Sphingosine stimulates calcium mobilization in rat parotid acinar cells

Sphingolipids metabolism in the salivary glands of rats with obesity and streptozotocin induced diabetes

Diabetes is considered a major public health problem affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Remarkably, scientific reports regarding salivary glands sphingolipid metabolism in diabetes are virtually non‐existent. This is odd given the well‐established link between the both in other tissues (e.g., skeletal muscles, liver) and the key role of these glands in oral health preservation. The aim of this paper is to examine sphingolipids metabolism in the salivary glands in (pre)diabetes (evoked by high fat diet feeding or streptozotocin). Wistar rats were allocated into three groups: control, HFD‐, or STZ‐diabetes. The content of major sphingolipid classes in the parotid (PSG) and submandibular (SMSG) glands was assessed via chromatography. Additionally, Western blot analyses were employed for the evaluation of key sphingolipid signaling pathway enzyme levels. No changes in ceramide content in the PSG were found, whereas an increase in ceramide concentration for SMSG of the STZ group was observed. This was accompanied by an elevation in SPT1 level. Probably also sphingomyelin hydrolysis was increased in the SMSG of the STZ‐diabetic rats, since we observed a significant drop in the amount of SM. PSG and SMSG respond differently to (pre)diabetes, with clearer pattern presented by the later gland. An activation of sphingomyelin signaling pathway was observed in the course of STZ‐diabetes, that is, metabolic condition with rapid onset/progression. Whereas, chronic HFD lead to an inhibition of sphingomyelin signaling pathway in the salivary glands (manifested in an inhibition of ceramide de novo synthesis and accumulation of S1P).

Sphingosine-1-phosphate Signaling in Human Submandibular Cells

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a significant lipid messenger modulating many physiological responses. S1P plays a critical role in autoimmune disease and is suggested to be involved in Sjögren’s syndrome pathology. However, the mechanism of S1P signaling in salivary glands is unclear. Here we studied the effects of S1P on normal human submandibular gland cells. S1P increased levels of the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), which was inhibited by pre-treatment with U73122 or 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB). Pre-treated S1P did not inhibit subsequent carbachol-induced [Ca2+]i increase, which suggests that S1P and muscarinic signaling are independent of each other. S1P1, S1P2, and S1P3 receptors SphK1 and SphK2 were commonly expressed in human salivary gland cells. S1P, but not carbachol, induces the expression of interleukin-6 and Fas. Our results suggest that S1P triggers Ca2+ signaling and the apoptotic pathway in normal submandibular gland cells, which suggests in turn that S1P affects the progression of Sjögren’s syndrome.

N,N-Dimethyl-D-erythro-sphingosine inhibits store-operated Ca2+ entry in U937 monocytes

Calcium is a ubiquitous second messenger that controls a broad range of cellular functions, and store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is the primary mechanism of regulated Ca(2+) entry in non-excitable immunocytes. In this study, we found that N,N-dimethyl-D-erythro-sphingosine (DMS) inhibited SOCE. In U937 cells, treatment with DMS for 2 h inhibited thapsigargin-induced SOCE by about 70%. DMS inhibited SOCE in a concentration-dependent manner when it was added to the cells after SOCE reached a plateau. DMS-induced SOCE inhibition was also confirmed by the Mn(2+)-quenching method, which monitors only Ca(2+) influx. Because sphingosine kinase inhibitors or protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors could not mimic the SOCE inhibition, sphingosine kinase and PKC could be excluded as targets of DMS-induced inhibition of SOCE. Furthermore, disruption of lipid rafts with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin and bacterial sphingomyelinase did not influence DMS-induced inhibition of SOCE. DMS-induced inhibition of SOCE in U937 human monocytes is a unique observation and could serve as a basis to study modulation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration by sphingolipids, although the precise mechanism should be elucidated in the future.

Sphingosine releases Ca2+ from intracellular stores via the ryanodine receptor in sea urchin egg homogenates

Various reports have demonstrated that the sphingolipids sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate are able to induce Ca2+ release from intracellular stores in a similar way to second messengers. Here, we have used the sea urchin egg homogenate, a model system for the study of intracellular Ca2+ release mechanisms, to investigate the effect of these sphingolipids. While ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate did not display the ability to release Ca2+, sphingosine stimulated transient Ca2+ release from thapsigargin-sensitive intracellular stores. This release was inhibited by ryanodine receptor blockers (high concentrations of ryanodine, Mg2+, and procaine) but not by pre-treatment of homogenates with cADPR, 8-bromo-cADPR or blockers of other intracellular Ca2+ channels. However, sphingosine rendered the ryanodine receptor refractory to cADPR. We propose that, in the sea urchin egg, sphingosine is able to activate the ryanodine receptor via a mechanism distinct from that used by cADPR.

