in isolated erythrocyte membranes [Downes, Mussat & Michell (1982) Biochem. J. 203, 169-177]. Assay of the 4-phosphate of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and of the total monoester phosphate content (4-phosphate plus 5-phosphate) of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate employs alkaline phosphatase from bovine intestine. The radioactivity of the 1-phosphate is that remaining as organic phosphate after exhaustive alkaline phosphatase treatment. The methodology has been validated by using lipids from human erythrocytes: these contain no 32P in their 1-phosphate. These methods should be of substantial value in studies of the many cells that show rapid hormonal perturbations of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate metabolism.

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate phosphodiesterase and phosphomonoesterase activities of rat brain. Some properties and possible control mechanisms

The phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] [and to a lesser extent, the phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PtdIns4P)] phosphodiesterase and monoesterase activities of a rat brain supernatant have been studied by using 32P-labelled substrates prepared from human red blood cells. PtdIns(4,5)P2 monoesterase is maximally stimulated by Mg2+, though some activity is detectable in Ca2+/EDTA (Mg2+-free) buffers. The phosphodiesterase, however, is Ca2+-dependent, and in Ca2+/EDTA buffers with the pure lipid as substrate, shows maximal activity at 100 nM-Ca2+. If PtdIns(4,5)P2 is presented as a component of a lipid mixture of similar composition to that of the inner half of the lipid bilayer of a rat liver plasma membrane, the phosphodiesterase shows considerable activity at 1 microM-Ca2+, and is maximal at 100 microM-Ca2+. However, if it is assayed against the same substrate in Ca2+/EGTA buffers with 3mM-Mg2+ and 80 mM-KCl present (as an approximate parallel with the ionic environment in vivo), it shows no detectable activity below 100 microM-Ca2+, and is maximal at 1 mM-Ca2+. The monoesterase can hydrolyse PtdIns(4,5)P2 in such a lipid mixture at all Ca2+ concentrations with 1 or 3 mM-Mg2+ present. PtdIns(4,5)P2 phosphodiesterase can be induced to attack its substrate under ionic conditions similar to those in vivo (0.1-1 microM-Ca2+; 1 mM-Mg2+; 80 mM-KCl) by the conversion of its substrate into a non-bilayer configuration. If given such a substrate [by mixing PtdIns(4,5)P2 with an excess of phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn)] it shows a shallow Ca2+-dependency curve from 0.1 to 100 microM and then a steep rise to 1 mM-Ca2+. Together these observations lead us to the suggestion that a perturbation in a membrane in vivo equivalent to a non-bilayer configuration would be sufficient to induce phosphodiesterase-catalysed PtdIns(4,5)P2 breakdown. When given substrates mixed with excess PtdEtn at pH 7.25 (or 5.5), 1 microM-Ca2+, 1 mM-Mg2+ and 80 mM-KCl, the rat brain supernatant phosphodiesterase activity hydrolysed PtdIns(4,5)P 50-100-fold faster than it hydrolysed phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns). If the supernatant was presented with such a non-bilayer mixture containing a ten-fold excess of PtdIns over PtdIns(4,5)P2, the latter phospholipid was still hydrolysed by phosphodiesterasic cleavage at nearly ten times the rate of the former. Receptor-stimulated phosphodiesterase cleavage of polyphosphoinositides is an early event in cell activation by many agonists. The properties of PtdIns(4,5)P2 phosphodiesterase in vitro suggest that a change in the presentation of its substrate would be a sensitive and sufficient control on the enzyme's activity in vivo.

Receptor-mediated metabolism of the phosphoinositides and phosphatidic acid in rat lacrimal acinar cells

