Phospholipid-dependent Protein Kinase C Activity Research Articles

Nailing down PKC isoform specificity in diabetic nephropathy two's company, three's a crowd

Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by early vascu-lar dysfunction and increasing matrix accumulation inthe kidney, eventually leading to proteinuria, glomer-ulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis [1]. Over the lastdecade, our understanding of the molecular mecha-nisms and the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy(and other diabetic microvascular complications) hasbeen greatly enhanced [2]. However, we still do notcompletely understand how metabolic disturbances inthe diabetic state, i.e. hyperglycaemia, induce sucha vast array of distinct cellular events leading toprogressive renal failure [2]. Several hypotheses linkinghyperglycaemia and altered cellular biology have beenproposed [3]. One of these hypotheses postulates thathigh glucose concentration leads to the activation ofthe calcium- and phospholipid-dependent proteinkinase C (PKC) signalling pathway which subse-quently mediates cellular response, e.g. with alteredgene expression [4]. It is generally believed thatintracellular PKC activation is achieved by thediabetes-induced accumulation of one of its co-factors,diacylglycerol (DAG), inside the cell [2,5]. Diabetesmellitus causes elevated DAG levels in vascular tissuesassociated with diabetic complications, includingretina, heart, aorta and renal glomeruli, and in non-vascular tissues such as liver and skeletal muscle [2].However, PKC may also be activated by othermechanisms [6,7]. Oxidative stress has been reportedto induce prolonged activation of PKC within cells [8]through reactive oxygen species (ROS), producedby hyperglycaemia or through ‘advanced glycationend products’ (AGEs) which have been shown todirectly activate PKC [9,10]. Since PKC is animportant intracellular messenger system and plays acentral role in cell proliferation, matrix expression,apoptosis and regulation of gene transcription [4],PKC activation as one of the important underlyingmolecular mechanism of diabetic complications isan attractive hypothesis and a multitude of reportssuggest such a mechanism [4]. Further support comesfrom experimental and human studies, where inhibi-tion of PKC by specific drugs has been shown toprevent early changes in the diabetic retina andkidney [11–16].However, PKC is not a single entity but consists of afamily of at least 12 serine-threonine kinases withdistinct co-factor activation, expression patterns andcellular functions [17]. These isoforms were first clonedin 1986 and have been divided on the basis of theirregulatory domains into three larger subgroups: theclassical (conventional) PKC isoforms a, bI/II and g(regulated by calcium and DAG), the novel PKCisoforms , and (regulated by DAG) and theatypical (non-calcium-/non-DAG-regulated) PKCisoforms and / (Figure 1) [4]. Multiple studiesover the last decade have clearly demonstrated that thevarious PKC isoforms have distinct cellular functionsin different cell types, cellular compartments andsignalling pathways [4,18].

Lead (Pb +2) impairs long-term memory and blocks learning-induced increases in hippocampal protein kinase C activity

The long-term storage of information in the brain known as long-term memory (LTM) depends on a variety of intracellular signaling cascades utilizing calcium (Ca 2+) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate as second messengers. In particular, Ca +2/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) activity has been proposed to be necessary for the transition from short-term memory to LTM. Because the neurobehavioral toxicity of lead (Pb +2) has been associated to its interference with normal Ca +2 signaling in neurons, we studied its effects on spatial learning and memory using a hippocampal-dependent discrimination task. Adult rats received microinfusions of either Na + or Pb +2 acetate in the CA1 hippocampal subregion before each one of four training sessions. A retention test was given 7 days later to examine LTM. Results suggest that intrahippocampal Pb +2 did not affect learning of the task, but significantly impaired retention. The effects of Pb +2 selectively impaired reference memory measured in the retention test, but had no effect on the general performance because it did not affect the latency to complete the task during the test. Finally, we examined the effects of Pb +2 on the induction of hippocampal Ca +2/phospholipid-dependent PKC activity during acquisition training. The results showed that Pb +2 interfered with the learning-induced activation of Ca +2/phospholipid-dependent PKC on day 3 of acquisition. Overall, our results indicate that Pb +2 causes cognitive impairments in adult rats and that such effects might be subserved by interference with Ca +2-related signaling mechanisms required for normal LTM.

Different hippocampal activity profiles for PKA and PKC in spatial discrimination learning.

