Effect of phorbol myristate acetate and concanavalin A on the glycolytic enzymes of human peripheral lymphocytes.

The effects of Concanavalin A and the tumor promoting agent, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), on glycolytic enzymes in human peripheral lymphocytes have been studied. A combination of Concanavalin A plus PMA stimulates DNA and protein synthesis to a significantly greater extent than when each are added individually. PMA and concanavalin A together, but not individually, also increase the levels of the activity of the glycolytic enzymes in peripheral lymphocytes treated for 48 h. The increase in hexokinase activity induced by PMA plus concanavalin A appeared to be due to the expression of the isoenzyme form, hexokinase II. The results suggest that the expression of glycolytic enzymes in stimulated lymphocytes is a late event (perhaps associated with the S phase) which is regulated by a cellular signal system controlled by the combined action of PMA plus concanavalin A.