Mechanism of arachidonic acid-induced Ca2+ mobilization from rat liver microsomes

Mechanism of modulation of the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase by arachidonic acid

The intracellular level of long chain fatty acids controls the Ca(2+) concentration in the cytoplasm. The molecular mechanisms underlying this Ca(2+) mobilization are not fully understood. We show here that the addition of low micromolar concentrations of fatty acids directly to the purified plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase enhance ATP hydrolysis, while higher concentration decrease activity, exerting a dual effect on the enzyme. The effect of arachidonic acid is similar in the presence or absence of calmodulin, acidic phospholipids or ATP at the regulatory site, thereby precluding these sites as probable acid binding sites. At low arachidonic acid concentrations, neither the affinity for calcium nor the phosphoenzyme levels are significantly modified, while at higher concentrations both are decreased. The action of arachidonic acid is isoenzyme specific. The increase on ATP hydrolysis, however, is uncoupled from calcium transport, because arachidonic acid increases the permeability of erythrocyte membranes to calcium. Oleic acid has no effect on membrane permeability while linoleic acid shows an effect similar to that of arachidonic acid. Such effects might contribute to the entry of extracellular Ca(2+) following to fatty acid release.

cPLA2alpha-evoked formation of arachidonic acid and lysophospholipids is required for exocytosis in mouse pancreatic beta-cells

Using capacitance measurements, we investigated the effects of intracellularly applied recombinant human cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2alpha) and its lipolytic products arachidonic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine on Ca2+-dependent exocytosis in single mouse pancreatic beta-cells. cPLA2alpha dose dependently (EC50 = 86 nM) stimulated depolarization-evoked exocytosis by 450% without affecting the whole cell Ca2+ current or cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels. The stimulatory effect involved priming of secretory granules as reflected by an increase in the size of the readily releasable pool of granules from 70-80 to 280-300. cPLA2alpha-stimulated exocytosis was antagonized by the specific cPLA2 inhibitor AACOCF3. Ca2+-evoked exocytosis was reduced by 40% in cells treated with AACOCF3 or an antisense oligonucleotide against cPLA2alpha. The action of cPLA2alpha was mimicked by a combination of arachidonic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine (470% stimulation) in which each compound alone doubled the exocytotic response. Priming of insulin-containing secretory granules has been reported to involve Cl- uptake through ClC-3 Cl- channels. Accordingly, the stimulatory action of cPLA2alpha was inhibited by the Cl- channel inhibitor DIDS and in cells pretreated with ClC-3 Cl- channel antisense oligonucleotides. We propose that cPLA2alpha has an important role in controlling the rate of exocytosis in beta-cells. This effect of cPLA2alpha reflects an enhanced transgranular Cl- flux, leading to an increase in the number of granules available for release, and requires the combined actions of arachidonic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine.

Rapid heparin-sensitive Ca2+ release following Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibition in intact HL-60 granulocytes. Evidence for Ins(1,4,5)P3-dependent Ca2+ cycling across the membrane of Ca2+ stores

In many cell types, emptying of intracellular Ca2+ stores after application of inhibitors of the intracellular Ca(2+)-ATPase (e.g. thapsigargin) is astonishingly rapid. It was the aim of this study to elucidate the underlying mechanism. We first compared thapsigargin-induced emptying of intracellular Ca2+ stores in intact and homogenized HL-60 granulocytes. Thapsigargin-induced Ca2+ release was rapid in intact cells (33.9 +/- 4.9% of store content/min), but it was slow in permeabilized or homogenized cells (7.7 +/- 3.9 and 12 +/- 3.8% of store content/min respectively). To study whether the Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor might be involved in thapsigargin-induced Ca2+ release, we tested the effect of heparin, a competitive Ins(1,4,5)P3 antagonist. In homogenized and permeabilized preparations, heparin did not interfere with thapsigargin-induced Ca2+ release. In contrast, when introduced into intact cells by an endocytosis/osmotic-shock procedure, heparin, but not the inactive de-N-sulphated heparin, decreased the rate of Ca2+ release by approx. 70%. Heparin inhibited Ca2+ release in response to the Ins(1,4,5)P3-generating receptor agonist N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (f-MLP) (50 nM) and to thapsigargin (50 nM) at comparable concentrations. Heparin inhibition was competitive for f-MLP-induced, but not for thapsigargin-induced, Ca2+ release. In permeabilized cells, the addition of low Ins(1,4,5)P3 concentrations before thapsigargin increased the rate of thapsigargin-induced Ca2+ release 4-fold. Taken together, our results suggest that the rapid Ca(2+)-ATPase-inhibitor-induced Ca2+ release is due to a partial activation of the Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor in resting cells. This implies Ca2+ cycling across the membrane of Ins(1,4,5)P3-sensitive Ca2+ stores in resting cells.

