Search

To determine the properties of the cAMP-specific, rolipram-sensitive phosphodiesterases (cAMP-PDEs) that are expressed in different organs, monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were raised against different epitopes present in the cAMP-PDE sequences. Of the several antibodies generated against peptides and fusion proteins, one monoclonal and four polyclonal antibodies recognized both the native cAMP-PDEs as well as the denatured proteins on Western immunoblot analysis. An immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that these antibodies recognized the recombinant rat PDE4A, PDE4B, and PDE4D proteins with different avidity. The polyclonal antibody K118 and the monoclonal M3S1 were most specific for rat PDE4B and PDE4D forms, respectively, whereas the AC55 antiserum displayed the highest affinity for PDE4A forms. This selectivity was confirmed by Western blot analysis using recombinant rat PDE4A, PDE4B, and PDE4D proteins expressed in a heterologous system. These antibodies were used to characterize the cAMP-PDEs expressed in the rat brain. An immunoblot of extract of cortex and cerebellum demonstrated that at least seven different polypeptides specifically cross-reacted with the different antibodies, indicating that multiple cAMP-PDEs are expressed in this tissue. On the basis of cross-reactivity with PDE4D but not PDE4A or PDE4B antibodies, 93- and 105-kDa PDE4D species were detected in the cortex and cerebellum extract. These forms are different from the 68-kDa PDE4D form expressed in endocrine cells after hormonal stimulation. Although the 93-kDa form was recovered in both the soluble and particulate fractions, the 105-kDa polypeptide was mostly particulate in the cortex and cerebellum extracts. PDE4B forms of 90-87 kDa were recovered in both soluble and particulate compartments of the brain extract. These forms were different from the previously identified PDE4A variants of 110 and 75 kDa. These data demonstrate that the presence of multiple cAMP-PDE genes is translated into cAMP-PDE proteins of different sizes and distinct immunological properties and that multiple variants derived from these cAMP-PDE genes are expressed in different regions of the brain and different subcellular compartments. These immunological tools will be useful to identify different cAMP-PDE forms expressed in organs targeted for pharmacological intervention with PDE4 inhibitors.

We have previously reported that concanavalin A (ConA) stimulation of rat thymocytes induces an increase in the cellular phosphatidic acid mass as well as a change in its fatty acid composition. An increase in phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity, mostly due to cAMP-specific (PDE4) isoforms, has also been observed in thymocytes stimulated by ConA. Furthermore, phosphatidic acid was able to stimulate PDE4 activity in vitro. In the present study, cAMP levels have been shown to decrease upon ConA stimulation of thymocytes. Decreasing phosphatidic acid level using diacylglycerol kinase inhibitors induced a parallel decrease of the ConA-stimulated cAMP-specific PDE activity in these cells. Analyses of phosphatidic acid molecular species in cells stimulated for 5 min by ConA revealed a significant increase in 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate and a relative decrease in the other molecular species of phosphatidic acid, mainly species containing palmitate. On the other hand, phosphatidic acid extracted from ConA-stimulated cells activated more efficiently the recombinant PDE4A5 isoform in vitro, as compared to phosphatidic acid extracted from unstimulated cells. In addition, phosphatidic acid species containing unsaturated fatty acids were stimulatory, while those containing two saturated fatty acids had only a marginal effect on the enzyme activity. Taken together, these data suggest that the mitogenic stimulation of thymocytes is accompanied by the synthesis of peculiar phosphatidic acid molecular species able to activate a PDE4 isoform. This activation might be of physiological relevance since cAMP is a major negative effector of the mitogenic response.

A truncated form of the c-kit tyrosine kinase receptor, corresponding to the phosphotransferase portion of the cytoplasmic catalytic domain and the carboxyterminus (tr-kit), is accumulated during late mouse spermiogenesis. Here we report that tr-kit is specifically localized in the residual sperm cytoplasm, with maximal accumulation in the midpiece of the flagellum, suggesting that it can enter the egg during fertilization. Microinjection of extracts from COS cells expressing a recombinant tr-kit protein into metaphase II-arrested mouse oocytes caused complete oocyte activation, including cortical granule exocytosis, completion of the 2nd meiotic division, formation of a parthenogenetic pronucleus and progression through cleavage stages. No activation above background levels was obtained with extracts from mock-transfected COS cells. Similar results were obtained by microinjection of in vitro synthesized tr-kit mRNA into metaphase II-arrested oocytes. Tr-kit-induced parthenogenetic egg activation was completely inhibited by oocyte preincubation with the Ca2(+)-chelating agent BAPTA-AM or with a specific inhibitor of phospholipase C activity. Tr-kit-induced egg activation was associated with a decrease in activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase, an essential component of the cytostatic factor. These results candidate tr-kit as a putative sperm factor required for triggering activation of mouse eggs at fertilization.