Protein kinases are considered essential for the processing and storage of information in the brain. However, the dynamics of protein kinase activation in the hippocampus during spatial learning are poorly understood. In this study, rats were trained to learn a holeboard spatial discrinmination task and the activity profiles for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and Ca2+/ phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) in the hippocampus were examined. Hippocampal PKA activity increased rapidly on Day 1 of spatial learning and remained moderately high at later stages of acquisition. In contrast, PKC activity increased in particulate fractions compared with cytosolic fractions after habituation training and was maximal at Day 3 of spatial acquisition. The results establish a temporal dissociation between PKA and PKC during acquisition of spatial discrimination learning.

Ginsenoside Rh 2 and Rh 3 induce differentiation of HL-60 cells into granulocytes: modulation of protein kinase C isoforms during differentiation by ginsenoside Rh 2

Ginsenoside Rh 1 or Rh 2 differentiated B16 melanoma or F9 teratocarnoma to phenotypic normal melanocyte-like cells or parietal endoderm-like cells. Ginsenoside Rh 3 and Rh 4 were recently isolated from Panax ginseng, but their biochemical and pharmacological effects remain unidentified. The present study investigated whether the ginsenoside Rh group (G-Rh 1, -Rh 2, -Rh 3 and -Rh 4) having similar structures induce differentiation of HL-60 cells and whether protein kinase C (PKC) is involved in differentiation by ginsenoside. Differentiation was assessed by Wright–Giemsa stain and nitroblue tetrazolium reduction. G-Rh 2 and G-Rh 3 induced differentiation of HL-60 cells into morphologically and functionally granulocytes but G-Rh 1 and G-Rh 4 did not. G-Rh 2 and G-Rh 3 arrested the cell cycle at the G1/S phase, consistent with the ability to induce differentiation in a decreasing order of retinoic acid>G-Rh 2>G-Rh 3. During differentiation by G-Rh 2, Ca 2+/phospholipid-dependent PKC activity was increased in both the cytosol and total cell extract and Ca 2+/phospholipid-dependent phosphorylation of 38 and 200 kDa endogenous proteins increased, while phosphorylation of 60, 64, 66 and 97 kDa proteins was Ca 2+/phospholipid-independent. When cytosolic PKC isoforms were analyzed by immunoblotting, no significant change was observed in the α level, however, the immunoreactive 60 kDa band of a similar mass to the PKC catalytic fragment appeared following treatment with G-Rh 2. The β isoform was gradually increased with prolonged treatment. The γ isoform was not detected in the cytosol of untreated cells, whereas a small amount was detected 5 days after treatment. It is concluded that G-Rh 2 and G-Rh 3 can induce differentiation of HL-60 cells into granulocytes and modulation of PKC isoform levels may contribute to differentiation of HL-60 cells by G-Rh 2.

Involvement of calcium-dependent protein kinase C in arsenite-induced genotoxicity in chinese hamster ovary cells

Arsenic is the first metal to be identified as a human carcinogen. Arsenite, one inorganic form of arsenic, has been found to induce sister chromatid exchange, chromosome aberrations, and gene amplification in a variety of in vitro systems. In this study of arsenite-induced genotoxicity represented a micronuclei production in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1), we found that the calcium channel blocker, verapamil, can potentiate arsenite-induced micronuclei. And after arsenite treatment, the elevation of intracellular calcium was observed. When extracellular calcium was depleted during arsenite treatment, the arsenite-induced micronuclei formation was significantly suppressed. These data indicated that a calcium ion plays an essential role in arsenite-induced genotoxicity. Further, it was found that the cotreatment of arsenite and a calcium ionophore, A23187, can increase the micronuclei induction. In contrast, pretreatment of the intracellular calcium chelator, quin 2, significantly inhibited micronuclei production of arsenite administration. In addition, we measured the activity of calcium- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) and found that arsenite can activate PKC activity in a dose-dependent manner. Subsequently, some PKC activators and inhibitors were applied to investigate the involvement of PKC on arsenite-induced micronuclei formation. It was found that H7, a PKC inhibitor, can depress but TPA, a PKC activator, can enhance arsenite-induced micronuclei significantly. These data indicated that arsenite exposure perturbs intracellular calcium homeostasis and activates PKC activity. As a result, the activation of PKC activity may play an important role in arsenite-induced genotoxicity.

