In vivo metabolism of platelet-activating-factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) by the protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis

Stimulation of Leishmania tropica protein kinase CK2 activities by platelet-activating factor (PAF)

Leishmania tropica is one of the causative agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a phospholipid mediator in diverse biological and pathophysiological processes. Here we show that PAF promoted a three-fold increase on ecto-protein kinase and a three-fold increase on the secreted kinase activity of L. tropica live promastigotes. When casein was added to the reaction medium, along with PAF, there was a four-fold increase on the ecto-kinase activity. When live L. tropica promastigotes were pre-incubated for 30 min in the presence of PAF-plus casein, a six-fold increase on the secreted kinase activity was observed. Also, a protein released from L. tropica promastigotes reacted with polyclonal antibodies for the mammalian CK2 alpha catalytic subunit. Furthermore, in vitro mouse macrophage infection by L. tropica was doubled when promastigotes were pre-treated for 2 h with PAF. Similar results were obtained when the interaction was performed in the presence of purified CK2 or casein. TBB and DRB, CK2 inhibitors, reversed PAF enhancement of macrophage infection by L. tropica. WEB 2086, a competitive PAF antagonist, reversed all PAF effects here described. This study shows for the first time that PAF promotes the activation of two isoforms of CK2, secreted and membrane-bound, correlating these activities to infection of mouse macrophages.

Platelet-activating factor induction of secreted phosphatase activity in Trypanosoma cruzi

The effects of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on the ecto-phosphatase activity of Trypanosoma cruzi were investigated. Living parasites hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl phosphate (p-NPP) at a rate of 5.71 +/- 0.37 nmol P(i) mg(-1) min(-1). This ecto-phosphatase activity increased to 8.70 +/- 1.12 nmol P(i) mg(-1) min(-1) when the cells were grown in the presence of 10(-9) M PAF. This effect was probably due to stimulation of the release of the ecto-phosphatase and/or the secretion of an intracellular phosphatase to the extracellular medium, as suggested by cytochemical analysis. Modulation of the ecto-phosphatase activity was also observed when PAF was added during the time course of the reaction. WEB 2086, a competitive PAF antagonist, was able to revert PAF effects when both were used at the same concentration. When PAF was added to a membrane enriched fraction preparation of T. cruzi, no alteration on the phosphatase activity was observed. This result suggests an involvement of intracellular signaling, as PAF was only effective on intact cells. Sphingosine and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) were then used to investigate a possible involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) with PAF-induced phosphatase secretion. Sphingosine by itself stimulated the secretion of a phosphatase but did not significantly interfere with PAF effects on this enzyme. On the other hand, PMA was able to abrogate PAF-induced release of this phosphatase. These data are highly suggestive of a putative involvement of signal transduction mediated by a ligand of mammalian origin (PAF), through PKC and a specific receptor located on the cell surface of the human parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.

Stimulation of calcium influx by platelet activating factor in Dictyostelium

Platelet activating factor (PAF) induces Ca2+ influx in Dictyostelium discoideum. In this investigation we used this activity to analyze the mechanism of PAF action. We found that PAF activity was confined to the period of spike-shaped oscillations and suggest that the role of PAF is to augment cAMP relay. PAF seems to act only a few times during this time period of two hours, since Ca2+ entry adapted to a subsequent stimulus for about 30 minutes. PAF showed a reduced response in the G protein beta- strain LW14 and was unable to induce Ca2+ influx in the G alpha 2- strains HC85 and JM1. The latter expresses the cAMP receptors cAR1 constitutively, and exhibits cAMP-induced Ca2+ influx, albeit at a reduced level. In order to decide whether the inability of PAF to elicit a Ca2+ response in JM1 cells was due to the lack of differentiation and/or the lack of G alpha 2, we inhibited the IP3-dependent pathway with compound U73122 and found that Ca2+ entry was blocked, whereas a closely related inactive compound, U73343, did not alter the response. In agreement with this, NBD-Cl, an inhibitor of Ca2+ uptake into the IP3-sensitive store in Dictyostelium, also abolished PAF activity. The latter was not inhibited by the plasma membrane antagonists BN-52021 or WEB 2170. Therefore PAF seems to operate intracellularly via the IP3-signalling pathway at or upstream of the IP3-sensitive store.

