Calcium Dependency of Prostaglandin E2 Production

Calcium has been implicated as an important factor in prostaglandin production. Phospholipase A2, the enzyme believed to be rate limiting for prostaglandin synthesis, is stimulated by Ca2+; however, the levels of Ca2' necessary to stimulate phospholipase A2 in cell-free systems are higher than levels achieved in intact cells in response to agonists that stimulate prostaglandin synthesis. We examined the calcium dependency of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis in the glomerular mesangial cell. Vasopressin enhanced PGE2 synthesis by mechanisms independent of extracellular Ca2+ concentration. The Ca2+ concentration dependency of PGE2 production was established by rendering cells permeable with digitonin and clamping Ca2+ concentration at various levels. When cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+If) was set at levels equal to those measured after stimulation with vasopressin in the intact cell, the PGE2 production by the Ca2+-clamped permeabilized cells was approximately one-half of that obtained in nonpermeabilized cells stimulated with vasopressin. Since stimulation of mesangial cells with vasopressin increases protein kinase C activation as well as [Ca2j1 the effects on PGE2 production of protein kinase C activation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) were examined. When permeabilized cells were exposed to Ca2+ concentrations in the range of (Ca2+jf measured in cells treated with vasopressin the addition ofPMA approximately doubled PGE2 production. No increase in PGE2 production was observed with PMA when Ca2+ concentration was fixed at basal levels of < 100 nM. Ca2+-dependent acylhydrolase activity and PGE2 production were inhibited by calmodulin inhibitors, W-7 and compound 48/80. Thus, vasopressininduced PGE2 production could be explained by a synergistic effect of protein kinase C activation together with an increase in [Ca2+If. A synergistic action of Ca2+ and PMA on acylhydrolase activity could also be observed in nonpermeabilized cells where A23187 was used to increase ICa2+If. The effect of PMA was mimicked by another stimulant of protein kinase C, 1-oleoyl 2-acetylglycerol, albeit with lower potency. Neither PMA nor 1-oleoyl 2-acetylglycerol alone had any effect on Address reprint requests to Dr. Bonventre, Renal Unit-Jackson 7, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114. The data were presented in part at the meeting of the American Society for Chemical Research and published in part in abstract form in Clin. Res. 34: 611, 1986. Received for publication 13 August 1987 and in revised form 8 January 1988. acylhydrolase activity. Vasopressin, in the presence of GTPyS, stimulated phospholipase C in permeabilized cells when [Ca2+Jf was fixed at < 100 nM, without an associated increase in acylhydrolase activity. This evidence, together with inhibition of acylhydrolase activity with phospholipase A2 inhibitors, dibucaine and mepacrine, indicates that the primary acylhydrolase activity was due to phospholipase A2. The enhanced phospholipase A2 activity observed with protein kinase C activation when [Ca2+If is increased may be related to phosphorylation of phospholipase A2 itself or phospholipase A2 modulatory proteins. These experiments demonstrate that both Ca2' and protein kinase C play important roles in the regulation of phospholipase A2 and PGE2 synthesis.