Down regulation of protein kinase C during growth enhancement induced by interleukin-6 on a human myeloma cell line, KMS-11.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is one of the most important growth factors for myeloma cells. We examined the effect of recombinant IL-6 on the proliferation of five human myeloma cell lines, which were independently established AT Kawasaki Medical School. Only the KMS-11 cell line among these five lines showed growth enhancement induced by IL-6. Based on the results, a possible contribution of Ca(2+)-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) to the signal transduction in KMS-11 cells during growth enhancement was studied, since PKC may play an important role in malignant transformation or cell proliferation induced by some growth factors, such as IL-6. When exogenous IL-6 was added to KMS-11 culture, we observed (1) reduction of total PKC activity, and (2) translocation of PKC activity from its cytosol fraction to the membrane fraction. These findings may indicate that down regulation of PKC occurred during the myeloma cell proliferation induced by IL-6. However, IL-6 does not appear to be involved in cell proliferation and differentiation in the other cell lines studied.

Inhibition of fetal calf serum-stimulated proliferation of rabbit cultured tracheal smooth muscle cells by selective inhibitors of protein kinase C and protein tyrosine kinase.

Severe chronic asthma is associated with structural changes in the airway wall including airway smooth muscle (ASM) hyperplasia. We have used cultured ASM cells isolated from rabbit trachealis as a model with which to investigate possible mechanisms of accelerated ASM growth to mitogenic stimuli. To elucidate the role that protein kinase C (PKC)- and protein tyrosine kinase (PTK)-dependent pathways play in the control of ASM mitogenesis, we have investigated the effect of reportedly selective inhibitors of PKC (3-[1-[3-(amidinothio)propyl]-3-indolyl]-4-(1-methyl-3-indolyl)-1H - pyrrole-2,5-dionemethanesulfonate [Ro31-8220] and 3-[1-(aminopropyl)indolyl]-4-(1-methyl-3-indolyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione acetate [Ro31-7549]) and PTK (alpha-cyano-3-ethoxy-4-hydroxy-5-phenylthiomethylcinnamamide [ST638]) on partially purified PKC, fetal calf serum (FCS)-stimulated protein phosphotyrosine content and on FCS-induced proliferation. Anion-exchange chromatography of lysed ASM cells resolved two peaks of Ca(2+)-activated, phospholipid-dependent PKC activity and one peak of Ca(2+)- and phospholipid-independent PKC activity. The selective PKC inhibitors, Ro31-8220 and Ro31-7549, abolished the main peak of PKC activity and the Ca(2+)- and phospholipid-independent peak that co-eluted with the main peak. The inhibition was dependent on the concentration of ATP in the reaction cocktail (IC50: 10 microM ATP: Ro31-8220 0.026 microM, Ro31-7549 0.073 microM; 100 microM ATP: Ro31-8220 0.065 microM, Ro31-7549 0.271 microM), consistent with these compounds inhibiting PKC at the ATP-binding site. Ro31-8220 was more potent (2- to 3-fold) than Ro31-7549. Concentrations of each inhibitor that produced maximal inhibition of the pooled kinase activity also abolished the second peak of Ca(2+)-dependent activity. The PTK inhibitor, ST638, had no effect on the kinase activity associated with any of the Ca(2+)-dependent or -independent peaks that eluted from the column. ST638, however, maximally inhibited FCS-stimulated PTK activity (IC50 25 microM). FCS-stimulated PTK was also inhibited by Ro31-8220 (IC50 0.15 microM), but only by 60%, revealing an Ro31-8220-insensitive component to the response. The ability of each protein kinase inhibitor to inhibit proliferation was also studied using four independent indices of ASM cell growth and division: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) dye conversion, Coomassie blue protein determination, hemacytometer cell counts, and DNA synthesis. Ro31-8220 and Ro31-7549 produced concentration-dependent inhibition of FCS-stimulated proliferation of growth-arrested ASM cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Antisense expression of protein kinase C alpha inhibits the growth and tumorigenicity of human glioblastoma cells.