In rat thymic lymphocytes, accumulation of phosphatidic acid (PA) occurs at the same time as decrease in cAMP levels and activation of a cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE) [type 4, EC 3.1.4.17 (PDE4)]. We investigated the nature of the PDE activated by PA and the mechanism of activation by using recombinant cAMP-specific PDE4 isoforms derived from three different genes (PDE4A, PDE4B, and PDE4D). The "long" variants expressed from each gene (PDE4A5, PDE4B1, and PDE4D3) were activated by PA, whereas the "short" variants (PDE4A1, PDE4B2, PDE4D1, and PDE4D2) were not. Phosphatidylserine was an activator that was as effective as PA, whereas phosphatidylcholine was ineffective, indicating that activation was restricted to anionic phospholipids. PA caused an increase in the Vmax value of PDE4D3 without affecting the Km value of the enzyme for the cAMP substrate. PA also caused a change in the Mg2+ requirement for hydrolysis. Half-maximal stimulation of the PDE was obtained with approximately 10 microg/ml PA. Although protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of PDE4D3 produces effects similar to those elicited by PA, the mechanism of PA-induced activation was not found to involve a phosphorylation. Instead, several observations suggest that PA may directly interact with the enzyme. The stimulation of cAMP PDEs by PA and other acidic phospholipids may be a mechanism by which growth factors and hormones modulate the cAMP-dependent signal transduction pathway during cell stimulation.

A cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE4D3) is activated in rat thyroid cells by TSH through a cAMP-dependent phosphorylation (Sette, C., Iona, S., and Conti, M.(1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 9245-9252). This short term activation may be involved in the termination of the hormonal stimulation and/or in the induction of desensitization. Here, we have further characterized the protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent phosphorylation of this PDE4D3 variant and identified the phosphorylation site involved in the PDE activation. The PKA-dependent incorporation of phosphate in the partially purified, recombinant rat PDE4D3 followed a time course similar to that of activation. Half-maximal activation of the enzyme was obtained with 0.6 microM ATP and 30 nM of the catalytic subunit of PKA. Phosphorylation altered the Vmax of the PDE without affecting the Km for cAMP. Phosphorylation also modified the Mg2+ requirements and the pattern of inhibition by rolipram. Cyanogen bromide cleavage of the 32P-labeled rat PDE4D3 yielded two or three major phosphopeptide bands, providing a first indication that the enzyme may be phosphorylated at multiple sites in a cell-free system. Site-directed mutagenesis was performed on the serine residues present at the amino terminus of this PDE in the context of preferred motifs for PKA phosphorylation. The PKA-dependent incorporation of 32P was reduced to the largest extent in mutants with both Ser13 --> Ala and Ser54 --> Ala substitutions, confirming the presence of more than one phosphorylation site in rat PDE4D3. While substitution of serine 13 with alanine did not affect the activation by PKA, substitution of Ser54 completely suppressed the kinase activation. Similar conclusions were reached with wild type and mutated PDE4D3 proteins expressed in MA-10 cells, where the endogenous PKA was activated by dibutyryl cAMP. Again, the PDE with the Ser54 --> Ala substitution could not be activated by the endogenous PKA in the intact cell. These findings support the hypothesis that the PDE4D3 variant contains a regulatory domain target for phosphorylation at the amino terminus of the protein and that Ser54 in this domain plays a crucial role in activation.

To determine whether the expression of different PDE4D variants is unique to the rat or conserved through evolution, we have characterized the different PDE4D mRNAs expressed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. RT-PCR was performed using primers based on rat sequences and mRNAs from mononuclear cells. The specifically amplified fragments had a size identical to that predicted for rat PDE4D1, PDE4D2 and PDE4D3. Sequencing confirmed that these fragments are derived from the human PDE4D gene. Their sequence was highly homologous to that reported for the rat variants. cDNAs corresponding to the entire ORF of human PDE4D2 and PDE4D3 were expressed in mammalian cells, causing a large increase in PDE activity. Western blot analysis of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell extracts demonstrated the presence of proteins corresponding to the recombinant PDE4D1 and PDE4D2. The pattern of splicing and different promoter usage of the PDE4D gene is therefore conserved during evolution, which indicates an important physiological role.

In the postnatal testis, the c-kit transmembrane tyrosine-kinase receptor is expressed in type A spermatogonia, and its transcription ceases at the meiotic phase of spermatogenesis. Alternative, shorter c-kit transcripts are expressed in post-meiotic germ cells. These transcripts should encode a truncated version of the c-kit protein, lacking the extracellular, the transmembrane and part of the intracellular tyrosine-kinase domains. The 5' end of the alternative c-kit transcripts maps within an intron of the mouse c-kit gene. We now show that this intron contains a promoter active in nuclear extracts of round spermatids, and that two discrete sequences upstream of the transcriptional start site bind spermatid-specific nuclear factors. Deletion of both these sequences abolishes activity of the promoter in vitro. We have also established that this promoter is functional in vivo, in a tissue-and cell-specific fashion, since intronic sequences drive the expression of the E. coli lacZ reporter gene in transgenic mice specifically in the testis. Transgene expression is confined to haploid germ cells of seminiferous tubules, starting from spermatids at step 9, and disappearing at step 13, indicating that cryptic promoter within the 16th intron of the mouse c-kit gene is active in a short temporal window at the end of the transcriptional phase of spermiogenesis. In agreement with these data, western blot experiments using an antibody directed against the carboxy-terminal portion of the mouse c-kit protein showed that a polypeptide, of the size predicted by the open reading frame of the spermatid-specific c-kit cDNA, accumulates in the latest stages of spermatogenesis and in epididymal spermatozoa. An immunoreactive protein of the same size can be produced in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic artificial expression systems.

Prostaglandin E2 produces a transient increase in the intracellular concentration of cAMP in a human promonocytic cell line (U937). The temporal pattern consists of a rapid increase followed by a gradual decline to a new steady state. The decline phase coincides with an increase in the activity of a high affinity form of cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE). Immunoprecipitation with specific antibodies revealed that the activated enzyme is a variant of PDE-4D. To confirm this observation, three isoforms of human PDE-4 (A, B, and D) were cloned and expressed in Sf9 cells with recombinant baculovirus infection. The activity of only one of the isoforms (PDE-4D3) increased after incubation with the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A and Mg-ATP. Hydrolytic activity of human PDE-4D3 was dependent on Mg2+. Before phosphorylation, the concentration-response curve for Mg2+ was biphasic and ranged from 0.1 to 100 mM. Phosphorylation of PDE-4D3 by protein kinase A produced a monophasic Mg2+ response curve (0.5 Vmax = 0.2 mM). Phosphorylation of PDE-4D3 increased the sensitivity of the enzyme to inhibition by RS-25344 (approximately 100-fold) and RS-33793 (approximately 330-fold). Thus, phosphorylation of PDE-4D3 induces an apparent conformation change that increases maximum velocity and sensitivity to inhibition by some analogues of nitraquazone. These observations provide the basis for a novel pharmacological strategy that targets an activated form of PDE in human leukocytes. Selective PDE-4D3 inhibitors may have useful anti-inflammatory properties with fewer adverse side effects than other PDE-4 inhibitors.