Modulation of GTP-dependent fusion by linoleic and arachidonic acid in derivatives of rough endoplasmic reticulum from rat liver

The effect of modulation of the content of unsaturated free fatty acids on GTP-dependent fusion of stripped rough microsomes from rat liver was determined. Cytidine monophosphate, CDP and CTP were all observed to be able to stimulate free fatty acid accumulation and coincident membrane fusion. GTP was required for membrane fusion in the presence of cytidine nucleotide but was not required for free fatty acid accumulation. In the presence of GTP and cytidine nucleotide, the addition of ATP and CoA led to the synthesis of triacyglycerol and marked inhibition of both free fatty acid accumulation and membrane fusion. Delipidated bovine serum albumin also inhibited both free fatty acid accumulation and membrane fusion. Analysis by gas chromatography indicated that linoleic acid and arachidonic acid were the most actively fluctuating of the accumulated free fatty acids. Comparison by quantitation indicated a high correlation between GTP-dependent membrane fusion and changes in amount of unesterified linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. The results suggest that polyunsaturated free fatty acids may be required for GTP-dependent membrane fusion.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-, GTP-, arachidonic acid- and thapsigargin-mediated intracellular calcium movement in PANC-1 microsomes

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-, GTP-, arachidonic acid- and thapsigargin-mediated Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-enriched microsomes was studied in a PANC-1 cell line. IP3 maximally caused an approximately 20% release of actively accumulated Ca2+. This effect was completely blocked by heparin. In the presence of 3% polyethylene glycol (PEG), GTP maximally discharged about 60% of Ca2+ from the microsomes. This effect involved a GTP hydrolytic process, not the IP3-activated Ca2+ channel. Arachidonic acid maximally released approximately 80% of Ca2+ from PANC-1 microsomes. Metabolites of arachidonic acid did not appear to be involved in arachidonic acid-mediated Ca2+ release. However, other fatty acids also induced similar releasing effects suggesting that arachidonic acid-induced Ca2+ release appeared to be non-specific. Thapsigargin was shown to inhibit Ca2+ accumulation into and induce Ca2+ release from PANC-1 microsomes. The thapsigargin-releasable Ca2+ pool included the IP3- or arachidonic acid-sensitive pool. Studies on liposomes suggested that both arachidonic acid and thapsigargin did not exert either a Ca2+ ionophore-like or a membrane detergent-like effect. The present results have provided evidence for the existence of multiple non-mitochondrial Ca2+ pools in PANC-1 cells. These Ca2+ pools could be released by various Ca2+ mediators via different mechanisms.

Mass spectrometric characterization of arachidonate-containing plasmalogens in human pancreatic islets and in rat islet beta-cells and subcellular membranes

