sq-23377 and Skin-Neoplasms

We have studied pim-1 proto-oncogene expression in human T cell responses to Ag receptor-generated signals. The pim-1 gene encodes a serine/threonine protein kinase that is expressed primarily in cells of hematopoietic lineage and is implicated in the intracellular signaling processes accompanying lymphocyte activation. We show here that pim-1 mRNA expression is rapidly induced after receptor cross-linking with anti-CD3 Abs. We examined the linkage of pim-1 expression to known signaling pathways generated through the T cell Ag receptor. pim-1 mRNA was not substantially induced after elevation of intracellular free Ca2+. In contrast, PMA, which directly activates PKC, induced rapid pim-1 expression. Further, anti-CD3- or PMA-induced pim-1 expression was markedly reduced by various PKC inhibitors and by deficiency of the PKC epsilon isoform in a mutant T cell line. Thus, T cell Ag receptor-linked pim-1 expression appears to be coupled to the PKC component of transmembrane signaling. Because the activation of protein kinase C has been shown to activate Raf-1 kinase activity, the involvement of Raf-1 in pim-1 expression was also investigated using a human T cell line stably transfected with an inducible Raf expression vector. Although the overexpression of activated Raf was shown to cause a substantial increase in IL-2 expression, no discernible effects on pim-1 were apparent. In addition, we examined transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms involved in PKC-mediated pim-1 expression and observed that both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms are coordinately involved in the up-regulation of the pim-1 proto-oncogene.

Topics: Calcium; Cell Nucleus; Cytoplasm; Enzyme Activation; Enzyme Induction; Humans; Ionomycin; Isoenzymes; Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell; Lymphocyte Activation; Muromonab-CD3; Protein Kinase C; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; Proto-Oncogenes; Receptor-CD3 Complex, Antigen, T-Cell; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; RNA, Messenger; Sezary Syndrome; Signal Transduction; Skin Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Transcription, Genetic; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Differentiation of cultured keratinocytes is regulated by the Ca2+ concentration of the culture medium. Below 0.1 mM Ca2+, a monolayer of basal cells is formed which fully differentiates in response to a rise in medium Ca2+. A role for protein kinase C in this differentiation program has been suggested because phorbol esters induce epidermal differentiation in cells grown in reduced Ca2+ medium, and exogenously added phospholipase C (which increases cellular diacylglycerol) mimics phorbol ester action. These findings suggested that the external Ca2+ signal may lead to protein kinase C activation via stimulation of cellular phospholipase C activity. The effect of the external Ca2+ signal on phospholipase C was studied in cultures prelabeled with [3H]-inositol. Within 2 min after addition of Ca2+ to 1 mM, an increase in inositol phosphates was measured. This correlated with a decrease in radiolabeled phosphoinositides, suggesting that these were the source of the increased inositol phosphates. After 3 h in 1 mM Ca2+ medium, each of the inositol phosphates remained increased to 130-140% of control levels. Inositol phosphate metabolism in neoplastic epidermal cells was quantitatively similar to normal cells in response to the Ca2+ signal. Stimulation of phosphatidylinositol (PIP) metabolism appears to be mediated by a rise in intracellular free Ca2+ because Ca2+ ionophores A23187 and ionomycin also cause a similar rise in inositol phosphate levels. Phorbol esters did not increase PIP turnover but instead stimulated phosphatidylcholine metabolism. The induction of epidermal differentiation by phorbol esters was enhanced by ionomycin, suggesting that both protein kinase C activation, elevation of intracellular calcium and PIP turnover were important components of the signal for epidermal differentiation. These results demonstrate that the second messenger system for Ca2+-mediated keratinocyte differentiation may be through a direct effect on phospholipase C activity.

Topics: Animals; Calcimycin; Calcium; Cell Differentiation; Cells, Cultured; Choline; Epidermal Cells; Epidermis; Ethers; Inositol; Ionomycin; Keratins; Mice; Skin Neoplasms; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate