Involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinase and translocation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 to the nuclear envelope in acetylcholine-induced prostacyclin synthesis in rabbit coronary endothelial cells.

We previously showed that acetylcholine (ACh) stimulates production of prostacyclin, measured as immunoreactive 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha), in coronary endothelial cells (CEC) of rabbit heart by increasing influx of extracellular Ca2+ through a receptor-operated Ca2+ channel and by activating a pertussis toxin-insensitive G protein. The purposes of this study were to elucidate the type of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) involved in 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production and the mechanism(s) by which ACh activates PLA2 in cultured CEC. In CEC transiently transfected with cytosolic PLA2 but not secretory PLA2 antisense oligonucleotide, ACh failed to increase 6-keto-PGF1 alpha; this was prevented by cotransfection with cPLA2 sense oligonucleotide. ACh increased production of prostacyclin and increased protein kinase C (PKC) activity. The PKC inhibitor calphostin C attenuated the ACh-induced increase in PKC activity but not 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production. Phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and phorbol-12, 13-dibutyrate increased PKC activity but failed to alter 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production. ACh enhanced the activity of cPLA2 and p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in cell lysate prepared from CEC. ACh also caused phosphorylation of p42 MAPK and cPLA2, which was inhibited by AG126 ([alpha-cyano-(3-hydroxy-4-nitro)cinnamonitrile]), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor known to decrease MAPK activity. In addition, ACh stimulated translocation of cPLA2 from cytosol to nuclear envelope; the translocation of cPLA2 was prevented by removal of extracellular calcium but not by AG126 treatment. Okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase inhibitor, increased cPLA2 activity in cell lysate prepared from CEC but did not alter basal 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production in intact CEC; however, ACh-induced 6-keto-PGF1 alpha was enhanced by okadaic acid. These data suggest that ACh stimulates prostacyclin synthesis by activation of cPLA2 in a PKC-independent mechanism and that both cPLA2 translocation to nuclear envelope and phosphorylation by MAPK are required for ACh-induced 6-keto-PGF1 alpha synthesis in CEC.