Differential inhibition by staurosporine of phorbol ester, bryostatin and okadaic acid effects on mouse skin

Induction of tumor necrosis factor by bryostatin 1 is involved in synergistic interactions with paclitaxel in human myeloid leukemia cells

Interactions between the protein kinase C (PKC) activator/down-regulator bryostatin 1 and paclitaxel have been examined in human myeloid leukemia cells (U937) and in highly paclitaxel-resistant cells ectopically expressing a Bcl-2 phosphorylation loop-deleted protein (Delta Bcl-2). Treatment (24 hours) of wild-type cells with paclitaxel (eg, 5 to 20 nM) in combination with 10 nM bryostatin 1 induced a marked increase in mitochondrial damage (eg, cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO [second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases/direct IAP binding protein with low pI] release), caspase activation, Bid cleavage, and apoptosis; moreover, bryostatin 1 circumvented the block to paclitaxel-induced mitochondrial injury and apoptosis conferred by ectopic expression of the loop-deleted protein. Coadministration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) soluble receptors, or ectopic expression of CrmA or dominant-negative caspase-8, abrogated potentiation of paclitaxel-induced mitochondrial injury and apoptosis by bryostatin 1, implicating the extrinsic apoptotic pathway in this process. Similar events occurred in HL-60 leukemia cells. Potentiation of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in wild-type and mutant cells by bryostatin 1 was associated with increases in TNF-alpha mRNA and protein and was mimicked by exogenous TNF-alpha. Coadministration of the selective PKC inhibitor GFX (1 microM) blocked the increase in TNF-alpha mRNA levels and apoptosis in bryostatin 1/paclitaxel-treated cells. Lastly, synchronization of cells in G(2)M increased their sensitivity to TNF-alpha-associated lethality. Collectively, these findings indicate that in U937 cells, bryostatin 1 promotes paclitaxel-mediated mitochondrial injury and apoptosis, and circumvents resistance to cell death conferred by loss of the Bcl-2 phosphorylation domain, through the PKC-dependent induction of TNF-alpha. They further suggest that this process is amplified by paclitaxel-mediated arrest of cells in G(2)M, where they are more susceptible to TNF-alpha-induced lethality.

Effect of triterpenoids on the inflammation induced by protein kinase C activators, neuronally acting irritants and other agents

In order to establish the mode of the anti-inflammatory activity of triterpenoids, 11 naturally occurring compounds were assayed on mouse ear oedema induced by the protein kinase C activators, mezerein, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), two 12-deoxyphorbol-13-monoesters (13-tetradecanoate (DPT) and 13-phenylacetate (DPP)) and bryostatin 1, and by resiniferatoxin, xylene and arachidonic acid. The effects on bradykinin-induced paw oedema and on the rat skin inflammation caused by hydrogen peroxide were also examined. The oedema induced by mezerein and DPT was reduced to different extents by the triterpenoids administered epicutaneously (0.5 mg per ear). Against DPT-induced oedema, lupane and oleanane derivatives were the most effective compounds. Oleananes and lupanes possessing a carboxyl group were active against bryostatin 1-induced oedema. Most of the triterpenoids were ineffective against the neurogenic inflammation caused by resiniferatoxin and xylene. Many triterpenoids, especially oleanane and lupane alcoholic derivatives, were active against the plantar oedema induced by bradykinin and on the intradermal inflammation induced by hydrogen peroxide. In conclusion, the anti-inflammatory activity of triterpenoids may depend on inhibition of protein kinase C, without any involvement of neurogenic inflammatory mechanisms.

Bryostatin 1 induces biphasic activation of protein kinase D in intact cells

Bryostatin 1 and phorbol esters are both potent activators of protein kinase C (PKC), although their specific biological effects can differ in many systems. Here, we report that bryostatin 1 activates protein kinase D (PKD), a novel serine/threonine protein kinase, in intact Swiss 3T3 cells and secondary mouse embryo fibroblasts and in COS-7 cells transiently transfected with a PKD expression construct. The dose response of PKD activation induced by bryostatin 1 follows a striking biphasic pattern with maximal activation achieved at a concentration of 10 nM. Higher concentrations of bryostatin 1 (100 nM) reduced PKD activation induced by phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate to levels stimulated by bryostatin 1 alone. Bryostatin 1-induced PKD activation was markedly attenuated by treatment of cells with the PKC inhibitors bisindolylmaleimide I and Ro 31-8220. However, these agents did not inhibit PKD activity when added directly to in vitro kinase assays, suggesting that bryostatin 1 stimulates PKD activation through a PKC-dependent pathway in intact cells. Our results raise the possibility that activated PKD in intact cells could mediate some of the multiple biphasic biological responses induced by bryostatin 1.

Partial purification of a type eta protein kinase C from murine brain: separation from other protein kinase C isoenzymes and characterization

Various murine tissues were tested, by using a protein kinase C-eta-specific antiserum, for the expression of type eta protein kinase C. Brain was found to be the richest source of a type eta isoenzyme. Native protein kinase C-eta was partially purified from the cytosol of murine brain by chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, hydroxyapatite and protamine-agarose. This procedure resulted in a separation of protein kinase C-eta from the other phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-responsive isoenzymes (alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon) and allowed, for the first time, characterization of the native enzyme. The protein kinase C of type eta from mouse brain is a phospholipid-dependent Ca(2+)-unresponsive protein kinase. Both PMA and bryostatin activate the kinase for phosphorylation of a substrate as well as for autophosphorylation. Various pseudo-substrate-related peptides are suitable as substrates for the eta-type kinase, peptide delta being the best and peptides eta and epsilon the poorest substrates. The enzyme is inhibited by staurosporine and staurosporine-related compounds, such as K252a and Gö 6976. However, protein kinase C-eta, like protein kinase C-delta, is around two orders of magnitude less sensitive towards Gö 6976 than are the Ca(2+)-responsive isoenzymes (alpha, beta, gamma). The eta-type protein kinase C exhibits an extreme tendency to lose its PMA-responsiveness. Consequently, purification of the enzyme to homogeneity has not yet been successful.

Protein kinase C agonist and antagonist effects in normal human epidermal keratinocytes

Several lines of evidence implicate protein kinase C (PKC) in the development of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, tumors which originate from epidermal keratinocytes. To examine PKC in a model relevant to human skin, we exposed normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) in serum-free media to a variety of PKC agonists and antagonists. NHEK PKC activity increased up to 10-fold within the 1st hour of exposure to tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA), and gradually returned to control values within 72 h. TPA-induced PKC activity was enhanced by pretreatment of cultures with protein and RNA synthesis inhibitors. TPA-induced growth arrest and differentiation was antagonized by staurosporine. Down-regulation by bryostatin pretreatment blocked TPA-stimulated differentiation. Our overall conclusion is that activation of PKC in cultured human keratinocytes is required for differentiation. These results are crucial to the analysis of compounds suspected of promoting or inhibiting epidermal tumors.