Inositol phosphate formation and release of intracellular free calcium by bradykinin in HaCaT keratinocytes.

Phospholipase C-mediated release of inositol trisphosphate, followed by an increase in free intracellular calcium, is an important signal transduction pathway for several membrane receptors. In the present investigation, the coupling of various receptors to phospholipase C was studied in the human keratinocyte line HaCaT. Inositol trisphosphate formation was determined by anion-exchange chromatography, and the release of intracellular calcium was analysed with the fluorescence probe Fura-2 AM. Activation of HaCaT keratinocytes with bradykinin resulted in a time- and dose-dependent release of inositol trisphosphate and intracellular calcium, with an EC50 value of 50 nM for bradykinin-induced inositol trisphosphate formation. The mediators and cytokines IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, EGF and TGF alpha, as well as bombesin, prolactin, carbachol, substance P and retinoic acid, did not activate this pathway. The inability of the mediators examined to activate phospholipase C may be due to lack of the respective cognate receptors or to the use of other signal transduction pathways.