Phosphatidic acid activation of protein kinase C in LA-N-1 neuroblastoma cells

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and serum synergize to promote rapamycin-insensitive cell proliferation via protein kinase C-eta

Previously, we have shown that PKC-eta (protein kinase C-eta) positively regulates glioblastoma proliferation and confers resistance to irradiation-induced apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of rapamycin in inhibiting cell proliferation in two glioblastoma cell lines U-251MG (PKC-eta expressing) and U-1242MG (PKC-eta deficient) following PKC-eta activation. In U-251MG cells, rapamycin (10 nM) treatment was less effective as an antiproliferative agent when cells were concurrently stimulated with 10% serum and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 100 nM), a potent activator of PKC isozymes. Rapamycin-insensitive growth was owing to PKC-eta, as U-1242MG and U-251MG cells infected with a kinase-dead form of PKC-eta (U-251kr) were susceptible to rapamycin-induced inhibition of cell proliferation. Furthermore, U-251MG cells transfected with PKC-eta antisense oligonucleotides were sensitive to rapamycin. PKC-eta-expressing cells stimulated with PMA maintained p70S6K phosphorylation on Thr389 and phosphorylation of rpS6 (ser235/36), suggesting p70S6K kinase activity was still intact. Inhibition of p70S6K expression with small interfering RNA oligonucleotides inhibited cell proliferation greater than 50% in the presence of a combination of PMA and serum. Additionally, p70S6K co-precipitated with PKC-eta, suggesting a physical interaction between PKC-eta and p70S6K regulates the observed phosphorylation. Taken together, these data demonstrate that rapamycin-insensitive glioblastoma proliferation involves PKC-eta signaling.

Involvement of lipid mediators on cytokine signaling and induction of secretory phospholipase A2 in immortalized astrocytes (DITNC)

Our previous studies demonstrated the ability of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), to stimulate NFkappaB/DNA binding and synthesis of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) in immortalized astrocytes (DITNC). In this study, we examined possible involvement of lipid mediators in the cytokine action. Using [14C]serine to label sphingomyelin and ceramide in these cells, subsequent exposure of cells to cytokines did not result in alteration of sphingomyelin/ceramide ratio. Furthermore, neither exogenous sphingomyelinase nor cell-permeable ceramides could stimulate NFkappaB/DNA binding. On the other hand, C-2 ceramide (0.3 microM) as well as other lipid mediators, such as lysophosphatidylcholine and arachidonic acid, were able to elicit a small increase in sPLA2 and potentiate the induction of sPLA2 by TNF-alpha. When DITNC cells were prelabeled with [32P]Pi, an increase in labeled phosphatidic acid (PA) was observed on treatment of cells with IL-1beta (200 U/mL). However, despite the ability of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) to stimulate phospholipase D (PLD) and synthesis of phosphatidylethanol (PEt) in these cells, PLD activity was not affected by IL-1beta. With the [32P]labeled cells, however, PA-phosphohydrolase inhibitors, such as chlorpromazine and propranolol, could elicit large increases in labeled PA, indicating active PA metabolism in these cells. Cytokines also caused an increase in levels of diacylglycerol (DG) in these cells, although the source of this lipid pool is presently not understood. Taken together, these results provide evidence for the participation of PA and DG in cytokine signaling activity. Furthermore, although cytokines did not cause the release of ceramide, lipid mediators, such as lysophospholipids, and AA could modulate cytokine-mediated induction of sPLA2 in astrocytes.

5-hydroxytryptamine stimulation of phospholipase D activity in the rabbit isolated mesenteric artery

1. The involvement of phospholipase D (PLD) in the 5-hydroxytryptamine 5-HT1B/5-HT1D-signalling pathway was assessed in the rabbit isolated mesenteric artery. 2. RT-PCR analysis of mesenteric smooth muscle cells revealed a strong signal corresponding to mRNA transcript for the 5-HT1B receptor. The PCR fragment corresponded to the known sequence for the 5-HT1B receptor. No signal corresponding to 5-HT1D mRNA was detected. 3. Neither 5-HT (3 microM) nor KCl (45 mM) individually stimulated any significant increase in the smooth muscle concentration of [33P]-PtdBut to reflect PLD activity. However, in the presence of KCl (45 mM), 5-HT evoked a concentration-dependent increase in [33P]-PtdBut, to a maximum of 84% with 5-HT (3 microM). 4. [33P]-PtdBut accumulation evoked by 5-HT in the presence of KCl was abolished in nominally calcium-free Krebs-Henseleit Buffer (KHB) or with the selective protein kinase C inhibitor, Ro-31 8220 (10 microM, 20 min). 5. 5-HT (3 microM) in the presence of KCl (45 mM) failed to increase either the accumulation of [33P]-phosphatidic acid in the presence of butanol, or total [3H]-inositol phosphates ([3H]-InsP) in the presence of LiCl (10 mM). 6. 5-HT (0.1-1 microM) abolished forskolin (1 microM) stimulated increases in cyclic AMP (15 fold increase), an action which was pertussis toxin-sensitive. 7. Therefore, in the presence of raised extracellular potassium 5-HT can stimulate PLD via 5-HT1B receptors in the rabbit mesenteric artery. This action requires extracellular calcium and the activation of protein kinase C. These characteristics are identical to the profile for 5-HT1B/5-HT1D-receptor evoked contraction in vascular smooth muscle cells, suggesting a role for PLD in this response to 5-HT.

Production and function of lipid second messengers in proliferating and differentiated neuroblastoma cells

Multiple cellular responses are regulated through the generation of lipid second messengers upon activation of phospholipases. One such response concerns the activity of a class of kinase constituting the protein kinase C family. The production of specific molecular species of lipid second messengers may be therefore of prime importance in the activation of a member of the PKC isoforms. Prompted by this possibility we investigated the production of 1,2 diacyl-sn-glycerol (DAG) and phosphatidic acid (PtdOH) in LA-N-1 neuroblastoma cells under various physiological states. 12-0-Tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) stimulation activated a phospholipase D (PLD) specific for phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) in proliferating cells and a phospholipase C (PLC) specific for phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) in retinoic acid (RA) differentiated cells. These separate activations produced different molecular species of DAG or PtdOH. PtdOH was able to stimulate the Ca2+ dependent protein kinase C (PKC) by a mechanism which differed from the action of DAG. PtdOH did not induce the translocation of the PKC to the membrane. Moreover PtdOH, in contrast to DAG, prevented PKC degradation by inhibiting the enzymatic hydrolysis by m-calpain. These observations suggest that the stimulation of cells by agonists elicited the production of specific molecular species of lipid second messengers depending on the physiological status of the cells, and probably on the nature of the stimulus. It seems therefore likely that the generation of specific lipid second messengers may activate specific PKC isoforms resulting in a specific cellular response.