Staurosporine induces protein kinase C agonist effects and maturation of normal and neoplastic mouse keratinocytes in vitro.
Staurosporine is a potent but nonselective inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC) and blocks responses to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in several cell types in vitro. In cultured primary mouse keratinocytes, however, staurosporine fails to inhibit TPA-mediated keratinocyte maturation and itself elicits responses that are similar to TPA (T. Sako et al., Cancer Res., 48: 4646-4650, 1988). After exposure to 10 nM staurosporine for 24 h, essentially all keratinocytes undergo morphological differentiation, whereas 160 nM TPA induces this response in about 50% of epidermal cells. These concentrations of staurosporine and TPA cause a 4-5-fold induction of epidermal transglutaminase activity and cornified envelopes, both markers of the terminal stage of keratinocyte differentiation. Staurosporine, but not TPA, also induces morphological and biochemical maturation in 2 neoplastic mouse keratinocyte cell lines, 308 and SP-1. The ability of staurosporine to elicit the same responses as TPA suggested that it may be functioning paradoxically as a PKC agonist in intact keratinocytes. In support of this hypothesis, staurosporine induces ornithine decarboxylase activity, inhibits 125I-labeled epidermal growth factor binding, and induces expression of c-fos mRNA. Down-regulation of PKC by pretreatment of primary keratinocytes with 60 nM bryostatin partially blocks staurosporine-mediated induction of cornified envelopes and inhibition of 125I-labeled epidermal growth factor binding, implicating PKC in these responses. The ability of staurosporine to mimic and/or enhance certain responses to TPA suggests that this agent is acting as a functional PKC agonist in cultured keratinocytes.
Laboratory of Cellular Carcinogenesis and Tumor Promotion, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
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Dlugosz
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Yuspa
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D015197:Carcinogenicity Tests; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000633:toxicity; D004790:Enzyme Induction / Q000187:drug effects; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D019311:Staurosporine; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
D000470:Alkaloids; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D011503:Transglutaminases; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D019311:Staurosporine; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide