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S M Prescott

Publications and source records attributed to S M Prescott.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Human plasma platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase. Purification and properties.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF, 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) is a biologically active phospholipid synthesized by a variety of cell types upon appropriate stimulation. PAF is a potent hypotensive factor and it activates platelets and inflammatory cells at concentrations as low as 10(-10) M. Removal of the acetyl moiety at the sn-2 position abolishes the biological activity and this reaction is catalyzed by a specific acetylhydrolase present in plasma and animal tissues. Ultracentrifugation in density gradients showed that 30% of the activity is associated with high density lipoproteins and 70% with low density lipoproteins. We have purified the plasma low density lipoprotein-associated activity to near homogeneity using a rapid assay based on the separation of [3H]acetate from 1-O-alkyl-2-[3H]acetyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine on disposable reversed-phase columns. The enzyme was purified by 25,000-fold and approximately 10% of the starting activity was recovered. Plasma PAF-acetylhydrolase has an apparent molecular weight of 43,000, does not require calcium, has preference for micellar versus monomeric substrate, and exhibits surface dilution kinetics. The purified protein has an apparent Km of 13.7 microM and a Vmax of 568 mumol/h/mg with micellar PAF. It can act both on 1-O-alkyl and 1-acyl substrates and on ethanolamine analogs of PAF. However, the enzyme has a marked preference for the sn-2 acetyl residue and therefore can be considered as a specific PAF-acetylhydrolase.

1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase↗
PubMed1986

Leukotrienes C4 and D4 stimulate human endothelial cells to synthesize platelet-activating factor and bind neutrophils.

Human endothelial cells in culture produced platelet-activating factor (PAF; 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) when stimulated with leukotriene C4 or D4 (LTC4 or LTD4). Other arachidonate metabolites did not induce the synthesis of PAF. Accumulation of PAF was a prolonged response with maximal accumulation after 10-20 min of stimulation. Half of this amount remained after 90 min of stimulation. The PAF synthesized by endothelial cells remained associated with these cells. LTC4 and LTD4 also induced the adherence of human neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes; PMNs) to the endothelial cell monolayer. Adhesion was an endothelial cell-mediated process because PMNs adhered to monolayers that had been stimulated and washed prior to PMN addition, and neither LTC4 nor LTD4 stimulated PMNs in the absence of endothelial cells. The time course of PMN adhesion paralleled that of PAF accumulation by endothelial cells, and exogenously added PAF induced adherence. PMNs specifically desensitized to PAF showed only 39% of the agonist-stimulated adherence of control PMNs. We conclude that the PAF synthesized and retained by LTC4- or LTD4-stimulated endothelial cells may induce the adherence of previously unstimulated PMNs. This process may be relevant to inflammation, thrombosis, and mechanisms of vascular injury, including atherosclerosis.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed1986

Thrombin stimulates neutrophil adherence by an endothelial cell-dependent mechanism: characterization of the response and relationship to platelet-activating factor synthesis.

Thrombin, a serine coagulation protease that is generated at sites of tissue injury and inflammation, stimulates the adherence of PMNs and neutrophils to EC. We found that thrombin enhanced the adhesion of neutrophils to primary monolayers of human umbilical vein EC when assayed by the binding of 111Indium-labeled PMNs to the EC, the recovery of unlabeled PMNs after incubation with thrombin-treated EC, and by phase contrast and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM demonstrated that thrombin caused PMNs to intimately adhere to the EC plasma membrane and under some conditions to become polarized. The thrombin-stimulated adherence was a rapid, time-dependent response with an onset within 1 minute of addition of thrombin, a peak at 5-10 minutes, and a decline thereafter. The response was concentration-dependent over the range 0.01-2 U/ml thrombin, and required active thrombin. Prothrombin, factor Xa, and fibrinogen were not effective. Thrombin-stimulated PMN adherence was dependent on the EC, because thrombin did not significantly stimulate neutrophils to adhere to albumin-coated petri dishes, subendothelial matrices, or primary cultures of smooth muscle cells. Human EC, when treated with thrombin, also produce platelet-activating factor (PAF; 1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine). The concentration-response relationships and time courses for thrombin-stimulated PMN adherence and PAF production were tightly correlated. Furthermore, PAF itself stimulated the adherence of PMNs to EC, and pretreatment of PMNs with PAF selectively inhibited their adherence response to thrombin. These findings demonstrate two novel biologic activities of thrombin, the stimulation of EC-dependent adherence of PMNs and the production of PAF by EC, and suggest that they are functionally related. In addition, they suggest that thrombin may act as a plasma-derived humoral mediator of inflammation under some conditions.

