Roles of Rac and p38 kinase in the activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 in response to PMA

The roles of Rac and p38 kinase in the activation of cPLA2 (cytosolic PLA2) in Rat-2 fibroblasts were investigated. In the present study, we found that PMA activates cPLA2 by a Rac-p38 kinase-dependent pathway. Consistent with this, Rac, if activated, was shown to stimulate cPLA2 in a p38 kinase-dependent manner. In another experiment to understand the signalling mechanism by which the Rac-p38 kinase cascade mediates cPLA2 activation in response to PMA, we observed that PMA-induced cPLA2 translocation to the perinuclear region is completely inhibited by the expression of Rac1N17 or treatment with SB203580 (inhibitor of p38 kinase), suggesting that Rac-p38 kinase cascade acts in this instance by mediating the translocation of cPLA2. The mediatory role of p38 kinase in cPLA2 activation was further demonstrated after a treatment with anisomycin, a very effective activator of p38 kinase. Consistent with the mediatory role of p38 kinase in stimulating cPLA2, anisomycin induced the translocation and activation of cPLA2 in a p38 kinase-dependent manner.