Measurement of receptor-activated phosphoinositide turnover in rat brain: nonequivalence of inositol phosphate and CDP-diacylglycerol formation

Peripheral inflammation increases phosphoinositide activity in the rat dorsal horn

Persistent pain leads to changes in the spinal cord that contribute to hyperalgesia and allodynia. The effort to characterize these changes has focused on neurotransmitters and receptors, while relatively little is known about pain-associated modulation of second-messenger responses. Nearly all neurotransmitters can activate the phosphoinositide (PI) second-messenger system which has been investigated using a method that localizes membrane-bound [(3)H]CDP-diacylglycerol (DAG) produced from the precursor [(3)H]cytidine [Science 249 (1990) 802]. The present study applied this method in spinal cord slices from rats injected with complete Freund's adjuvant in one hindpaw and from uninflamed control rats. Two days after the injection, slices were removed and maintained in vitro for pharmacological testing. Some slices were exposed to the acetylcholine agonist carbachol which is antinociceptive in the spinal cord. Inflammation resulted in increased baseline, unstimulated [(3)H]CDP-DAG accumulation, especially in superficial dorsal horn layers, as well as enhanced carbachol-stimulated labeling. These results suggest that persistent pain leads to neurochemical changes within the spinal cord that could potentially enhance responses to a spectrum of pain-modulating transmitters.

Inositol and higher inositol phosphates in neural tissues: homeostasis, metabolism and functional significance

Inositol phospholipids and inositol phosphates mediate well-established functions in signal transduction and in Ca2+ homeostasis in the CNS and non-neural tissues. More recently, there has been renewed interest in other roles that both myo-inositol and its highly phosphorylated forms may play in neural function. We review evidence that myo-inositol serves as a clinically relevant osmolyte in the CNS, and that its hexakisphosphate and pyrophosphorylated derivatives may play roles in such diverse cellular functions as DNA repair, nuclear RNA export and synaptic membrane trafficking.

Relationship between dopamine agonist stimulation of inositol phosphate formation and cytidine diphosphate-diacylglycerol accumulation in brain slices

Dopamine receptor-coupled stimulation of inositol phosphate formation has been characterized extensively, but little is known about the diacylglycerol arm of this dual-signaling pathway. This study examined several parameters of cytidine diphosphate-diacylglycerol (CDP-DG) accumulation as an index of agonist-stimulated DG formation. Rat brain slices pre-labeled with 5-[3H]cytidine were incubated with various test agents in the presence of LiCl and accumulated CDP-DG analyzed. Dopamine and SKF38393 significantly and dose-dependently stimulated CDP-DG accumulation. SKF38393 responses were inhibited by neomycin and reversed by myo-inositol or by exclusion of LiCl. Compared to inositol phosphate formation in 2-[3H]inositol-prelabeled slices, the CDP-DG responses were proportionately greater, while the agonist EC50 values were similar between the two assays. The D1-receptor antagonist SCH23390 inhibited SKF38393-mediated responses at 0.1-10 microM concentrations, whereas greater concentrations reversed the inhibition. SKF38393 effects were completely blocked by the DG kinase inhibitor R59022, thus precluding any role for phospholipase-D or de novo phosphatidate synthesis in the dopaminergic response. D609 which inhibits phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase-C (PLC), potently inhibited both CDP-DG accumulation and inositol phosphate formation. These findings demonstrate that the selective D1-receptor antagonist SCH23390 is a partial agonist at the D1-like dopamine receptor that couples to phosphoinositide signaling, that dopaminergic facilitation of phosphoinositide signaling is independent of de novo phosphatidate synthesis, and that the widely used enzyme inhibitor, D-609, is probably not selective for phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC in brain slice preparations. The greater sensitivity of the CDP-DG measurement presents this assay as a reliable and possibly superior index of dopamine receptor-coupled PLC activation in intact tissues.

CDP-diacylglycerol synthase from mammalian tissues

CDP-diacylglycerol resides at the branch point of glycerolipid biosynthesis as precursor of both the phosphoinositides and phosphatidylglycerol. The discovery of the phosphoinositide signal transduction pathway and the recognition of its prominent role in intracellular communication has focused new attention on CDP-diacylglycerol synthase. As a rate-limiting step in this pathway, it is a likely target for regulation. Exploration of this possibility will be facilitated by the recent cloning of mammalian CDP-DAG synthase.

