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

Mechanisms involved in alpha-adrenergic phenomena

Epinephrine and norepinephrine exert many important actions by interacting with alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in their target cells. Activation of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors causes platelet aggregation and other inhibitory cellular responses. Some of these responses are attributable to a decrease in cAMP due to inhibition of adenylate cyclase. Activation of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors promotes their coupling to an inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein (Ni). This coupling promotes the binding of GTP to Ni, causing it to dissociate into subunits. This results in inhibition of the catalytic component of adenylate cyclase. Activation of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors stimulates the contraction of most smooth muscles and alters secretion and metabolism in several tissues. The primary event is a breakdown of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate in the plasma membrane to produce two intracellular "messengers": myo-inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG). IP3 causes the release of Ca2+ from endoplasmic reticulum, producing a rapid rise in cytosolic Ca2+. Ca2+ binds to the regulatory protein calmodulin, and the resulting complex interacts with specific or multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinases and other calmodulin-responsive proteins, altering their activities and thereby producing a variety of physiological responses. DAG also produces effects by activating a Ca2+-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) that phosphorylates and alters the activity of certain cellular proteins. Frequently there is synergism between the IP3 and DAG mechanisms.

Inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol as intracellular second messengers in liver

Receptor occupation by a variety of Ca2+-mobilizing hormones, such as alpha 1-adrenergic agents, vasopressin and angiotensin II, causes a rapid phosphodiesterase-mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate in the plasma membrane with the production of the water soluble compound myo-inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and the lipophilic molecule 1,2-diacylglycerol (DG). This review summarizes the recent evidence obtained in the liver that defines the roles of these products as intracellular messengers of hormone action. Intracellular Ca2+ mobilization is mediated by IP3, which releases Ca2+ from a subpopulation of the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in a rapid increase of the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ( [Ca2+]i). Further effects of receptor occupancy are inhibition of the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase, despite net Ca2+ efflux, and an increased permeability of the plasma membrane to extracellular Ca2+. The activation of the phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C by DG does not alter Ca2+ fluxes across the plasma membrane. In contrast to some secretory cells, a synergism between protein kinase C activation and increased [Ca2+]i is not observed in liver. Activation of protein kinase C profoundly inhibits the response to alpha 1-adrenergic agonists, with only minimal effects on the vasopressin response. It is concluded that in liver the two inositol-lipid messenger systems, IP3 and DG, exert their effects by essentially separate pathways.

Evidence that adrenaline activates key oxidative enzymes in rat liver by increasing intramitochondrial [Ca2+]

The effects of intramitochondrial Ca2+ on the activities of the Ca2+-sensitive intramitochondrial enzymes, (i) pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) phosphate phosphatase, and (ii) oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH), were investigated in intact rat liver mitochondria by measuring (i) the amount of active PDH (PDHa) and (ii) the rate of decarboxylation of alpha-[l-14C]oxoglutarate (at non-saturating [oxoglutarate]), at different concentrations of extramitochondrial Ca2+. In the presence of Na+ and Mg2+, both PDH and OGDH could be activated by increases in extramitochondrial [Ca2+] within the expected physiological range (0.05-5 microM). When liver mitochondria were prepared from rats treated with adrenaline, and then incubated in Na-free media containing EGTA, both PDH and OGDH activities were found to be enhanced. Evidence is presented that the activation of these enzymes by adrenaline is brought about by a mechanism involving increases in intramitochondrial [Ca2+].

Inositol trisphosphate, a novel second messenger in cellular signal transduction

There has recently been rapid progress in understanding receptors that generate intracellular signals from inositol lipids. One of these lipids, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, is hydrolysed to diacylglycerol and inositol trisphosphate as part of a signal transduction mechanism for controlling a variety of cellular processes including secretion, metabolism, phototransduction and cell proliferation. Diacylglycerol operates within the plane of the membrane to activate protein kinase C, whereas inositol trisphosphate is released into the cytoplasm to function as a second messenger for mobilizing intracellular calcium.

Cytosolic free Ca2+ in insulin secreting cells and its regulation by isolated organelles

The role of Ca2+ in secretagogue-induced insulin release is documented not only by the measurements of 45Ca fluxes in pancreatic islets, but also, by direct monitoring of cytosolic free Ca2+, [Ca2+]i. As demonstrated, using the fluorescent indicator quin 2, glyceraldehyde, carbamylcholine and alanine raise [Ca2+]i in the insulin secreting cell line RINm5F, whereas glucose has a similar effect in pancreatic islet cells. The regulation of cellular Ca2+ homeostasis by organelles from a rat insulinoma, was investigated with a Ca2+ selective electrode. The results suggest that both the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria participate in this regulation, albeit at different Ca2+ concentrations. By contrast, the secretory granules do not appear to be involved in the short-term regulation of [Ca2+]i. Evidence is presented that inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, which is shown to mobilize Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum, is acting as an intracellular mediator in the stimulation of insulin release.

Polyphosphoinositide turnover in rat mast cells stimulated by antigen: rapid and preferential breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (DPI)

The effect of antigen on the metabolism of polyphosphoinositides was investigated in sensitized rat peritoneal mast cells. Addition of antigen to rat peritoneal mast cells prelabelled with [3H]arachidonic acid resulted in a very rapid decrease in the level of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (DPI) within 5 sec, which appeared to precede the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol (PI), while there was no significant decline of PI 4,5-bisphosphate (TPI). The reduced levels of these phosphoinositides returned almost to control or even slightly higher values by 300 sec in parallel with the antigen-stimulated [32P]phosphate incorporation into these lipids. This early and transient disappearance in DPI prior to that in PI was also observed in [3H]glycerol-prelabelled cells. These data suggest that DPI degradation upon stimulation by antigen in mast cells may be an initial step in the histamine release process.