Production of 1,2-diacylglycerol and phosphatidate in human erythrocytes treated with calcium ions and ionophore A23187.

1. When the ionophore A23187 and Ca2+ were added to normal human erythrocytes, the incorporation of 32P into phosphatidate was enhanced within 1 min, but there was only slight labelling of other phospholipids. 2. Labelling of phosphatidate in these cells did not continue to increase after about 20min at 37 degrees C; by this time, radioactivity in phosphatidate was about ten times higher inionophore A23187-treated cells than in controls. A net synthesis of phosphatidate was measured in response to the increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration; the content of this phospholipid in the cell was increased by approximately 50%. 3. In the presence of 2.5 mM-Ca2+ a maximum effect was seen with about 0.5 mug of ionophore/ml. 4. The concentration of Ca2+ giving half-maximal labelling of phosphatidate in the presence of 10 mug of ionophore A23187/ml was about 10 muM. 5. A rapid decrease of ATP content in the cell occurred in ionophore-treated cells. 6. Labelling of phosphatidate appeared to be secondary to the production of 1,2-diacylglycerol in the cells; accumulation of 1,2-diacylglycerol was only seen after about 15 min. After 60 min, the 1,2-diacylglycerol content of the cells was five to seven times that of untreated control cells. 7. The change in the shape of erythrocytes treated with Ca2+ and ionophore appeared to be related to accumulation of 1,2-diacylglycerol. 8. The source of 1,2-diacylglycerol has not been definitely identified, but its fatty acid compositon was similar to that of phosphatidylcholine. However, it has an unusually high content of hexadecenoic acid, a fatty acid not common in the major erythrocyte phospholipids. 9. Accumulation of 1,2-diacyglycerol also occurred in energy-starved cells, even in the absence of calcium; in this case it appeared to be produced by phosphatidate breakdown.