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Biomedical subjects

W H Moolenaar

Publications and source records attributed to W H Moolenaar.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Lysophosphatidic acid is a chemoattractant for Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae.

The naturally occurring phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) can induce a number of physiological responses in vertebrate cells, including platelet aggregation, smooth muscle contraction, and fibroblast proliferation. LPA is thought to activate a specific G-protein-coupled receptor, thereby triggering classic second messenger pathways such as stimulation of phospholipase C and inhibition of adenylate cyclase. Here we report that 1-oleoyl-LPA, at submicromolar concentrations, evokes a chemotactic response in amoebae of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. LPA-induced chemotaxis is specific in that other lysophospholipids, phosphatidic acid, and monoacylglycerol have no effect. We show that the response to LPA is not secondary to the accumulation of extracellular cAMP, a well-established chemoattractant for nutrient-starved D. discoideum. Compared with cAMP-induced chemotaxis, LPA-induced chemotaxis has a somewhat lower efficiency and is not accompanied by the characteristic cellular elongation and orientation along the gradient. These results indicate that LPA has a previously unsuspected role as a chemoattractant for D. discoideum and imply that its biological function as a "first messenger" is not restricted to vertebrate cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Pertussis toxin-sensitive activation of p21ras by G protein-coupled receptor agonists in fibroblasts.

Some agonists of G protein-coupled receptors, such as thrombin and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), can promote cell proliferation via a pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive signaling pathway. While these agonists stimulate phospholipase C and inhibit adenylate cyclase, it appears that other, as-yet-unidentified, effector pathways are required for mitogenesis. Here we report that LPA and a thrombin receptor agonist peptide rapidly activate the protooncogene product p21ras in quiescent fibroblasts. This activation is inhibited by PTX and yet not attributable to known PTX-sensitive G protein pathways, including stimulation of phospholipases, inhibition of adenylate cyclase, or modulation of ion channels. LPA- and peptide-induced p21ras activation is inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein, at doses that do not affect epidermal growth factor-induced p21ras activation. Thus, a heterotrimeric G protein of the Gi subfamily regulates activation of p21ras by LPA and thrombin, possibly through an intermediary tyrosine kinase. This pathway may critically participate in mitogenic signaling downstream from certain G protein-coupled receptors.

Adenylate Cyclase Toxin↗
PubMed1993

Fine mapping of the human receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase gene (PTPRM) to 18p11.2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

The isolation of a cDNA encoding a receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase, termed RPTP mu, and the assignment of the human gene to chromosome 18 has recently been reported (Gebbink et al., 1991). Using a genomic clone and fluorescence in situ hybridization, we now show that the human gene, designated PTPRM (formerly PTPRL1; LeBeau and Geurts van Kessel, 1991), maps in band 18p11.2.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1993

Lysophosphatidic acid induces neuronal shape changes via a novel, receptor-mediated signaling pathway: similarity to thrombin action.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a mitogenic phospholipid produced by certain activated cells and present in serum. LPA stimulates phospholipase C and inhibits adenylate cyclase in its target cells, apparently by activating a specific G-protein-coupled receptor. Here, we demonstrate that LPA causes transient rounding of N1E-115 and NG108-15 neuronal cells accompanied by growth cone collapse and retraction of neurites. The effect of LPA is concentration dependent, being half-maximal at 10-20 nM, and reversibly blocked by suramin, an LPA receptor antagonist. The morphological response to LPA is indistinguishable from that evoked by thrombin or a thrombin receptor-activating peptide (TRP) (K. Jalink and W. H. Moolenaar, J. Cell Biol., 118: 411-419, 1992); yet, LPA and thrombin appear to act through distinct receptors. LPA-induced shape changes, like those induced by thrombin and TRP, are driven by contraction of the cortical actin cytoskeleton and not attributable to prior phospholipid hydrolysis and Ca2+ mobilization nor to other classic second messenger systems. Instead, LPA- and TRP-induced shape changes are accompanied by a small but significant increase in p60src protein tyrosine kinase activity. Treatment of cells with pervanadate selectively inhibits LPA- and TRP-induced shape changes as well as p60src activation. These results indicate that, in N1E-115 and NG108-15 cells, LPA and TRP trigger neurite retraction and cell rounding through a novel, receptor-mediated signaling pathway, and they suggest that p60src may play a role in this pathway.