Pancreatic islets, when stimulated with D-glucose, secrete insulin by processes requiring glycolytic metabolism and generation of ATP. Hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids also occurs in glucose-stimulated islets, resulting in accumulation of nonesterified arachidonate, which facilitates Ca2+ entry and the rise in beta-cell [Ca2+] that triggers insulin secretion. Glucose-induced hydrolysis of arachidonate from islet phospholipids is mediated in part by an ATP-stimulated, Ca(2+)-independent (ASCI) phospholipase A2 (PLA2) which prefers plasmenyl over diacyl phospholipid substrates. Here we characterize the endogenous plasmalogen content of islet cells and subcellular membranes. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric analyses demonstrated that three of the most abundant molecular species of ethanolamine phospholipids in rat pancreatic islets were plasmalogens with sn-2 arachidonate residues and palmitic, oleic, or stearic aldehyde residues, respectively, in the sn-1 position. Purified populations of beta-cells prepared by fluorescence-activated cell sorting were also found to contain these plasmenylethanolamine molecular species in abundance similar to that in intact islets and greater than that in islet alpha-cells. Both islet plasma membranes (PM) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) also contained these plasmenylethanolamine species, which accounted for 42% (PM) to 64% (ER) of the ethanolamine phospholipid arachidonate content of these membranes, as measured by stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Plasmenylethanolamine species were also abundant constituents of human pancreatic islets (accounting for 58% of their ethanolamine phospholipid arachidonate content) and were hydrolyzed more rapidly than diacyl ethanolamine phospholipid by human islet cytosolic ASCI-PLA2. Both secretagogue-induced eicosanoid release and insulin secretion from human islets were attenuated by an ASCI-PLA2 suicide substrate which sterically resembles plasmalogens. These observations are consistent with the hypotheses that islet beta-cell ASCI-PLA2-catalyzed hydrolysis of arachidonate from endogenous plasmenylethanolamine substrates may occur in membrane compartments which participate in regulation of the beta-cell cytosolic [Ca2+] and that this may be an intermediary biochemical event in the induction of insulin secretion.

Involvement of phospholipase A2 and arachidonic acid in the depolarization-evoked accumulation of Ca2+ in hippocampal mossy fiber nerve endings

Depolarization-evoked increases in intraterminal free Ca2+ are required for the induction of neurotransmitter release from nerve terminals. Although the mechanisms that regulate the voltage-induced accumulation of presynaptic Ca2+ remain obscure, there is evidence that the phospholipase-dependent accumulation of arachidonic acid, or its metabolites, may be involved. Therefore, fura-2 loaded hippocampal mossy fiber nerve endings were used to investigate the relationships between membrane depolarization, lipid metabolism and presynaptic Ca2+ availability. It was observed that depolarization of the nerve terminals with KCl induced an increase in intraterminal free calcium that was inhibited more than 90% by a combination of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel blockers. In addition, the K(+)-dependent effects on Ca2+ concentrations were attenuated in the presence of phospholipase A2 inhibitors, but were mimicked by the phospholipase A2 activator melittin and exogenous arachidonic acid. Both the melittin- and arachidonic acid-induced increases in presynaptic Ca2+ were reduced by voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel blockers. The stimulatory effects of arachidonic acid appeared to be independent of its further metabolism to prostaglandins. In fact, inhibition of either cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase pathways resulted in a potentiation of the depolarization-evoked increase in intraterminal free Ca2+. From these results, we propose that some portion of the depolarization-evoked increase in intraterminal free calcium depends on the activation of phospholipase A2 and the subsequent accumulation of unesterified arachidonic acid.

Regulatory effect of arachidonic acid on the calcium transport system in rat liver nuclei

The effect of arachidonic acid (AA) on Ca2+ transport in rat liver nuclei was investigated. Ca2+ uptake and release were determined with a Ca2+ electrode. Ca2+ uptake increased dependent on ATP (0.5-2.0 mM), while uptake was negligible in the presence of 2.0 mM ADP or AMP. AA (10-100 microM) caused a marked inhibition of Ca2+ uptake following the addition of 2.0 mM ATP. Also, Ca2+, which accumulated in the nuclei during 6 min after ATP addition, was clearly released by the addition of AA (10-100 microM). The alterations were concentration dependent. The nuclear Ca2+ uptake and release were not altered significantly by the presence of prostaglandin E2 (10 and 20 microM), prostaglandin H2 (1 and 4 microM), thromboxane B2 (1 and 4 microM), leukotriene A4 (1 and 4 microM), Ins(1,4,5)P3 (1 and 10 microM) or dibutyryl cAMP (10 and 50 microM). Only, 5-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) at 4 microM caused a significant inhibition of nuclear Ca2+ uptake and an appreciable increase in Ca2+ release; the 1 microM concentration had no effect. These results indicate that AA, one of the prostanoids, has a unique effect on Ca2+ uptake and release in rat liver nuclei. The finding suggests that AA has a regulatory effect on the Ca2+ transport system in liver nuclei.