To investigate the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the growth of astrocytic brain tumors, human glioblastoma cell line U-87 was stably transfected with the antisense complementary deoxyribonucleic acid encoding PKC alpha. The effect of selectively down-regulating the alpha isoform on other PKC isoforms, as well as serum-dependent proliferation and in vivo tumorigenicity, was determined. U-87 cells expressed high levels of PKC alpha and lesser amounts of the gamma, epsilon, and zeta isoforms, and a similar PKC isoform pattern was observed in two other human glioblastoma cell lines. Expression of the antisense PKC alpha complementary deoxyribonucleic acid resulted in no detectable PKC alpha by immunoblotting and a 95% reduction in total Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent PKC activity. U-87 cells expressing antisense PKC alpha exhibited an increase in doubling time in vitro, less serum-dependent growth, and reduced sensitivity to a selective PKC inhibitor, Ro 31-8220. The transplantation of U-87 cells expressing antisense PKC alpha into nude mice resulted in no tumor formation. These observations suggest that the inhibition of PKC alpha may be an important chemotherapeutic target for arresting the growth of glioblastomas.

Antisense Expression of Protein Kinase C?? Inhibits the Growth and Tumorigenicity of Human Glioblastoma Cells

TO INVESTIGATE THE role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the growth of astrocytic brain tumors, human glioblastoma cell line U-87 was stably transfected with the antisense complementary deoxyribonucleic acid encoding PKCα. The effect of selectively down-regulating the α isoform on other PKC isoforms, as well as serum-dependent proliferation and in vivo tumorigenicity, was determined. U-87 cells expressed high levels of PKCα and lesser amounts of the γ, η, and ζ isoforms, and a similar PKC isoform pattern was observed in two other human glioblastoma cell lines. Expression of the antisense PKCα complementary deoxyribonucleic acid resulted in no detectable PKCα by immunoblotting and a 95% reduction in total Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent PKC activity. U-87 cells expressing antisense PKCα exhibited an increase in doubling time in vitro, less serum-dependent growth, and reduced sensitivity to a selective PKC inhibitor, Ro 31-8220. The transplantation of U-87 cells expressing antisense PKCα into nude mice resulted in no tumor formation. These observations suggest that the inhibition of PKCα may be an important chemotherapeutic target for arresting the growth of glioblastomas.

Calcium-dependent protein kinase-C activity in human adrenocortical neoplasms, hyperplastic adrenals, and normal adrenocortical tissue.

The calcium- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase-C (PKC) is a critical enzyme of cellular signal transduction. In this report we studied calcium-dependent total PKC activity in eight adrenocortical carcinomas (group 1), nine adrenocortical adenomas (group 2), six hyperplasias (group 3), and five human normal adrenal tissues (group 4). The PKC activity assay was based on phosphorylation of a specific synthetic peptide from myelin basic protein. The specificity of the assay was confirmed by using an inhibitor peptide common to alpha-, beta-, and gamma-isoenzymes of PKC. The median value in group 1 was 1.15 pmol 32P/min.micrograms protein (range, 0.55-2.19), that in group 2 was 1.2 (range, 0.74-2.7), that in group 3 was 0.915 (range, 0.6-1.7), and that in group 4 was 1.22 (range, 0.6-3.95). The calcium-dependent total PKC activity was similar in the four groups studied. We did not find any correlation between urinary total cortisol, serum cortisol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, aldosterone, and estradiol concentrations and PKC activity. These findings suggest that the calcium-dependent PKC activity is not elevated in adrenocortical tumors and is not a useful marker of adrenocortical malignancy.

Protein kinase C phosphorylates caldesmon77 and vimentin and enhances albumin permeability across cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cell monolayers.

Cytoskeletal protein (CSP) interactions are critical to the contractile response in muscle and non-muscle cells. Current concepts suggest that activation of the contractile apparatus occurs through selective phosphorylation by specific cellular kinase systems. Because the Ca(2+)-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) is involved in the regulation of a number of key endothelial cell responses, the hypothesis that PKC modulates endothelial cell contraction and monolayer permeability was tested. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), a direct PKC activator, and alpha-thrombin, a receptor-mediated agonist known to increase endothelial cell permeability, both induced rapid, dose-dependent activation and translocation of PKC in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (BPAEC), as assessed by gamma-[32P]ATP phosphorylation of H1 histone in cellular fractions. This activation was temporally associated with evidence of agonist-mediated endothelial cell contraction as demonstrated by characteristic changes in cellular morphology. Agonist-induced activation of the contractile apparatus was associated with increases in BPAEC monolayer permeability to albumin (approximately 200% increase with 10(-6) MPMA, approximately 400% increase with 10(-8) M alpha-thrombin). To more closely examine the role of PKC in activation of the contractile apparatus, PKC-mediated phosphorylation of two specific CSPs, the actin- and calmodulin-binding protein, caldesmon77, and the intermediate filament protein, vimentin, was assessed. In vitro phosphorylation of both caldesmon and vimentin was demonstrated by addition of exogenous, purified BPAEC PKC to unstimulated BPAEC homogenates, to purified bovine platelet caldesmon77, or to purified smooth muscle caldesmon150. Caldesmon77 and vimentin phosphorylation were observed in intact [32P]-labeled BPAEC monolayers stimulated with either PMA or alpha-thrombin, as detected by immunoprecipitation. In addition, BPAEC pretreatment with the PKC inhibitor, staurosporine, prevented alpha-thrombin- and PMA-induced phosphorylation of both cytoskeletal proteins, attenuated morphologic evidence of contraction, and abolished agonist-induced barrier dysfunction. These results demonstrate that agonist-stimulated PKC activity results in cytoskeletal protein phosphorylation in BPAEC monolayer, an event which occurs in concert with agonist-mediated endothelial cell contraction and resultant barrier dysfunction.