Actins↗
PubMed1992

The biologically active phospholipid, lysophosphatidic acid, induces phosphatidylcholine breakdown in fibroblasts via activation of phospholipase D. Comparison with the response to endothelin.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a simple phospholipid that possesses hormone- and growth-factor-like properties. LPA initiates its action by inducing GTP-dependent phosphoinositide hydrolysis and inhibiting adenylate cyclase [van Corven, Groenink, Jalink, Eichholtz & Moolenaar (1989) Cell 59, 45-54]. Here we show that LPA stimulates rapid breakdown of phosphatidylcholine (PC) in Rat-1 fibroblasts. LPA-induced PC breakdown occurs through activation of phospholipase D (PLD), as measured by the formation of free choline and phosphatidic acid and by transphosphatidylation in the presence of butan-1-ol. LPA also stimulates generation of diacylglycerol, but there is no detectable formation of phosphocholine, suggesting that a PC-specific phospholipase C (PLC) is not involved. The response to LPA was compared with that to endothelin, a potent inducer of phospholipid hydrolysis but a poor mitogen for Rat-1 cells. Our results indicate that: (1) LPA is less efficient than endothelin in inducing phosphoinositide and PC breakdown; (2) LPA-induced PLD activation is short-lived, levelling off after 2 min, whereas the endothelin-stimulated increase in PLD activity persists for at least 1 h; (3) the effect of LPA on PLD, like that of endothelin, is blocked by long-term pretreatment of the cells with phorbol ester, suggesting that PLD activation occurs through a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, our results support the notion that there is no simple causal relationship between the degree of agonist-induced phospholipid hydrolysis and the magnitude of the mitogenic response.

Adenylate Cyclase Toxin↗
PubMed1992

Metabolic conversion of the biologically active phospholipid, lysophosphatidic acid, in fibroblasts.

Lysophosphatidic acid (3-sn-lysophosphatidic acid; LPA) can activate cells similar to hormones and growth factors. We have considered the question whether metabolic conversion of LPA taken up by the cell could be of any importance in this activation. Addition of [14C-glycerol]LPA to quiescent Rat-1 fibroblasts resulted in rapid formation of [14C]monoacylglycerol (MG), closely followed by accumulation of [14C]triacylglycerol. Only very little [14C]diacylglycerol and [14C]phosphatidic acid was formed (approx. 100-fold less than MG). MG, when added exogenously to cells, lacks detectable biological activity. The results suggest that LPA itself, rather than one of its metabolites is the biologically active principle.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Lysophosphatidic acid induces inward currents in Xenopus laevis oocytes; evidence for an extracellular site of action.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a naturally occurring phospholipid that can elicit platelet aggregation, smooth muscle contraction and, in fibroblasts, cell proliferation. We now report that LPA in nanomolar concentrations evokes an inward current in native, defolliculated Xenopus laevis oocytes. Extracellular application of LPA from a pressure pipette to the surface of the oocyte induced an immediate response. In contrast, intracellular injection of the same amount of LPA failed to elicit a response. These data suggest the existence of a Ca(2+)-mobilizing, endogenous LPA receptor in the Xenopus laevis oocyte cell membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Retention of epidermal growth factor receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum of adenovirus-infected cells.

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is down-regulated during early infection with adenovirus, and this has been attributed to accelerated internalization and degradation of the receptor in the absence of ligand (Carlin, Tollefson, Brady, Hoffman & Wold (1989) Cell 57, 135-144]. Using pulse-chase analysis, we show that loss of functional EGF receptors after infection of human KB and A431 cells with adenovirus type 5 is accompanied by accumulation of a receptor precursor that remains fully sensitive to endoglycosidase H, indicative of retention in the endoplasmic reticulum. A truncated receptor, normally secreted by A431 cells, also accumulates intracellularly as an endoglycosidase H-sensitive precursor. In no case is the block in intracellular transport of EGF receptors complete. We conclude that both stimulation of EGF receptor internalization and degradation and inhibition of intracellular transport of newly synthesized EGF receptors from the endoplasmic reticulum towards the cell surface contribute to EGF receptor down-regulation in adenovirus-infected cells.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1992

