ABSTRACT
Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) results in pleiotropic effects such as modulation of the transcription and activation of enzymes involved in signal transduction. One such enzyme is the cytoplasmic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)), which releases arachidonic acid (AA). AA is the precursor of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, two inflammatory mediators, which regulate gene expression and protein kinase (PK) activity. Fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) was shown to increase PKC translocation and stimulate MAPK. We have investigated the effect of FB(1) on the AA cascade in a human epithelial cell line and the signal transduction pathway regulating PLA(2) activation. We observed that FB(1) stimulated cPLA(2) activity and increased AA release by a mechanism independent of PKC activation and that the activation of cPLA(2) is a two-step process: the first is phosphorylation of cPLA(2) by MAPK; the second is a consequence of the increase in sphingosine inside and outside the cells after 2 h, which is known to induce a rise in intracellular free calcium. Overall, this suggests that the effect of FB(1) on cells is partially dependent on the action of FB(1) on the enzymes involved in the cell cycle, such as MAPK and PKA, and on bioactive fatty acids, such as the prostaglandins and leukotrienes, and also on disruption of sphingolipid metabolism. In addition, we have observed down-regulation of cPLA(2) activity and AA metabolism by a mechanism involving prostaglandin production, cAMP synthesis and PKA activation.
