PROTEIN TYROSINE PHOSPHORYLATION AND REGULATION OF THE RECEPTOR FOR PLATELET-ACTIVATING-FACTOR IN RAT KUPFFER CELLS - EFFECT OF SODIUM VANADATE

Platelet-activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, AGEPC) and sodium vanadate (a phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor) induced a time- and concentration-dependent increase in phosphotyrosine in several proteins and stimulated prostaglandin (PG) E2 production in cultured rat Kupffer cells. In addition, vanadate induced a decrease in the surface expression of AGEPC receptors and, as a consequence, inhibited AGEPC-stimulated PGE2 production. The vanadate-induced decrease in the surface expression of AGEPC receptors was time- and concentration-dependent and was partially prevented by genistein, a putative tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Upon removal of vanadate from the culture medium and re-incubation of cells in vanadate-free medium, the surface AGEPC receptors were restored within 7 h after the removal of vanadate. Both AGEPC- and vanadate-stimulated PGE2 formation was attenuated by genistein. Thus the present investigation demonstrates that both AGEPC and sodium vanadate stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins, and vanadate induces a decrease in the number of the surface AGEPC receptors. These results suggest that protein tyrosine phosphorylation may play a role, directly or indirectly, in the regulation of surface expression of AGEPC receptors as well as in PGE2 production in response to vanadate and AGEPC.