Role of extracellular electrolytes in the activation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase by epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, and insulin in ZR-75-1 cells

Hypokalemic periodic paralysis and distal renal tubular acidosis associated with renal morphological changes

We report an unusual case of 5-yrs-old girl presenting with recurrent episodic weakness with documented hypokalemia, polyuria and failure to thrive. The child was finally diagnosed as having distal renal tubular acidosis. Imaging studies revealed associated hypoechoic spaces in renal medulla. Long term treatment with alkali and maintenance of normokalemia lead to regression of these morphological changes.

Hypokalemic paralysis associated with cystic disease of the kidney: case report

Background

Severe hypokalemia is known to cause muscle paralysis, and renal tubular acidosis is a recognized cause. Cystic disease of the kidney is associated with severe hypokalemia.

Case presentation

We report a 33-year-old male patient who presented with generalized limb weakness caused by severe hypokalemia due to renal tubular acidosis, who was found to have renal medullary cysts.

Conclusion

The association of cystic renal disease with hypokalemia, and the possible pathophysiological basis of the development of renal cysts in patients with severe hypokalemia, are discussed.

Monovalent cation-dependent reversible phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S8 in growth arrested Tetrahymena: kinetics of formation, phosphoamino acids, and phosphopeptides of mono-, and diphosphorylated derivatives of protein S8

The kinetics of formation of mono-, and diphosphorylated derivatives of ribosomal protein S8 in Tetrahymena starving in the presence of Na+ have been determined, and the phosphoamino acids present in these derivatives have been identified. The mono-phosphorylated product, S8', contains only phosphoserine, and behaves kinetically as the precursor of the diphosphorylated product S8" which contains phosphoserine, and phosphothreonine. Tryptic digestion release a single major phosphoserine containing peptide from both S8' and S8", and a single phosphothreonine containing peptide from S8".

Regulation of pp90rsk phosphorylation and S6 phosphotransferase activity in Swiss 3T3 cells by growth factor-, phorbol ester-, and cyclic AMP-mediated signal transduction

Somatic cell homologs to the Xenopus laevis S6 protein kinases (referred to collectively as pp90rsk) have recently been identified and partially characterized. Here we examine alterations in pp90rsk phosphorylation and S6 phosphotransferase activity in response to regulators of multiple signal transduction systems: purified growth factors, phorbol ester, changes in cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels, and sodium vanadate. All reagents tested increased pp90rsk serine and threonine phosphorylation, but only those agents that regulate cell proliferation and sodium vanadate activated its S6 kinase activity. In addition to the cAMP-stimulated phosphorylation of pp90rsk, a simple correlation between the extent of growth-regulated pp90rsk phosphorylation and S6 phosphotransferase activity was not observed. Quantitative phosphorylation of pp90rsk continued to increase after its S6 kinase activity began its return towards basal levels. However, a close correlation between the appearance and disappearance of a slow-mobility form of phosphorylated pp90rsk (by electrophoresis) and pp90rsk activity was observed. In addition, pp90rsk was regulated by both protein kinase C-independent and -dependent signaling mechanisms. The extent of protein kinase C participation, however, varied depending on which growth factor receptor was activated. Furthermore, growth factor-specific differences in the temporal regulation of pp90rsk S6 phosphotransferase activity were also observed. These results support the notion that the complex regulation of the rsk gene product constitutes one of the primary responses of animal cells to mitogenic signals.

Regulation of pp90rsk phosphorylation and S6 phosphotransferase activity in Swiss 3T3 cells by growth factor-, phorbol ester-, and cyclic AMP-mediated signal transduction

Somatic cell homologs to the Xenopus laevis S6 protein kinases (referred to collectively as pp90rsk) have recently been identified and partially characterized. Here we examine alterations in pp90rsk phosphorylation and S6 phosphotransferase activity in response to regulators of multiple signal transduction systems: purified growth factors, phorbol ester, changes in cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels, and sodium vanadate. All reagents tested increased pp90rsk serine and threonine phosphorylation, but only those agents that regulate cell proliferation and sodium vanadate activated its S6 kinase activity. In addition to the cAMP-stimulated phosphorylation of pp90rsk, a simple correlation between the extent of growth-regulated pp90rsk phosphorylation and S6 phosphotransferase activity was not observed. Quantitative phosphorylation of pp90rsk continued to increase after its S6 kinase activity began its return towards basal levels. However, a close correlation between the appearance and disappearance of a slow-mobility form of phosphorylated pp90rsk (by electrophoresis) and pp90rsk activity was observed. In addition, pp90rsk was regulated by both protein kinase C-independent and -dependent signaling mechanisms. The extent of protein kinase C participation, however, varied depending on which growth factor receptor was activated. Furthermore, growth factor-specific differences in the temporal regulation of pp90rsk S6 phosphotransferase activity were also observed. These results support the notion that the complex regulation of the rsk gene product constitutes one of the primary responses of animal cells to mitogenic signals.

