Protein kinase C-dependent modulation of stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding protein of fetal rat skin keratinocytes.

Although the protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) has been known to induce heterologous desensitization of the epidermal adenylate cyclase, the precise mechanism of PMA action remains unknown. Effects of PMA on the receptor-G-protein-adenylate cyclase system of fetal rat skin keratinocytes (FRSK) were investigated. Choleratoxin catalysed the ADP ribosylation of 45 kDa and 52 kDa membrane proteins and islet activating protein (IAP) catalysed the ADP ribosylation of a 40 kDa membrane protein. Incubation of FRSK with PMA decreased the cholera toxin-catalysed ADP ribosylation of the membrane protein, but not the IAP-catalysed ADP ribosylation. The effect of PMA on the cholera toxin-catalysed ADP ribosylation was inhibited by the PKC inhibitor, H-7 (1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methyl piperazine dihydrochloride). 1-Oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol (OAG), a membrane-permeable diacylglycerol analogue, also decreased the cholera toxin-catalysed ADP ribosylation, but 4-0-methyl PMA, a very weak PKC activator, had no effect. Keratinocytes are known to express the guanine nucleotide binding proteins, Gsalpha, Gi2alpha, and Gi3alpha. Immunoblot analysis of the PMA-treated FRSK showed no detectable difference in the amount of Gsalpha, Gi2alpha, Gi3alpha, or the beta subunit of the G-protein. PMA significantly decreased the beta-adrenergic adenylate cyclase response and cholera toxin-induced cyclic AMP accumulation, while it markedly increased forskolin-induced cyclic AMP accumulation. These results indicate that phorbol esters affect the stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding protein (Gs) of FRSK via a PKC-dependent pathway.