Cytosolic phospholipase C activity: I. Evidence for coupling with cytosolic guanine nucleotide-binding protein, Giα

In a previous report we shwed that glucocorticoed inhibition of cytosolic PLC activity correlated with a reduction in cytosolic Giα levels, suggesting that there may be a functional relationship between cytosolic PLC and cytosolic Giα. In order to establish the nature of the coupliing between cytosolic Giα and cytosolic PLC we examined the effects of Protein activators, and inhibitors on cytosolic PLC activity from rat spenocytes and the rat lymphoma cell line Nb 2, with [3H] PI and [3H]PIP2 as substrates. (1) Neither GTP nor its nonhydrolyzable analogue, GTPγS, at 100 μm had any effect on the calcium stimulated as well as the basal PLC activity. (2) Howevr, affinity purified antibodies to Giα1 and Giα2 inhibited soluble PLC activity, by 85% and 55%, respectively, with PI as substrate; with PIP2 as substrate, soluble PLC activity was inhibited 50–70% by antibodies to Gi1, whereas antibodies to Gi2 had little effect. (3)Administration of Giα1 antisense oligonucleotides to splenocytes for 48 h produced 25–40% decrease in cytosolic Giα1 levels compared to control. The soluble PLC activity with both PI and PIP2 as substrates was also reduced by 25–50% compared to control conditions. This suggest that cytosolic Giα is associated with the activation of splenocyte soluble PLC. (4) Pertussis toxin administered in vivo sugnificantly reduced cytosolic Giα immunoreactivity and soluble PLC activiry when PI was used as substrate, providing additional evidence that cytosolic Giα is associated with the activation of splencyte soluble PLC. (5) Another agent that has beeen used extensively to define G‐protein coupled processes is NaF/AlCl3. NaF(4mM; with or without AlCl3 inhibited soluble PLC activity with PIP2 as substrate, in contrast ot the stimulatory effect that has been reported in the activation of membrane PLC. 6) because NaF can act as a protein phosphatase inhibitor, we also tested the effects of trifluoperzine (50 μm, TFP), an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2B; TFP (50 μm) signigicantly inhibited soluble PLC activity PI was used as substrate. These results suggest a direct involvement of cytosolic Giα in the activation of soluble PLC form splenocytes. Other questions pertaining to the functional significance, the nature, and possible substrate preference of the splenocyte Giα coupled PLC is addressed in the second paper.