Odorants stimulate the ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and activate cAMP-response element-mediated transcription in olfactory sensory neurons.

Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) respond acutely to volatile molecules and exhibit adaptive responses including desensitization to odorant exposure. Although mechanisms for short term adaptation have been described, there is little evidence that odorants cause long lasting, transcription-dependent changes in OSNs. Here we report that odorants stimulate cAMP-response element (CRE)-mediated transcription in OSNs through Ca2+ activation of the ERK/MAPK/p90rsk pathway. Odorant stimulation of ERK phosphorylation was ablated by inhibition of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II suggesting that odorant activation of ERK is mediated through this kinase. Moreover, a brief exposure in vivo to an odorant in vapor phase stimulated CRE-mediated gene transcription in discrete populations of OSNs. These data suggest that like central nervous system neurons, OSNs may undergo long term adaptive changes mediated through CRE-mediated transcription.

Nucleotide-regulated calcium signaling in lung fibroblasts and epithelial cells from normal and P2Y(2) receptor (-/-) mice.

To test for the role of the P2Y(2) receptor (P2Y(2)-R) in the regulation of nucleotide-promoted Ca(2+) signaling in the lung, we generated P2Y(2)-R-deficient (P2Y(2)-R(-/-)) mice and measured intracellular Ca(2+)(i) responses (DeltaCa(2+)(i)) to nucleotides in cultured lung fibroblasts and nasal and tracheal epithelial cells from wild type and P2Y(2)-R(-/-) mice. In the wild type fibroblasts, the rank order of potencies for nucleotide-induced DeltaCa(2+)(i) was as follows: UTP >/= ATP >> ADP > UDP. The responses induced by these agonists were completely absent in the P2Y(2)-R(-/-) fibroblasts. Inositol phosphate responses paralleled those of DeltaCa(2+)(i) in both groups. ATP and UTP also induced Ca(2+)(i) responses in wild type airway epithelial cells. In the P2Y(2)-R(-/-) airway epithelial cells, UTP was ineffective. A small fraction (25%) of the ATP response persisted. Adenosine and alpha,beta-methylene ATP were ineffective, and ATP responses were not affected by adenosine deaminase or by removal of extracellular Ca(2+), indicating that neither P1 nor P2X receptors mediated this residual ATP response. In contrast, 2-methylthio-ADP promoted a substantial Ca(2+)(i) response in P2Y(2)-R(-/-) cells, which was inhibited by the P2Y(1) receptor antagonist adenosine 3'-5'-diphosphate. These studies demonstrate that P2Y(2)-R is the dominant purinoceptor in airway epithelial cells, which also express a P2Y(1) receptor, and that the P2Y(2)-R is the sole purinergic receptor subtype mediating nucleotide-induced inositol lipid hydrolysis and Ca(2+) mobilization in mouse lung fibroblasts.

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator-independent release of ATP. Its implications for the regulation of P2Y2 receptors in airway epithelia.

The cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane regulator (CFTR) is a cyclic AMP-dependent Cl- channel that is defective in CF cells. It has been hypothesized that CFTR exhibits an ATP release function that controls the airway surface ATP concentrations. In airway epithelial cells, CFTR-independent Ca2+-activated Cl- conductance is regulated by the P2Y2 receptor. Thus, ATP may function as an autocrine signaling factor promoting Cl- secretion in normal but not CF epithelia if ATP release is defective. We have tested for CFTR-dependent ATP release using four independent detection systems. First, a luciferase assay detected no differences in ATP concentrations in the medium from control versus cyclic AMP-stimulated primary normal human nasal epithelial (HNE) cells. A marked accumulation of extracellular ATP resulted from mechanical stimulation effected by a medium displacement. Second, high pressure liquid chromatography analysis of 3H-labeled species released from [3H]adenine-loaded HNE cells revealed no differences between basal and cyclic AMP-stimulated cells. Mechanical stimulation of HNE cells again resulted in enhanced accumulation of extracellular [3H]ATP and [3H]ADP. Third, when measuring ATP concentrations via nucleoside diphosphokinase-catalyzed phosphorylation of [alpha-33P]dADP, equivalent formation of [33P]dATP was observed in the media of control and cyclic AMP-stimulated HNE cells and nasal epithelial cells from wild-type and CF mice. Mechanically stimulated [33P]dATP formation was similar in both cell types. Fourth, 1321N1 cells stably expressing the human P2Y2 receptor were used as a reporter system for detection of ATP via P2Y2 receptor-promoted formation of [3H]inositol phosphates. Basal [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation was of the same magnitude in control and CFTR-transduced cells, and no change was observed following addition of forskolin and isoproterenol. In both cell types, mechanical stimulation resulted in hexokinase-attenuable [3H]inositol phosphate formation. In summary, our data suggest that ATP release may be triggered by mechanical stimulation of cell surfaces. No evidence was found supporting a role for CFTR in the release of ATP.

