Phorbol diesters regulate expression of the membrane neutral metalloendopeptidase (EC 3.4.24.11) in rabbit synovial fibroblasts and mammary epithelial cells.

The neutral zinc metalloendopeptidase (NEP, EC 3.4.24.11) is an integral membrane protein found in brain tissue, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and many epithelia. We show here that NEP is expressed on rabbit synovial fibroblasts and on simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA- and H-ras-transformed rabbit mammary epithelial cells. Treatment of these cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) for 24 h decreased expression of NEP mRNA transcripts and decreased the biosynthetically labeled immunoprecipitable NEP antigen. In contrast to its effects on NEP, TPA treatment induced expression of the secreted metalloproteinase collagenase and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases. TPA induced stromelysin, another secreted metalloproteinase, only in the fibroblasts. These data provide evidence that the expression of the membrane-bound NEP is regulated in several cell types.