Endothelin receptors stimulate both phospholipase C and phospholipase D activities in different cell lines.

Endothelin (ET) receptor-binding assays using [125I]ET-1 in C6-glioma cells and in Rat-1 and Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts indicated the presence of two binding sites, one of which binds agonists at the pM range and the other at the nM range. All three cell lines exhibited the same pharmacological profile for agonist binding (ET-1 congruent to sarafotoxin-b > ET-3), which suggests that the receptor is of the ETA type. Binding of ET-1 to the receptor resulted in activation of two phospholipases, phospholipase C (PLC) and phospholipase D (PLD). The activation of PLC or PLD by endothelin in the three cell lines was mediated by the high affinity binding site (nM range) and was not significantly affected by either extracellular or intracellular Ca2+. Measurement of PLD activation by ET-1 and/or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), in the presence and absence of two potent inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC), strongly suggests that activation of PLD by ET receptor in C6 glioma cells as well as in Rat-1 and Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts involves both PKC-dependent and PKC-independent mechanisms.