Association of hypokalemia, aldosteronism, and renal cysts

The recognition of renal cysts in two patients with chronic hypokalemia and the renal effects of hypokalemia in certain species of animals prompted this study of the possible association of hypokalemia and renal cysts in patients with primary aldosteronism or primary renal potassium wasting. Using CT scans, we studied 55 patients with primary aldosteronism, of whom 24 had cysts (44 percent). The cysts were more frequent in patients with adrenal tumors than in those with idiopathic adrenal hyperplasia. Sixteen of the 26 patients with tumors (62 percent) had renal cysts, which were often multiple and located in the medulla. Lower plasma potassium levels and higher serum aldosterone levels, urinary aldosterone excretion, and plasma renin activity were correlated with the extent of the cystic disease. Sequential observations indicated that prolonged hypokalemia can be accompanied by the development of renal scarring and that the size and number of cysts can decrease markedly in some patients after the removal of an adrenal adenoma. The association of hypokalemia, aldosteronism, and renal cysts was also supported by the finding of multiple medullary cysts in two patients with primary renal potassium wasting. We conclude that chronic hypokalemia is accompanied by enhanced renal cytogenesis and may lead to interstitial scarring and renal insufficiency. Renal cysts are thus dynamic structures whose growth can be influenced by hormonal or pharmacologic interventions.

Insulin-induced S6 kinase activation in HeLa cells and its reversal by hyperthermic stress

Insulin treatment of HeLa S3 cells activates an S6-phosphorylating protein kinase. Although this enzyme has chromatographic properties resembling those of described proteolytic fragments of other protein kinases, namely protein kinase C, protease-activated kinase II and histone-4 protein kinase, and although insulin has been proposed by others to cause S6 phosphorylation via proteolytic protein kinase activation, the insulin-induced increase in S6-kinase activity described here is probably not due to proteolysis. Rather, the activity indicates the existence, in HeLa cells, of an interconvertible S6 kinase, since the insulin-induced activity increase was rapidly reversed under hyperthermic stress, and since this effect of hyperthermia was itself reversible. The S6-kinase activities from serum- and from insulin-stimulated HeLa cells resemble each other closely and are likely to represent the same enzyme. The enzyme may therefore mediate both signals delivered by mitogens and the insulin signal. Analysed at an in vitro transfer of 1 mol phosphate/mol S6, this S6 kinase activity does not phosphorylate the (principal) S6 site recognized by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Angiotensin II-stimulated protein synthesis in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells

To investigate the role of vasoconstrictor hormones in vascular smooth muscle cell growth we have studied the effects of the potent vasoconstrictor angiotensin II on cell growth in a cultured rat aortic cell model. Angiotensin II was not mitogenic for these cells, as assessed by determining cell number, nor was it synergistic in this regard with 10% calf serum. However, 24-hour exposure to 100 nM angiotensin II caused an 80% increase in protein synthesis (compared with 0.4% increase with serum control) as measured by tritiated leucine incorporation. This was a "hypertrophic" response as indicated by a 30% increase in protein content and a 45% increase in cell volume. Angiotensin II-induced smooth muscle cell hypertrophy was maximal at 100 nM, had an ED50 of 1 nM, and was inhibited by the competitive antagonist [Sar1, Ile8]angiotensin II. The increase in protein synthesis required continuous presence of angiotensin II for 6 hours and required messenger RNA (mRNA) synthesis as suggested by complete inhibition after exposure to actinomycin D. Angiotensin II-stimulated protein synthesis was dependent on a rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration evidenced by a 70% decrease in tritiated leucine incorporation after chelation of Ca2+ with 25 microM quin 2-AM. This treatment did not alter protein synthesis induced by 10% calf serum. Decreasing extracellular Na+ to prevent Na+/H+ exchange and intracellular alkalinization did not inhibit the angiotensin II response but decreased the 10% calf serum-stimulated protein synthesis by 35%. Downregulation of protein kinase C by 24-hour treatment with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate did not inhibit angiotensin II-induced protein synthesis, while phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-stimulated protein synthesis was abolished. These findings suggest that angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy, acting via a Ca2+ mechanism, may play an important role in abnormal vascular smooth muscle cell growth in certain forms of hypertension.

Activation of the Na+/H+ antiport is not required for epidermal growth factor-dependent gene expression, growth inhibition or proliferation in human breast cancer cells

Mitogen interaction with specific receptors in many cell types leads to activation of the Na+/H+ antiport and a resultant cytoplasmic alkalinization. Since amiloride inhibits both Na+/H+ exchange and cell proliferation, it has been hypothesized that activation of the antiport is an obligatory requirement for mitogenesis. However, concentrations of amiloride which inhibit the antiport also inhibit other cellular processes, including protein synthesis and phosphorylation. We have used an epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor gene-amplified human breast cancer cell line, the growth of which is inhibited by high levels of EGF in culture (MDA-468) and a variant, the growth of which is stimulated by EGF (MDA-468-S4), along with two potent amiloride analogues to examine whether activation of the Na+/H+ antiport and cytoplasmic alkalinization is necessary for both EGF-dependent effects to occur. At concentrations of the amiloride analogues which block Na+/H+ exchange in both cell types by 76-98%, the EGF-dependent alterations in [3H]thymidine incorporation or induction in c-myc or c-fos gene transcription were unaltered. These results were confirmed by a lack of effect of the amiloride analogues on both the growth-stimulatory and growth-inhibitory effects on EGF in an anchorage-independent growth assay. Similarly, in pH-altered media that prevented normal cytoplasmic alkalinization, the response of both MDA-468 and MDA-468-S4 to EGF activation was unaltered. In addition, activation of the Na+/H+ antiport alone was not sufficient to induce c-myc and c-fos transcription in either cell type. Taken together, these data suggest that neither the Na+/H+ antiport nor cytoplasmic alkalinization are necessary or sufficient for either EGF-dependent growth stimulation or growth inhibition in MDA-468 human breast cancer cells.