Blood Coagulation↗
PubMed1985

The effects of a diet rich in fish oil on human neutrophils: identification of leukotriene B5 as a metabolite.

Diets that are enriched with fish oil have been shown to alter arachidonic acid metabolism via the cyclooxygenase pathway. Recently it has been shown that one of the major component fatty acids of fish oil, eicosapentaenoate (EPA), is a substrate for the leukotriene B (LTB) pathway when added exogenously to human neutrophils in vitro. We fed a diet that contained 8-10gm/day of EPA to four human subjects for three weeks and compared the arachidonate metabolism of their neutrophils to the same functions while the subjects were on their usual diet. The fish oil-supplementation increased neutrophil EPA content from undetectable levels to 7.4 +/- 2.4% (p less than 0.01, expressed as % of total fatty acid), and decreased arachidonate from 15.4 +/- 2.3% to 12.8 +/- 2.3% (p less than 0.05). Leukotriene B5 was identified as a metabolite during the fish oil-diet by its chromatographic profile and mass spectrum. During the experimental diet LTB4, decreased from 160 +/- 37 ng/10(7) neutrophils to 120 +/- 12 (p less than 0.05), and LTB5 increased from 0 to 39 +/- 9 ng/10(7) neutrophils (p less than 0.005). The diet had no effect on neutrophil aggregation or adherence to nylon fibers.

Arachidonic Acid↗
PubMed1985

Production of platelet-activating factor by human vascular endothelial cells: evidence for a requirement for specific agonists and modulation by prostacyclin.

Primary cultures of confluent endothelial cells derived from human umbilical veins produce platelet-activating factor (PAF) (1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) when stimulated with appropriate agonists. Highly purified human thrombin and calcium ionophore A23187 stimulate the incorporation of [3H] acetate into a lipid product that has been identified as PAF by its behavior in thin-layer chromatographic and high-performance liquid chromatographic systems, the presence of characteristic biologic activity, and appropriate response to phospholipases. A number of other humoral mediators, examined because they directly influence the activity of vascular cells or because they may mediate endothelial injury, do not stimulate PAF production by endothelial cells. This indicates that the synthesis of PAF by cultured human endothelial cells is a response to specific agonists and is not an unregulated event that occurs as a result of nonspecific cellular perturbation. The PAF produced by thrombin-treated endothelial cells is a potent stimulus for platelet activation, as assayed by the aggregation of human platelets in autologous plasma. The production of PAF by endothelial monolayers is attenuated by prostacyclin, another product of stimulated endothelial cells. Conversely, PAF production is enhanced by treatment of the endothelial cells with indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostacyclin synthesis from arachidonic acid, indicating that endogenously generated prostacyclin may modulate PAF synthesis. The potential to synthesize PAF, a unique lipid autocoid that stimulates the activation of both platelets and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, suggests that endothelial cells can directly influence the activity of these circulating effector cells. This biologic potential may be important in the interaction of the endothelium with circulating blood cells in physiologic conditions and in syndromes of vascular injury.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1985

Cultured endothelial cells synthesize both platelet-activating factor and prostacyclin in response to histamine, bradykinin, and adenosine triphosphate.

