Nerve extracts and substance P activate the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway and mitogenesis in newt forelimb regenerates.

We investigated the inositol phospholipid transmembrane signaling pathway as a possible mediator of neurotrophic (mitogenic) signals in the newt limb regeneration blastema. Blastema mesoderm tissues were prelabeled with myo-[3H]inositol, treated with 10 mM LiCl and then exposed to substance P or to extracts of spinal ganglia, brain, or spinal cord. Stimulation with substance P resulted in a rapid dose-dependent reduction of [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, correlated with a rapid accumulation of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate. This effect was inhibited when the blastema tissue was treated with neomycin, a known inhibitor of inositol phospholipid turnover. In addition, substance P stimulated the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA of blastema mesoderm cells, and this effect was also suppressed by neomycin, at a dose corresponding to that required to inhibit inositol phosphate accumulation. Extracts of neural tissues, especially spinal ganglia, induced the formation of inositol phosphates and extract activity was attenuated following treatment with heat or trypsin. These findings suggest a role for mitogen-activated inositol phospholipid signaling, initiating events that ultimately lead to cell proliferation.