Effect of phorbol esters and liposome-delivered phospholipids on the differentiation program of normal and dystrophic satellite cells.

Satellite cells, isolated from hind limb of normal C57BL/6J mice, differentiate in culture in the presence of concentrations of phorbol esters which inhibit differentiation of embryonic myoblasts. However, if phosphatidylserine containing liposomes were added to the culture medium together with TPA, differentiation of satellite cells was reversibly inhibited. Under these conditions, the withdrawal of these cells from the cell cycle still occurred as in untreated cells. Phosphatidylserine liposomes alone or liposomes containing phosphatidylcholine (either alone or in combination with TPA) had no effect on satellite cell differentiation. In the case of satellite cells from dystrophic C57BL/6J/dydy mice, TPA addition (0.1 microM) to the culture medium partially (about 70%) inhibited morphological and biochemical differentiation. This effect could be prevented by preincubating dystrophic satellite cells with liposomes containing phosphatidylcholine but not other phospholipids. These data indicate that it is possible to change the sensitivity to TPA of satellite cells by modifying the phospholipid composition of their plasma membrane. Possible relationships of these phenomena with activation of protein kinase C or phosphatidylinositol breakdown have been investigated. The results obtained are discussed with regard to possible modulation of the intracellular response to agonist binding.