UDP activates a mucosal-restricted receptor on human nasal epithelial cells that is distinct from the P2Y2 receptor.

The presence of the P2Y2 (P(2U)-purinergic) receptor on the apical surface of airway tissue raises the possibility that aerosolized UTP might be used therapeutically to induce Cl- secretion in individuals with cystic fibrosis. However, the duration of the effects of UTP may be limited by enzymatic degradation. We therefore have analyzed the metabolism of UTP and its metabolite UDP on polarized human nasal epithelium (HNE), and have compared the pharmacological activities of these two uridine nucleotides. HPLC analysis of medium bathing the mucosal surface of HNE cells revealed the presence of an ecto-nucleotidase(s) that hydrolyzed [3H]UTP and [3H]UDP with t1/2 values (at 1 microM nucleotide) of 14 and 27 min, respectively. An ecto-nucleoside diphosphokinase activity also was observed, which promoted conversion of [3H]UDP into [3H]UTP in the presence of ATP. The effects of UDP on [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation, intracellular calcium levels ([Ca2+]i), and Cl- secretory rates (I(Cl-)) were quantitated in HNE cells in the presence of hexokinase and glucose to ensure that no UTP (or ATP) contaminated UDP solutions during the assays. Although UDP does not activate the human P2Y2 receptor, mucosal addition of UDP promoted [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation with an EC50 of 190 nM. Mucosal addition of UTP stimulated [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation with an EC50 of 280 nM. The maximal effects of mucosal UDP on [3H]inositol phosphate, [Ca2+]i, and I(Cl-) responses were approximately one-half of those observed with mucosal UTP. Serosal application of UTP promoted a 50% greater [3H]inositol phosphate and calcium response than did mucosal application of UTP. In contrast, UDP had no effect when added to the serosal medium. Repetitive mucosal applications of UDP to HNE cells resulted in a progressive loss, i.e., desensitization, of the [Ca2+]i and I(Cl-) response to UDP, whereas the corresponding responses to UTP remained unchanged. Our results provide evidence for the existence of a UDP receptor on HNE cells that is pharmacologically distinct from the P2Y2 receptor. The relative stability of UDP on the airway surface and the apparent predominant mucosal expression of this putative UDP receptor make it a potential target for cystic fibrosis treatment.

Pharmacological and second messenger signalling selectivities of cloned P2Y receptors.

1. Four different phospholipase C (PLC)-activating P2Y receptors have been cloned and stably expressed in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells. These include the human homologues of the P2Y1, P2Y2 and P2Y4 receptors and the rat homologue of the P2Y6 receptor. 2. The nucleotide selectivities of these four receptors have been compared directly by measuring inositol phosphate accumulation in response to nucleotides under conditions in which the initial purity and stability of agonist was rigidly assured and quantitatively assessed. 3. The P2Y1 receptor is specific for adenine nucleotides and slightly more sensitive to disphosphates than triphosphates. When expressed in 1321N1 astrocytoma cells, it couples selectively to the stimulation of PLC and not to the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. 4. The P2Y2 receptor is activated by UTP and ATP with similar potency and is not activated by nucleoside diphosphates. Diadenosine terraphosphate is a potent agonist at this receptor. 5. The P2Y4 receptor is highly selective for UTP over ATP and is not activated by nucleoside disphosphates. 6. The P2Y6 receptor is activated most potently by UDP, but weakly or not at all by UTP, ADP and ATP. The P2Y6 receptor appears to be identical to the uridine nucleotide-specific receptor previously characterized in C6-2B rat glioma cells. 7. We have identified a P2Y receptor on C6 glioma cells that inhibits adenylyl cyclase but has no effect on PLC. This receptor exhibits a pharmacological selectivity similar but not identical to that of the P2Y1 receptor. When the P2Y1 receptor was expressed in these C6 cells, it conferred an inositol lipid signalling response to adenine nucleotides that was pharmacologically identical to that of the P2Y1 receptor. Thus, the P2Y receptor of C6 glioma cells represents an additional receptor that exhibits the classical pharmacological selectivity of a P2Y1-R, but which couples to adenylyl cyclase rather than to PLC.

Uridine nucleotide selectivity of three phospholipase C-activating P2 receptors: identification of a UDP-selective, a UTP-selective, and an ATP- and UTP-specific receptor.

