Purification of the hepatic vasopressin receptor using a novel affinity column.

A vasopressin receptor was purified, using a novel affinity column, from rat liver plasma membranes treated with guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate and solubilized with 0.8% cholate. Incubation of the membranes with the GTP analogue resulted in a dissociation of the receptor-guanine nucleotide regulatory protein complex. This manipulation, although resulting in a low-affinity state of the receptor, facilitated purification. The solubilized receptor was assayed using a new reconstitution procedure in which the soluble extracts were inserted into lipid vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol. The receptor was purified by sequential chromatography on Q-Sepharose and hydroxyapatite. The use of a novel affinity column, a V1-vasopressin antagonist-agarose, resulted in a near-homogeneous preparation of a protein which exhibited an Mr = 58,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Autoradiography of purified receptor, as well as crude membrane preparations cross-linked to [125I]arginine vasopressin, also revealed a protein band with an approximate Mr = 58,000. These findings indicate that V1-antagonist affinity chromatography should be useful for purifying adequate amounts of the receptor for studies of structure and function.

Ca2+-mobilizing hormones elicit phosphatidylethanol accumulation via phospholipase D activation.

Vasopressin, angiotensin II and epinephrine elicited the accumulation of phosphatidylethanol in rat hepatocytes exposed to ethanol and of phosphatidate in the absence of ethanol. When isolated liver plasma membranes were exposed to ethanol, GTP gamma S stimulated the production of phosphatidylethanol whereas phosphatidate was formed in the absence of ethanol. With increasing ethanol concentrations, phosphatidate formation declined whereas phosphatidylethanol production increased. These findings suggest that rat hepatocytes possess a hormone-dependent phospholipase D activity that can also catalyze the formation of phosphatidylethanol.

Role of guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins and inositol phosphates in the hormone induced mobilization of hepatocyte calcium.

Treatment of isolated hepatocytes with F- produced a concentration-dependent activation of phosphorylase, efflux of Ca2+, rise in [Ca2+]i, increase in Ins 1,4,5-P3 levels, decrease in PI-4,5-P2 levels, and increase in DAG levels. The levels of intracellular cAMP were decreased by NaF. The effects of NaF were potentiated by AlCl3. This potentiation was abolished by the Al3+ chelator deferoxamine. These results illustrate that AlF4- can mimic the effects of Ca2+-mobilizing hormones in hepatocytes and suggest that the coupling of the receptors for these hormones to the hydrolysis of PI-4,5-P2 is through a guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein. This is because AlF4- is known to modulate the activity of other guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (Gi, Gs, and transducin). Calcium-sensitive inositide release in a purified rat liver plasma membrane preparation was increased by calcium-mobilizing hormones in the presence of guanine nucleotides. Vasopressin-stimulated inositide release was evident in the presence of GTP or GTP gamma S. The guanine nucleotide and hormonal stimulation was evident on both inositide production and PI 4,5-P2 degradation. Treatment of plasma membranes with cholera toxin or islet activating protein or prior injection of animals with islet activating protein did not affect stimulation of inositide release by GTP gamma S or GTP gamma S plus vasopressin. The results suggest that calcium-mobilizing hormones stimulate polyphosphoinositide breakdown in rat liver plasma membranes through a novel guanine nucleotide binding protein. The GTPase activity of rat liver plasma membranes was stimulated 20% by 10(-8) M vasopressin. The vasopressin-stimulated GTPase activity was not inhibited in plasma membranes that had been ADP-ribosylated with either cholera toxin or pertussis toxin. When membranes that had been solubilized after preincubation with [3H]vasopressin were subjected to sucrose gradient centrifugation, most of the protein-bound [3H]vasopressin migrated as a single band, also, there was a GTPase activity that migrated with the bound [3H]vasopressin. This peak of bound [3H]vasopressin was decreased 90% when the sucrose gradient centrifugation was run in the presence of 10 M GTP gamma S. Direct evidence that a GTP-binding protein was present in the [3H]vasopressin peak was obtained by the immuno-detection of a 35 kDa beta subunit of a GTP-binding protein and a 40 kDa alpha subunit. These results support the conclusion that liver plasma membranes contain a GTP-binding protein that can complex with the vasopressin receptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Phosphatidate-dependent protein phosphorylation.