The metabolism of the inositol lipids and phosphatidic acid in rat lacrimal acinar cells was investigated. The muscarinic cholinergic agonist methacholine caused a rapid loss of 15% of [32P]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] and a rapid increase in [32P]phosphatidic acid (PtdA). Chemical measurements indicated that the changes in 32P labelling of these lipids closely resembled changes in their total cellular content. Chelation of extracellular Ca2+ with excess EGTA caused a significant decrease in the PtdA labelling and an apparent loss of PtdIns(4,5)P2 breakdown. The calcium ionophores A23187 and ionomycin provoked a substantial breakdown of [32P]PtdIns(4,5)P2 and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P); however, a decrease in [32P]PtdA was also observed. Increases in inositol phosphate, inositol bisphosphate and inositol trisphosphate were observed in methacholine-stimulated cells, and this increase was greatly amplified in the presence of 10 mM-LiCl; alpha-adrenergic stimulation also caused a substantial increase in inositol phosphates. A23187 provoked a much smaller increase in the formation of inositol phosphates than did either methacholine or adrenaline. Experiments with excess extracellular EGTA and with a protocol that eliminates intracellular Ca2+ release indicated that the labelling of inositol phosphates was partially dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and independent of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. Thus, in the rat lacrimal gland, there appears to be a rapid phospholipase C-mediated breakdown of PtdIns(4,5)P2 and a synthesis of PtdA, in response to activation of receptors that bring about an increase in intracellular Ca2+. The results are consistent with a role for these lipids early in the stimulus-response pathway of the lacrimal acinar cell.

Phosphorylation of a 16-kDa protein by diacylglycerol-activated protein kinase C in vitro and by vasopressin in intact hepatocytes

A 16-kDa protein present in a purified rat liver plasma membrane fraction and also in cytosol can be phosphorylated by endogenous diacylglycerol-activated protein kinase C. In intact hepatocytes prelabeled with 32P, vasopressin causes a rapid increase in the phosphorylation of a 16-kDa protein having a similar pI value to that observed in in vitro studies. These findings suggest that vasopressin-induced phosphorylation of the 16-kDa in the intact hepatocyte may reflect increased activity of protein kinase C, secondary to membrane polyphosphoinositide breakdown. Phosphorylation of the 16-kDa protein may thus be part of the coordinated mechanism associated with hormonal regulation of cellular Ca2+ fluxes.

The role of phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate breakdown in cell-surface receptor activation

The activation of Ca2+-mobilising receptors on hepatocytes and many other cells leads to a prompt reduction in the cellular content of inositol phospholipids. The primary event which underlies these changes is, most probably, a phospholipase C-catalysed attack upon phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate. The receptor-mediated breakdown of this lipid in stimulated cells is: (i) not mediated by an increase in cytosol [Ca2+] and (ii) closely coupled to receptor occupation. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate degradation may be studied by measuring the appearance of the water-soluble product, inositol trisphosphate (and its metabolites: inositol bisphosphate and inositol monophosphate), in stimulated cells. Recent evidence indicates that inositol trisphosphate and the lipid soluble product of phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate breakdown, 1,2 diacylglycerol, may act as 'second messengers' which mediate the effects of many extracellular signals in stimulated cells.

Effects of carbachol and pancreozymin (cholecystokinin-octapeptide) on polyphosphoinositide metabolism in the rat pancreas in vitro

We studied the possibility that hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] may be the initiating event for the increase in [32P]Pi incorporation into phosphatidic acid (PtdA) and phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) during carbachol and pancreozymin (cholecystokinin-octapeptide) action in the rat pancreas. After prelabelling acini for 2h, [32P]Pi incorporation into PtdA, PtdIns(4,5)P2 and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) had reached equilibrium. Subsequent addition of carbachol or pancreozymin caused 32P in PtdIns(4,5)P2 to decrease by 30-50% within 10-15 s, and this was followed by sequential increases in [32P]Pi incorporation into PtdA and PtdIns. Similar changes in 32P-labelling of PtdIns4P were not consistently observed. Confirmation that the decrease in 32P in chromatographically-purified PtdIns(4,5)P2 reflected an actual decrease in this substance was provided by the fact that similar results were obtained (a) when PtdIns(4,5)P2 was prelabelled with [2-3H]inositol, and (b) when PtdIns(4,5)P2 was measured as its specific product (glycerophosphoinositol bisphosphate) after methanolic alkaline hydrolysis and ion-exchange chromatography. The secretogogue-induced breakdown of PtdIns(4,5)P2 was not inhibited by Ca2+ deficiency (severe enough to inhibit amylase secretion and Ca2+-dependent hydrolysis of PtdIns), and ionophore A23187 treatment did not provoke PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis. The increase in the hydrolysis of PtdIns(4,5)P2 and the increase in [32P]Pi incorporation into PtdA commenced at the same concentration of carbachol in dose-response studies. Our findings suggest that the hydrolysis of PtdIns(4,5)P2 is an early event in the action of pancreatic secretogogues that mobilize Ca2+, and it is possible that this hydrolysis may initiate the Ca2+-independent labelling of PtdA and PtdIns. Ca2+ mobilization may follow these responses, and subsequently cause Ca2+-dependent hydrolysis of PtdIns and exocytosis.

