cyclic-gmp and Lymphoma--Large-B-Cell--Diffuse

Various functions of human phagocytes are modulated by nitric oxide (NO). We transfected the human U937 monoblastoid cell line with an expression vector containing human endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) or murine inducible NOS (iNOS) cDNA to study the regulatory role of NO without the nonspecific effects associated with exogenous NO sources. Western blot confirmed expression of eNOS or iNOS in respectively transfected cells, but not in naive or empty-vector transfected cells. Transfectants expressing iNOS, a calcium-independent enzyme, but not eNOS, a calcium-dependent enzyme, spontaneously produced NO (P < .001). The NO release from iNOS-transfected cells, as measured by nitrite and nitrate accumulation and by cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) increases in rat reporter cells, was inhibitable (P < .01 for both) with N(omega)-methyl-L-arginine (L-NMA), a NOS inhibitor. The eNOS transfectants were shown to contain functional enzyme by the conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline in fractionated cells (P = .0001) and by exposing intact cells to calcium ionophore using the cGMP reporter cell assay (P = .0001). After differentiation with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), iNOS transfectants produced more tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) (124.9 +/- 25.4 pg/5 x 10(5) cells per 24 hours) than did empty-vector transfected cells (21.9 +/- 1.9 pg/5 x 10(5) cells per 24 hours; P = .02). This effect was inhibited by 500 micromol/L L-NMA (54.4 +/- 3.1 pg/5 x 10(5) cells per 24 hours; P = .05). However, in the presence of high concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (1 microg/mL), which further increased NO production in iNOS transfected cells (P = .044), TNF-alpha production was similar comparing PMA-differentiated iNOS and empty-vector transfectants (12.2 +/- 0.8 and 13.1 +/- 1.7 ng/5 x 10(5) cells per 24 hours, respectively; P = .5). The results show that under certain conditions endogenously produced NO can upregulate TNF-alpha production in human phagocytes.

Topics: Animals; Arginine; Cell Differentiation; Citrulline; Cyclic GMP; DNA, Complementary; Enzyme Induction; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genetic Vectors; Humans; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse; Mice; Neoplasm Proteins; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; omega-N-Methylarginine; Rats; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Second Messenger Systems; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The regulation of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) by various phospholipids was explored using PDE4s partially purified from U937 cells. Preincubation (5 min, 4 degrees C) of the large molecular weight PDE4 denoted "Peak 2 PDE4" with mixed phosphatidic acids (PAs) produced a 2-fold increase in its Vmax without changing its Km (approximately 2 microM) for cyclic AMP. This "activation" was not limited to PAs with specific fatty acid substituents: Synthetic PAs containing saturated and/or unsaturated fatty acids 16-20 carbons long produced similar effects. Lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) and phosphatidylserines (PSs) also induced PDE4 activation, whereas phosphatidylcholines (PCs), phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs) and diacylglycerol did not. Antibodies to a peptide region near the PDE4 catalytic site specifically inhibited PA-induced activation. The data demonstrate that anionic phospholipids can act as non-essential activators of a leukocyte PDE4, and suggest biochemical crosstalk between phospholipid-dependent and cyclic AMP-dependent signalling pathways in human leukocytes.

Topics: 3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibody Formation; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 4; Enzyme Activation; Fatty Acids; Humans; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse; Lysophospholipids; Molecular Sequence Data; Monocytes; Neoplasm Proteins; Peptide Fragments; Phosphatidic Acids; Phosphatidylcholines; Phospholipids; Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; Pyrrolidinones; Rabbits; Rolipram; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tumor Cells, Cultured