Phorbol diesters inhibit enzymatic hydrolysis of diacylglycerols in vitro

Molecular species of phospholipids in a murine stem-cell line responsive to erythropoietin

The generation of the lipid signalling molecules, diacylglycerol (DAG) and phosphatidic acid (PA), has been implicated in the transduction events essential for proliferation of murine B6SUt.EP stem cells responsive to erythropoietin (EPO). Some of the responses were rapid and transient while others were slower and sustained. In an attempt to better understand the biphasic nature of DAG and PA appearance in response to EPO, an analysis of the molecular species of DAG, phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and PA in control and EPO-treated B6SUt.EP cells was made by HPLC and TLC. Fifteen to eighteen species were identified, which were increased non-uniformly by 0.2 unit/ml EPO. Greater increases (x6) were observed in 16:0,20:4 and 18:0,20:4 DAGs than in other species. The molecular species profiles of the stimulated DAGs were compared with the profiles of molecular species contained in the phospholipids. Comparison of the increase in DAG species caused by EPO with the molecular species present in PC and PI showed both PI and PC as the source of the fast DAG accumulation and only PC as the source of the slow DAG accumulation. PE was involved in both phases. We found a consistent formation of ethanolamine over time, in larger amounts than choline, providing strong evidence that, in addition to PC, PE is a major substrate. In addition, changes in molecular species of PA in response to EPO suggest that PI cannot account for the mass of PA formed during the first 30 s incubation with EPO, nor for PA formed during 30 min with EPO. It is concluded that the majority of PA was formed by a direct action of phospholipase D on PC.

Signal transduction by the erythropoietin receptor: evidence for the activation of phospholipases A2 and C

Erythropoietin (Ep) is the peptide growth factor whose actions on the erythroid progenitor cell induce terminal differentiation. However, the intracellular signaling system that is activated by Ep is poorly understood. Our previous studies have implicated the lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid in the actions of Ep. In this study, we report an early (30 s to 5 min) increase in levels of two lipoxygenase metabolites: leukotriene B4 (LTB4; 3- to 5-fold) and 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE; 2-fold). These responses were blocked by an antibody to Ep, by lipoxygenase inhibitors, or by 1,6-di[O-(carbamoyl)cyclohexanone oxime]hexane (RHC80267), an inhibitor of diacylglycerol (DAG) lipase. RHC 80267 also significantly inhibited Ep-mediated proliferation. Ep induced the release of [3H]arachidonic acid from cellular phospholipids at 5 min and also increased DAG accumulation at 1 min with a maximum increase of 68.2% over control seen at 30 min. No increase in levels of inositol trisphosphate or phosphatidic acid was observed in response to Ep. Taken together, these data suggest that the signal transduction pathway of the Ep receptor includes the activation of phospholipases A2 and C, resulting in the liberation of DAG and arachidonate and the subsequent formation of LTB4 and 12-HETE.

Stimulation of phosphatidylcholine breakdown and diacylglycerol production by growth factors in Swiss-3T3 cells

The effect of a number of growth factors on phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) turnover in Swiss-3T3 cells was studied. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), bombesin, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vasopressin rapidly stimulated PtdCho hydrolysis, diacylglycerol (DAG) production, and PtdCho synthesis. Insulin and prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) stimulated PtdCho synthesis, but not its breakdown, whereas epidermal growth factor (EGF) and bradykinin were without effect. Stimulation of PtdCho hydrolysis by the above ligands resulted in increased production of phosphocholine and DAG (due to phospholipase C activity) and significant amounts of choline, suggesting activation of a phospholipase D as well. CDP-choline and glycerophosphocholine levels were unchanged. Down-regulation of protein kinase C with PMA (400 nM, 40 h) abolished the stimulation of PtdCho hydrolysis and PtdCho synthesis by PMA, bombesin, PDGF and vasopressin, but not the stimulation of PtdCho synthesis by insulin and PGF2 alpha. PtdCho hydrolysis therefore occurs predominantly by activation of protein kinase C (either by PMA or PtdIns hydrolysis) leading to elevation of DAG levels derived from non-PtdIns(4,5)P2 sources. PtdCho synthesis occurs by both a protein kinase C-dependent pathway (stimulated by PMA, PDGF, bombesin and vasopressin) and a protein kinase C-independent pathway (stimulated by insulin and PGF2 alpha). DAG production from PtdCho hydrolysis is not the primary signal to activate protein kinase C, but may contribute to long-term activation of this kinase.

Sterically hindered analogues of diacylglycerols. Synthesis, binding to the phorbol ester receptor and metabolism in A549 human lung carcinoma cells

The 5 following compounds were synthesized in order to investigate the relationship between structure and ability of glyceride-type molecules to bind to the phorbol ester receptor: one dioctanoyl cyclohexane-1,2,4-triol, 2 isomeric methyl analogues of 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (diC8), one dimethyl and one cyclohexyl analogue of diC8. Their ability to compete with 3H-labelled phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate [( 3H]PDBu) for specific binding sites in intact A549 human-derived lung carcinoma cells and in a cytosolic cell extract was compared with that of diC8 and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). The affinity of diC8 for the phorbol ester receptor was much weaker than that of TPA. The analogues in turn were less able than diC8 to compete with [3H]PDBu for receptor sites. Like diC8 and unlike TPA, the synthesized compounds inhibited cell growth only at those concentrations at which cytotoxicity was also apparent. DiC8 and its methyl and dimethyl derivates, but not the cyclohexyl derivative or the cyclohexanetriol diester, were metabolically removed from cellular incubates as measured by gas liquid chromatography. The results suggest that the binding of glyceride-type molecules to the phorbol ester receptor exhibits stringent specificity and that the design of novel potent agonists of phorbol esters might require the placement of the molecular features of diacylglycerols important for biological activity into a molecular framework which is more complicated than glycerol.

The phosphatidylcholine pathway of diacylglycerol formation stimulated by phorbol diesters occurs via phospholipase D activation

Agonist-induced degradation of phosphatidylcholine (PC) is of interest as this pathway of diacylglycerol (DG) generation may provide added opportunities for the regulation of protein kinase C (PKC). In REF52 cells [3H]myristic acid is preferentially incorporated into PC; this, coupled with the use of [3H]choline, allows for quantitation of both the water-soluble and the lipid products generated when PC is degraded. In cells prelabeled with [3H]choline, TPA stimulated a time-dependent release, into the medium, of choline and not phosphocholine or glycerophosphocholine. Treatment of [3H]myristic acid-labeled cells with either phorbol diesters, sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol, or vasopressin elicited the formation of labeled phosphatidate (PA) and DG. The temporal pattern of PC hydrolysis in cells treated with TPA is indicative of a precursor (PA)-product (DG) relationship for an enzymatic sequence initiated by phospholipase D. Adding propranolol, a phosphatidate phosphohydrolase inhibitor, eliminated TPA-induced DG formation, whereas PA generation was unaffected. From these data we conclude that TPA elicits DG formation from PC by the sequential actions of phospholipase D and phosphatidate phosphohydrolase.

Characteristics of phorbol ester- and agonist-induced down-regulation of astrocyte receptors coupled to inositol phospholipid metabolism