Phosphatidate-dependent protein phosphorylation was observed in soluble extracts from rat liver, brain, lung, and testis. The phosphorylation was stimulated by free Ca2+ in the range of 360-800 nM. Incubation mixtures containing phosphatidate provided markedly different profiles of protein phosphorylation from those with phosphatidylserine plus 1,2-diolein. Phosphatidate-dependent phosphorylation of a 30-kDa protein in the soluble fraction from heart was also observed. This phosphorylation did not require Ca2+. Soluble fractions from liver, testis, brain, and lung phosphorylated the 30-kDa heart protein in a phosphatidate-dependent Ca(2+)-independent manner. We propose that part of the action of phosphatidate in cells may be mediated by a protein kinase(s).

Identification of a Ca2+ requirement for protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells.

The incorporation of methionine, lysine, and leucine into protein was studied in Ca2+-depleted and Ca2+-restored preparations of C-6 glial tumor cells in minimal medium. Although incorporation proceeded at linear rates in both preparations for more than 1 h and into the same spectrum of proteins, Ca2+-restored cells incorporated amino acid 5- to 10-fold more rapidly than Ca2+-depleted cells. Addition of approximately 200 microM Ca2+ in excess of chelator was required to achieve maximal rates of incorporation in Ca2+-depleted preparations. Stimulation by Ca2+ was rapid in onset (several minutes) and slowly reversible by chelator. Ca2+ was uniquely potent and specific among physiologically occurring cations in conferring such stimulation. Stimulation of amino acid incorporation by Ca2+ occurred over a broad range of pH and osmolarities and was facilitated by Mg2+. The effects of Ca2+ in stimulating amino acid incorporation were not traceable to changes in cAMP metabolism, amino acid uptake, protein catabolism, cell ATP or GTP content, or aminoacylation of transfer RNA. Actinomycin D (1 microgram/ml) did not block the stimulatory effects of Ca2+ although puromycin and cycloheximide did. The stimulatory effects of Ca2+ on protein synthesis were not restricted to C-6 in minimal medium. Protein synthesis was reduced by ethylene glycol bis(B-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid 40 to 75% in C-6 glioma, GH3 pituitary tumor, PC-12 adrenal tumor, N2A neuroblastoma, and HeLa cells incubated under simulated growth conditions with various enriched media and sera. Ca2+-depleted S49 lymphoma, CHO ovarian tumor, and normal, dispersed chicken embryo cells in enriched medium responded to Ca2+ restoration with increased rates of protein synthesis as did collagenase-dispersed normal rat liver cells in minimal medium. Protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte lysates was also inhibited by Ca2+-selective chelators or by Ca2+ removal by parvalbumin affinity chromatography and the inhibition was reversed by Ca2+. These findings are consistent with the existence of a Ca2+ requirement in the translational phase of protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells.

Stimulation of 1,2-diacylglycerol accumulation in hepatocytes by vasopressin, epinephrine, and angiotensin II.

1,2-Diacylglycerol (DAG) was measured in neutral lipid extracts from isolated hepatocytes using high pressure liquid chromatography followed by refractive index detection. Maximally effective doses of epinephrine, angiotensin II, and vasopressin increased DAG by approximately 65, 80, and 180-250%, respectively, with maximal increases being observed at 8-10 min. Depletion of cellular Ca2+ resulted in a 50% decrease in DAG accumulation elicited by vasopressin. Other agents which increased DAG levels were the tumor promoter 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate (120% increase at 10(-6) M), the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (385% increase at 10(-5) M), and ATP (180% increase at 1 mM). The concentration dependence of DAG accumulation in response to epinephrine, angiotensin II, and vasopressin was similar to that found for myoinositol triphosphate accumulation (Charest, R., Prpic, V., Exton, J. H., and Blackmore, P.F. (1985) Biochem. J. 227, 79-90), which was approximately 5-10 times less sensitive to hormone than was phosphorylase activation. Fatty acid analysis revealed that hormonally induced DAG was partially derived from sources other than inositol phospholipids. It is proposed from these studies that Ca2+-mobilizing hormones elicit a prolonged increase in the levels of hepatocyte DAG, which may activate protein kinase C.