Observation that the G protein-coupled P2U receptor (P2Y2 receptor) is activated by UTP as well as ATP provided the first indication that a class of uridine nucleotide-responsive receptors might exist. This hypothesis was confirmed by our identification of a uridine nucleotide-specific receptor on C6-2B rat glioma cells and by the recent cloning of two uridine nucleotide-responsive receptors, the P2Y6 receptor [J. Biol. Chem. 270:26152-26158 (1995)] and the P2Y4 receptor [J. Biol. Chem. 270:30849-30852 (1995) and J. Biol. Chem. 270:30845-30848 (1995)]. The relative nucleotide selectivities of these uridine nucleotide-activated receptors have not been established. Therefore, we cloned and expressed the P2Y6 and P2Y4 receptors in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells and compared their relative selectivities for UDP, UTP, and other uridine and adenine nucleotides with that of the P2Y2 receptor expressed in the same cells. These comparisons were made by measuring inositol phosphate accumulation under conditions in which the initial purity and stability of agonists were rigidly ensured and quantitatively assessed. The data indicate that the P2Y2 receptor is activated with similar potencies by ATP and UTP but not by ADP or UDP; the P2Y6 receptor is activated most potently by UDP but weakly by UTP, ATP, and ADP; and the P2Y4 receptor is activated most potently by UTP, less potently by ATP, and not at all by nucleotide diphosphates. Furthermore, the P2Y6 receptor, which displays a uridine nucleotide selectivity essentially identical to that of the uridine nucleotide-specific receptor in C6-2B cells, was shown to be natively expressed in C6-2B cells and to account for the uridine nucleotide responses originally identified in these cells. These results define the uridine nucleotide selectivity of three phospholipase C-linked receptors: a receptor that is selectively activated by UDP (P2Y6 receptor), selectively activated by UTP (P2Y4 receptor), and activated by UTP and ATP but not by diphosphate nucleotides (P2Y2 receptor).

Enzymatic synthesis of UTP gamma S, a potent hydrolysis resistant agonist of P2U-purinoceptors.

1. The defective Cl- secretion characteristic of cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells can be bypassed by an alternative Ca2+ dependent Cl- secretory pathway that is activated by extracellular nucleotides, e.g. uridine-5'triphosphate (UTP), acting on P2U purinoceptors. Since UTP is susceptible to hydrolysis by nucleotidases and phosphatases present in the airways, the identification of stable P2U-purinoceptor agonists would be of therapeutic relevance. 2. Uridine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (UTP gamma S) was synthesized by nucleoside diphosphate kinase-catalyzed transfer of the gamma-phosphorothioate from guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) or adenosine-5' = O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S) to UDP. Formation of UTP gamma S was illustrated by observation of transfer of 35S from [35S]-GTP gamma S and transfer of 3H from [3H]-UDP. The chemical identity of high performance liquid chromatography (h.p.l.c.)-purified UTP gamma S was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. 3. Human 1321N1 astrocytoma cells stably expressing the phospholipase C-coupled human P2U-purinoceptor were utilized to test the activity of UTP gamma S. UTP gamma S (EC50 = 240 nM) was essentially equipotent to UTP and ATP for stimulation of inositol phosphate formation. 4. Unlike [3H]-UTP, [3H]-UTP gamma S was not hydrolyzed by alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, or apyrase. Moreover, no hydrolysis was detected during a 1 h incubation with human nasal epithelial cells. 5. UTP gamma S was equally potent and efficacious with UTP for stimulation of Cl- secretion by human nasal epithelium from both normal donors and cystic fibrosis patients. Based on its high potency and resistance to hydrolysis, UTP gamma S represents a promising compound for treatment of cystic fibrosis.

Pharmacological selectivity of the cloned human P2U-purinoceptor: potent activation by diadenosine tetraphosphate.

1. The human P2U-purinoceptor was stably expressed in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells and the pharmacological selectivity of the expressed receptor was studied by measurement of inositol lipid hydrolysis. 2. High basal levels of inositol phosphates occurred in P2U-purinoceptor-expressing cells. This phenomenon was shown to be due to release of large amounts of ATP from 1321N1 cells, and could be circumvented by adoption of an assay protocol that did not involve medium changes. 3. UTP, ATP and ATP gamma S were full and potent agonists for activation of phospholipase C with EC50 values of 140 nM, 230 nM, and 1.72 microM, respectively. 5BrUTP, 2C1ATP and 8BrATP were also full agonists although less potent than their natural congeners. Little or no effect was observed with the selective P2Y-, P2X-, and P2T-purinoceptor agonists, 2MeSATP, alpha,beta-MeATP, and 2MeSADP, respectively. 4. Diadenosine tetraphosphate, Ap4A, was a surprisingly potent agonist at the expressed P2U-purinoceptor with an EC50 (720 nM) in the range of the most potent P2U-purinoceptor agonists. Ap4A may be a physiologically important activator of P2U-purinoceptors.