Cultured human endothelial cells synthesize prostacyclin (PGI2), a potent inhibitor of platelet function, when stimulated with histamine, bradykinin, or ATP. Paradoxically, we report that these agonists also induced the rapid and sustained synthesis of platelet-activating factor (PAF) by endothelial cells. In fact, the synthesis of this potent activator of platelets and neutrophils was induced by stimulation of the same receptor subtype that induced PGI2 synthesis: stimulation of a histamine H1 or a bradykinin B2 receptor induced both PAF and PGI2 synthesis. However, two physiologically important differences exist between the production of PAF and PGI2 by endothelial cells. The synthesis of PGI2 proceeded for only 7.5 min before the abrupt termination of synthesis, whereas the synthesis of PAF was clearly detectable even 45 min after stimulation. Although maximal accumulation of PAF occurred after 10-15 min of stimulation, the prolonged synthesis resulted in the presence of PAF for up to 1 h after stimulation. Secondly, whereas PGI2 was released from the cell monolayer, PAF remained cell-associated without significant release to the external medium. Endothelial cell-generated PAF, therefore, does not function as a hormone. The prolonged association of this potent activator of platelets and neutrophils with endothelial cells may mediate some of the inflammatory properties of histamine and bradykinin. It may also be a factor in the formation of a thrombogenic vascular surface, an event suggested to play a primary role in the pathogenesis of thrombosis and atherosclerosis.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1985

Thrombin stimulates the adherence of neutrophils to human endothelial cells in vitro.

Highly purified human thrombin stimulates the adherence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) to vascular endothelial cells (EC). When Indium-labeled PMNs were incubated with primary monolayers of cultured human umbilical vein EC, the basal adherence was 10 +/- 1% of the PMNs at 5 min. Addition of thrombin (2 U/ml) increased the mean adherence to 42 +/- 15%. Enhanced neutrophil adherence in response to thrombin was confirmed by experiments with unlabeled leukocytes, examined by phase contrast and scanning electron microscopy. The action of thrombin was on the EC, since it did not directly stimulate PMN adhesiveness when measured by aggregation or by adherence to nylon fiber columns. Furthermore, enhanced neutrophil adherence occurred when endothelial monolayers were treated with thrombin and washed before adding 111Indium (111In)-labeled PMNs. Thrombin that had been inactivated with antithrombin III and heparin did not enhance neutrophil adherence. Prothrombin, Factor Xa, and fibrinogen were also ineffective. The stimulated adherence of PMNs was maximal 5 min after incubation of the EC with thrombin, and decreased thereafter. The response was dose-dependent, with half-maximal stimulation at 0.2-0.25 U thrombin/ml. The enhanced PMN adherence caused by thrombin may result in part from the production of platelet-activating factor (PAF) by the stimulated EC since thrombin-stimulated EC synthesize PAF with a time course and concentration dependence that are similar to the time and concentration relationships for thrombin-stimulated PMN adherence, PAF itself promoted neutrophil adherence to the EC monolayers, and pretreatment of PMNs with PAF decreased the adherence stimulated by thrombin and PAF, but not adherence stimulated by N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine and C5a fragments, which indicates specific desensitization of PAF-mediated adherence. These studies demonstrate the endothelial cell-dependent stimulation of PMN adherence by thrombin, a novel mechanism of enhanced leukocyte adherence that may be important in interactions between the coagulation and inflammatory systems.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed1984

Leukotriene B formation by neutrophils from essential fatty acid-deficient rats.

Analysis of neutrophil phospholipids from rats fed an essential fatty acid-deficient diet revealed a 33% reduction in arachidonate and a 90% reduction in linoleate compared to neutrophil phospholipids of rats fed a normal diet. The neutrophil phospholipids from rats fed the essential fatty acid-deficient diet also contained significant amounts of 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate, a fatty acid not found in the neutrophils of rats fed a normal diet. Analysis of the production of leukotrienes of the B series by ionophore-stimulated neutrophils from rats fed an essential fatty acid-deficient diet revealed a 87% reduction in leukotriene B4 compared to neutrophils from rats fed a normal diet even though the arachidonate content was reduced by only 34%. Essential fatty acid-deficient neutrophils converted endogenous 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid to leukotriene A3 and its nonenzymatic degradation products, but little or no leukotriene B3 was formed. Neutrophils from rats fed a normal diet incubated with ionophore and exogenous 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate also produced leukotriene A3 and its nonenzymatic degradation products but little or no leukotriene B3. Exogenous 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate incubated with ionophore-stimulated normal neutrophils caused a dose-dependent inhibition of leukotriene A hydrolase resulting in diminished production of leukotriene B4 from endogenous arachidonate. Assays of leukotriene A hydrolase in the 10,000 X g supernatant fraction of a homogenate of RBL-1 cells revealed that a lipoxygenase metabolite of 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate rather than 5,8,11-eicosatrienoate itself is the inhibitor of leukotriene A hydrolase. Thus the finding that leukotriene B4 production by neutrophils from essential fatty acid-deficient rats is diminished out of proportion to the decrease in arachidonate content appears to be due to inhibition of leukotriene A hydrolase by a lipoxygenase metabolite.