Methacholine-induced cGMP production is regulated by nitric oxide generation in rabbit submandibular gland cells

Guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) is an intracellular messenger in various kinds of cell. We investigated the regulation of cGMP production by nitric oxide (NO) in rabbit submandibular gland cells. Methacholine, a muscarinic cholinergic agonist, stimulated cGMP production in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but the alpha-agonist phenylephrine, substance P and the beta-agonist isoproterenol failed to evoke cGMP production. In fura-2-loaded cells, methacholine induced an increase in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in a concentration-dependent manner, which was similar to that for cGMP production. When the external Ca2+ was chelated with EGTA, methacholine failed to induce cGMP production. Ca2+ ionophore A23187 and thapsigargin, which induce the increase in [Ca2+]i without activation of Ca2+-mobilizing receptors, mimicked the effect of methacholine. cGMP production induced by methacholine, A23187 and thapsigargin was clearly inhibited by NG-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME), a specific inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). S-Nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP), a NO donor, induced cGMP formation. In the lysate of rabbit submandibular gland cells, Ca2+-regulated nitric oxide synthase activity was detected. These findings suggest that cGMP production induced by the activation of muscarinic cholinergic receptors is regulated by NO generation via the increase in [Ca2+]i.

Ca(2+)-regulated nitric oxide generation in rabbit parotid acinar cells

In rabbit parotid acinar cells, the muscarinic cholinergic agonist methacholine induced an increase in the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration and provoked nitric oxide (NO) generation. Ca(2+)-mobilizing reagents such as thapsigargin and the Ca(2+) ionophore A23187 mimicked the effect of methacholine on NO generation. Methacholine-induced NO generation was inhibited by the removal of extracellular Ca(2+). Immunoblot analysis indicated that the antibody against the neuronal type of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) cross-reacted with NOS in the cytosol of rabbit parotid gland cells. Immunofluorescence testing showed that neuronal NOS is present in the cytosol of acinar cells but less in the ductal cells. NOS was purified approximately 8100-fold from the cytosolic fraction of rabbit parotid glands by chromatography on Sephacryl S-200, DEAE-Sephacel, and 29,59-ADP-Sepharose. The purified NOS was a NADPH- and tetrahydroxybiopterin-dependent enzyme and was activated by Ca(2+) within the physiological range in the presence of calmodulin. These results suggest that NO is generated by the activation of the neuronal type of NOS, which is regulated in rabbit parotid acinar cells by the increase in intracellular Ca(2+) levels induced by the activation of muscarinic receptors.

Diverse effects of sphingosine on calcium mobilization and influx in differentiated HL-60 cells

Sphingosine induces a biphasic increase in cytosolic-free Ca(2+)([Ca(2+)](i)) with an initial peak followed by a sustained increase in HL-60 cells differentiated into neutrophil-like cells. The initial peak is not affected by the presence of ethylene glycol bis (beta-aminoethyl ether) N, N, N', N-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) in the buffer and appears to be dependent on conversion of sphingosine to sphingosine -1-phosphate (S1P) by sphingosine kinase, since it is blocked by the presence of N, N-dimethylsphingosine (DMS), which, like sphingosine, causes a sustained increase itself. The sustained increase that is elicited by sphingosine or DMS is abolished by the presence of EGTA in the buffer. The sustained sphingosine-induced Ca(2+)influx does not appear due to Ca(2+)influx through store-operated Ca(2+)(SOC) channels, since the influx is not inhibited by SKF 96365, nor is it augmented by loperamide. In addition, sphingosine and DMS attenuate the Ca(2+)influx through SOC channels that occurs after depletion of intracellular stores by ATP or thapsigargin. Both the initial peak and the sustained increase in [Ca(2+)](i)elicited by sphingosine can be blocked by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-elicited activation of protein kinase C. Thus, in HL-60 cells sphingosine causes a mobilization of Ca(2+)from intracellular Ca(2+)stores, which requires conversion to S1P, while both sphingosine and DMS elicit a Ca(2+)influx through an undefined Ca(2+)channel and cause a blockade of SOC channels.

