Dual effects of ATP on phosphatidylinositol breakdown in rat hepatocyte membranes

Exogenous Mg-ATP induces a large inhibition of pyruvate kinase in intact rat hepatocytes

Mg-ATP infusion in vivo has been reported to be beneficial both to organ function and survival rate in various models of shock. Moreover, a large variety of metabolic effects has been shown to occur in several tissues due to purinergic receptor activation. In the present work we studied the effects of exogenous Mg-ATP in rat liver cells perifused with dihydroxyacetone to investigate simultaneously gluconeogenetic and glycolytic pathways. We found a significant effect on oxidative phosphorylation as characterized by a decrease in oxygen consumption rate and in the cellular ATP-to-ADP ratio associated with an increase in lactate-to-pyruvate ratio. In addition, exogenous Mg-ATP induced rapid and reversible inhibition of both gluconeogenesis and glycolysis. The main effect on gluconeogenesis was located at the level of the fructose cycle, whereas the decrease in glycolysis was due to a strong inhibition of pyruvate kinase. Although pyruvate kinase inhibition induced by exogenous Mg-ATP was allosteric when assessed in vitro after enzyme extraction, we found a large decrease in the apparent maximal velocity when kinetics were assessed in vivo in intact perifused hepatocytes. This newly described short-term regulation of pyruvate kinase occurs only in the intact cell and may open new potentials for the pharmacological regulation of pyruvate kinase in vivo.

Close association of the alpha subunits of Gq and G11 G proteins with actin filaments in WRK1 cells: relation to G protein-mediated phospholipase C activation

A selective polyclonal antibody directed toward the C-terminal decapeptide common to the alpha subunits of Gq and G11 G proteins (G alpha q/G alpha 11) was prepared and used to investigate the subcellular distribution fo these proteins in WRK1 cells, a rat mammary tumor cell line. In immunoblots, the antibody recognized purified G alpha q and G alpha 11 proteins and labeled only two bands corresponding to these alpha subunits. Functional studies indicated that this antibody inhibited vasopressin- and guanosine 5'-[alpha-thio]triphosphate-sensitive phospholipase C activities. Immunofluorescence experiments done with this antibody revealed a filamentous labeling corresponding to intracytoplasmic and perimembranous actin-like filament structures. Colocalization of G alpha q/G alpha 11 and F-actin filaments (F-actin) was demonstrated by double-labeling experiments with anti-G alpha q/G alpha 11 and anti-actin antibodies. Immunoblot analysis of membrane, cytoskeletal, and F-actin-rich fractions confirmed the close association of G alpha q/G alpha 11 with actin. Large amounts of G alpha q/G alpha 11 were recovered in the desmin- and tubulin-free F-actin-rich fraction obtained by a double depolymerization-repolymerization cycle. Disorganization of F-actin filaments with cytochalasin D preserved G alpha q/G alpha 11 and F-actin colocalization but partially inhibited vasopressin- and fluoroaluminate-sensitive phospholipase C activity, suggesting that actin-associated G alpha q/G alpha 11 proteins play a role in signal transduction.

Upregulation of V1a vasopressin receptors by glucocorticoids

WRK1 cells (a rat mammary tumor cell line) exhibit a vasopressinergic receptor of V1a subtype tightly coupled to phospholipase C. Addition of dexamethasone to the culture medium principally potentiated the vasopressin-sensitive accumulation of inositol phosphates and to a lesser extent the NaF-sensitive phospholipase C activity. On the opposite, such treatment was without effect on the basal level of intracellular inositol phosphates or on bradykinin- or serotonin-sensitive phosphoinositide metabolisms. Glucocorticoid receptors were probably involved in these actions since dexamethasone was found to be more potent than aldosterone or corticosterone. Dexamethasone treatment also increased the number of vasopressin binding sites without affecting its affinity for vasopressin or other specific vasopressin analogues. These results strongly suggest that dexamethasone principally acts at the vasopressin receptor level by affecting its synthesis and/or the translation of its mRNA and also affects the G protein that couples the V1a receptor to the phospholipase C. These results explain how glucocorticoids may regulate the transduction mechanisms involved in vasopressin actions on WRK1 cells. They provide explanations for understanding the cross talk between adrenal steroids and hormones, which mobilize intracellular calcium.