Although lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)-mediated cellular responses are attributed to the activation of protein kinase C (PKC), relatively little is known about the upstream signaling mechanisms that regulate the activation of PKC and downstream mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. LPC activated p42 MAP kinase and PKC in mesangial cells. LPC-mediated MAP kinase activation was inhibited (but not completely) by PKC inhibition, suggesting additional signaling events. LPC stimulated protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity and induced Ras-GTP binding. LPC-induced MAP kinase activity was blocked by the PTK inhibitor genistein. Because LPC increased PTK activity, we examined the involvement of phospholipase Cγ-1 (PLCγ-1) as a key participant in LPC-induced PKC activation. LPC stimulated the phosphorylation of PLCγ-1. PTK inhibitors suppressed LPC-induced PKC activity, whereas the same had no effect on phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-mediated PKC activity. Other lysophospholipids [e.g., lysophosphatidylinositol and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)] also induced MAP kinase activity, and only LPA-induced MAP kinase activation was sensitive to pertussis toxin. These results indicate that LPC-mediated PKC activation may be regulated by PTK-dependent activation of PLCγ-1, and both PKC and PTK-Ras pathways are involved in LPC-mediated downstream MAP kinase activation.

Intermediary metabolites of cholesterol synthetic pathway are involved in cell proliferation. Lovastatin, an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, blocks mevalonate synthesis, and has been shown to inhibit mesangial cell proliferation associated with diverse glomerular diseases. Since inhibition of farnesylation and plasma membrane anchorage of the Ras proteins is one suggested mechanism by which lovastatin prevents cellular proliferation, we investigated the effect of lovastatin and key mevalonate metabolites on the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) and Ras in murine glomerular mesangial cells. The preincubation of mesangial cells with lovastatin inhibited the activation of MAP kinase stimulated by either FBS, PDGF, or EGF. Mevalonic acid and farnesyl-pyrophosphate, but not cholesterol or LDL, significantly prevented lovastatin-induced inhibition of agonist-stimulated MAP kinase. Lovastatin inhibited agonist-induced activation of Ras, and mevalonic acid and farnesylpyrophosphate antagonized this effect. Parallel to the MAP kinase and Ras data, lovastatin suppressed cell growth stimulated by serum, and mevalonic acid and farnesylpyrophosphate prevented lovastatin-mediated inhibition of cellular growth. These results suggest that lovastatin, by inhibiting the synthesis of farnesol, a key isoprenoid metabolite of mevalonate, modulates Ras-mediated cell signaling events associated with mesangial cell proliferation.

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In this study, we examined the effect of TNF-alpha on mesangial cell gene expression of M-CSF, a colony-stimulating factor associated with monocyte differentiation into macrophages and proliferation. Incubation of mesangial cells with TNF-alpha-stimulated mRNA expression and protein synthesis of M-CSF. Mesangial cell activation with PMA, a PKC activator, stimulated M-CSF mRNA expression while PKC depletion decreased M-CSF mRNA expression to control levels. Stimulation of PKC-depleted mesangial cells with either PMA or TNF-alpha inhibited M-CSF mRNA transcripts. Preincubation of mesangial cells with calphostin C, a PKC inhibitor, reduced both PMA- and TNF-alpha-induced M-CSF mRNA transcripts. Specific protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors blocked TNF-alpha-induced mesangial cell M-CSF mRNA expression. Additional studies showed that pertussis toxin, isoproterenol, and dibutyryl (db)cAMP did not induce mesangial cell M-CSF gene expression. However, coincubation of mesangial cells with TNF-alpha and either dbcAMP, forskolin, or pertussis toxin inhibited TNF-alpha-induced M-CSF gene expression. Finally, TNF-alpha-activated mesangial cell conditioned media stimulated monocyte/macrophage proliferation dose-dependently and was prevented by using anti-M-CSF. These data suggested that M-CSF can regulate monocyte differentiation into macrophages and proliferation within the mesangium induced by proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha. These cellular events appeared to be modulated by signal transduction pathways mediated by PKC and PTK.