Breakdown of polyphosphoinositides and not phosphatidylinositol accounts for muscarinic agonist-stimulated inositol phospholipid metabolism in rat parotid glands

The molecular mechanisms underlying the ability of muscarinic agonists to enhance the metabolism of inositol phospholipids were studied using rat parotid gland slices prelabelled with tracer quantities of [3H]inositol and then washed with 10 mM unlabelled inositol. Carbachol treatment caused rapid and marked increases in the levels of radioactive inositol 1-phosphate, inositol 1,4-bisphosphate, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and an accumulation of label in the free inositol pool. There were much less marked changes in the levels of [3H]phosphatidylinositol, [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. At 5 s after stimulation with carbachol there were large increases in [3H]inositol 1,4-bisphosphate and [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, but not in [3H]inositol 1-phosphate. After stimulation with carbachol for 10 min the levels of radioactive inositol 1,4-bisphosphate and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate greatly exceeded the starting level of radioactivity in phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate respectively. When carbachol treatment was followed by addition of sufficient atropine to block all the muscarinic receptors the radioactive inositol phosphates rapidly returned towards control levels. The carbachol-evoked changes in radioactive inositol phosphate and phospholipid levels were blocked in the presence of 2,4-dinitrophenol (an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation). The results suggest that muscarinic agonists stimulate a polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C and that these lipids are continuously replenished from the labelled phosphatidylinositol pool. [3H]Inositol 1-phosphate in the stimulated glands probably arises via hydrolysis of inositol 1,4-bisphosphate and not directly from phosphatidylinositol.

Thyroliberin stimulates rapid hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate by a phosphodiesterase in rat mammotropic pituitary cells. Evidence for an early Ca2+-independent action

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH; thyroliberin) stimulated rapid hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] by a phosphodiesterase (phospholipase C) in GH3 cells, a prolactin-secreting rat pituitary tumour cell line. TRH caused a rapid decrease in the level of PtdIns(4,5)P2 to 60% of control and stimulated a marked transient increase in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, the unique product of phosphodiesteratic hydrolysis of PtdIns(4,5)P2, to a peak of 410% of control at 15 s. TRH also caused decreases in phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate (PtdIns4P) and phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) to 65% and 93% of control at 15 s respectively. Inositol 1,4-bisphosphate was increased to a peak of 450% at 30 s; inositol 1-monophosphate and inositol were not elevated until 30 s and 1 min respectively after TRH addition. To study whether PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis may be caused by an elevation in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, the changes induced by TRH in the levels of inositol sugars were compared with the effects of membrane depolarization by high extracellular [K+]. The elevation in cytosolic [Ca2+] induced by K+ depolarization did not change the level of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. These data suggest that phosphodiesteratic hydrolysis of PtdIns(4,5)P2 may be the initial event in TRH stimulation of inositol lipid metabolism in GH3 cells and that PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis is not stimulated by an elevation in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. The decreases in PtdIns4P and PtdIns may be due to enhanced conversion of PtdIns into PtdIns4P into PtdIns(4,5)P2 or to their direct hydrolysis by phosphomonoesterases and/or phosphodiesterases. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that TRH-stimulated PtdIns(4,5)P2 breakdown causes Ca2+ mobilization leading to prolactin secretion.

Identification and metabolism of polyphosphoinositides in isolated islets of Langerhans

Isolated islets were incubated with [32P]P1 and radiolabelling of polyphosphoinositides were determined. Labelling equilibrium was approached after 45 min, with a half-time of 15 min. D-Glucose decreased the amount of [32P]PO4 in phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) within 0.5 min, and loss of radiolabel was still evident at 1 min. [32P]PO4 levels in polyphosphoinositides returned to basal levels within 5 min. Neither D-galactose nor D-glucose after pretreatment of islets with mannoheptulose elicited the polyphosphoinositide effect. The glucose-stimulated breakdown of polyphosphoinositides was inhibited by EGTA; re-addition of Ca2+ partially restored the glucose effect. Ionomycin and tolbutamide promoted the rapid breakdown of PtdIns(4,5)P2, whereas the breakdown of PtdIns4P was less rapid and of a lesser magnitude. The results suggest that the Ca2+-dependent breakdown of polyphosphoinositides in an early metabolic event during the initiation of insulin release.

