Antagonism of phorbol-ester-stimulated phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by the phospholipid analogue hexadecylphosphocholine.

The antagonization of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) biosynthesis by the phospholipid analogue hexadecylphosphocholine (HePC) in MDCK cells was investigated and compared with the corresponding influence in HeLa cells. In both cell lines, PMA-stimulated PtdCho biosynthesis was antagonized by 50 microM HePC. However, subsequent experiments provided evidence that PMA enhances PtdCho biosynthesis by at least two mechanisms: (i) by stimulation of choline uptake and (ii) by translocation of CTP:choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase to membranes. In MDCK cells, 5 nM PMA caused a 4-fold increase in [methyl-3H]choline incorporation into PtdCho, which was paralleled by an approx. 2-fold stimulation of choline uptake. These data indicate that choline uptake might play an important role in the regulation of PtdCho biosynthesis in this cell line, especially since we could not detect any significant increase in membrane-bound cytidyltransferase activity in PMA-treated MDCK cells. In contrast, enhanced PtdCho biosynthesis in HeLa cells is achieved by a 2-fold increase in particulate cytidylyltransferase activity after PMA stimulation. Translocation of cytidylyltransferase from the cytosol to membranes is therefore important in HeLa cells. Nevertheless, in both cell lines, the main target of HePC seems to be the translocation process. In MDCK cells, addition of 50 microM HePC decreases membrane-bound cytidylyltransferase activity by about 45%, compared with control cells and PMA-treated cells. In HeLa cells, PMA-induced translocation of cytidylyltransferase to membranes is totally abolished by HePC.