Arachidonic acid-induced Ca2+ release from isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum

Arachidonic acid has been shown to release Ca2+ from isolated skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles. The release took place nearly equally well from all fractions of the SR and was only partially inhibited by ruthenium red, suggesting that some other pathway is involved in addition to the SR Ca2+ release channel. Arachidonic acid increased SR Ca2+ efflux even in the presence of several different SR Ca2+ pump inhibitors. It also had considerably less effect on uptake measured in the presence of oxalate and did not appear to inhibit Ca(2+)-dependent ATPase activity. Thus, the SR Ca2+ pump also appears to be minimally perturbed by arachidonic acid. Arachidonyl CoA was more effective at releasing Ca2+ than the parent compound. Arachidonic acid effects were not inhibited by lipoxygenase or cyclooxygenase inhibitors, suggesting that no eicosanoids are involved in the effects under study here. Flunarizine, cinnarizine and propyl-methylenedioxyindene inhibited the Ca2+ release induced by arachidonic acid. The effects of arachidonic acid appear to depend on the ratio of arachidonic acid to membrane vesicles.

The mechanism of arachidonic acid-induced insulin secretion from rat islets of Langerhans

The stimulation of rat pancreatic islets by glucose leads both to the secretion of insulin, and the production of arachidonic acid (AA). We have previously shown that exogenous AA can stimulate insulin secretion and that this secretion was not dependent upon extracellular Ca2+ nor upon the activation of protein kinase C. We have now demonstrated that AA-induced insulin secretion was a saturable and reversible process. AA-stimulated insulin secretion was slow in onset from intact islets but immediate from electrically permeabilized islets. In permeabilized islets AA-induced insulin secretion was not dependent on changes in intracellular Ca2+ or ATP and was not inhibited by noradrenaline. These results suggest that AA affects insulin secretion at a late stage in the exocytotic process.

Pathways controlling the superoxide response during phagocyte differentiation: involvement of arachidonic acid and Ca2+ in the response to bacterial endotoxin

In contrast to the phorbol ester oxidative response, which only develops during dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO)-induced differentiation of the human leukemic myeloblast HL-60 cell-line, the endotoxin response was observed in undifferentiated and differentiated cells. The Ca2+ response to endotoxin, detected in both differentiated and undifferentiated HL-60 cells, consisted of a transient 10-50 nM increase in intracellular Ca2+. A very slow, irreversible increase in intracellular Ca2+ was detected at high 1-100 micrograms/ml endotoxin concentrations, and this effect, and the inositol phosphate response, correlated with the surfactant activities of various endotoxins and Lipid A. Arachidonic acid and sodium arachidonate 1-50 microM stimulated a large 200-500 nM and transient Ca2+ response in undifferentiated HL-60 cells, which was significantly greater than that elicited by 1-50 microM eicosapentaenoic acid, and was not observed at similar concentrations of arachidonic acid methyl ester or myristic acid. These concentrations (1-50 microM) of arachidonic acid were observed to have surfactant activities on the plasma membrane. At lower arachidonic acid concentrations a marked potentiation of both Ca2+ and oxidative responses to the chemotactic peptide fMet-Leu-Phe was detected. It is possible that the arachidonic acid released during phospholipase A2 activation of neutrophils may be involved in cellular cross-talk and, at higher concentrations, in directly activating Ca2+ and superoxide production. It is also possible that previously reported effects of endotoxin at high concentrations are an in vitro artefact of surfactant properties of endotoxin.