An enzymatic assay for picomole levels of phosphatidate.

An assay for phosphatidate that is sensitive, specific, and highly reproducible is described. Phosphatidate is transacylated with methylamine and the glycerol 3-phosphate produced is measured enzymatically. The assay is linear from 50 to 1500 pmol of phosphatidate and can be used to quantitate phosphatidate in small amounts of biological materials.

An early elevation of diacylglycerol and phosphatidate in regenerating liver.

Liver diacylglycerol and phosphatidate are elevated following partial hepatectomy. These increases precede those in DNA synthesis and triacylglycerol accumulation. Possible factors involved in the increase in the lipids and the possible role of the lipids in liver regeneration are discussed.

Activation of phospholipase D by the fucose-sulfate glycoconjugate that induces an acrosome reaction in spermatozoa.

We report for the first time that phospholipase D activity in sea urchin spermatozoa can be regulated by a component of egg jelly known to induce an acrosome reaction. The fucose-sulfate glycoconjugate (FSG) of egg jelly that induces an acrosome reaction in spermatozoa caused Ca2+-dependent increases in 1,2-diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. Diacylglycerol concentrations were increased 2-fold, and phosphatidic acid concentrations were elevated up to 10-fold 2 min after the addition of FSG to spermatozoa. FSG also caused increases in choline, but not in choline phosphate concentrations. Neither phosphorylation of diacylglycerol nor de novo synthesis from glycerol were significant routes of synthesis of phosphatidic acid during the acrosome reaction. When spermatozoa were incubated with FSG in the presence of ethanol, phosphatidylethanol was produced. As ethanol concentrations in the extracellular medium were increased from 0.1 to 2.5%, the amount of phosphatidylethanol increased, whereas phosphatidic acid concentrations decreased, suggesting a competitive transphosphatidylation reaction catalyzed by phospholipase D. Furthermore, when a phosphatidylcholine pool in spermatozoa was radiolabeled using [3H]1-O-alkyl-2-lyso-glycerol-3-phosphorylcholine, the subsequent addition of FSG caused a 4-fold accumulation of [3H]phosphatidic acid. FSG-induced elevations in [3H]phosphatidic acid were positively correlated with the percent of cells that had undergone an acrosome reaction.

Regulation of phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase activity during stimulation of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase (PPH) activity was determined in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) by measuring the hydrolysis of [32P]phosphatidic acid (PA) added to cell sonicates. Enzyme activity was localized primarily to a soluble fraction. Soluble and particulate activities required magnesium and were inhibited by calcium, N-ethylmaleimide, sphingosine, and propranolol. The activity in unstimulated PMNs was 0.64 +/- 0.11 nmol of PA hydrolyzed.mg protein-1.min-1 in particulate and 4.20 +/- 0.42 in soluble fractions. Stimulation of PMNs with 1 microM f-Met-Leu-Phe (FMLP) for 10 min caused a slight decrease in soluble activity and a small increase in the activity of particulate fractions. Preincubation with 10 microM cytochalasin B for 5 min before FMLP stimulation markedly enhanced both of these changes. The effect of FMLP plus cytochalasin B was rapid (less than 10 s), whereas the calcium ionophore A23187 (1 microM) and phorbol myristate acetate (100 ng/ml) caused slower and smaller changes in enzyme activity. These results indicate that after chemoattractant stimulation; PPH activity decreases in the soluble fraction and increases in the particulate fraction suggesting that PPH may participate in signal transduction in the PMN.

Cell signalling through phospholipid breakdown.