Stimulation of phosphoinositide breakdown in rat pancreatic islets by glucose and carbamylcholine

In the presence of Li+, glucose, 2-ketoisocaproate and carbamylcholine induced the rapid formation of 3H-inositol phosphates in rat pancreatic islets prelabelled with 3H-inositol. The production of labelled inositol phosphates continued up to 20 min of incubation. Glibenclamide and ionophore A23187 had no significant effect on labelled inositol phosphate production. The effects of carbamylcholine and to a lesser extent, glucose were found to persist in the absence of added Ca2+, but both were strongly inhibited by excess EGTA. In general, the rise in 3H-inositol phosphate production was associated with a fall in lipid bound radioactivity, although the latter was found to occur more slowly, and was of a smaller magnitude than labelled inositol phosphate formation. The results suggest that nutrient secretagogues and cholinergic agonists stimulate hydrolysis of phosphoinositides in pancreatic islets by a phospholipase C mechanism. This effect is Ca2+-dependent, but probably not triggered by increased Ca2+ uptake into the islet.

Arachidonic acid metabolism by rabbit synovial cells in culture. Studies of non-cyclooxygenase pathways

We have investigated arachidonic acid (20:4) metabolism by rabbit synovial cells in culture. The lipoxygenase products 5-HETE, 12-HETE and 15-HETE were not detected, despite the presence of a cyclooxygenase inhibitor sodium meclofenamate (20 microM), nor after incubation with ionophore A23187 (1 microM), 20:4 (10 microM), prostaglandin E2, (1 microM), N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (0.01 microM), or murine spleen cell-conditioned medium. [3H]20:4 (10 microM) was incorporated into phospholipids, triacylglycerols and diacylglycerols. A majority of the 3H content of phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylserine and of diacylglycerols was already present at 1 min, in contrast to the slower accumulation of 3H in triacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The diacylglycerol fraction contained sn-glycerol-1-acyl-2-20:4. These observations are consistent with phospholipase C activity in synovial cells under those culture conditions. The products generated by these enzymes may play important roles in the physiological processes of synovium.

Coupling of polyphosphoinositide breakdown with calcium efflux in formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-stimulated rabbit neutrophils

Exposure of rabbit neutrophils to formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) induced the efflux of 45Ca2+ from pre-labeled cells which was almost complete within 30 s. On the other hand, FMLP-induced 45Ca2+ influx did not become apparent until 60 s after stimulation. When [3H]arachidonic acid-labeled neutrophils were stimulated with FMLP, the radioactivities in phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate (TPI) and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (DPI) significantly decreased in parallel with the induction of 45Ca2+ efflux. In contrast, degradation of polyphosphoinositides in [3H]glycerol-labeled neutrophils was not significant until 60 s. Taken together, these results indicate that the early degradation of polyphosphoinositides, especially of those rich in arachidonic acid is closely associated with the initial efflux of calcium in FMLP-stimulated rabbit neutrophils. The study of resynthesis of polyphosphoinositides by measuring 32Pi incorporation into these lipids is also presented.

Sympathetic denervation impairs agonist-stimulated phosphatidylinositol metabolism in rat parotid glands

Substance P, muscarinic and alpha-adrenoceptor agonists stimulated the incorporation of [3H]inositol into phosphatidylinositol in rat parotid gland slices. Surgical denervation of the sympathetic input to the rat parotid gland by superior cervical ganglionectomy produced marked reductions in these responses. The stimulated incorporation of radiolabelled precursors into phosphatidylinositol is a measure of its resynthesis after receptor-mediated breakdown of inositol phospholipids. We therefore examined the enzymic site of the lesion induced by sympathetic denervation using parotid gland slices labelled with either [3H]inositol or [32P]phosphate and stimulated with substance P. Receptor-activated phospholipase C attack upon [3H]inositol phospholipids was assayed by measuring the formation of [3H]inositol 1-phosphate in the presence of 10 mM-Li+ to inhibit further breakdown. It was not affected by denervation. Substance P elicited a rapid breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and this response was reduced in the denervated gland. The second step in stimulated phosphatidylinositol turnover, phosphorylation of diacylglycerol to phosphatidate was not affected by denervation. Sympathetic denervation appears to induce a specific enzymic lesion in the parotid gland that impairs receptor-stimulated resynthesis of phosphatidylinositol from phosphatidate. This change in membrane lipid metabolism may be related to a number of the effects of sympathetic denervation, such as agonist supersensitivity, reduced gland cell proliferation and induction of new surface receptors.