Advances in the signal transduction of ceramide and related sphingolipids

Recently, the sphingolipid metabolites ceramide, sphingosine, ceramide 1-P, and sphingosine 1-P have been implicated as second messengers involved in many different cellular functions. Publications on this topic are appearing at a rapidly increasing rate and new developments in this field are also appearing rapidly. It is thus important to summarize the results obtained from many different laboratories and from different fields of research to obtain a clearer picture of the importance of sphingolipid metabolites. This article reviews the studies from the last few years and includes the effects of a variety of extracellular agents on sphingolipid signal transduction pathways in different tissues and cells and on the mechanisms of regulation. Sphingomyelin exists in a number of functionally distinct pools and is composed of distinct molecular species. Sphingomyelin metabolites may be formed by many different pathways. For example, the generation of ceramide from sphingomyelin can be catalyzed by at least five different sphingomyelinases. A large variety of stimuli can induce the generation of ceramide, leading to activation or inhibition of various cellular events such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and inflammation. The effect of ceramide on these physiological processes is due to its many different downstream targets. It can activate ceramide-activated protein kinases and ceramide-activated protein phosphatases. It also activates or inhibits PKCs, PLD, PLA2, PC-PLC, nitric oxide synthase, and the ERK and SAPK/JNK signaling cascades. Ceramide activates or inhibits transcription factors, modulates calcium homeostasis and interacts with the retinoblastoma protein to regulate cell cycle progression. Most of the work in this field has involved the study of ceramide effects, but the roles of the other three sphingomyelin metabolites is now attracting much attention. The complex interactions between signaling components and ceramide and the controls regulating these interactions are now being identified and are presented in this review.

Calcium release-activated calcium current (ICRAC) is a direct target for sphingosine

Whole cell patch-clamp recordings were made to study the regulation of the store-operated calcium release-activated calcium current (ICRAC) by metabolites involved in the sphingomyelin pathway in RBL-2H3 cells. Sphingosine, a regulator of cell growth, inhibits ICRAC completely within 200 s and independently from conversion to either sphingosine 1-phosphate or ceramide. Structural analogs of sphingosine, including N,N-dimethylsphingosine, DL-threo-dihydrosphingosine, and N-acetylsphingosine (C2-ceramide) also block ICRAC. This effect is always accompanied by an elevation of whole cell membrane capacitance. These sphingolipids appear, therefore, to accumulate in the plasma membrane and directly block ICRAC channels. Sphingosylphosphorylcholine also increases capacitance but does not inhibit ICRAC, demonstrating structural specificity and that the elevation of capacitance is necessary but not sufficient for block. Nerve growth factor, which is known to break down sphingomyelin, inhibits ICRAC, and this inhibition can be antagonized by reducing sphingosine production with L-cycloserine, suggesting that ICRAC is a physiologically relevant and direct target of sphingosine. We propose that sphingosine directly blocks ICRAC, suggesting that the sphingomyelin pathway is involved in ICRAC regulation.

Sphingosine-induced inhibition of capacitative calcium influx in CFPAC-1 cells

Sphingosine (10 microM) induced mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ stores in the pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma cell line CFPAC-1. The effect was specific for sphingosine, since the sphingosine analog C2-ceramide had no effect. Sphingosine did not cause Ca2+ entry from extracellular medium, as also shown by following Mn2+ quenching of Fura-2 fluorescence. Furthermore, sphingosine, similarly to the mitochondrial inhibitors rotenone and oligomycin, strongly inhibited the rate of Mn2+ entry triggered by both thapsigargin- and agonist-induced depletion of intracellular stores. The uptake of rhodamine 123, a lipophilic cation which estimates mitochondrial energy level, was reduced by sphingosine to an extent similar to that observed in the presence of mitochondrial inhibitors. It is suggested that impairment of mitochondrial function might be responsible for inhibition of capacitative Ca2+ entry caused by sphingosine.

Ca2+ mobilizing action of sphingosine in Jurkat human leukemia T cells. Evidence that sphingosine releases Ca2+ from inositol trisphosphate- and phosphatidic acid-sensitive intracellular stores through a mechanism independent of inositol trisphosphate

