Phorbol ester binding and phorbol ester-induced arachidonic acid metabolism in a highly responsive murine fibrosarcoma cell line and in a less-responsive variant.

Phorbol ester binding was examined in two lines of murine fibrosarcoma cells. The two cell lines were isolated from the same parent tumor but respond differentially to stimulation with phorbol esters. In one of the lines, these agents stimulate a rapid attachment and spreading response and induce directional migration. The other cell line does not migrate in response to stimulation with phorbol esters and the attachment and spreading response is slow. The cell line which responds actively to phorbol ester stimulation is highly malignant when injected into syngeneic animals while the other line is of low tumorigenicity and is virtually non-metastatic. In spite of these differences, both lines were found in the present study to bind [3H]4 beta-phorbol-12 beta, 13 alpha-dibutyrate in a receptor-mediated fashion. The characteristics of binding were virtually identical between the two cell lines. In additional studies, arachidonic acid metabolism was examined in the same two lines. In the highly responsive line, PMA stimulated a rapid release of [3H]arachidonic acid and its conversion into cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase products. In the less-responsive line, PMA stimulated a slower release of [3H]arachidonic acid from prelabeled cells. The quantity of arachidonic acid metabolites produced was also much less. These studies suggest that the disparity between the two cell lines in their response to phorbol ester stimulation is not the result of differences in the initial interaction between the cells and ligand but may result from alterations in their signal transductance mechanism. This may be the result of inherent differences in capacity for arachidonic acid metabolism.