Dual Effect of Prolactin on Protein Kinase C Activity in CHO Cells Expressing Functional Prolactin Receptors

Prolactin induces calcium influx and release from intracellular pools in human T lymphocytes by activation of tyrosine kinases

The early events related to intracellular signals after prolactin (PRL) activation in T lymphocytes are not clearly established. The aim of this work was to study the effect of PRL in cytosolic calcium levels in human T lymphocytes. By using the dye FURA-2 AM, the variations in cytosolic Ca(2+) were studied in peripheral human T lymphocytes isolated from extracted blood from healthy donors. Fifty nanograms per milliliter PRL induces a small increase in cytosolic calcium. When the cells are preincubated overnight (16-20 h) in the presence of PRL, the increase in calcium is higher. This high increase is due to the release from intracellular pools and to the influx from the extracellular media. That is, after overnight incubation with PRL, calcium influx in T cells follows the capacitative model. Since PRL receptor (PRL-R) activation involves the tyrosine kinase pathway, we check calcium effect in the presence of genistein, a known inhibitor of tyrosine kinases. When cells are preincubated in the presence of 10 microM genistein, and PRL is immediately added, no increase in cytosolic calcium is observed. The presence of genistein also completely blocks the increase in cytosolic calcium stimulated by PRL after overnight incubation with PRL. In the presence of PRL and N,N-dimethyl-D-erythro-sphingosine (DMS), a stimulus that increases cytosolic calcium in T cells by tyrosine kinase stimulation, a high, even insignificant, calcium influx is induced. However, when the cells are incubated overnight in the presence of PRL, and then DMS is added, a significant increase in cytosolic calcium levels takes place. This increase is associated with an increase in calcium release from intracellular pools and an increase in calcium uptake. Genistein reduces the influx of external calcium induced by DMS after short incubation with PRL and significantly inhibits both, calcium pools empty, and calcium influx is induced by DMS after overnight incubation with PRL. In summary, PRL induces calcium influx in normal T lymphocytes. The influx is magnified after long PRL exposures, intracellular Ca(2+) pool-dependent, and activated through tyrosine kinases.

Role of protein kinases in the prolactin-induced intracellular calcium rise in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing the prolactin receptor

There is still only limited understanding of the early steps of prolactin signal transduction in target cells. It has been shown that prolactin actions are associated with cell protein phosphorylation, Ca2+ increases, and so on. However, the link between the activation of kinases and calcium influx or intracellular Ca2+ mobilization has not yet been clearly established. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, stably transfected with the long form of rabbit mammary gland prolactin receptor (PRL-R) cDNA were used for PRL-R signal transduction studies. Spectrofluorimetric techniques were used to measure intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in cell populations with Indo1 as a calcium fluorescent probe. We demonstrate that, although protein kinase C activation (PMA or DiC8) caused a calcium influx in CHO cells, prolactin-induced PKC activation was not responsible for the early effect of prolactin on [Ca2+]i. Activation of protein kinase A (PKA) or protein kinase G did not modify [Ca2+]i and inhibition of PKA pathway did not affect the prolactin response. In the same way, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinaseinhibition had no effect on the prolactin-induced Ca2+ increase. On the other hand, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (herbimycin A, lavendustin A, and genistein) completely blocked the effect of prolactin on [Ca2+]i (influx and release). W7, a calmodulin-antagonist, and a specific inhibitor of calmodulin kinases (KN-62), only blocked prolactin-induced Ca2+ influx but had no significant effect on Ca2+ release. Using pharmacological agents, we present new data concerning the involvement of protein phosphorylations in the early effects of prolactin on ionic channels in CHO cells expressing the long form of PRL-R. Our results suggest that, at least in the very early steps of prolactin signal transduction, serine-threonine phosphorylation does not participate in the prolactin-induced calcium increase. On the other hand, tyrosine phosphorylation is a crucial, very early step, since it controls K+ channel activation, calcium influx, and intracellular calcium mobilization. Calmodulin acts later, since its inhibition only blocks the prolactin-induced Ca2+ influx.