Mitogenic action of lysophosphatidic acid and phosphatidic acid on fibroblasts. Dependence on acyl-chain length and inhibition by suramin.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a naturally occurring phospholipid with growth-factor-like activities [van Corven, Groenink, Jalink, Eichholtz & Moolenaar (1989) Cell 45, 45-54]. We have examined various structural analogues of LPA for their ability to stimulate DNA synthesis in quiescent fibroblasts. When the acyl-chain length is varied, the rank order of mitogenic potency is: 1-oleoyl LPA congruent to 1-palmitoyl LPA greater than 1-myristoyl LPA greater than 1-lauroyl LPA greater than 1-decanoyl LPA; the last compound shows almost no activity over the concentration range tested (1-100 microM). An ether-linked LPA (1-O-hexadecylglycerol 3-phosphate) has much decreased mitogenic activity as compared with the ester-linked analogue at concentrations less than 25 microM, and becomes cytotoxic at higher concentrations. Hexadecylphosphate, which lacks a glycerol backbone, has negligible activity. On a molar basis, diacyl phosphatidic acid (PA) is about equally potent as the corresponding LPA analogue, showing similar acyl-chain-length dependence; the data argue against the possibility that the mitogenic action of PA is due to contaminating traces of LPA. Although the short-chain analogues of LPA and PA fail to antagonize the action of long-chain (L)PAs, the polyanionic drug suramin inhibits LPA- and PA-induced, DNA synthesis in a reversible and dose-dependent manner, at concentrations [IC50 (concn. giving 50% inhibition) approximately 70 microM] that do not affect epidermal-growth-factor-induced DNA synthesis. Suramin appears to act in the early G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, blocking immediate responses to LPA such as phosphoinositide hydrolysis. We conclude that both LPA and PA can function as growth-promoting phospholipids, with the fatty acid chain length being a major determinant of mitogenic potency.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Identification of a putative membrane receptor for the bioactive phospholipid, lysophosphatidic acid.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a naturally occurring phospholipid with hormone- and growth factor-like activities. Exogenous LPA stimulates GTP-dependent phosphoinositide hydrolysis and inhibits adenylate cyclase in its target cells, but the site of action of LPA is unknown. We now report the identification by photoaffinity labeling of a putative LPA membrane receptor in various LPA-responsive cell types. A 32P-labeled LPA analogue containing a photoreactive fatty acid, [32P]diazirine-LPA, labels a membrane protein of apparent molecular mass of 38-40 kDa in various cell types, including neuronal cells, brain homogenates, carcinoma cells, leukemic cells and normal fibroblasts. Labeling of the 38-40 kDa protein is competitively inhibited by unlabeled 1-oleoyl-LPA (IC50 approximately 10 nM), but not by other phospholipids. Specific labeling is not detected in rat liver membranes or in human neutrophils, which are physiologically unresponsive to LPA. Suramin, an inhibitor of both early and late events in the action of LPA, completely inhibits the binding of photoreactive LPA. We suggest that the 38-40 kDa protein represents a specific LPA cell surface receptor mediating at least part of the multiple cellular responses to LPA.

Affinity Labels↗
PubMed1992

Thrombin receptor activation causes rapid neural cell rounding and neurite retraction independent of classic second messengers.

The protease thrombin is a potent activator of various cell types. Thrombin cleaves and thereby activates its own seven-transmembrane-domain receptor which couples to G proteins. Thrombin also can inhibit neuronal differentiation, supposedly by degrading components of the extracellular matrix. Here we report that active thrombin induces immediate cell rounding and neurite retraction in differentiating N1E-115 and NG108-15 neural cells in serum-free culture. Serum (0.5-5% vol/vol) evokes similar responses, but the cell-rounding and neurite-retracting activity of serum is not attributable to thrombin. Neural cell rounding is transient, subsiding after 10-15 min, and subject to homologous desensitization, whereas retracted neurites rapidly degenerate. Thrombin action is inhibited by cytochalasin, but not colchicine. A novel 14-amino acid peptide agonist of the thrombin receptor fully mimics thrombin's morphoregulatory activity, indicating that thrombin-induced shape changes are receptor-mediated and not secondary to extracellular matrix degradation. Although thrombin receptors couple to phosphoinositide hydrolysis and Ca2+ mobilization, thrombin-induced shape changes appear to depend neither on the Ca2+/protein kinase C- nor the cyclic nucleotide-mediated signal transduction pathways; however, the morphological response to thrombin is blocked by pervanadate, an inhibitor of tyrosine phosphatases, and by broad-specificity kinase inhibitors. Our results suggest that the thrombin receptor communicates to an as-yet-uncharacterized effector to reorganize the actin cytoskeleton and to reverse the differentiated phenotype of neural cells.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1991

Cloning, expression and chromosomal localization of a new putative receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase.