Carbachol stimulation of phospholipase A2 and insulin secretion in pancreatic islets

Arachidonic acid has been implicated as a second messenger in insulin secretion by islets of Langerhans. D-Glucose, the major physiological stimulus, increases unesterified arachidonate accumulation in islets. We now show, for the first time, that the muscarinic agonist carbachol, at concentrations which stimulate insulin secretion, causes a rapid and nearly 3-fold increase in arachidonic acid accumulation in islets. The combination of glucose and carbachol has an additive effect on unesterified arachidonate release. There is a large component of secretagogue-induced arachidonate accumulation that is independent of extracellular Ca2+. Carbachol stimulation of arachidonic acid release is mediated by activation of phospholipase A2, as demonstrated by early increases in endogenous lysophosphatidylcholine. In addition to phospholipase A2 activation, carbachol-induced arachidonic acid accumulation also appears to involve diacylglycerol hydrolysis, since the diacylglycerol lipase inhibitor RG80267 partly inhibited arachidonic acid accumulation. In contrast, glucose-induced arachidonic acid accumulation appears to reflect diacylglycerol hydrolysis entirely. Our observations indicate that phospholipase A2 has an important role in muscarinic-induced insulin secretion.

Inhibition of protein synthesis in intact mammalian cells by arachidonic acid

Optimal translation initiation in intact mammalian cells requires sequestered intracellular Ca2+. Arachidonic acid, which releases sequestered Ca2+ from cells and isolated organelles, was studied to assess its potential role in the regulation of protein synthesis via Ca2+ mobilization. Unsaturated fatty acids at microM concentrations inhibited protein synthesis in intact GH2 pituitary, C6 glial tumour and HeLa cells in a manner dependent on degree of unsaturation and cell number. Arachidonate was generally the most, and the fully saturated arachidic acid the least, potent of the fatty acids tested. At 2 x 10(6) GH3 cells/ml, amino incorporation into a broad spectrum of polypeptides was inhibited by 80-90% by 10-20 microM fatty acid. Inhibition was maximal at 4-8 min and was attenuated by 1-2 h and more pronounced at lower pH. Protein synthesis was maximally inhibited when arachidonate mobilized approx. 40% of cell-associated Ca2+. At lower concentrations (10 microM) arachidonate suppressed translational initiation, with the inhibition being reversed as extracellular Ca2+ concentrations were increased to supraphysiological values. At higher concentrations (20 microM) arachidonate inhibited peptide-chain elongation in a Ca(2+)-independent manner. Arachidonate also blocked elongation in reticulocyte lysates. The effects of arachidonate in intact cells were reversible with time via its metabolism or by washes containing BSA. Sufficient arachidonate appears to be synthesized during ischaemic stress to inhibit translation by either mechanism.

Dual action of arachidonic acid on calcium mobilization in avian granulosa cells

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of arachidonic acid (AA) on calcium mobilization from intracellular compartments in digitonin-permeabilized granulosa cells isolated from the largest preovulatory follicles of laying hens. At low concentrations (ED50 0.2 microM) AA released 35% 45Ca from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas at higher concentrations (ED50 16 microM) it stimulated 45Ca efflux from mitochondria. These effects of AA were mimicked at 10-20 times lower concentration by the calcium ionophore A23187. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) also stimulated 45Ca efflux from the ER, with a markedly lower potency than AA (ED50 6.2 microM), as well as exhibiting a biphasic response. Heparin abolished the effect of IP3 and luteinizing hormone (LH), but it had no influence on AA-promoted 45Ca efflux. Moreover, the actions of IP3 and AA were additive, indicating that AA and IP3 access different Ca pools in the ER by different mechanisms. Several other unsaturated fatty acids also stimulated 45Ca mobilization from both ER and mitochondria but, with the exception of eicosapentaenoic acid, were significantly less effective than AA. It is concluded that free AA, at submicromolar concentrations that might be viewed as physiological, is a potent calcium mobilizing agent and thus may play an important role in signal transduction in avian granulosa cells, akin to that of IP3. At high (greater than 10 microM) concentrations AA removes Ca2+ from the mitochondria, an action that may be responsible for its reported inhibitory effects on steroidogenesis and other cellular functions.

Arachidonic acid induces phosphorylation of an 18 kDa protein in electrically permeabilised rat islets of Langerhans

Arachidonic acid (AA) was shown to induce concentration-dependent, calcium-independent, in situ phosphorylation of a protein of approximate molecular weight 18 kDa in electrically permeabilised rat islets of Langerhans. This protein did not appear to be a substrate for protein kinase C (PKC) since stimulation of PKC by 4 beta phorbol myristate acetate (4 beta PMA) did not result in 32P incorporation into an 18 kDa protein, and since AA-induced phosphorylation was observed in islets in which PKC had been down-regulated by prolonged exposure of islets to 4 beta PMA. These results suggest that AA stimulates protein phosphorylation by a mechanism other than PKC activation.

Accumulation of polyunsaturated free fatty acids coincident with the fusion of rough endoplasmic reticulum membranes

The accumulation of polyunsaturated free fatty acids (PUFAs) was observed coincident with GTP-dependent fusion of liver rough microsomes. Whereas 0.5 mM NADPH led to a parallel reduction (greater than 50%) in membrane fusion and PUFA accumulation, indomethacin (50 microM) either had little effect or slightly augmented both processes. CTP was observed to stimulate accumulation of PUFAs and diacylglycerol (DAG). Therefore PUFAs may be relevant for GTP-dependent membrane fusion and together with DAG may play a role in fusion stimulated in the presence of CTP.

Inhibition of depolarisation-induced calcium influx into GH3 cells by arachidonic acid: the involvement of protein kinase C

The influx of 45Ca2+ induced in GH3 cells by exposure to 60 mM K+ medium was inhibited by arachidonic acid (AA) in a concentration-dependent manner. This action of AA was not prevented by inhibitors of its metabolism but was reversed by the inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC), H7 and staurosporine but not their less active congeners HA 1004 and K252a, respectively. Presumed down-regulation of PKC by pretreatment with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) also greatly diminished the effect of AA. Experiments to assess effects of AA on 45Ca2+ efflux and on cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations indicated that an additional PKC-independent action of AA involving the release of intracellularly stored calcium was present. Both direct activation of certain PKC isoform(s) by AA and the synergistic influence on PKC activity by its concomitant raising of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations, may be physiologically important in the regulation of depolarisation-induced Ca2+ entry.

Phospholipase C-induced anion secretion and its interaction with carbachol in the rat colonic mucosa

Phospholipase C (PLC) from clostridium perfringens induced a biphasic increase in short-circuit current (Isc) in the rat colon. The Isc rose rapidly to a transient peak, before it increased again to a plateau lasting for several hours. Ion replacement experiments and sensitivity to furosemide or a Cl- channel blocker indicated that PLC induced Cl- secretion. The first peak was suppressed by indomethacin, indicating mediation by prostaglandins. In contrast, the second phase was only partially sensitive to the cyclooxygenase blocker. The long-time action of PLC was dependent on intra- and extracellular Ca2+, although PLC did not induce an increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration of the enterocytes. The effect of PLC was blocked by the protein kinase inhibitor, staurosporine. Carbachol, when added during the second phase of the PLC response, induced a 'paradox' change in Isc: a rapid, transient increase in Isc was followed by a long-lasting decrease. This inhibition of the PLC response was more pronounced after elevation of the external Ca2+ concentration. A Ca2+ ionophore, ionomycin, and a Ca2+ channel activator, BAY K 8644, also inhibited the PLC response. The results suggest dual dependence of the action of PLC on the intracellular Ca2+ concentration.

Unsaturated fatty acids activate glycogen phosphorylase in cultured rat hepatocytes

Oleate, linoleate, linolenate, arachidonate and eicosapentaenoate, but not myristate, palmitate and stearate, stimulated glycogen phosphorylase activity by 2-8-fold when added to cultured rat hepatocytes. Addition of BSA or Ca2- to the incubation medium decreased the stimulating effects of the unsaturated fatty acids. The combination of oleate or linolenate, with corticosterone, testosterone or estradiol produced synergistic stimulations of phosphorylase activity. The stimulation of glycogen phosphorylase activity by linolenate was inhibited by staurosporine or sphingosine. Staurosporine (80 nM) alone also decreased basal phosphorylase activities by about 60%. The results show that unsaturated fatty acids can be used as model agonists to stimulate phosphorylase activity by a mechanism that probably involves protein kinase C. On the basis of the fatty acid: BSA ratios used, this stimulation should only occur in vivo at high fatty acid concentrations when accompanied by hypoalbuminaemia.