We have examined some of the characteristics of phorbol ester- and agonist-induced down-regulation of astrocyte receptors coupled to phosphoinositide metabolism. Our results show that preincubation of [3H]inositol-labelled astrocyte cultures with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) resulted in a time- (t 1/2, 1-2 min) and concentration-dependent (IC50, 1 nM) decrease in the accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates (IP) evoked by muscarinic receptor stimulation. Much longer (30-40 min) preincubation periods with higher concentrations (IC50, 600 microM) were required to elicit the same effect with the receptor agonist carbachol. Following preincubation, agonist-stimulated [3H]IP accumulation recovered with time; in both cases pretreatment levels of inositol lipid metabolism were attained within 2 days. Both phorbol ester and agonist pretreatments were also effective in reversing the carbachol-evoked mobilisation of 45Ca2+ in these cells. However, their effects on phosphoinositide metabolism were found not to be additive. Although neither pretreatment affected the incorporation of [3H]inositol into phosphoinositides, both resulted in a loss of membrane muscarinic receptors as assessed by [3H]N-methylscopolamine binding. In washed membranes prepared from [3H]inositol-labelled cultures, the guanine nucleotide analogue, guanosine 5'-O-thiotriphosphate (GTP-gamma-S), caused a dose-dependent increase in [3H]IP formation. This response was enhanced when carbachol was also included in the incubation medium, although the agonist alone was without effect. Pretreatment with either PMA or carbachol had no effect on GTP-gamma-S-stimulated [3H]IP accumulation but did reduce the ability of carbachol to augment this response. Similar findings were obtained when membranes were exposed directly to PMA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

sn-1,2-diacylglycerols and phorbol diesters: uptake, metabolism, and subsequent assimilation of the diacylglycerol metabolites into complex lipids of cultured cells

The cell-permeable diacylglycerol mediators have been shown to mimic partially the effects of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on cultured cells. In order to evaluate the metabolic stability of the lipid mediators, several radiolabeled diacylglycerols were synthesized and their uptake and intracellular fate in cultured HL-60 (human promyelocytic leukemia) cells was compared with TPA. In addition to whole cell assessment, the stability of diacyl lipids and TPA was evaluated in a buffer/water system and in the presence of serum and subcellular fractions. The compounds studied include 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol (DiOG), 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (OaG), 1-palmitoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (PaG), the ether-linked analog 1-palmityl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (ePaG), and TPA. TPA was comparatively stable to lipase hydrolysis in all systems examined. First, the data show that within 5 min at pH 7.9, nearly 50% of the PaG (originally greater than 92% 1,2-isomer) had isomerized, and rapid formation of the 1,3-isomer also occurred with OaG and ePaG. The metabolism of OaG and PaG by serum hydrolases, using a reaction medium containing 10% serum, was chiefly by acetate hydrolysis; however, fatty acid was also liberated. After a 60-min incubation 68% of the [14C]OaG was converted, by serum enzymes, to monooleoylglycerol plus oleic acid. Heat-inactivation of serum reduced the enzymatic formation of fatty acid by 60-70%. ePaG was also metabolized by serum enzymes, but the ether-linked alkylglycerol product was stable. The results of cell-free studies (postmitochondrial supernatant) showed that cellular enzymes were present that could, like serum, convert the diacylglycerols to monoacylglycerols and free fatty acids. Studies using cultured cells showed that radiolabeled OaG, PaG, and ePaG were rapidly taken up by the cells and metabolized. Labeled metabolic products from the diacylglycerols appeared, in a time-dependent manner, in cellular phospholipids and triacylglycerols. The results from experiments employing 1-acyl-2-acetyl-sn-[3H]glycerol and [3H]acyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol indicate that the intracellular mode of mediator metabolism is via complete hydrolysis with subsequent incorporation of 3H-acyl groups into complex lipids. Data are also presented which show that a substantial amount of cellular lipid acyl group modification occurs and large amounts of glycerol are produced when cells are cultured with OaG. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the diacylglycerol mediators, when compared with TPA, are not stable and are metabolized by both serum and cellular enzymes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

A tumour promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, increases cellular 1,2-diacylglycerol content through a mechanism other than phosphoinositide hydrolysis in Swiss-mouse 3T3 fibroblasts