Atherogenic lipoproteins and tyrosine kinase mitogenic signalnumber in the early phases of many glomerular diseases ing in mesangial cells.characterized by progressive glomerulosclerosis [1]. Hu-Background. Mesangial hypercellularity is a critical early man and experimental glomerular diseases that appear histopathological finding seen in human and experimental gloto support these sequence of events, namely increased merular diseases. Hyperlipidemia and the glomerular deposimesangial cell number followed by glomerulosclerosis, tion of atherogenic lipoproteins [for example, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and its oxidized variants, minimally oxidized/ include diabetic nephropathy, IgA nephropathy, memmodified LDL (mm-LDL)] are commonly associated with mesbranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and experimenangial hypercellularity and the development of glomerular distal models of anti-Thy-1-induced mesangial proliferative ease. This article reviews signal transduction pathways involved nephritis, puromycin aminonucleoside-induced nephroin cell proliferation and provides evidence for the participation of atherogenic lipoproteins in intracellular signaling pathways sis, and remnant kidney glomerular hypertension [1, 2].for mesangial cell proliferation. The mitogenic intracellularThe current understanding favors the premise that the signaling pathways are regulated by the activation of a series increased mesangial cells in the early phases of glomerular of transmembrane and cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases disease may influence the synthesis and deposition of exthat converge into the activation of Ras and downstream mitotracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, leading eventually to gen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. Activated MAP kinase, through translocating into the nucleus and the activation of sclerosis and renal failure. Indeed, such an association various transcription factors and proto-oncogenes, regulates and/or link between proliferation of mesangial cells and cellular proliferation. subsequent ECM deposition has been observed in several Methods. Murine mesangial cells were stimulated with LDL experimental glomerulonephritis models, and the adminand mm-LDL and were analyzed for the tyrosine kinase activistration of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), a ity, phosphorylation of membrane proteins, activation of Ras and MAP kinase, and cell proliferation. known mitogen, to experimental animals stimulated both Results. The results indicated that the stimulation of mesanmesangial cell proliferation and subsequent ECM expangial cells with LDL and, with greater activity, mm-LDL induced sion [1, 2]. Experimental maneuvers that decrease glothe phosphorylation of membrane platelet-derived growth facmerular cellular proliferation in control or anti-Thy-1tor (PDGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, induced glomerulonephritis rats have also resulted in a activated Ras, and resulted in sustained (up to 24 hr) activation of MAP kinase. LDL/mm-LDL-mediated mesangial cell prorelative decrease in ECM [reviewed in 2]....

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We previously showed that uremic serum subfractions isolated from hemodialysis (HD) patients inhibited the production of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I by human hepatoblastoma cells, Hep-G2. Because of the reported differences in atherogenic cardiovascular mortality between HD and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, we examined the effect of similar subfractions from PD patients on apo A-I and apo B synthesis. After obtaining informed consent, serum samples from five normal subjects and nine stable PD patients were applied to Sephadex G-25 columns to obtain the serum subfractions used in the various experiments. Sephadex G-25 chromatograms of PD sera showed a broad peak from fractions 30 through 60 (molecular wt 500 to 2000 Da). Control serum showed no peak in this region. PD serum subfractions decreased apo A-I synthesis, secretion, and apo A-I mRNA expression by Hep-G2 cells when compared to subfractions from control subjects. Cholesterol efflux studies showed that conditioned media obtained from Hep-G2 cells incubated with PD serum subfractions inhibited cholesterol efflux from fibroblasts, suggesting a biologically-significant decrease in apo A-I synthesis. PD serum subfractions increased protein synthesis and mRNA expressions of apo B by Hep-G2 cells. Therefore, serum subfractions obtained from PD patients decreased apo A-I and increased apo B synthesis, findings consistent with their serum lipoprotein profiles suggesting that a biologically-active component in these subfractions could contribute to the risk of atherogenic cardiovascular disease in PD.

Dihydroxyacid dehydratase (DHAD), the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of branched-chain (BCA) amino acids in bacteria and plants, is sensitive to oxyradical toxicity. Oxidant stress reversibly inactivates DHAD and causes starvation for BCA and reversible cessation of growth in Escherichia coli [1] [2]. To better understand the underlying toxicity mechanisms, we have determined the cellular concentrations of charged-tRNAs for BCA, in E. coli treated with the redox-active chemical, paraquat. Contrary to expectation, in the paraquat-treated cells, the concentration of only charged leucyl-tRNA decreased dramatically; whereas, the concentrations of the other BCAs (valine and isoleucine) increased. This paradoxical result, the "paraquat effect" can be best explained if leucine is the most abundant amino acid in the E. coli proteins and therefore the rate-limiting building block in their synthesis. Based on this assumption, we investigated the concentration of free amino acids in E. coli and their relative abundances in E. coli proteins. Protein amino acid frequencies were determined by analyzing one-hundred gene bank protein sequences with software developed as described in Methods. Leucine is the most abundant amino acid in the E. coli proteins (10%) and consequently, the cellular free leucine concentration is smaller and the native charged-leucyl-tRNA levels are much higher than those of valine and isoleucine. This has relevance to humans because: leucine-deprivation was shown to be beneficial in tumor suppression [3], and leucine-supplementation was beneficial in the recovery from exercise-induced muscle loss [4] [5], and leucine also occurs at a higher frequency in almost all human proteins. In three human protein categories, we examined it ranged from 9% to 17%. This predominance of leucine in proteins would make cells vulnerable to impairment of the leucine pools and could explain our results in E. coli and some of the biological effects of free leucine in humans.