Arachidonic acid metabolism in gerbil cerebra: effects of ischemia and pentobarbital

Pentobarbital pretreatment may be used to predict biochemical events involved in ischemic brain damage following bilateral carotid artery ligations in the gerbil, since it reduces the subsequent edema and mortality. The effects of this anesthetic on the ischemia-induced modifications of cerebral arachidonic acid metabolism were investigated, in order to correlate observed alterations with tissue damage. Cerebral lipids were radiolabeled in vivo with [3H]arachidonic acid prior to 10 min of cerebral ischemia and 0-120 min of perfusion. Ischemia stimulated a 97.3% increase in unesterified [3H]arachidonate, which was due to the loss of label from choline, inositol, and ethanolamine glycerophospholipids. Tissue reperfusion stimulated further reductions in [3H]choline and [3H]inositol glycerophospholipids, while ethanolamine glycerophospholipid and triglyceride labeling increased. Inositol glycerophospholipid, but not choline glycerophospholipid, labeling returned to control level by 60 min of reperfusion. Pentobarbital pretreatment reduced the accumulation of [3H]arachidonate by 56.2% during ischemia. It increased the recovery of [3H]ethanolamine glycerophospholipids during the ischemic period and [3H]choline glycerophospholipids during the first 5 min of reperfusion. These effects accounted for the reduction of unesterified [3H]arachidonate observed during ischemia and reperfusion.

Constant turnover of arachidonic acid and inhibition of a potassium current in Aplysia giant neurons

Steady-state currents at hyperpolarized membrane potentials were studied in the homologous giant neurons, LP1 and R2, of Aplysia using two-electrode voltage clamp. Nearly half of the steady-state current at voltages more hyperpolarized than -70 mV had characteristics similar to the inwardly rectifying potassium current (IR) described previously in Aplysia neurons. The pharmacological agents 4-bromophenacylbromide, indomethacin, and the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate were found to modulate IR. IR was stimulated with BPB and indomethacin and inhibited with TPA. These agents altered IR by a mechanism independent of cAMP, which can also modulate IR. The effects of these modulators are consistent with their actions on arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism in Aplysia nervous system, suggesting AA may constitutively inhibit IR. When ganglia were perfused for 12 hr with medium containing BSA to absorb extracellular fatty acids, IR was increased nearly twofold. This increase was partially inhibited by addition of AA to the perfusion medium, and completely inhibited by pretreatment of ganglia with BPB. Although no direct effect of short-term exposure to exogenous AA was observed, long term exposure to exogenous AA and several other unsaturated fatty acids was accompanied by a decrease in IR.

Inhibition of receptor-mediated calcium influx in T cells by unsaturated non-esterified fatty acids

The effect of omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) on receptor-mediated Ca2+ entry was investigated in a T-cell line (JURKAT) by using anti-CD3 antibodies (OKT3) to induce intracellular Ca2+ [( Ca2+]i) increase and Ca2+ influx. All the UFAs, as well as Ni2+ ions and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, decreased the OKT3-induced sustained [Ca2+]i increase to basal levels. Although non-esterified fatty acids activate protein kinase C (PKC) [McPhail, Clayton & Snyderman (1984) Science 224, 622-624; Murakami, Chan & Routtenberg (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 15424-15429], studies using H-7 and analysis of the PKC-dependent phosphorylation of 19 and 80 kDa marker substrates ruled out the involvement of PKC in UFA-induced inhibition of Ca2+ entry. Flow-cytometry analysis showed that UFAs do not interfere with antibody-receptor binding. BSA (0.2%, w/v) reversed the effect of UFAs after these fatty acids have decreased the OKT3-induced [Ca2+]i increase to basal levels. The relevance of these findings and possible mechanisms for inhibition by UFAs of receptor-mediated Ca2+ influx were discussed.