8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid↗
PubMed1984

Leukotriene B4 is an incomplete agonist for the activation of human neutrophils.

Leukotriene B4 is the major biologically-active metabolite of arachidonate in stimulated neutrophils and previously has been shown to be a potent stimulus for neutrophil chemotaxis and aggregation. It is a less potent agonist for the secretion of granular contents from neutrophils. In the present study we have shown that leukotriene B4 does not activate all of the neutrophil responses seen with chemotactic peptides or the calcium ionophore A23187. This conclusion is based on the failure of exogenous leukotriene B4 to induce neutrophils to: (1) synthesize 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid or leukotriene B4 from endogenous arachidonate, (2) release arachidonate from membrane lipids, or (3) synthesize platelet-activating factor.

Acetates↗
PubMed1984

The effect of eicosapentaenoic acid on leukotriene B production by human neutrophils.

Eicosapentaenoic acid, which is a major fatty acid in fish oil, previously has been shown to competitively inhibit the cyclooxygenase-catalyzed metabolism of arachidonic acid in platelets. In the present study the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid on the production of leukotriene B via the lipoxygenase pathway in human neutrophils was examined. Eicosapentaenoate was incorporated into complex lipids of neutrophils at the same rate as arachidonate; release of the two homologous fatty acids in response to calcium ionophore A23187 was equivalent and both fatty acids were metabolized to a leukotriene B. The products derived from eicosapentaenoic acid were identified as leukotriene B5 and its stereoisomers. Eicosapentaenoate was a less favorable substrate for leukotriene B5 synthesis (94 ng/10(7) cells/5 min at 20 microM exogenous fatty acid) than arachidonate was for leukotriene B4 (401 ng under the same conditions). However, eicosapentaenoate or an oxygenated product inhibited arachidonate metabolism since at equimolar concentrations of eicosapentaenoate and arachidonate leukotriene B4 production was decreased by 68%. The inhibitory effect occurred at the level of leukotriene A hydrolase. The biological activity of eicosapentaenoate -derived products was tested; leukotriene B5 was found to have only approximately 10% of the potency of leukotriene B4 in inducing the aggregation of neutrophils, and the stereoisomers of leukotriene B5 were inactive. These data suggest that diets enriched in eicosapentaenoic acid affect neutrophils by decreasing the quantity of leukotriene B and by the production of a less potent leukotriene.

Arachidonic Acid↗
PubMed1984

Human endothelial cells in culture produce platelet-activating factor (1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) when stimulated with thrombin.

Cultured human endothelial cells produce platelet-activating factor (1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; PAF) when stimulated with human thrombin. The response to thrombin is dose dependent, with a half-maximal effect at 0.17 unit/ml. The product is identified as PAF by the incorporation of radiolabeled precursors, its behavior in chromatographic systems, the recovery of biological activity, and the effect of treatment with phospholipase A2. Incorporation of [3H]acetate into PAF is maximal by 5 min and decreases thereafter. Endothelial cells produce 0.10-0.17 nmol of PAF per 10(6) cells in a 5-min exposure to thrombin, as judged by the amount of neutrophil-aggregating activity. The production of this potent agonist for platelet activation and neutrophil chemotaxis by endothelial cells suggests that it may play a role in the maintenance of vascular integrity and perhaps in pathological events such as thrombosis and atherogenesis.

Acetates↗
PubMed1983

RHC 80267 does not inhibit the diglyceride lipase pathway in intact platelets.

