Activation of Raf-1 and mitogen-activated protein kinases by erythropoietin and inositolphosphate-glycan in normal erythroid progenitor cells: involvement of protein kinase C.

In this work, we show that erythropoietin and inositolphosphate-glycan activate Raf-1 and the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) in normal erythropoietin-responsive cells. Using a protein kinase C (PKC) activator such as the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate and the PKC inhibitor GF109203X, we investigated a possible involvement of PKC during activation of Raf-1 and MAP kinase by erythropoietin or inositolphosphate-glycan. We found that erythropoietin increased MAP kinase level with a maximum stimulation reached at 5-10 min. Inositolphosphate-glycan and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate increased MAP kinase activity in the same manner. This activity was inhibited by cell preincubation with GF109203X. Two MAP kinase isoforms were present in erythroid progenitor cells, the 44 and 42 kDa proteins. We report here that erythropoietin, inositolphosphate-glycan, and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate activated only the p44 form (erk-1) of MAP kinase and the Raf-1 protein. GF109203X was used at a concentration which inhibited by 50% erythroid colonie (CFU-E) proliferation and differentiation induced by erythropoietin or inositolphosphate-glycan. These results support the hypothesis that erythropoietin and inositolphosphate-glycan activate Raf-1 and MAP kinases in normal erythroid progenitor cells and suggest that this activation involves PKC.