Treatment of Swiss-mouse 3T3 fibroblasts with a tumour-promoting phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), increases the absolute amount of 1,2-diacylglycerol (1,2-DG) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Within 1 min of TPA (0.1 microM) addition to confluent monolayer cells, cellular 1,2-DG content increases significantly, and reaches a value nearly 4-fold above control at 10 min. The content of 1,2-DG then falls, but still remains at twice the basal value for up to 60 min. The effect of TPA on 1,2-DG content is dose-dependent, with a half-maximal effect obtained with 6 nM. Studies with a series of tumour promoters have revealed that stimulating effect on 1,2-DG formation is closely related to their relative potency as a tumour promoter, as well as their mitogenic effect on 3T3 cells. TPA does not have any stimulatory effect on phosphoinositide turnover, which is a major mechanism of 1,2-DG formation by natural agonists, including a peptide mitogen, bombesin, but significantly inhibits bombesin-induced phosphoinositide turnover. Nevertheless, the content of 1,2-DG is even higher in cells treated with both bombesin and TPA than in cells treated with bombesin alone. In addition, a diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor, R59022, increases 1,2-DG content synergistically with bombesin, but not with TPA. Measurements of the absolute amounts of various phospholipids show that TPA does not increase phosphatidic acid, despite a remarkable increase in 1,2-DG. Further studies on phospholipid metabolism reveal that TPA stimulates metabolic turnover of phosphatidylcholine (PC), without changing the mass of PC. TPA stimulates the incorporation of both [3H]choline and [32P]Pi into PC, and the release of [3H]choline metabolites from prelabelled cells. These findings suggest that TPA increases cellular 1,2-DG content mainly via increased PC turnover and diacylglycerol kinase inhibition. The present study provides evidence for a novel effect of TPA on the metabolism of 1,2-DG in Swiss-mouse 3T3 cells.

sn-1,2-Diacylglycerols and phorbol diesters stimulate thromboxane synthesis by de novo synthesis of prostaglandin H synthase in human promyelocytic leukemia cells

We studied the regulation of thromboxane (TX) synthesis in promyelocytic leukemia cells during macrophage differentiation. Cells treated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) showed rates of TXB2 synthesis from exogenous arachidonic acid that exceeded that of control cells by a factor of up to 81. Cells treated with sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol (diC8) showed similarly high TXB2 synthesis rates when diC8 was added concomitantly with a subthreshold concentration of TPA or when given in multiple doses. These activities depended on de novo synthesis of prostaglandin H (PGH) synthase because: microsomal PGH synthase activity showed large increases in Vmax values, and mass measurements of PGH synthase revealed the presence of PGH synthase in differentiating cells whereas the enzyme was undetectable in control cells. These results indicate that macrophage differentiation is associated with stimulation of TXB2 synthesis that requires both activation of protein kinase C and de novo synthesis of PGH synthase.

Embryonal central neuroepithelial tumors: current concepts and future challenges

While the embryonal central neuroepithelial tumors present complex conceptual and clinical problems, advances in cell type identification by special neurohistological, immunohisto- and immunocytochemical techniques have permitted discrimination of distinct cytomorphogenetic entities. These are based in part on their resemblance to the normal phases of neurocytogenesis. Four of these tumors, medulloepithelioma, desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma, pineoblastoma and medulloblastoma, are designated as multipotential in light of their capacity to undergo divergent differentiation. Cytomorphogenetic, clinical and experimental data implicate fetal neural cell targets for transformation and raise the possibility that aberrant developmental regulatory mechanisms may contribute to the biologic behavior of these tumors. Growth factors and some neuroregulatory neurotransmitters (such as serotonin) are known to act as modulators of normal neuromorphogenesis. They could play a regulatory role in central neuroepithelial tumors on the hypothesis that the aberrant behavior of the embryonal neoplasms could either be modified by functional receptor responses or result from abnormal receptor responses to these substances. Future challenges include the definition of new cytomorphogenetic entities and subgroups of the currently defined forms of embryonal CNS tumors based on the presence of specific growth factors and neuroregulatory neurotransmitters, or their receptors, the characterization of neoplastic receptor responses mediating any modulatory role of the presently known growth factors or neuroregulatory neurotransmitters on the growth and maturation potential of the embryonal central neuroepithelial tumors and the further definition of developmental, stage-specific modulators that might be operative in these tumors.