Phosphatidylserine (PS), ordinarily sequestered in the plasma membrane inner leaflet, appears in the outer leaflet during apoptosis, where it triggers non-inflammatory phagocytic recognition of the apoptotic cell. The mechanism of PS appearance during apoptosis is not well understood but has been associated with loss of aminophospholipid translocase activity and nonspecific flip-flop of phospholipids of various classes. The human leukemic cell line HL-60, the T cell line Jurkat, and peripheral blood neutrophils, undergoing apoptosis induced either with UV irradiation or anti-Fas antibody, were probed in the cytofluorograph for (i) surface PS using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled annexin V, (ii) PS uptake by the aminophospholipid translocase using [6-[(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino] caproyl] (NBD)-labeled PS, (iii) nonspecific uptake of phospholipids (as a measure of transbilayer flip-flop) using NBDlabeled phosphatidylcholine, and (iv) the appearance of hypodiploid DNA. In all three types of cells undergoing apoptosis, the appearance of PS followed loss of aminophospholipid translocase and was accompanied by nonspecific phospholipid flip-flop. Importantly, however, in the absence of extracellular calcium, the appearance of PS was completely inhibited despite DNA fragmentation and loss of aminophospholipid translocase activity, the latter demonstrating that loss of the translocase is insufficient for PS appearance during apoptosis. Furthermore, while both the appearance of PS and nonspecific phospholipid uptake demonstrated identical extracellular calcium requirements with an ED 50 of nearly 100 M, the magnitude of PS appearance depended on the level of aminophospholipid translocase activity. Taken together, the data strongly suggest that while nonspecific flip-flop is the driving event for PS appearance in the plasma membrane outer leaflet, aminophospholipid translocase activity ultimately modulates its appearance.The appearance of phosphatidylserine in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane appears to be a universal phenomenon in cells undergoing apoptosis, or programmed cell death (1). Importantly, outer leaflet PS likely serves as a signal in tissues for the noninflammatory engulfment of apoptotic cells (Ref. 2 and see "Discussion"), a distinctly different response than the pro-inflammatory events following tissue necrosis. While phosphatidylserine (PS) 1 is actively transported from the outer to the inner leaflet by the aminophospholipid translocase (3-5), the mechanism(s) by which PS appears in apoptosis is not well understood. Verhoven et al. (3) reported that PS appearance was accompanied by both loss of aminophospholipid translocase activity and enhanced nonspecific transbilayer movement of phospholipids, perhaps due to activation of a "scramblase." Hence, they proposed that PS may become detectable in the outer leaflet due to the combination of these two events. However, to date, the relative contribution of these two events has not been clarified. Additionally, it is not known what role...

Phospholipid scramblase induces nonspecific bidirectional movement of phospholipids across the membrane during cell activation and has been proposed to mediate the appearance of phosphatidylserine (PS) in the plasma membrane outer leaflet during apoptosis, a cell surface change that is critical for apoptotic cell removal. We report here that protein kinase C (PKC) ␦ plays an important role in activated transbilayer movement of phospholipids and surface PS exposure by directly enhancing the activity of phospholipid scramblase. Specific inhibition of PKC␦ by rottlerin prevented both apoptosis-and activation-induced scramblase activity. PKC␦ was either selectively cleaved and activated in a caspase 3-dependent manner (during apoptosis) or translocated to the plasma membrane (in stimulated cells) and could directly phosphorylate scramblase immunoprecipitated from Jurkat cells. Furthermore, reconstitution of PKC␦ and scramblase, but not scramblase or PKC␦ alone in Chinese hamster ovary cells demonstrated enhanced scramblase activity.

No abstract

Using several multiple drug-resistant human myeloma cell lines as standards, we developed an immunohistochemical staining technique and means of quantitating P-glycoprotein in individual myeloma cells. The level of staining intensity for P-glycoprotein in individual myeloma cells was quantitated by measuring the average optical density of each cell with a microscopic computerized cell analysis system. Using this system, we observed that the level of P-glycoprotein for individual cells within a cell population of known drug sensitivity was very homogeneous (coefficient of variation less than or equal to 13%). Analysis of cell lines with gradually increasing levels of multidrug resistance (8226/S, 8226/Dox6 and 8226/Dox40) demonstrated a close association between the level of resistance to doxorubicin, defined by the mean lethal dose (D0) and the amount of P-glycoprotein on individual cells determined by the optical density (r = 0.82, P less than 0.0005). Intracellular doxorubicin (DOX) accumulation in the individual cell lines was inversely related to the level of drug resistance expressed as D0. P-glycoprotein was also detected in the marrow-derived myeloma cells of patients with drug refractory disease using immunohistochemical staining. The amount of P-glycoprotein in the cells of one patient was directly compared to the amount found in the simultaneously stained standard cell lines (8226/Dox6 and 8226/Dox40) by comparing the optical densities for individual cells. Using this immunohistochemical technique to detect and quantitate P-glycoprotein in patient myeloma cells and comparing it to standard multidrug resistant myeloma cell lines may be of value in determining the contribution of P-glycoprotein to clinical drug resistance in patients with multiple myeloma.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) are paracrine hormones that mediate communication between pancreatic islet endothelial cells (ECs) and β-cells. Our objective was to determine the impact of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) on pancreatic vascularity and paracrine signaling between the EC and β-cell. Vessel density was less in IUGR pancreata than in controls. HGF concentrations were also lower in islet EC-conditioned media (ECCM) from IUGR, and islets incubated with control islet ECCM responded by increasing insulin content, which was absent with IUGR ECCM. The effect of ECCM on islet insulin content was blocked with an inhibitory anti-HGF antibody. The HGF receptor was not different between control and IUGR islets, but VEGFA was lower and the high-affinity VEGF receptor was higher in IUGR islets and ECs, respectively. These findings show that paracrine actions from ECs increase islet insulin content, and in IUGR ECs, secretion of HGF was diminished. Given the potential feed-forward regulation of β-cell VEGFA and islet EC HGF, these two growth factors are highly integrated in normal pancreatic islet development, and this regulation is decreased in IUGR fetuses, resulting in lower pancreatic islet insulin concentrations and insulin secretion.