Receptor-mediated phosphoinositide metabolism in peripheral nerve and cultured Schwann cells

Peripheral nerve possesses muscarinic cholinergic receptors, predominantly of the M3 subtype, that stimulate phosphoinositide metabolism. Evidence suggests that one site of this response is the myelin sheath. Purified peripheral nerve myelin contains several heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins. Furthermore, carbachol and guanosine-5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate-stimulated hydrolysis of exogenous phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bis-phosphate that is blocked by atropine can be reconstituted in a purified peripheral myelin-rich fraction. Nerve phosphoinositide turnover is also stimulated by adenosine analogs and blocked by adenosine receptor antagonists in a pattern consistent with the presence of adenosine A2 receptors in the tissue. Receptor-mediated phosphoinositide metabolism has also been studied in a human tumor-derived Schwann cell line (NF1T) derived from a neurofibromatosis-1 patient. By the same experimental criteria, NF1T cells also appear to contain adenosine A2 receptors which upon activation stimulate phosphoinositide turnover. However, phosphoinositide metabolism in these cells is not increased by either carbachol or ATP. Our findings taken together with other reports suggest that Schwann cells may possess a variety of receptors which regulate phosphoinositide metabolism.

Phosphoinositide signalling in human neuroblastoma cells: biphasic effect of Li+ on the level of the inositolphosphate second messengers

Lithium has a biphasic effect of the agonist-dependent accumulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. These effects consist of a transient reduction, followed by a long-lasting increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3 as compared to controls. The Li+ effects are dose dependent, and were observed at concentrations used in the treatment of bipolar disorders, and thus may have therapeutic implications. The mechanism of the Li+ effect on Ins(1,4,5)P3 accumulation requires further investigation. The transient reduction of Ins(1,4,5)P3 was observed under conditions where Li+ causes only a moderate increase in the inositol mono- and bi-phosphates. Supplementation with exogenous inositol had no effect on the level of Ins(1,4,5)P3, indicating that the mechanism of the Li(+)-dependent reduction of Ins(1,4,5)P3 is not due to inositol depletion. Li+ did not interfere with degradation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 after receptor-blockage with atropine, suggesting that Li+ has no direct effect on the Ins(1,4,5)P3 metabolizing enzymes. A direct effect of Li+ on the phospholipase C is also unlikely. Entry of Ca2+ into the cells is an important factor, which affects agonist-stimulated accumulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3, as well as absolute values of Li(+)-dependent increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3; however, it is not essential for the manifestation of Li+ effects. Our results also show that manifestation of Li+ effects in human neuroblastoma cells requires the stimulation of muscarinic receptors and activation of PLCs, PKCs, and/or that other staurosporine/H-7/GF 109203X-sensitive protein kinases are involved in the regulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 during the plateau phase of ACh-stimulation. We also suggest an important role for these enzymes in the Li(+)-dependent elevation of Ins(1,4,5)P3.

Time-dependent effects of lithium on the agonist-stimulated accumulation of second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells

In order to approach the molecular mechanism of Li+'s mood-stabilizing action, the effect of Li+ (LiCl) on inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] mass was investigated in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, which express muscarinic M3 receptors, coupled to PtdIns hydrolysis. Stimulation of these cells, with the cholinergic agonist acetylcholine, resulted in a rapid and transient increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3 with a maximum at 10 s. This was followed by a rapid decline in Ins(1,4,5)P3 within 30 s to a plateau level above baseline, which gradually declined to reach a new steady state, which was significantly higher than resting Ins(1,4,5)P3 at 30 min. Li+ had no effect on Ins(1,4,5)P3 in resting cells, as well as on the acetylcholine-dependent peak of Ins(1,4,5)P3. However, Li+ caused a transient reduction (at 45 s), followed by a long lasting increase in the Ins(1,4,5)P3 (30 min), as compared with controls. The Li+ effects were dose-dependent and were observed at concentrations used in the treatment of bipolar disorders. Supplementation with inositol had no effect on the level of Ins(1,4,5)P3, at least over the time periods studied. Stimulation of muscarinic receptors with consequent activation of phospholipase C were necessary for the manifestation of Li+ effects in SH-SY5Y cells, Li+ did not interfere with degradation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 after receptor-blockade with atropine, suggesting that Li+ has no direct effect on the Ins(1,4,5)P3-metabolizing enzymes. A direct effect of Li+ on the phospholipase C also is unlikely. Blockade of Ca2+ entry into the cells by Ni2+, or incubation with EGTA, which reduces agonist-stimulated accumulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3, had no effect on the Li(+)-dependent increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3.

Homologous and heterologous regulation of receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis

Signal transduction at a diverse range of pharmacologically distinct receptors is effected by the enhanced turnover of inositol phospholipids, with the attendant formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. Although considerable progress has been made in recent years towards the identification and characterization of the individual components of this pathway, much less is known of mechanisms that may underlie its regulation. In this review, evidence is presented for the potential regulation of inositol lipid turnover at the level of receptor, phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C and substrate availability in response to either homologous or heterologous stimuli. Available data indicate that the extent of receptor-stimulated inositol lipid hydrolysis is regulated by multiple mechanisms that operate at different levels of the signal transduction pathway.