Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in the pathophysiology of several vascular disorders including atherosclerosis. Although the mechanism(s) of ROS-induced vascular damage remains unclear, there is increasing evidence for ROS-mediated modulation of signal transduction pathways. Exposure of bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of 60- to 80- and 110- to 130-kDa cellular proteins, which were determined by immunoprecipitation with specific antibodies focal adhesion kinase (p125FAK) and paxillin (p68). Brief exposure of cells to a relatively high concentration of H2O2(1 mM) resulted in a time- and dose-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK, which reached maximum levels within 10 min (290% of basal levels). Cytoskeletal reorganization as evidenced by the appearance of actin stress fibers preceded H2O2-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK, and the microfilament disruptor cytochalasin D also attenuated the tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK. Treatment of BPAECs with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane- N, N, N′, N′-tetraacetic acid-AM attenuated H2O2-induced increases in intracellular Ca2+but did not show any consistent effect on H2O2-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK. Several tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including genistein, herbimycin, and tyrphostin, had no detectable effect on tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK but attenuated the H2O2-induction of mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. We conclude that H2O2-induced increases in FAK tyrosine phosphorylation may be important in H2O2-mediated endothelial cell activation.

We have investigated the activation of phospholipase D (PLD) by sphingosine and its derivatives in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (BPAEC) prelabeled with [32P]orthophosphate or [32P]lyso phospholipids. Sphingosine, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, stimulated the hydrolysis of [32P]phosphatidylcholine (PC) resulting in the production of [32P]phosphatidic acid (PA), suggesting PLD activation. In the presence of ethanol (150 mM), the accumulation of [32P]phosphatidylethanol was also observed. The sphingosine-induced stimulation of PLD activity was not affected by treatment with the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor staurosporine or by down-regulation of PKC with TPA and was independent of extracellular Ca2+, suggesting that the PLD activation was independent of PKC and Ca2+. Chelation of intracellular Ca2+ with BAPTA actually potentiated the sphingosine-stimulated [32P]PC hydrolysis. Furthermore, the activation of PLD by sphingosine was not abolished by treatment of BPAEC with either cholera or pertussis toxin, indicating noninvolvement of toxin-sensitive G-proteins. In addition to hydrolysis of [32P]PC, sphingosine also stimulated PLD-mediated hydrolysis of [32P]phosphatidylethanolamine and [32P]phosphatidylinositol. Among the various sphingoid compounds, in addition to sphingosine, only sphingosine-1-phosphate (Sph-1-P) activated the endothelial cell PLD. The effect of sphingosine and Sph-1-P on PA phosphatase (PA Pase) activity was tested using [3H]glycerol-labeled PA. The Mg(2+)-independent and membrane-associated PA Pase activity was inhibited by sphingosine (IC50 = 200 microM) but not by Sph-1-P. This implies that sphingosine and Sph-1-P share a similar PLD-stimulating property but differ in their PA Pase inhibitory activity.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in the pathophysiology of a number of vascular disorders, including atherosclerosis. Recent studies indicate that ROS modulate signal transduction in mammalian cells. Previously, we have shown that ROS (hydrogen peroxide, fatty acid hydroperoxide, diperoxovanadate, and 4-hydroxynonenal) enhance protein tyrosine phosphorylation and activate phospholipase D (PLD) in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (BPAECs). In the present study, our aim was to investigate the role of exogenous thiol agents on ROS-induced PLD activation in conjunction with the role of cellular thiols--glutathione (GSH) and protein thiols--on PLD activation and protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Pretreatment of BPAECs with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) or 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG) blocked ROS-induced changes in intracellular GSH and PLD activation. Also, pretreatment with NAC attenuated diperoxovanadate-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Pretreatment of BPAECs with diamide or L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), agents that lower intracellular GSH and thiols, enhanced PLD activity. Furthermore, NAC blocked diamide- or BSO-mediated changes in GSH levels, PLD activity, and protein tyrosine phosphorylation. NAC also attenuated diamide-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins between 69 and 118 KDa. These results support the hypothesis that modulation of thiol-redox status (cellular nonprotein and protein thiols) may contribute to the regulation of ROS-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation and PLD activation in vascular endothelium.

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Oxidant-induced activation of phospholipase D (PLD) in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (BPAEC) is independent of protein kinase C and calcium. In the present study, the effects of tyrosine kinase and protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) inhibitors on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced PLD activation and protein tyrosine phosphorylation were examined in BPAEC. Pretreatment of BPAEC with putative tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein, tyrphostin, and herbimycin attenuated H2O2 (1 mM)-induced PLD activation. The inhibitory effect of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors was highly specific for H2O2-induced modulation and showed no effect on PLD activation mediated by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate or bradykinin. Furthermore, addition of H2O2 increased in a time-dependent manner tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins (17-200 kDa), as determined by immunoblot analysis with antiphosphotyrosine antibodies. H2O2-mediated protein tyrosine phosphorylation preceded PLD activation, and a good correlation was observed on the effect of genistein in H2O2-induced PLD activation and protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Addition of vanadate, a phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, synergistically increased both PLD activation and protein tyrosine phosphorylation mediated by H2O2. Moreover, vanadate by itself had minimal effect on basal PLD activity in BPAEC; however, at 10 microM vanadate, an increase in protein tyrosine phosphorylation was observed. In addition to vanadate, phenylarsine oxide and diamide potentiated H2O2-induced PLD activation. These results suggest that tyrosine kinase activation may be involved in H2O2-induced PLD activation in vascular endothelial cells.

We previously demonstrated that diperoxovanadate (DPV), a synthetic peroxovanadium compound and cell-permeable oxidant that acts as a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor and insulinomimetic, increased phospholipase D (PLD) activation in endothelial cells (ECs). In this report, the regulation of DPV-induced PLD activation by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) was investigated. DPV activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 MAPK in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Treatment of ECs with p38 MAPK inhibitors SB-203580 and SB-202190 or transient transfection with a p38 dominant negative mutant mitigated the PLD activation by DPV but not by phorbol ester. SB-202190 blocked DPV-mediated p38 MAPK activity as determined by activated transcription factor-2 phosphorylation. Immunoprecipitation of PLD from EC lysates with PLD1 and PLD2 antibodies revealed both PLD isoforms associated with p38 MAPK. Similarly, PLD1 and PLD2 were detected in p38 immunoprecipitates from control and DPV-challenged ECs. Binding assays demonstrated interaction of glutathione S-transferase-p38 fusion protein with PLD1 and PLD2. Both PLD1 and PLD2 were phosphorylated by p38 MAPK in vitro, and DPV increased phosphorylation of PLD1 and PLD2 in vivo. However, phosphorylation of PLD by p38 failed to affect PLD activity in vitro. These results provide evidence for p38 MAPK-mediated regulation of PLD in ECs.

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