Immunological identification of protein kinase C-α and protein kinase C-δ in cultured rat mesangial cells: Diffferential sensitivity of the two isoforms towards the protein kinase inhibitor H 7

Rat mesangial cells contain both calcium-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) activity, which phosphorylates histone H 1 and endogenous proteins, and calcium-independent, phospholipid-dependent PKC activity, which phosphorylates only endogenous proteins. The calcium-dependent PKC was identified as PKC α by immunoblot analysis and hydroxyapatite chromatography (HPLC). The calcium-insensitive, phospholipid-dependent isoform was identified as PKC δ using similar techniques. The inhibition of the two PKC isoforms by the protein kinase inhibitor H 7 [1-(iso-quinolinyl sulphonyl)-2-methyl piperazine] was examined using both histone H 1 and endogenous proteins as substrates. Phosphorylations catalysed by the calcium-dependent PKC isomform α were almost 90% inhibited when histone H 1 was used, and only 55% when endogenous protein were the substrate. In contrast, the phosphorylation of endogenous proteins catalysed by the calcium-insensitive, phopholipid-dependent PKC δ was not significantly affected by the inhibitor.

Protein kinase C modulation of NMDA currents: an important link for LTP induction

A brief high frequency tetanic stimulation of afferent fibers induces a long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission, which is manifested by an increase in the size of the synaptic response elicited by low frequency stimulation of the same synapse. LTP persists for several hours in vitro and up to several weeks in vivo, and is at present the most extensively studied form of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. This article focuses on the relationship between two key elements in the induction of LTP — the N- methyl- d-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptor and the Ca 2+-phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC). In view of several recent findings that describe a direct positive modulation of NMDA currents by PKC, we suggest that PKC activity may, in fact, determine the threshold of LTP induction. Enhanced kinase activity may underlie the central role of the NMDA receptor — channel complex in neuronal plasticity.

Role of Protein Kinase-C in the Adrenocorticotropin Secretory Response to Arginine Vasopressin (AVP) and the Synergistic Response to AVP and Corticotropin- Releasing Factor by Perifused Rat Anterior Pituitary Cells*

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) stimulates biphasic release of ACTH from anterior pituitary corticotrophs. The response consists of an initial transient spike phase lasting less than 3 min and a subsequent sustained plateau phase that persists for as long as AVP is present. AVP also acts synergistically with CRF on ACTH release. We have previously shown that the initial spike phase of the response mainly requires release of intracellular Ca2+ and is independent of calmodulin, whereas the sustained plateau phase, like the monophasic sustained response elicited by CRF, involves the influx of extracellular Ca2+ via L-type voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels and activation of calmodulin. We have also shown that the synergism between AVP and CRF does not require extracellular Ca2+ influx. In this study we examined the role of Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase-C (PKC) in the two phases of the response to AVP and in the synergism between AVP and CRF. We exploited the observation that prolonged exposure to phorbol esters down-regulates PKC. Dispersed adult male rat anterior pituitary cells were incubated in static suspension culture for 4-5 days, 0.5 microM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or 0.0005% dimethylsulfoxide vehicle alone was added, and the incubation was continued for 24 h. The cells were preperifused with PMA-free perifusion medium for 3 h and then perifused with various agents for 10-20 min. Effluent fractions were collected every 30 sec or 1 min and subjected to ACTH RIA. Pretreatment with PMA inhibited the subsequent response to 100 nM PMA and 100 microM dioctanoylglycerol, but not to 5 microM forskolin or to depolarization with 56 mM KCl, demonstrating specific down-regulation of PKC. PMA pretreatment had no effect on the initial spike phase of the response to AVP, but inhibited the sustained plateau phase by 57% (P less than 0.005) and, consequently, the integrated total response by 33% (P less than 0.05). Pretreatment had no effect on the response to CRF. However, pretreatment with PMA completely blocked both phases of the synergistic response to the combination of AVP and CRF. These results indicate that activation of PKC is required for the sustained phase of the response to AVP and both phases of its synergistic interaction with the protein kinase-A pathway, but is not involved in the initial spike phase of the response to AVP, which presumably is mediated by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-stimulated mobilization of intracellular Ca2+, or in the independent activation of the protein kinase-A pathway by CRF.

