Restoration of alpha-lactalbumin-inhibited rat parotid salivary gland hypertrophy and hyperplasia by agents specific for membrane glycoprotein N-acetylglucosamine

The role of phosphotyrosine signaling pathway in a parotid gland proliferation and function

Tyrosine phosphorylation and the intracellular signaling processes associated with it have been the focus of intense study due to its importance in the regulation of biological processes as diverse as cell proliferation and cell differentiation. While much of what we now understand has been derived from the study of cell lines and tumor cells, the salivary glands provide a model to examine the effects of tyrosine kinases and tyrosine phosphatases in a normal differentiated tissue. This review will focus, therefore, on the role tyrosine kinases and phosphatases play in inducing the transition from stasis to active proliferation and their potential role in mediating secretory function of the salivary glands.

Rat parotid gland acinar cell proliferation: signal transduction at the plasma membrane

Galactosyltransferase (Gal Tase) is involved in a "receptor-ligand-type" interaction at the cell surface that mediates signal transduction following isoproterenol (ISO) treatment leading to acinar cell proliferation. Evidence is presented herein for the identification of the cell-surface glycoprotein signaling component. Using intact cells or isolated plasma membranes, the EGF-receptor (EGF-R) was specifically radiolabeled with [14C]-Galactose following ISO treatment. Injection of a polyclonal antibody monospecific for rat EGF-R also inhibited proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The immunoaffinity purified receptor demonstrated altered lectin binding and increased in vitro Gal Tase substrate capacity following beta-agonist treatment when compared with EGF-R isolated from control animals. When acinar cells were incubated in the presence of EGF, plasma membranes from control and ISO-treated animals showed autophosphorylation of EGF-R tyrosine moieties, transient increases in membrane associated phospholipase C gamma, and increased cellular levels of cAMP. These properties of the tyrosine phosphate signaling pathway could be duplicated by the exogenous addition of bovine Gal Tase to ISO-treated cells but not control cells. The results suggest that cell surface Gal Tase interacts with a form of the EGF-R, having altered carbohydrate moieties to promote intracellular signaling for acinar cell proliferation.

A novel mechanism for isoprenaline-stimulated proliferation of rat parotid acinar cells involving the epidermal growth factor receptor and cell surface galactosyltransferase

Chronic injections of epidermal growth factor (EGF) or the beta-adrenergic receptor agonist isoprenaline resulted in rat parotid gland hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Introduction of a polyclonal antibody to EGF or the EGF-receptor (EGF-R) caused a specific retardation of acinar cell proliferation when injected along with the growth factor. Meanwhile, only the antibody to EGF-R caused a dose-dependent retardation of proliferation on co-administration with isoprenaline both in vivo and in vitro. The antibody injected alone had no effect on cell growth. When cells were incubated in the presence of EGF, plasma membranes from isoprenaline-treated and control animals showed phosphorylation of the EGF-R tyrosine moieties and transient increases in membrane-associated phospholipase C gamma. Isoprenaline did not stimulate phosphorylation of the EGF-R in isolated plasma membranes. However, activation of the phosphotyrosine-signalling pathway could be duplicated by incubating isoprenaline-treated acinar cells, but not control cells, with bovine galactosyltransferase. Immunopurified EGF-R demonstrated variations in reactivity with two different lectins after treatment of the cells with the beta-agonist as well as increased galactosyltransferase substrate capacity in vitro. In addition, incubation of intact acinar cells and isolated plasma-membrane fractions from isoprenaline-treated rats with UDP-[14C]galactose resulted in an increased incorporation of label into the EGF-R. The results suggest that the carbohydrate moiety of the EGF-R has been altered in isoprenaline-treated animals allowing galactosyltransferase now to recognize this receptor. This interaction may in part mediate proliferation of parotid acinar cells. Indeed, we have previously shown that an antibody to galactosyltransferase is capable of blocking isoprenaline-mediated acinar cell proliferation in vivo [Humphreys-Beher, Schneyer, Kidd & Marchase (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 11706-11713].

Down-regulation of cellular proto-oncogenes during inhibition of rat parotid acinar cell proliferation

The role of cell surface galactosyltransferase in mediating isoproterenol-induced parotid gland hypertrophy and hyperplasia was examined in rat parotid gland acinar cells. Introduction of the transferase modifier, alpha-lactalbumin, or galactosyltransferase-associated kinase inhibitor trifluoperazine, into beta-agonist-treated rats prevented acinar cell proliferation as determined by [3H]thymidine incorporation after 96 h of treatment. However, [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA after 24 h of treatment, with injection of a combination of isoproterenol/alpha-lactalbumin or isoproterenol/trifluoperazine, was similar to injections of isoproterenol alone; suggesting that acinar cells could be stimulated to undergo a single round of DNA synthesis. Northern blot analysis of myc and fos expression followed a similar pattern of down-regulation to control levels after 96 h but not after 24 h. Hybridization with erb B showed little change with proliferation, confirming previous observations on protein levels of the EGF-receptor in acinar cells. Western blot analysis of nuclear protein expression of myc revealed that isoproterenol caused an increase in a 62-kDa protein which was again down-regulated with inhibition of cell proliferation. Analysis of protein levels of Rb110 protein showed no change in protein level in the nucleus with cell proliferation, but did show an associated increase in protein phosphorylation in response to growth stimulation.

Epidermal growth factor activation of rat parotid gland adenylate cyclase and mediation by a GTP-binding regulatory protein

Injection of rats with a single dose of epidermal growth factor (EGF) or isoproterenol increased parotid gland acinar cell levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP) significantly above control basal concentrations (34, 177 and 11.5 pmol/g tissue/100 g body weight, respectively). Following a chronic regimen of isoproterenol (3 days), EGF, bovine galactosyltransferase (Gal Tase, EC 2.4.1.22) and isoproterenol increased cAMP levels, albeit to a lower level than observed for the single dose (21, 17 and 51 pmol, respectively). Using isolated parotid gland membranes, EGF and bovine galactosyltransferase also stimulated adenylate cyclase (EC 2.7.4.3) activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Introduction of the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol blocked isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity and cAMP accumulation, but not that observed with EGF or the transferase treatment. Growth factor-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity required the presence of the guanosine triphosphate (GTP) analogue, guanyl-5'-imidodiphosphate (p[NH]ppG), while cAMP accumulation could additionally be blocked by introducing the GDP analog, guanosine 5'[beta-thio]diphosphate (GDP[S]). The ability of EGF to activate adenylate cyclase was not affected by pretreatment of acinar cell membranes with pertussis toxin, whereas pretreatment with cholera toxin eliminated EGF-stimulated cyclase activity. The experimental results presented here expand to the parotid gland our knowledge of the ability of EGF to stimulate the cAMP second messenger signalling pathway via a G-binding regulatory protein, by a mechanism independent of beta-adrenergic receptor activation.

Regulation of cell-surface galactosyltransferase in isoproterenol-treated mouse parotid glands

Chronic injection of isoproterenol into mice resulted in hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the parotid gland. As previously described for the rat, cell proliferation was accompanied by an increase in total membrane-associated galactosyltransferase. A plasma membrane localization was determined by fluorescence-activated sorting of intact cells. Co-administration of the galactosyltransferase modifier protein, alpha-lactalbumin, or the calmodulin inhibitor, trifluoperazine, blocked acinar cell proliferation by 96 h post-treatment but not at 24 h. While alpha-lactalbumin appeared to interfere with galactosyltransferase-substrate interactions, trifluoperazine prevented the appearance of cell-surface enzyme in isoproterenol-treated animals.

Cell-surface galactosyltransferase acts as a modulator of rat and human acinar cell proliferation

Several physiological parameters were examined for inducing acinar cell proliferation and corresponding increased expression of beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase. In this study, dietary changes causing acinar cell proliferation included the following: the introduction of animals to a liquid diet (causing gland atrophy) followed by re-introduction of solid chow, gustatory stimulation provided by the introduction of 0.5% citric acid to animal drinking water, and removal of the submandibular gland with subsequent reliance on the parotid gland for saliva protein and fluid. Alterations in growth factor levels were produced by injecting animals with a chronic (three-day) regimen of either nerve growth factor (NGF) or epidermal growth factor (EGF). In all cases of acinar cell proliferation in vivo, generated by the above treatments, cell-surface galactosyltransferase was detected along with the unique expression of a 4.5-kb proliferation-associated mRNA. Parotid gland proliferation could be blocked in all cases by the injection of the galactosyltransferase specific modifier protein, alpha-lactalbumin. Propranolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, blocked proliferation in all cases except EGF treatment. EGF-induced proliferation could, however, be prevented if the animals were treated with monoclonal antibody to EGF receptor or with the galactosyltransferase modifier alpha-lactalbumin. As a comparison, human parotid tissue samples obtained from neoplastic pleomorphic adenomas, muco-epidermoid carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, and a bulimia patient were analyzed for galactosyltransferase expression by Northern blot of mRNA and plasma membrane isolation. Elevated levels of galactosyltransferase were found in all neoplastic tissue preparations as well as in the bulimia sample. Amylase synthesis was reduced in samples compared with surrounding normal tissue from the same patient. In vitro cell culturing of pleomorphic adenoma cells in the presence of galactosyltransferase modifier alpha-lactalbumin and substrate UDP-galactose inhibited proliferation in a dose-dependent fashion. Southern blot analysis of DNA from neoplastic parotid cells showed an alteration in chromosomal gene structure for the galactosyltransferase activator cDNA from the adenoid cystic carcinoma. These results for induced acinar cell proliferation as well as human neoplastic pathologies suggest a direct role for cell surface beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase in signaling growth. Furthermore, the proliferation-associated activity of galactosyltransferase suggests that it may be considered as a new type of cell growth regulator.