There is much evidence that G-proteins transduce the signal from receptors for Ca(2+)-mobilizing agonists to the phospholipase C that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphoinositides. However, the specific G-proteins involved have not been identified. We have recently purified a 42 kDa protein from liver that activates phosphoinositide phospholipase C and cross-reacts with antisera to a peptide common to G-protein alpha-subunits. It is proposed that this protein is the alpha-subunit of the G-protein that regulates the phospholipase in this tissue. Ca(2+)-mobilizing agonists and certain growth factors also promote the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine through the activation of phospholipases C and D in many cell types. This yields a larger amount of diacylglycerol for a longer time than does the hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids. Consequently phosphatidylcholine breakdown is probably a major factor in long-term regulation of protein kinase C. The functions of phosphatidic acid produced by phospholipase D are speculative, but there is evidence that it is a major source of diacylglycerol in many cell types. The regulation of phosphatidylcholine phospholipases is multiple and involves direct activation by G-proteins, and regulation by Ca2+, protein kinase C and perhaps growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases.

Regulation of protein synthesis in isolated hepatocytes by calcium-mobilizing hormones.

The incorporation of leucine into protein was studied in Ca2+-depleted and Ca2+-restored preparations of normal liver cells isolated from fed, adult male rats. Ca2+-restored cells incorporated amino acid 5-10-fold more rapidly than did Ca2+-depleted cells for incubation periods up to 1 hr. Readdition of Ca2+ at supraphysiologic concentrations (3 mM) to depleted cells restored the rate of incorporation within 8-10 min, whereas lesser concentrations of the cation acted more slowly. Vasopressin and alpha-adrenergic agonists rapidly (in minutes) inhibited amino acid incorporation to variable degrees in liver cells, with pronounced inhibitions (40-75%) occurring at moderate (0.1-1 mM) extracellular Ca2+ concentrations and smaller inhibitions (10-30%) occurring at supraphysiologic concentrations of the cation. Hormonally produced inhibitions were more intense at acid pH than at alkaline pH. The effects of epinephrine were mediated through alpha 1-adrenergic receptors and were not additive with those of vasopressin at saturating concentrations. It is proposed that these hormones, which are known to mobilize sequestered Ca2+ within liver cells, inhibit amino acid incorporation by influencing a Ca2+ requirement associated with protein synthesis.

Mechanism of hepatic glycogen synthase inactivation induced by Ca2+-mobilizing hormones. Studies using phospholipase C and phorbol myristate acetate.

Incubation of hepatocytes with the protein kinase C activator and tumour promoter 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate (PMA) produced a time- and concentration-dependent inactivation of glycogen synthase, but no change in phosphorylase. The same rate and extent of inactivation occurred in hepatocytes depleted of Ca2+ by treatment with the Ca2+ chelator EGTA. When hepatocytes were treated with the Ca2+-mobilizing hormone vasopressin (10 nM), the rate of glycogen synthase inactivation was similar to that observed with PMA (1 microM). Depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with EGTA abolished the ability of vasopressin to mobilize Ca2+ and activate phosphorylase without abolishing its ability to inactivate glycogen synthase and increase 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG), the endogenous activator of protein kinase C. Protein kinase C, either in membranes or after partial purification, was shown to be activated in vitro by PMA in the presence of very low concentrations of Ca2+. Exogenous phospholipase C from Clostridium perfringens, at low concentrations, inactivated glycogen synthase and increased DAG without affecting cell Ca2+ or phosphorylase. It is proposed that the inactivation of glycogen synthase elicited by the Ca2+-mobilizing hormones is due, at least in part, to generation of DAG and activation of protein kinase C.

Regulation of phosphoinositide and phosphatidylcholine phospholipases by G proteins.

Two G proteins that regulate phosphoinositide phospholipase C in liver plasma membranes have been purified to homogeneity in both the heterotrimeric and dissociated forms. The heterotrimers contain a 42 kDa or 43 kDa alpha subunit and a 35 kDa beta subunit. The alpha subunits are not ADP-ribosylated by pertussis toxin and are closely related immunologically to members of the recently identified Gq class of G proteins. The specific phosphoinositide phospholipase C isozyme that responds to the G proteins has been determined to the beta 1 isozyme. GTP analogues stimulate phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis in rat liver plasma membranes. The nucleotide specificity and Mg2+ dependency of the response indicate that it is mediated by a G protein. Phosphatidic acid, diacylglycerol, choline and phosphorylcholine are the products, indicating that both phospholipase D and C activities are involved. Activation of phospholipase D is also indicated by the enhanced production of phosphatidyl-ethanol in the presence of ethanol.