Evidence for production of platelet-activating factor by yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells

Various yeast strains were screened for platelet-activating factor (PAF) production. High PAF production was found mainly in the strains of Saccharomyces genus. Yeast PAF showed a typical platelet aggregation pattern, which was inhibited by specific PAF antagonists, such as CV-3988, CV-6209 and L-652731. The main molecular species of yeast PAF were identified as 1-palmitoleoyl-, -palmitoyl-, -oleoyl- and -stearoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines (16:1, 16:0, 18:1 and 18:0 acylPAFs) and 1-hexadecenyl- and hexadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines (16:1 and 16:0 PAFs), by mass spectrometry. PAF formation in yeast cells increased at the middle stationary phase of growth.

Studies on the subcellular distribution of 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero phosphocholine (PAF) and on the enzymic activities involved in its biosynthesis within the ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis

The ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis contains platelet-activating factor (PAF) as a physiological minor lipid. Its subcellular localization was found as follows: 13.7% in the pellicles, 24.9% in mitochondria, 56.5% in microsomes and 7.1% in the cytosol. Succinate dehydrogenase was used as marker enzyme. PAF remains cell-associated unless bovine serum albumin is included in the extracellular medium. In this case 15% of total PAF, portion comparable to that found in the pellicles, is released. Investigation of the principal enzymic activities involved in PAF formation showed that PAF-acetyltransferase (2.3.167) is totally absent from the protozoan. This means that the 'remodelling' pathway occurring in pro-inflammatory cells does not contribute in PAF formation in our system. A dithiothreitol (DTT)-insensitive CDPcholine phosphocholinetransferase activity involved in PAF biosynthesis is shown for the first time to be responsible for PAF production in T. pyriformis. It uses exogenous alkyl-acetyl-glycerol as substrate and is saturated over substrate concentration 250 microM. It can also use endogenous lipids as substrate. It is distributed mainly in mitochondria and microsomes, much less is found in the pellicles and it is totally absent from the cytosol. Its insensitivity to DTT, its selectivity to alkyl-acetyl-G and its different distribution compared to the enzymic activity involved in PC formation (EC 2.7.8.2) suggest that a different enzyme, specific for PAF formation (EC2.7.8.16) via the de novo pathway exists in the protozoan.

A PAF-acetylhydrolase activity in Tetrahymena pyriformis cells

Our study provides evidence for the existence of an acylhydrolase activity in Tetrahymena pyriformis cells, capable of hydrolyzing the sn-2 ester bond of the PAF molecule. This activity is mainly distributed in the microsomal fraction (76.5% of total) and has properties similar to the mammalian PAF-acetylhydrolase since it is Ca(2+)-independent, acid-labile, is inhibited by DFP and PMSF but it is not affected by egg yolk phosphatidylcholine. This microsomal acylhydrolase has apparent Km and Vmax values of 1.56 microM and 373 pmols.mg.min respectively. This is the first report of the existence of a PAF-acetylhydrolase activity in a non-mammalian cell.

Dictyostelium cells produce platelet-activating factor in response to cAMP

Evidence is provided that Dictyostelium discoideum cells produce 1-O-alkyl-2-delta-acetyl-O-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (platelet-activating factor, PAF). D. discoideum PAF has been characterized as being identical with mammalian platelet-activating factor, based on its stimulation of rabbit platelet aggregation, its physicochemical properties and mass spectrum. The basal activity of PAF increases after starvation and during aggregation and declines at the slug stage. PAF is not detected in the extracellular space. Cell treatment with cAMP pulses stimulates a transient accumulation of PAF, probably via activation of a cAMP-dependent acetyltransferase, suggesting a possible involvement of PAF in cAMP-regulated processes in Dictyostelium.