The expression of a constitutively activated Gs alpha protein in the rat thyroid cell line FRTL-5 causes an increase in the hormone-independent adenylyl cyclase activity and promotes TSH-independent growth of the cells. In spite of the constitutive activation of the adenylyl cyclase, the basal cAMP levels in these cells are only marginally increased. To define the role of phosphodiesterases (PDEs) in the genesis of this phenotype, cyclic nucleotide hydrolysis was determined in two cell lines expressing a mutated Gs alpha (Q227L). In these cells, the hydrolysis of both cAMP and cGMP was markedly increased in comparison with normal cells. This increase is the result of the activation of different forms of PDEs. Analysis of the cGMP hydrolysis and Ca++/calmodulin stimulation of the PDE activity indicated that the activity of a Ca++/calmodulin-stimulated PDE is increased in both cell lines. In addition, an increase in high-affinity, rolipram-sensitive cAMP-PDE activity was associated in both cell lines with the appearance of a 67-68 kilodalton (kDa) protein that cross-reacts with two antibodies against cAMP-PDEs. This form had the properties of ratPDE3.2/PDE4D2, a cAMP-PDE that is inducible by TSH in wild type cells. That an increase in cAMP-specific, rolipram-sensitive PDE plays a role in the phenotype induced by Q227L Gs alpha was confirmed by measurements of the mitogenic activity. Incubation with rolipram, which had no effect on wild type cells, caused an increase in cAMP levels and further stimulated TSH-independent proliferation in both cell lines carrying the mutation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Several mRNAs coding for a cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase (ratPDE3/IVd) with divergent 5' regions have been detected in mammalian cells. To determine the physiological significance of these differences, the expression of these mRNAs and the properties of the corresponding proteins were investigated. At least three mRNA species derived from the ratPDE3/IVd gene (ratPDE3.1, ratPDE3.2, and ratPDE3.3 mRNAs) are present in Sertoli and thyroid cells and in brain. Expression of ratPDE3.1 and ratPDE3.2 but not ratPDE3.3 mRNAs was dependent on hormone stimulation. The ratPDE3.2 and ratPDE3.3 mRNA variants were translated into polypeptides with immunochemical and biochemical properties identical to the native cAMP phosphodiesterases (PDEs) found in the Sertoli cell and thyroid FRTL-5 cells. Incubation of the recombinant PDEs with the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in a cell-free system caused the phosphorylation and activation of the ratPDE3.3 protein variant. Under the same experimental conditions, ratPDE3.1 and ratPDE3.2 protein variants were neither phosphorylated nor activated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Similar results were obtained by stimulating cells expressing the three recombinant PDE variants with dibutyryl cAMP. These findings demonstrate that the ratPDE3/IVd gene codes for PDE forms subject to different regulations.

To elucidate the mechanism causing the transient accumulation of intracellular cAMP in the FRTL-5 thyroid cell line, the short-term effect of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) on phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity was studied. Together with an increase in cAMP levels, TSH produced a significant increase in total PDE activity as early as 3 min, with a maximal stimulation reached after 15 min. This short-term increase in PDE activity was dependent on the TSH concentration (ED50 = 4 x 10(-11) M TSH). Forskolin and dibutyryl cAMP produced an even larger stimulation than that produced by TSH, suggesting that the effect of TSH is mediated by cAMP. To determine the properties of the PDE forms activated by TSH, antibodies specific for the cAMP-PDEs were used to immunoprecipitate the PDEs present in control cells, and cells incubated for 15 min in the presence of 10 nM TSH. Comparison of the activity recovered in the immunoprecipitation pellets demonstrated that TSH produced more than a 2.5-fold increase in the cAMP-PDE form(s) recognized by this antibody. Conversely, the activity remaining in the supernatants was not affected by the TSH treatment. Most of the activity recovered in the immunoprecipitation pellets (90%) was inhibited by 10 microM Rolipram, an inhibitor specific for the high affinity cAMP-PDEs. No TSH stimulation of the Rolipram-insensitive PDE activity could be observed under these conditions. Western blot analyses with two different cAMP-PDE specific antibodies showed that a 15-min stimulation with TSH induced the appearance of a new band with electrophoretic mobility slower than the polypeptide present in unstimulated cells. The appearance of this band did not require ongoing protein synthesis because it occurred in the presence of cycloheximide. Metabolic [32P]orthophosphate labeling of intact FRTL-5 cells indicated that the TSH treatment caused an increased 32P incorporation into a polypeptide that co-purified with the stimulated PDE activity and had an electrophoretic mobility identical to that of the cAMP-PDE. Okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 and protein phosphatase 2A, elicited a potentiation of the TSH-stimulated PDE activity. The stimulating of a PDE with the same immunological properties and Rolipram sensitivity as the cAMP-PDE stimulated by TSH in the intact cells was reproduced, in a cell-free system, by incubating soluble extracts from FRTL-5 cells with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. These data provide evidence that TSH produces a rapid activation of a cAMP-PDE in the FRTL-5 cells through a cAMP-dependent phosphorylation.