Role of a guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein in the hydrolysis of hepatocyte phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate by calcium-mobilizing hormones and the control of cell calcium. Studies utilizing aluminum fluoride.

Treatment of isolated hepatocytes with NaF produced a concentration-dependent activation of phosphorylase, inactivation of glycogen synthase, efflux of Ca2+, rise in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i), increase in myo-inositol-1,4,5,-P3 levels, decrease in phosphatidylinositol-4,5-P2 levels, and increase in 1,2-diacylglycerol levels. These changes were evident within 1 min and maximum at 2-5 min. Maximum effects on Ca2+ efflux, [Ca2+]i, glycogen synthase, and phosphorylase were observed with 15 mM NaF, whereas myo-inositol-1,4,5-P3 and 1,2-diacylglycerol levels were maximally stimulated by 50 mM NaF. The levels of intracellular cAMP were decreased by NaF (up to 10 mM) in the absence or presence of glucagon (0.1-1 nM) or forskolin (2 microM). The effects of low doses of NaF (2-15 mM) to inhibit basal or glucagon-stimulated cAMP accumulation, mobilize Ca2+, activate phosphorylase, and inactivate glycogen synthase were all potentiated by AlCl3. This potentiation was abolished by the Al3+ chelator deferoxamine. These results illustrate that AlF4- can mimic the effects of Ca2+-mobilizing hormones in hepatocytes and suggest that the coupling of the receptors for these hormones to the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-P2 to myo-inositol 1,4,5-P3 is through a guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein. This is because AlF4- is known to modulate the activity of other guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (Ni, Ns, and transducin).

Inhibition of hepatic alpha 1-adrenergic effects and binding by phorbol myristate acetate.

Treatment of isolated hepatocytes with the tumor-promoting agent, 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate (PMA) produced a time- and dose-dependent, non-competitive inhibition of alpha 1-adrenergic responses, including the activation of phosphorylase, increase in Ca2+ efflux, increase in free cytosolic Ca2+, and release of myo-inositol-1,4,5-P3. The actions of [8-arginine] vasopressin (AVP) on liver cells were also inhibited by PMA, but the inhibition could be overcome by high AVP concentrations. No significant inhibition of beta-adrenergic and glucagon-mediated activation of phosphorylase was induced by PMA and no inhibitory or synergistic effects of PMA were observed on the dose-dependent activation of phosphorylase by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. In radioligand binding studies, PMA did not directly interfere with [3H]prazosin specific binding, the displacement of [3H]prazosin by (-)-norepinephrine nor with [3H]AVP specific binding to purified liver plasma membranes. Plasma membranes prepared from livers perfused with PMA exhibited a 30-44% reduction in [3H]prazosin binding capacity. Under identical conditions [3H]AVP binding was unchanged. The alpha 1-receptors remaining in membranes from PMA-treated livers had equivalent affinities for [3H]prazosin and (-)-norepinephrine, and were unaffected in terms of coupling to guanine nucleotide-regulating proteins as indicated by the ability of guanosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imido)triphosphate to promote the conversion of the remaining alpha 1-receptors into a low affinity state. These data indicate that tumor promoters are potent antagonists of alpha 1-adrenergic and vasopressin (low dose) responses in liver. It is proposed that PMA acting via protein kinase C (which presumably mediates the action of PMA) exerts its inhibitory action on alpha 1-adrenergic responses at the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor itself and also at a site close to or before myo-inositol-1,4,5-P3 release.

Phosphatidate accumulation in hormone-treated hepatocytes via a phospholipase D mechanism.