Evidence of Ca2+ mobilizing action of arachidonic acid in human platelets

The addition of arachidonic acid induced a rapid release of 45Ca2+ from human platelet membrane vesicles which accumulated 45Ca2+ in the presence of ATP. Docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, linolenic acid and linoleic acid were less active than arachidonic acid. In contrast, oleic acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid were without effect. The thromboxane A2 analogue induced no 45Ca2+ release. The cyclooxygenase/lipoxygenase inhibitor failed to suppress arachidonic acid-induced 45Ca2+ release at the concentration which inhibited the production of lipid peroxides. These data indicate that the activity of arachidonic acid may be due to fatty acid itself and not to its metabolites. The combination of arachidonic acid and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) resulted in a greater 45Ca2+ release from platelet membrane vesicles than either compound alone. When the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured using fura-2, the thrombin-induced [Ca2+]i increase was reduced in platelets which had been treated with a phospholipase A2 inhibitor, ONO-RS-082 (2-(p-amylcinnamoyl)amino-4-chlorobenzoic acid). These results provide evidence that arachidonic acid alone may cause Ca2+ increase and also may induce an additional Ca2+ mobilization to IP3-induced Ca2+ release in human platelets.

Arachidonic acid-induced mobilization of calcium in human neutrophils: evidence for a multicomponent mechanism of action

1. The mechanism(s) involved in the mobilization of calcium induced by arachidonic acid in human neutrophils was investigated. 2. The addition of arachidonic acid to a suspension of human neutrophils led to a time- and concentration-dependent mobilization of calcium which was the result of two separate and experimentally differentiable processes. The latter consisted of a rapid and transient phase followed by a slower and more sustained response. 3. The initial phase of calcium mobilization elicited by arachidonic acid was decreased in the presence of EGTA, inhibited by pertussis toxin as well as by nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), and diminished following a pre-incubation with leukotriene B4, but not platelet-activating factor. 4. The characteristics of the first phase of the mobilization of calcium were consistent with an interaction of the fatty acid with the leukotriene B4 receptors, either directly or indirectly following the synthesis of leukotriene B4, as well as with a release of internal calcium. 5. The second, slower and more sustained phase of calcium mobilization was more apparent at high concentrations (greater than or equal to 8-16 microM) of arachidonic acid, and was relatively insensitive to pertussis toxin, EGTA or NDGA. 6. The characteristics of the 'slow' phase of calcium mobilization by arachidonic acid are consistent with its being associated primarily with a release of calcium from internal storage pools. 7. The data presented indicate that the mechanism of mobilization of calcium by arachidonic acid in human neutrophils is complex and involves specific activation pathways employed, in part at least, by other neutrophil agonists. These findings may have relevance to various inflammatory situations in which the elevated levels of extracellular arachidonic acid known to be present could modulate the functional responsiveness of the neutrophils to other stimuli.

Properties of intracellular calcium stores in pregnant rat myometrium

1. The properties of the Ca2+ stores in myometrium of 21-day pregnant rats were studied by recording the contractile responses of saponin-treated skinned muscles. 2. After accumulation of Ca2+ into the stores in the presence of 5 mM NaN3, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) at concentrations exceeding 3 microM produced a contraction. The amplitude of this contraction was maximal at about 20 microM. A second application of 20 microM InsP3 produced a smaller contraction than the first one. However after reloading the stores with Ca2+, 20 microM InsP3 produced a contraction of the same amplitude as the initial one. 3. After application of 20 microM InsP3, 1 microM A23187 still evoked a large contraction. If A23187 was applied first, the subsequent application of InsP3 or A23187 no longer induced a contraction, even after Ca2+ loading. 4. Guanosine triphosphate (GTP) or arachidonic acid, both 100 microM neither evoked a contraction nor enhanced the subsequent contraction elicited by 20 microM InsP3. 5. Caffeine 25 mM did not induce a contraction nor did it affect the contraction elicited by 20 microM InsP3. 6. The results indicate that in pregnant rat myometrium InsP3 releases Ca2+ from intracellular stores as has been proposed in vascular smooth muscles.