Evidence against a role for phospholipase D in mitogenesis

Phytosphingosine and C2-phytoceramide induce cell death and inhibit carbachol-stimulated phospholipase D activation in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing the Caenorhabditis elegans muscarinic acetylcholine receptor

Sphingolipid metabolites, such as sphingosine and ceramide, are known to play important roles in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, but the physiological roles of phytosphingosine (PHS) and phytoceramide (PHC) are poorly understood. In this study we investigated the effects of PHS, C2-PHC (N-acetylPHS) and C6-PHC (N-hexanoylPHS) on cell growth and intracellular signalling enzymes. Treatment of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with PHS, C2-PHC or C6-PHC resulted in cell death in a time- and dose-dependent manner. C2-PHC induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, whereas PHS or C6-PHC had little if any effect on DNA fragmentation under the same experimental conditions. Both PHS and C2-PHC inhibited carbachol-induced activation of phospholipase D (PLD), but not of phospholipase C (PLC), in CHO cells expressing the Caenorhabditis elegans muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR). On the other hand, no significant effect of C6-PHC on PLD or PLC was observed. Our results show that PHS and C2-PHC exert strong cytotoxic effects on CHO cells and modulate the mAChR-mediated signal transduction pathway.

Role of phospholipase D in the cAMP signal transduction pathway activated during fibroblast contraction of collagen matrices

Fibroblast contraction of stressed collagen matrices results in activation of a cAMP signal transduction pathway. This pathway involves influx of extracellular Ca2+ ions and increased production of arachidonic acid. We report that within 5 min after initiating contraction, a burst of phosphatidic acid release was detected. Phospholipase D was implicated in production of phosphatidic acid based on observation of a transphosphatidylation reaction in the presence of ethanol that resulted in formation of phosphatidylethanol at the expense of phosphatidic acid. Activation of phospholipase D required extracellular Ca2+ ions and was regulated by protein kinase C. Ethanol treatment of cells also inhibited by 60-70% contraction-dependent release of arachidonic acid and cAMP but had no effect on increased cAMP synthesis after addition of exogenous arachidonic acid or on phospholipase A2 activity measured in cell extracts. Moreover, other treatments that inhibited the burst of phosphatidic acid release after contraction--chelating extracellular Ca2+ or down-regulating protein kinase C--also blocked contraction activated cyclic AMP signaling. These results were consistent with the idea that phosphatidic acid production occurred upstream of arachidonic acid in the contraction-activated cAMP signaling pathway.