Cell proliferation status, cytokine action and protein tyrosine phosphorylation modulate leukotriene biosynthesis in a basophil leukaemia and a mastocytoma cell line.

Mast cells, mastocytoma cells and basophil leukaemia cells are well-established producers of leukotrienes when grown and stimulated appropriately. I report that the cells' ability to produce leukotrienes is dependent on the cells' proliferative status or their provision with growth factors. Proliferating MC/9 and subconfluent RBL2H3 cells respond maximally to stimulation by 1 microM ionomycin with the production of 56 and 32 pmol of cysteinyl-leukotrienes/10(6) cells respectively. In contrast, confluent RBL2H3 or growth-arrested MC/9 cells lose their ability to generate leukotrienes in response to ionomycin treatment. This rapid down-regulation of leukotriene synthesis is also observed when proliferating RBL2H3 cells are transferred to growth-factor-free medium, wherein cellular leukotriene-synthesis capacity has an apparent half-lifetime of 60 min. Transfer back into growth medium results in the regeneration of leukotriene synthesis capacity within 6 h. In growth-arrested MC/9 cells, leukotriene production ability can at least partially be restored by priming the cells with interleukin 3, but not with interleukin 4. In RBL2H3 cells, pretreatment with protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as genistein (5 min, 37 microM), herbimycin A (6 h, 3 microM) or tyrphostin 25 (16 h, 100 microM) completely inhibits leukotriene generation, whereas okadaic acid (15 min, 0.5 microM) has no effect. Under these conditions, both genistein and herbimycin A strongly impair ionomycin-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Our study indicates that leukotriene generation in these tumour cells is tightly regulated by their proliferation status and supply with growth factors, and cell stimulation towards leukotriene synthesis appears to involve protein tyrosine kinase activity.