Effects of sphingosine on Ca2+ mobilization in the human Jurkat T cell line were examined. Sphingosine increased the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in a dose-dependent manner with an ED50 of around 8 microM. Sphingosine and OKT3, a CD3 monoclonal antibody, transiently increased [Ca2+]i, which declined to the resting level in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Under the same conditions, pretreatment with sphingosine inhibited but did not abolish an increase in [Ca2+]i induced by the subsequent addition of OKT3 and vice versa. However, pretreatment with sphingosine did not affect an increase in [Ca2+]i induced by OKT3 in the presence of Ca2+. OKT3 increased IP3 formation, but sphingosine did not affect the level of IP3 by itself nor did it cause IP3 formation induced by OKT3. In permeabilized Jurkat cells, the addition of IP3 released Ca2+ from nonmitochondrial intracellular stores, but the addition of sphingosine did not. Sphingosine, stearylamine, and psychosine increased [Ca2+]i and diacylglycerol (DG) kinase activation; however, ceramide did not, whereas sphingosine 1-phosphate slightly activated DG kinase without elevation of [Ca2+]i. Pretreatment with R59022, a DG kinase inhibitor, abolished the peak but did not affect the sustained response to [Ca2+]i to sphingosine. Phosphatidic acid (PA) elevated [Ca2+]i, after which it declined to a resting level even in the presence of extracellular Ca2+. In accordance with this, PA did not stimulate 45Ca2+ uptake into cells, but sphingosine and OKT3 did. Pretreatment with PA partially inhibited a rise in [Ca2+]i induced by the subsequent addition of sphingosine and vice versa in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Under similar conditions, pretreatment with PA affected an elevation of [Ca2+]i induced by OKT3 less, after which the subsequent addition of sphingosine did not increase [Ca2+]i. In permeabilized Jurkat cells, the addition of IP3 did not release Ca2+, but PA did in the presence of heparin. Pretreatment with thapsigargin, a microsomal Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor, abolished the rises of [Ca2+]i induced by the subsequent addition of sphingosine, OKT3, and PA in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. The present results suggest that at least two kinds of intracellular Ca2+ stores exist in Jurkat cells, both of which are IP3- and PA-sensitive, and that sphingosine mobilizes Ca2+ from both stores in an IP3-independent manner. Furthermore, the IP3- but not the PA-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ store seems to regulate Ca2+ entry induced by sphingosine.

Calcium mobilization from the intracellular mitochondrial and nonmitochondrial stores of the rat cerebellum

Two major intracellular Ca2+ stores, the mitochondrial and nonmitochondrial (microsomes) fractions isolated from rat cerebellum exhibited a Ca2+ concentration and ATP-dependent Ca2+ accumulation. The maximal Ca2+ accumulation in mitochondria was higher than in microsomes, but the affinity of the mitochondria for Ca2+ was lower. In this study, Ca2+ accumulation within the mitochondria was energized by ATP hydrolysis. Thus, the protonophore, carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, and the F1F0 ATP synthase inhibitor, oligomycin, blocked Ca2+ accumulation and induced the discharge of the entrapped Ca2+ in the mitochondria, whereas the metabolic inhibitor, rotenone, affected neither the Ca2+ accumulation nor discharge. On the other hand, the uniporter inhibitor, ruthenium red, blocked the mitochondrial accumulation of Ca2+, but did not cause the discharge of preloaded Ca2+. In addition, arachidonic acid (AA), sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) and sphingosine (SPH) elicited the dose-dependent release of Ca2+ from microsomal stores. Although the magnitudes of the Ca2+ release induced by AA, SPC or SPH were all dependent on the presence of extravesicular Ca2+ at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 microM Ca2+, only the AA- and SPC-evoked Ca2+ releases were insensitive to temperature. The mitochondria were more sensitive than the microsomes to the AA induced release of accumulated Ca2+. Our results indicate the existence of multiple intracellular Ca2+ stores in nerve cells which can be released by various Ca2+ mediators.

Sphingosine regulates Ca(2+)-ATPase and reloading of intracellular Ca2+ stores in the pancreatic acinar cell

The purpose of present study was to examine the effects of sphingosine on cellular Ca2+ transports using dispersed rat pancreatic acini. The results demonstrated that sphingosine had a specific effect to inhibit Ca2+ uptake into the cell's agonist-sensitive pool as well as inhibiting microsomal Ca(2+)-ATPase. The ability of sphingosine to inhibit Ca2+ uptake resulted in both augmentation of Ca2+ release from the pool by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and conversion of the Ca2+ release by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate from a transient response to a sustained response. Furthermore, by preventing Ca2+ pool refilling sphingosine mimicked the effect of the agonist, carbachol, to maintain an increased [Ca2+]i during sustained stimulation. These results suggest that regulation of Ca(2+)-ATPase by sphingosine or a sphingosine-like agent mediates some of the effects of agonist on cell Ca2+ transports.