We have isolated a mouse cDNA of 5.7 kb, encoding a new member of the family of receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatases, termed mRPTP mu. The cDNA predicts a protein of 1432 amino acids (not including signal peptide) with a calculated Mr of 161,636. In addition, we have cloned the human homologue, hRPTP mu, which shows 98.7% amino acid identity to mRPTP mu. The predicted mRPTP mu protein consists of a 722 amino acid extracellular region, containing 13 potential N-glycosylation sites, a single transmembrane domain and a 688 amino acid intracellular part containing 2 tandem repeats homologous to the catalytic domains of other tyrosine phosphatases. The N-terminal extracellular part contains a region of about 170 amino acids with no sequence similarities to known proteins, followed by one Ig-like domain and 4 fibronectin type III-like domains. The intracellular part is unique in that the region between the transmembrane domain and the first catalytic domain is about twice as large as in other receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatases. RNA blot analysis reveals a single transcript, that is most abundant in lung and present in much lower amounts in brain and heart. Transfection of the mRPTP mu cDNA into COS cells results in the synthesis of a protein with an apparent Mr of 195,000, as detected in immunoblots using an antipeptide antibody. The human RPTP mu gene is localized on chromosome 18pter-q11, a region with frequent abnormalities implicated in human cancer.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Second messenger modulation of epidermal growth factor receptor function does not occur at the level of receptor dimerization.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced receptor dimerization may provide a mechanism for activation of the receptor protein tyrosine kinase and for initiation of post-receptor signalling pathways. We have examined whether second messengers and agents that modulate EGF receptor function act at the level of receptor dimerization. Both the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin and the tumour promotor tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA), added shortly before EGF, inhibit EGF receptor protein tyrosine kinase activity in intact cells. In permeabilized cells, elevation of Ca2+ similarly inhibits EGF receptor function. The inhibitory effect of Ca2+, unlike that of TPA, appears not to be dependent on protein kinase C activity. Neither ionomycin nor phorbol ester affects EGF-induced receptor dimerization, as shown by cross-linking and immunoblotting techniques, although the phosphotyrosine content of both monomeric and dimeric receptors is strongly decreased. Furthermore, we show that EGF receptor dimerization is not affected by increases in cyclic AMP or intracellular pH, nor by changes in transmembrane potential, medium osmolarity or the glycosylation state of the receptor. These result suggest that modulation of EGF receptor function occurs at a step other than receptor dimerization.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Lysophosphatidic acid, but not phosphatidic acid, is a potent Ca2(+)-mobilizing stimulus for fibroblasts. Evidence for an extracellular site of action.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a potent mitogen for quiescent fibroblasts. Among the earliest detectable responses to LPA is GTP-dependent phosphoinositide hydrolysis (van Corven, E. J., Groenink, A., Jalink, K., Eichholtz, T., and Moolenaar, W. H. (1989) Cell 59, 45-54). Here we describe the Ca2(+)-mobilizing properties of LPA in human fibroblasts and present evidence suggesting that previously reported Ca2(+)-mobilizing effects of phosphatidic acid are attributable to contamination with LPA. Addition of LPA (1-oleoyl or 1-palmitoyl) to fibroblasts evokes the formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate accompanied by an immediate but transient rise in [Ca2+]i which originates primarily from intracellular stores. The Ca2+ response is dose-dependent with a half-maximal effect at LPA concentrations as low as 10 ng/ml, far below the reported half-maximal effect for DNA synthesis (5-10 micrograms/ml). LPA-induced Ca2+ release is also observed in various other cell types, both normal and transformed, but not in Jurkat T cells and neutrophils. The Ca2(+)-mobilizing action of LPA is specific, in that 1,2-dioleoyl-phosphatidic acid (when prepared free of LPA contaminants), other lysophospholipids, monoacylglycerol, and free fatty acids have no effect. Furthermore, LPA, unlike lysophosphatidylcholine, does not cause detectable membrane leakiness, even when added at high concentrations (500 micrograms/ml). The LPA-induced Ca2+ signal is blocked completely by tetradecanoylphorbol acetate, but is not affected by prior stimulation of the cells with Ca2(+)-mobilizing agonists such as bradykinin or histamine. In contrast, pretreating the cells with a low dose of LPA desensitizes the Ca2+ response to subsequent addition of higher doses. This homologous desensitization is not inhibited by staurosporine, nor by down-regulating protein kinase C with tetradecanoylphorbol acetate, suggesting independence of functional protein kinase C activity. Addition of La3+ instantaneously blocks inositol phosphate production and Ca2+ mobilization in response to LPA, but not to bradykinin, most likely due to formation of inactive La3(+)-LPA complexes, suggesting that LPA acts at an extracellular site on the plasma membrane to trigger GTP-dependent phosphoinositide breakdown.

Bradykinin↗