RHC 80267 inhibits diglyceride lipase activity in microsomes from canine platelets (1). Chau and Tai (2) reported that RHC 80267 prevents the transient accumulation of monoglyceride in thrombin-stimulated human platelets, while leaving arachidonate release unimpaired. In contrast, we find that while the drug inhibits both diglyceride lipase (I50 = 15 microM) and monoglyceride lipase (I50 = 11 microM) activities in platelet microsomes, it is ineffective when added to intact platelets. The transient intermediates in the diglyceride lipase pathway, 1,2-diglyceride and 2-monoglyceride, both accumulated after thrombin stimulation of intact platelets treated with RHC 80267, and arachidonate release was not inhibited. We conclude that RHC 80267 cannot be used to evaluate the diglyceride lipase pathway in intact platelets.

Arachidonic Acid↗
PubMed1983

Characterization of 1,2-diacylglycerol hydrolysis in human platelets. Demonstration of an arachidonoyl-monoacylglycerol intermediate.

When platelets are stimulated by thrombin, a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C produces a transient rise in 1,2-diacylglycerol. We have now characterized the hydrolysis of diacylglycerol by platelet membranes using doubly isotopically labeled substrates of defined fatty acid composition. We find that the fatty acid at sn-1 is hydrolyzed faster than that at sn-2 thereby producing a 2-monoacylglycerol intermediate. If hydrolysis had occurred at either position randomly, 1-monoacylglycerol would also be produced. That none was detected indicates that either the sn-1 fatty acid must be cleaved first or that 1-monoacylglycerol is hydrolyzed by monoacylglycerol lipase much faster than 2-monoacylglyceol. The latter possibility was excluded by the finding that 1-monoacylglycerol and 2-monoacylglycerol are hydrolyzed at equal rates by platelet membranes. The diacylglycerol lipase cleaves diacylglycerols with sn-1 palmitate as rapidly as those with sn-1 stearate. Arachidonate at sn-2 is cleaved twice as fast as sn-2 oleate by monoacylglycerol lipase. The two activities probably represent discrete enzymes since monoacylglycerol lipase activity can be separated from diacylglycerol lipase by fractionation on DEAE-Sepharose, although both are contained in the membrane fraction of platelets. That the sequential breakdown of 1,2-diacylglycerol also occurs in intact platelets is indicated by our finding of a transient rise in arachidonoyl-monoacylglycerol in thrombin-stimulated platelets. This provides further evidence for a role of the phospholipase C-diacylglycerol lipase pathway in the release of arachidonic acid.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1982

Discovery of an arachidonoyl coenzyme A synthetase in human platelets.

Platelets contain small amounts of a variety of free fatty acids but essentially no free arachidonate. When free fatty acids are incubated with platelets, there is preferential incorporation of arachidonic acid and 8,-11,14-eicosatrienoic acid compared to other fatty acids. We now explain these findings by the discovery that platelets contain two long chain acyl-CoA synthetases. One shows activity with a range of different fatty acids, similar to long chain acyl-CoA synthetases studied previously. A crude platelet membrane preparation contains this enzyme that catalyzes the formation of 0.75 nmol of oleoyl-CoA/min/10(9) platelets. The other enzyme is specific for the prostaglandin precursors arachidonic acid and 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid. Based on the ability of fatty acids to inhibit arachidonate and 8,11,14-eicosatrienoate activation, we conclude that other fatty acids including linoleic, 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic, and oleic acids are not substrates for the enzyme. Platelet membranes catalyze formation of 2.9 nmol of arachidonoyl-CoA/min/10(9) platelets and 2.5 nmol of 8,11,14-eicosatrienoyl-CoA/min/10(9) platelets. Arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase has optimal activity at pH 8 and requires ATP (Km = 0.5 mM), Mg2+ (Km = 2.5 mM), CoA (Km = 0.13 mM), and arachidonic acid (Km = 0.03 mM). We propose that the arachidonate-specific acyl-CoA synthetase may control the level of free arachidonic acid in platelets, limiting prostaglandin synthesis by the unstimulated cell and capturing free arachidonate from extracellular sources.

Animals↗