Isolated rat hepatocytes responded to a variety of Ca2+-mobilizing agents (vasopressin, angiotensin II, epinephrine, epidermal growth factor, ATP, and ADP) with a rapid increase in phosphatidate mass, as measured by a sensitive new method. When hepatocytes were incubated with vasopressin (10(-8) M), phosphatidate levels increased 2-3-fold in 2 min, but there was no significant increase in diacylglycerol at this time. Changes in the fatty acid composition of phosphatidate also preceded those in diacylglycerol. De novo synthesis of phosphatidate from [3H]glycerol was unaffected by vasopressin in short-term incubation. Incubation of washed rat liver plasma membranes with GTP gamma S caused a time-dependent increase in phosphatidate. When membranes were incubated with GTP gamma S and [gamma-32P]ATP, no incorporation of 32P into phosphatidate was observed. This excludes the phospholipase C-diacylglycerol kinase pathway and suggests that a phospholipase D activity produced the phosphatidate. At submaximal concentrations of GTP gamma S, ATP and ADP stimulated membrane phosphatidate formation, presumably by acting through P2-purinergic receptors. Only phosphatidylcholine, among the major phospholipids, decreased in the membranes in response to GTP gamma S. The fatty acid composition of the phosphatidate produced in response to vasopressin in hepatocytes also suggests that phosphatidylcholine may be the source of hormonally elicited phosphatidate. We conclude that Ca2+-mobilizing hormones mainly increase phosphatidate levels in hepatocytes by a mechanism that does not involve phosphorylation of diacylglycerol or de novo synthesis but involves a guanine nucleotide-binding protein coupled to phospholipase D.

Calcium-mobilizing hormones and phorbol myristate acetate mediate heterologous desensitization of the hormone-sensitive hepatic Na+/K+ pump.

The Na+/K+ pump in rat hepatocytes is stimulated in response to Ca2+-mobilizing hormones such as [arginine]vasopressin (AVP), angiotensin II and adrenaline, as well as tumour promoters such as 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate (PMA). The ability of these agents to increase cellular contents of diacylglycerol and activate protein kinase C may be necessary to observe this response. In the present work, ouabain-sensitive 86Rb+ uptake was studied in isolated rat hepatocytes to help to explain why stimulation of the Na+/K+ pump by Ca2+-mobilizing hormones and tumour promoters is not temporally sustained relative to other hormone responses. A transient stimulation (3-4 min) of the Na+/K+ pump was observed in hepatocytes exposed to high (10 nM), but not low (0.1 nM), concentrations of AVP. Experiments with the Ca2+ chelator EGTA and the Na+ ionophore monensin indicate that the rapid secondary decrease in Na+/K+-pump activity which occurs after AVP stimulation is not due to changes in cytosolic Ca2+ and Na+ concentrations. When added after the stimulation and rapid decrease in Na+/K+-pump activity induced in hepatocytes by a high concentration of AVP, a second challenge with AVP or PMA failed to stimulate the pump. Similarly, previous exposure of hepatocytes to angiotensin, adrenaline or PMA attenuated the subsequent Na+/K+-pump responses to AVP and PMA. In contrast, previous exposure to AVP had no significant effect on subsequent stimulation of the Na+/K+-pump by monensin, glucagon, forskolin or 8-p-chlorophenylthio cyclic AMP. In addition, exposure to monensin had no effect on subsequent responses to AVP and PMA. These data indicate that high concentrations of Ca2+-mobilizing hormones and PMA result in heterologous desensitization of the hepatic Na+/K+ pump to subsequent stimulation by Ca2+-mobilizing hormones and PMA, but not by cyclic-AMP-dependent agonists or monensin.

Hormonal stimulation of diacylglycerol formation in hepatocytes. Evidence for phosphatidylcholine breakdown.