Expression of ras oncogene leads to down‐regulation of protein kinase C

The effect of mutated c-Ha-ras expression on Ca2+ and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) activity during the process of transformation was analysed using an inducible metallothionein-ras hybrid oncogene system. A close correlation was found between the timing of ras expression and the loss of PKC enzymatic activity measured in a cell-free system. Examination of the subcellular distribution of the enzyme in inducible and constitutive ras-transformants revealed that expression of ras was associated with an apparent translocation of PKC to the plasma membrane concomitant with down-regulation of PKC enzymatic activity in particulate as well as cytosolic fractions. Quantitation of PKC protein utilizing a PKC-specific antiserum showed that ras expression was associated with a decrease in the total amount of PKC protein present in the cell. We conclude that transformation by c-Ha-ras is accompanied by down-regulation of PKC activity and that the basis of this effect may, to a large extent, lie in the down-regulation of the amount of PKC protein.

Regulation of angiotensin II binding sites in neuronal cultures by protein kinase C

The radioligand binding of 125I-angiotensin II (ANG II) and calcium phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) activity were measured to study the specificity and mechanisms of PKC involvement in the regulation of ANG II-specific binding site expression in neuronal cultures prepared from the brains of 1-day-old rats. Previously, PKC-activating phorbol esters were shown to increase the specific binding of 125I-ANG II in neuronal cultures. However, phorbol esters have many biological effects, which may nonspecifically act to increase 125I-ANG II-specific binding. In the present study, mezerein and teleocidin A, two activators of PKC that are chemically unrelated to phorbol esters, increased the specific binding of 125I-ANG II in a dose- and time-dependent manner with 50% effective dose (ED50) values of 32 and 79 nM, respectively. The PKC antagonist H-7 dose dependently inhibited phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA)-stimulated increases in 125I-ANG II binding, whereas downregulation of PKC activity by chronic phorbol ester incubations of 24 and 48 h prevented TPA-stimulated increases in 125I-ANG II-specific binding. TPA (0.8 microM), mezerein (0.76 microM), and teleocidin A (0.5 microM) all caused a rapid translocation of PKC activity from the cytosol to the particulate fraction by 15 min. Temporally, the maximal stimulation of PKC translocation by mezerein, teleocidin A, and TPA preceded their ability to stimulate maximal 125I-ANG II-specific binding. Taken together, these results suggest that PKC is directly involved in the stimulation of ANG II-specific binding site expression and that translocation of PKC is a prerequisite for the increased expression of ANG II binding sites.

Kinetics of phosphorylation of [formula omitted] by protein kinase C

The kinetics of phosphorylation of an integral membrane enzyme, Na + K + - ATPase , by calcium- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) were characterized in vitro. The phosphorylation by PKC occurred on the catalytic α-subunit of Na + K + - ATPase in preparations of purified enzyme from dog kidney and duck salt-gland and in preparations of duck salt-gland microsomes. The phosphorylation required calcium ( K a ≈ 1.0 μM) and was stimulated by tumor-promoting phorbol ester (12- O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate) in the presence of a low concentration of calcium (0.1 μM). PKC phosphorylation of Na + K + - ATPase was rapid and plateaued within 30 min. The apparent K m of PKC for Na + K + - ATPase as a substrate was 0.5 μM for dog kidney enzyme and 0.3 μM for duck salt-gland enzyme. Apparent substrate inhibition of PKC activity was observed at concentrations of purified salt-gland Na + K + - ATPase greater than 1.0 μM. Phosphorylation of purified kidney and salt-gland Na + K + - ATPase occurred at both serine and threonine residues. The 32P-phosphopeptide pattern on 15% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after hydroxylamine cleavage of pure 32P-phosphorylated α subunit was the same for the two sources of enzyme, which suggests that the phosphorylation sites are similar. The results indicate that Na + K + - ATPase may serve as a substrate for PKC phosphorylation in intact cells and that the Na + K + - ATPase could be a useful in vitro model substrate for PKC interaction with integral membrane proteins.

