Josef Pfeilschifter

Cytokine-stimulated secretion of group II phospholipase A2 by rat mesangial cells. Its contribution to arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin synthesis by cultured rat glomerular cells.

Potent pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 1 (IL-1) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha have been found to increase group II phospholipase A2 (PLA2) synthesis and secretion by mesangial cells. In all cases 85-90% of the enzyme is secreted from the cells and a parallel increase in prostaglandin (PG)E2 synthesis is observed. We report here that co-incubation with a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds and neutralizes rat group II PLA2 attenuates IL-1 beta and TNF alpha-stimulated PGE2 production by 45% and 52%, respectively. CGP43182, a specific inhibitor of group II PLA2, potently blocks mesangial cell group II PLA2 in vitro with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.5 microM, while only slightly affecting mesangial cell high molecular weight PLA2. CGP 43182 markedly attenuates IL-1 beta- and TNF alpha-stimulated PGE2 synthesis in intact mesangial cells with IC50s of 1.3 and 1.0 microM, respectively. PLA2 secreted from cytokine-stimulated mesangial cells was purified to homogeneity. Addition of the purified enzyme to unstimulated mesangial cells causes a marked release of arachidonic acid and a subsequent increased synthesis of PGE2. Moreover, addition of purified PLA2 to a cloned rat glomerular epithelial cell line and cultured bovine glomerular endothelial cells augmented both arachidonic acid release and PGE2 synthesis, with the endothelial cells being especially sensitive. Thus, cytokine-triggered synthesis and secretion of group II PLA2 by mesangial cells contributes, at least in part, to the observed synthesis of PGE2 that occurs in parallel to the enzyme secretion. Furthermore, extracellular PLA2 secreted by mesangial cells is able to stimulate arachidonic acid release and PGE2 synthesis by the adjacent endothelial and epithelial cells. These data suggest that expression and secretion of group II PLA2 triggered by pro-inflammatory cytokines may crucially participate in the pathogenesis of inflammatory processes within the glomerulus.

Interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor synergistically stimulate prostaglandin synthesis and phospholipase A2 release from rat renal mesangial cells

Treatment of rat glomerular mesangial cells with recombinant human interleukin 1 alpha (rIL-1 alpha), recombinant human interleukin 1 beta (rIL-1 beta) or recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rTNF) induces prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis and the release of a phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity. rIL-1 beta is significantly more potent than rIL-1 alpha or rTNF in stimulating PGE2 as well as PLA2 release from mesangial cells. When given together, rTNF interacts in a synergistic fashion with rIL-1 alpha and rIL-1 beta to enhance both, PGE2 synthesis and PLA2 release. The released PLA2 has a neutral pH optimum and is calcium-dependent. Pretreatment of cells with actinomycin D or cycloheximide inhibits basal and cytokine-stimulated PGE2 and PLA2 release.

Transforming growth factor β2 inhibits interleukin 1β- and tumour necrosis factor α-induction of nitric oxide synthase in rat renal mesangial cells

Treatment of mesangial cells with interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) or tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) has been shown to induce nitric oxide (NO) synthase with subsequent autocrine stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase (Pfeilschifter and Schwarzenbach, 1990, FEBS Lett. 273, 185-187). Here we report that transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF beta 2) dose-dependently inhibits IL-1 beta- and TNF alpha-stimulated cGMP formation in mesangial cells. Half-maximal inhibition is observed at concentrations of 0.4 and 0.06 ng/ml of TGF beta 2, respectively. Maximum inhibition of cGMP formation over a 24 h period requires the presence of TGF beta 2 during the first 4 h of induction. In addition, the inhibitory effect of TGF beta 2 on cytokine-induced cGMP formation is not affected by the potent cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, thus excluding prostaglandins as mediators.

Interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor stimulate cGMP formation in rat renal mesangial cells

Treatment of mesangial cells with recombinant human interleukin 1β (IL‐1β) or recombinant human tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) dose‐dependently increased cGMP formation. Both IL‐1β and TNFα‐stimulated formation of cGMP occurred after a initial lag period of 4 to 8 hours. Treatment of cells with actinomycin D, cycloheximide or dexamethason completely abolished cytokine‐induced cGMP formation. Furthermore, the guanylate cyclase inhibitor Methylene blue completely blocked IL‐1β‐ and TNFα‐stimulated cGMP generation. NG‐mono‐methyl‐L‐arginine attenuated IL‐1β‐ and TNFα‐induced cGMP production, an effect that was reversed by L‐arginine.

Interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor and forskolin stimulate the synthesis and secretion of group II phospholipase A2 in rat mesangial cells

Abstract Treatment of rat glomerular mesangial cells with interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor or forskolin resulted in the release of phospholipase A2 activity in the culture medium. Essentially all of this phospholipase A2 activity was bound to immobilized monoclonal antibodies raised against rat liver mitochondrial 14 kDa group II phospholipase A2. Gelfiltration confirmed the absence of higher molecular weight phospholipases A2 in the culture medium. Immunoblot experiments showed the virtual absence of this 14 kDa group II phospholipase A2 in unstimulated mesangial cells. The time-dependent increase of phospholipase A2 activity in both cells and culture medium upon stimulation with interleukin-1β plus forskolin is accompanied with elevated 14 kDa phospholipase A2 protein levels. These results indicate that the increased phospholipase A2 activity upon treatment of mesangial cells with these stimulators is due to increased synthesis of group II phospholipase A2. Over 85 % of this newly synthesized phospholipase A2 appears to be secreted from the cells.

Activation of protein kinase C subtypes α, γ, δ, ϵ, ζ, and η by tumor-promoting and nontumor-promoting agents☆

Protein kinase C (PKC) subtypes alpha, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, and eta have been expressed using the baculovirus expression system. The partially purified PKC subtypes have been studied for their substrate specificities and phospholipid-independent activation by various chemically different nontumor- and tumor-promoting agents, as well as their inhibition of kinase activity by staurosporine and two related compounds. An endogenous PKC-like kinase activity of Sf9 cells was detected and analyzed for cofactor requirements and inhibition. Protamine sulfate was most efficiently phosphorylated by all of the PKC subtypes tested, although this phosphorylation was independent of phosphatidylserine (PS) and diacylglycerol (DAG) or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). Except for PKC-zeta, all subtypes tested phosphorylated myelin basic protein (MBP), histone, or a peptide derived from the pseudosubstrate region of PKC-alpha in a PS/DAG-dependent manner but to varying extents. Among the various agents tested, TPA most efficiently stimulated the kinase activities of the PKC subtypes in a phospholipid-dependent manner. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) was less effective than TPA but displayed no major difference among the subtypes. Activation of PKC-alpha by bryostatin-1 reached only half of the TPA response whereas the other subtypes were activated more effectively. The weak tumor promoter resiniferonol 9,13,14-orthophenyl acetate (ROPA) mainly stimulated PKC-alpha and PKC-gamma at 1 microM concentration, whereas PKC-epsilon and PKC-eta were much less activated. Sapintoxin D, mezerein, indolactam V, and resiniferatoxin at concentrations of 1-100 nM preferentially activated PKC-alpha in a DAG-like manner, whereas at 1 microM other subtypes were activated as well. Preferential activation of PKC-alpha was also noted for tinyatoxin and thapsigargin, but their mode of activation is unclear because these two compounds did not compete for the phorbol ester binding of the PKC subtypes as the other agents did. Of the three PKC inhibitors tested, staurosporine most efficiently inhibited kinase activity of the PKC subtypes, whereas K252a and CGP 41251 were at least 10 times less effective. However, K252a showed certain specificity for inhibition of PKC-alpha, and CGP 41251 failed to inhibit PKC-epsilon and PKC-zeta. Given the different substrate specificities and modes of activation by various tumor-promoting and nontumor-promoting agents, as well as the different sensitivities towards different inhibitors, our results indicate a divergence of individual PKC subtypes in signal transduction.