Induction of Ca2+ oscillations by selective, U73122-mediated, depletion of inositol-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+ stores in rabbit pancreatic acinar cells

The effect of the putative inhibitor of phospholipase C activity, U73122, on the Ca2+ sequestering and releasing properties of internal Ca2+ stores was studied in both permeabilized and intact rabbit pancreatic acinar cells. U73122 dose dependently inhibited ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake in the inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate-[Ins(1,4,5)P3]-sensitive, but not the Ins(1,4,5)P3-insensitive, Ca2+ store in acinar cells permeabilized by saponin treatment. In a suspension of intact acinar cells, loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, Fura-2, U73122 alone evoked a transient increase in average free cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i,av), which was largely independent of external Ca2+. Addition of U73122 to cell suspensions prestimulated with either cholecystokinin octapeptide or JMV-180 revealed an inverse relationship in size between the U73122- and the agonist-evoked [Ca2+]i,av transient. Moreover, thapsigargin-induced inhibition of intracellular Ca(2+)-ATPase activity resulted in a [Ca2+]i,av transient, the size of which was not different following maximal prestimulation with either U73122 or agonist. These observations suggest that U73122 selectively affects the Ins(1,4,5)P3- casu quo agonist-sensitive internal Ca2+ store, whereas thapsigargin affects both the Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive and -insensitive Ca2+ store. Digital-imaging microscopy of Fura-2-loaded acinar cells demonstrated that U73122, in contrast to thapsigargin, evoked sustained oscillatory changes in [Ca2+]i. The U73122-evoked oscillations were abolished in the absence of external Ca2+. The ability of U73122 to generate external Ca(2+)-dependent Ca2+ oscillations suggests that depletion of the agonist-sensitive store leads to an increase in Ca2+ permeability of the plasma membrane and that the Ins(1,4,5)P3-insensitive Ca2+ pool is necessary for the Ca2+ oscillations.

Influence of sphingosine on the thermal phase behaviour of neutral and acidic phospholipid liposomes

The physical state of lipids is known to have pronounced effects on membrane functions. We studied the influence of sphingosine, a modulator of diverse cellular processes on the thermal phase behaviour and molecular packing of neutral and acidic phospholipids. Differential scanning calorimetry of multilamellar liposomes as well as the monolayer technique were employed. Inclusion of sphingosine in diacylphosphatidylcholine liposomes increased their pretransition temperature Tp until at about 10 mol% sphingosine this transition was abolished. For these liposomes a gradual increase in both the temperature Tm and enthalpy delta Hm of the main transition caused by sphingosine was observed. In contrast to diacylphosphatidylcholines, the Tp for dihexadecylphosphatidylcholine was lowered by sphingosine, demonstrating that the latter destabilizes the interdigitated gel phase. Inclusion of sphingosine in dimyristoylphosphatidic acid and dipalmitoylphosphatidylserine liposomes first elevated the Tm without significant changes in delta Hm, while at sphingosine contents > 50 mol% the appearance of complex melting profiles was evident. The transition temperature for the egg yolk phosphatidic acid was shifted from below 0 to 29 degrees C when mixed with sphingosine in a molar ratio of 1:1. Sphingosine also condensed the eggPA monolayers residing on an air-buffer interface. Accordingly, besides introducing a positive surface charge allowing the binding or activation of some proteins, sphingosine could influence membrane-mediated cellular processes by altering the organization and state of membrane lipids.

Sphingosine mobilizes intracellular calcium in human neutrophils

The effect of sphingosine on the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentrations, [Ca2+]i, of human neutrophils was re-examined using Fura-2 loaded cells. We found that sphingosine induced a dose-dependent elevation of [Ca2+]i. At sphingosine concentrations > or = 10 microM, the rise in [Ca2+]i was biphasic; an initial phase increasing basal [Ca2+]i by 100% was succeeded by a second phase which raised [Ca2+]i to several microM. The enhanced signal was sustained and slowly approached the Fmax of Fura-2 over 10 min. Although cytotoxicity assays indicate that Fura-2 leakage contributed to the rise in fluorescence, EGTA, surprisingly, had no effect on the time course of this response. The explanation was that EGTA blocked Fura-2 leakage from and trypan blue uptake by neutrophils. Thus, in the presence of EGTA, biphasic increases in the fluorescent signal can be attributed mainly to release of intracellular Ca2+. Mn2+ quenching studies confirmed that sphingosine mobilized Ca2+ in two distinct phases and promoted the influx of Mn2+. Mn2+ entry, however, was not matched by substantial Ca2+ influx. Sphingosine elevation of [Ca2+]i was insensitive to pertussis toxin treatment of neutrophils and was not correlated with (1,4,5)IP3 formation. Studies with semi-permeabilized cells show that sphingosine, up to 80 microM, neither mobilized Ca2+ significantly nor inhibited active Ca2+ sequestration. Sphingosylphosphorylcholine induced a small but dose-dependent release of Ca2+. We hypothesize that a metabolite of sphingosine may release Ca2+ directly in intact neutrophils.