IL-3-induced activation of protein kinases in the mast cell/megakaryocyte R6-XE.4 line.

A role for second messenger-regulated protein kinases in the early post-IL-3 receptor signal transduction pathway was investigated in the mast cell/megakaryocyte line R6-XE.4. The activity of the calcium- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) was assessed by the ability of the enzyme to phosphorylate histone H1 in the presence of calcium, diacylglycerol, and phosphatidylserine or after proteolytic activation of PKC with trypsin. In high serum-supplemented cells, but not in cells that were preincubated in serum-deficient media for 6 h, subsequent treatment for 15 min with synthetic IL-3 (10 micrograms/ml) caused up to a sixfold increase in the calcium- and lipid-stimulated histone H1 phosphorylating activity of particulate-associated PKC after fractionation on MonoQ. However, there was no corresponding reduction of cytosolic PKC activity. Therefore, IL-3 appeared to modify the activity of preexisting membrane-associated PKC rather than eliciting its recruitment from the cytoplasm in R6-XE.4 cells. This was in contrast to the situation with FDC-P1 cells, where IL-3 induced PKC translocation. IL-3 also stimulated a cytosolic protein kinase that phosphorylated a synthetic peptide patterned after a phosphorylation site in ribosomal protein S6, but this IL did not alter the activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

The role of protein kinase C in cholinergic stimulation of insulin secretion from rat islets of Langerhans.

The role of the Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) in cholinergic potentiation of insulin release was investigated by measuring islet PKC activity and insulin secretion in response to carbachol (CCh), a cholinergic agonist. CCh caused a dose-dependent increase in insulin secretion from cultured rat islets at stimulatory glucose concentrations (greater than or equal to 7 mM), with maximal effects observed at 100 microM. Short-term exposure (5 min) of islets to 500 microM-CCh at 2 mM- or 20 mM-glucose resulted in redistribution of islet PKC activity from a predominantly cytosolic location to a membrane-associated form. Prolonged exposure (greater than 20 h) of islets to 200 nM-phorbol myristate acetate caused a virtual depletion of PKC activity associated with the islet cytosolic fraction. Under these conditions of PKC down-regulation, the potentiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by CCh (500 microM) was significantly decreased, but not abolished. CCh stimulated the hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids in both normal and PKC-depleted islets, as assessed by the generation of radiolabelled inositol phosphates. These results suggest that the potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion by cholinergic agonists is partly mediated by activation of PKC as a consequence of phospholipid hydrolysis.

Protein kinase C activity in UMR-106-01 cells: effects of parathyroid hormone and insulin.

The calcium and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) system appears to play an important role in mediating hormonal effects in various tissues including bone. Accordingly, we characterized PKC activity in the UMR-106-01 rat osteosarcoma osteoblastlike cell line and examined its hormonal regulation. UMR-106-01 cells were found to possess a classic, phorbol ester-activated PKC system, which was highly calcium and phospholipid dependent. A 30 s exposure to 10 nM bovine parathyroid hormone (PTH) (1-34) increased cytosolic and membrane-bound PKC activity by 12 and 157%, respectively, resulting in a 2.2-fold increase in the membrane-bound to cytosolic (MB/C) activity ratio (all p less than 0.01). The MB/C activity ratio was highest at 20 min, exhibiting a 2.8-fold increase over the control values (p less than 0.01). In contrast, 10 nM insulin increased cytosolic PKC activity but decreased membrane-bound activity, resulting in a 61% decrease in the MB/C activity ratio at 20 min (p less than 0.02). Moreover, insulin reduced PTH stimulation of the PKC activity ratio by 42 and 62% at 30 s and 20 min, respectively (p less than 0.02). Thus, PTH and insulin have opposing effects on the PKC activity ratio in UMR-106-01 cells.