Cytokine-and forskolin-induced synthesis of group II phospholipase A2 and prostaglandin E2 in rat mesangial cells is prevented by dexamethasone

We have previously described that treatment of rat glomerular mesangial cells with interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor or forskolin stimulates the synthesis and secretion of prostaglandin E2 and group II phospholipase A2. We now report that pretreatment of the mesangial cells with dexamethasone dose-dependently suppresses the cytokines- and forskolin-induced synthesis of prostaglandin E2 as well as the induced synthesis and secretion of group II phospholipase A2. These observations implicate that the inhibition of the cellular or secreted phospholipase A2 activity by dexamethasone in rat mesangial cells is not due to induced synthesis of phospholipase A2 inhibitory proteins but caused by direct inhibition of phospholipase A2 protein expression.

Parathyroid hormone inhibition of Na+/phosphate cotransport in OK cells: Generation of second messengers in the regulatory cascade

Dose-dependent inhibition of Na/phosphate cotransport by parathyroid hormone (PTH) was correlated with the generation of hormone-mediated second messengers, cAMP, 1,2-diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate in an established epithelial cell line (opossum kidney (OK) cells). PTH results in a dose-dependent decline in Na/phosphate cotransport with a half-maximal response at about 10(-11) M. This hormone concentration is commensurate with the levels required to increase 1,2-diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate concentrations by about half maximal but not with those needed for cAMP generation (10(-9) to 10(-8) M PTH). Accordingly, activation of phospholipase C may be physiologically more important than stimulation of adenylate cyclase at normal PTH levels.

PDGF suppresses the activation of group II phospholipase A2 gene expression by interleukin I and forskolin in mesangial cells

Treatment of rat mesangial cells with interleukin 1β (IL‐1β) and forskolin greatly enhanced the expression of group II phospholipase A2 (PLA2) mRNA, with subsequent increased synthesis and secretion of PLA2 as detected by PLA2 activity measurements and immunoprecipitation of culture media of [35S]methionine‐labelled mesangial cells. PDGF—BB dose‐dependently suppressed the IL‐1β‐ and forskolin‐induced elevation of PLA2 mRNA, as well as PLA2 synthesis and secretion. In contrast, PDGF—AA had no inhibitory effect. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein dose‐dependently antagonized the inhibitory effect of PDGF‐BB on IL‐1β‐stimulated PLA2 secretion, thus suggesting that tyrosine phosphorylation may be required for PDGF‐BB inhibition of PLA2 gene expression in mesangial cells.

Parathyroid hormone inhibition of Na+/phosphate contransport in OK cells: requirement of protein kinase C-dependent pathway

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) inhibits sodium/phosphate (Na+/Pi) cotransport across the apical membrane of opossum kidney (OK) cells principally through two pathways. First, cAMP stimulation and activation of protein kinase A; second, diacylglycerol release and stimulation of protein kinase C. Studies were designed to determine the importance of these regulatory cascades. Down-regulation of protein kinase C with prolonged phorbol ester (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA] treatment leads to a refractory state in which the cells do not respond to PTH (10(-8) M), cAMP (10(-4) M) or rechallenge of TPA (200 nM) even though Na+/Pi cotransport is similar to control cells (8.1 +/- 0.1 nmol.mg-1 protein.5 min-1). Staurosporine, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, resulted in the complete inhibition of PTH, cAMP and TPA action in a dose-dependent manner. PTH, cAMP and TPA were additive below maximal concentrations, but had no further effect at maximal agonist concentrations. These results suggest that protein kinase C activity is important in PTH-mediated inhibition of Na+/phosphate cotransport in OK cells.