The molecular species of 1,2-diacylglycerol in control and agonist-stimulated rat hepatocytes were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Twelve species were identified which were increased nonuniformly by 100 nM vasopressin. Most species were increased 2-3-fold, but some (C16:0/C20:4 and C18:0/C20:4) were increased 3-6-fold. Selectively greater increases in the latter two species were also induced by ATP, angiotensin II, and A23187 ionophore, however, phorbol ester caused uniform increases. Calcium depletion of the cells with chelator resulted in a uniform 2-fold effect of vasopressin on 1,2-diacylglycerol species, with greater increases in C16:0/C20:4 and C18:0/C20:4 being restored by Ca2+ readdition. Comparison of the increases in 1,2-diacylglycerol species caused by the Ca2+-mediated agents with the molecular species present in rat hepatocyte phospholipids supports the concept that phosphatidylcholine is a major source of the 1,2-diacylglycerol that accumulates. In hepatocytes incubated for 5 min to 2 h with 1-O-[3H]alkyl-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, the label was incorporated mainly into phosphatidylcholine, and subsequent incubation with vasopressin, angiotensin II, ATP, epinephrine, A23187, and phorbol ester caused formation of [3H]alkyl-acylglycerol, but not [3H]alkyl-phosphatidic acid. The time course and concentration dependence of the vasopressin effect were similar to those reported previously for total 1,2-diacylglycerol (Bocckino, S. B., Blackmore, P. F., and Exton, J. H. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14201-14207). Calcium depletion induced by chelator inhibited the effect of vasopressin, and readdition of Ca2+ largely restored the effect. In cells incubated with [14C]lyso-phosphatidylcholine, [3H]phosphatidylcholine, or [14C]phosphatidylethanolamine for 5 or 30 min to label hepatocyte phosphatidylcholine, vasopressin also induced the formation of labeled 1,2-diacylglycerol, but not phosphatidic acid. In contrast, in hepatocytes prepared from rats injected intraportally with [3H]alkyl-lyso-glycerophosphocholine 20 h previously, the hormone induced the rapid formation of both labeled 1,2-diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. In summary, these isotopic data indicate that a rapidly labeled pool of phosphatidylcholine is hydrolyzed to 1,2-diacylglycerol and a slowly labeled pool is broken down to both 1,2-diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid in hepatocytes stimulated by Ca2+-mobilizing agents. It is concluded from both the analyses of molecular species of 1,2-diacylglycerol and the labeling experiments that phosphatidylcholine is a major source of the 1,2-diacylglycerol that accumulates in hepatocytes stimulated with Ca2+-mobilizing agonists and that the mechanisms responsible may involve both Ca2+ and protein kinase C.

Ca2+ and hormones interact synergistically to stimulate rapidly both prolactin production and overall protein synthesis in pituitary tumor cells.

Effects of Ca2+ and hormones on short-term protein synthesis were examined utilizing intact Ca2+-depleted and Ca2+-restored GH3 pituitary tumor cells as a model system. Amino acid incorporation by cells in complete growth medium during short incubations was markedly reduced by EGTA concentrations in excess of Ca2+. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) rapidly enhanced amino acid incorporation and prolactin production, with both effects being reserved by EGTA in excess of extracellular Ca2+ or prevented by cellular Ca2+ depletion. Epidermal growth factor and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) also stimulated amino acid incorporation and prolactin production; absolute increases in protein synthesis provided by these agents were significantly greater in Ca2+-restored than in Ca2+-depleted preparations. TRH and PMA concentrations which raised prolactin production were identical to those increasing the rate of amino acid incorporation into overall protein. The extracellular Ca2+ concentration dependencies of amino acid incorporation and prolactin production were similar and were unchanged by hormone. PMA, the most efficacious of the agents tested, and Ca2+ promoted incorporation of amino acid into the same spectrum of proteins. Stimulation of protein synthesis by hormones was not attributable to alterations in amino acid uptake, attachment to substrata, hormone binding, protein catabolism or transcription. Trifluoperazine selectively prevented the stimulation by Ca2+ of amino acid incorporation and prolactin production. Unlike total prolactin, the total protein content of GH3 cells during these short incubations was not altered by Ca2+, hormones or trifluoperazine. It is proposed that hormones and Ca2+, which have been demonstrated to regulate prolactin secretion and prolactin mRNA transcription in GH3 cells, also exert translational controls which serve to facilitate the overall expression of the prolactin gene.