Changes in phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid in stimulated human neutrophils. Relationship to calcium mobilization, aggregation and superoxide radical generation.

Human neutrophils aggregate and release mediators of inflammation, such as active oxygen species and lysosomal enzymes, when exposed to the chemoattractant, fMet-Leu-Phe, or the tumor promotor, phorbol myristate acetate. In order to 'stage' events which may lead to such neutrophil responses, we determined the temporal relationship between stimulus-induced changes in the endogenous phospholipids phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidic acid, the mobilization of calcium, and the onset of aggregation and generation of superoxide anion during the initial 2 min of cell activation. Within 5 s after addition of fMet-Leu-Phe (10(-7) M) neutrophils accumulated phosphatidic acid and the levels of PI decreased, as determined by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography and phosphorus determinations. By 5 s, phosphatidic acid levels rose approximately 3.5-fold and at 15 s the loss of PI exceeded the quantity of phosphatidic acid generated. In response to phorbol myristate acetate (1 microgram/ml), however, changes in PI or phosphatidic acid were not observed until after 60 s. Accumulation of phosphatidic acid in fMet-Leu-Phe-stimulated cells was not inhibited by chelation of extracellular calcium. Neutrophils exposed to either fMet-Leu-Phe or phorbol myristate acetate also showed rapid decrements in fluorescence of cell-associated chlorotetracycline (used as an indirect probe of mobilization of intracellular membrane-associated calcium) and took up 45Ca2+ from the extracellular medium (under 60 s). The results indicate that changes in calcium mobilization, together with the alterations in phospholipid metabolism (under 5 s) anteceded aggregation and the generation of O2-. (10-15 s) induced by fMet-Leu-Phe. In contrast, when neutrophils were exposed to phorbol myristate acetate, changes in PI and phosphatidic acid (over 60 s) were observed after the mobilization of calcium (under 5 s) and the onset of O2-. generation and aggregation (30-35 s).