Eriko Aizu

Staurosporine, a potent protein kinase C inhibitor, fails to inhibit 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-caused ornithine decarboxylase induction in isolated mouse epidermal cells

Staurosporine, a most potent protein kinase C inhibitor, actually inhibited protein kinase C activity obtained either from cytosol or particulate fraction of mouse epidermis. Staurosporine at the concentrations which exert protein kinase C inhibition, however, failed to inhibit, but markedly augmented 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-caused ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) induction in isolated mouse epidermal cells. Staurosporine by itself induced ODC activity as TPA does. Mechanism of ODC induction seems different between these two compounds. Another protein kinase C inhibitor, H-7, inhibited both staurosporine- and TPA-caused ODC induction.

Inhibition of mouse epidermal 12‐lipoxygenase by 2,3,4‐trimethyl‐6‐(12‐hydroxy‐5,10‐dodecadiynyl)‐l,4‐benzoquinone (AA861)

2,3,5‐Trimethyl‐6‐(12‐hydroxy‐5, 10‐dodecadiynyl)‐1.4‐benzoquinone (AA861) strongly inhibited epidermal lipoxygenase activity which was determined by the formation of [14 C]12‐hydroxy‐5,8,10,14‐eicosatetraenoic acid by incubating [l4 C]arachidonic acid with cytosol fraction of epidermal homogenate of ***CD‐1 mice. AA861 failed to inhibit epidermal cyclooxygenase activity. The present results indicate that AA861 is a potent inhibitor of 12‐lipoxygenase in mouse epidermis (IC50 1.9 μM).

Differential effects of various skin tumor-promoting agents on prostaglandin E2 release from primary cultures of mouse epidermal cells

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release from primary cultures of mouse epidermal cells was markedly stimulated by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), mezerein and 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol but not by 4 alpha-phorbol-12,13-di-decanoate in low Ca2+ (50 microM) medium. TPA-evoked PGE2 release was inhibited by mepacrine, indomethacin and H-7 but not by HA1004. These findings suggest that TPA stimulates PGE2 release through activation of protein kinase C, phospholipase A2 and the cyclooxygenase pathway. Of the non-TPA type of tumor promoting agents, i.e. anthralin, chrysarobin, 7-bromomethylbenz[a]anthracene, benzoylperoxide, okadaic acid and palytoxin, only anthralin stimulated PGE2 release. Anthralin-evoked PGE2 release was not inhibited by H-7. In normal Ca2+ (1.8 mM) medium, PGE2 release increased markedly compared to the release in low Ca2+ medium. In normal Ca2+ medium, PGE2 release was stimulated by TPA, anthralin and okadaic acid but not by other tumor promoting agents. In mouse peritoneal macrophages, TPA, palytoxin and okadaic acid stimulated PGE2 release, but other tumor-promoting agents failed to stimulate it. These results suggest that skin tumor promoting agents are not necessarily effective stimulators of prostaglandin production either in macrophages or in epidermal cells, the target cells of skin tumor promotion.

Some properties of lipoxygenase activities in cytosol and microsomal fractions of mouse epidermal homogenate

Lipoxygenase activity in microsomal fraction of mouse epidermal homogenate was characterized in comparison with cytosol lipoxygenase activity. The major activity was identified as 12-lipoxygenase in microsomal fraction as well as in cytosol fraction by the analyses with high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Apparent Km values of cytosol and microsomal 12-lipoxygenase for arachidonic acid were 5.0 microM and 6.2 microM respectively. Apparent Vmax values were 14 pmol/min/mg protein for the cytosol enzyme and 32 pmol/min/mg protein for the microsomal enzyme. Net activities of cytosol and microsomal 12-lipoxygenase were 214 and 109 pmol/min/g wet tissue, respectively. Both cytosol and microsomal lipoxygenase activities were neither dependent on calcium nor ATP. Carbon monoxide failed to affect these enzyme activities. There were considerable differences either in the effect of glutathione or in the sensitivities toward several lipoxygenase inhibitors, indicating that the cytosol and the microsomal 12-lipoxygenase activities are derived from two different enzymes. Alternatively, the differences could be attributable to the different microenvironments of these enzymes.

Inhibition of 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-Acetate-Induced Epidermal Ornithine Decarboxylase Activity and Tumor Promotion by N-(6-Aminohexyl)-5-Chloro-1-Naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7) in Mouse Skin

N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7) inhibited epidermal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) induction caused either by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or teleocidin in CD-1 mice. Inhibitory effect of W-7 on TPA-caused ODC induction was also observed in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated skin and even after repetitive TPA treatment. TPA-induced skin tumor promotion was also suppressed by W-7. Meanwhile, W-7 showed only slight inhibitory effects on calcium-activated, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) activity of mouse epidermis stimulated either by Ca2+ or TPA in the presence of phosphatidylserine. Thus, it is unlikely that the anti-ODC-inducing and anti-tumor-promoting actions of W-7 are due to its inhibitory effect on protein kinase C. It may be possible that a calmodulin-mediating process is involved in the mechanism of epidermal ODC induction and tumor promotion caused by tumor promoters such as TPA and teleocidin.