Phospholipase C activity in plasma membranes isolated from lapine synovial cells in monolayer culture

Plasma membranes were isolated from lapine synovial cells grown in monolayer culture using discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation techniques. 5'nucleotidase was detected in great abundance while glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase were present at low to undetectable levels. Plasma membranes incubated at 37 degrees C for 60 min with [3H]-arachidonyl-phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylserine synthesized [3H]-diacylglycerides. Little if any [3H]-diacylglyceride synthesis was measured when [3H]-arachidonyl-phosphatidylcholine or [3H]-arachidonyl-phosphatidylethanolamine were used as substrates. These results are consistent with a plasma membrane-associated phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C from lapine synovial cells in culture.

Rapid breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in rat hepatocytes stimulated by vasopressin and other Ca2+-mobilizing hormones

Rat hepatocytes rapidly incorporate [32P]Pi into phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2]; their monoester phosphate groups approach isotopic equilibrium with the cellular precursor pools within 1 h. Upon stimulation of these prelabelled cells with Ca2+-mobilizing stimuli (V1-vasopressin, angiotensin, alpha 1-adrenergic, ATP) there is a rapid fall in the labelling of PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2. Pharmacological studies suggest that each of the four stimuli acts at a different population of receptors. Insulin, glucagon and prolactin do not provoke disappearance of labelled PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2. The labelling of PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 in cells stimulated with vasopressin or angiotensin initially declines at a rate of 0.5-1.0% per s, reaches a minimum after 1-2 min and then returns towards the initial value. The dose-response curves for the vasopressin- and angiotensin-stimulated responses lie close to the respective receptor occupation curves, rather than at the lower hormone concentrations needed to evoke activation of glycogen phosphorylase. Disappearance of labelled PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 is not observed when cells are incubated with the ionophore A23187. The hormone-stimulated polyphosphoinositide disappearance is reduced, but not abolished, in Ca2+-depleted cells. These hormonal effects are not modified by 8-bromo cyclic GMP, cycloheximide or delta-hexachlorocyclohexane. The absolute rate of polyphosphoinositide breakdown in stimulated cells is similar to the rate previously reported for the disappearance of phosphatidylinositol [Kirk, Michell & Hems (1981) Biochem. J. 194, 155-165]. It seems likely that these changes in polyphosphoinositide labelling are caused by hormonal activation of the breakdown of PtdIns(4,5)P2 (and may be also PtdIns4P) by the action of a polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase. We therefore suggest that the initial response to hormones is breakdown of PtdIns(4,5)P2 (and PtdIns4P?), and that the simultaneous disappearance of phosphatidylinositol might be a result of its consumption for the continuing synthesis of polyphosphoinositides.

Polyphosphoinositide breakdown as the initiating reaction in receptor-stimulated inositol phospholipid metabolism

All cell-surface receptors that bring about a rise in cytosol Ca2+ concentration upon stimulation appear also to provoke enhanced metabolism of inositol phospholipids. For many years, it has been thought that the initiating reaction in this response is phosphodiesterase-catalysed breakdown of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns). However, recent experiments with hepatocytes, parotid gland and blowfly salivary gland have demonstrated very rapid breakdown of phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate (PtdIns4,5P2), and maybe also of PtdIns4P, in cells stimulated by Ca2+-mobilizing stimuli (V1-vasopressin, angiotensin, alpha 1-adrenergic, muscarinic cholinergic, substance P and 5-hydroxytryptamine). As with the disappearance of PtdIns that had been studied previously, this response is not Ca2+-mediated and shows a receptor occupation dose-response curve. The PtdIns 'breakdown' studied previously was probably utilization of PtdIns for resynthesis of polyphosphoinositides to replace the degraded PtdIns4,5P2. We suggest that the primary event in receptor-stimulated inositol phospholipid metabolism is phosphodiesterase attack upon PtdIns4,5P2 to yield 1,2-diacylglycerol and inositol-1,4, 5-trisphosphate, and that this is an essential coupling event in a general mechanism by which receptors mobilize Ca2+ in the cytosol of stimulated cells.