title: Plasmin modulates the thrombin-evoked calcium response in C6 glioma cells.
abstract: Extracellular proteinases may be selectively targeted to cell surfaces by specific receptors or binding sites. In previous studies, we have characterized cellular binding sites for plasminogen and plasmin on rat C6 glioma cells. In this investigation, we studied the response of C6 cells to alpha-thrombin and plasmin by measuring the rapid kinetics of free intracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i). Thrombin produced a strong, concentration-dependent rise in [Ca2+]i with an onset within 3 s and peak levels achieved in less than 10 s. A similar response was also evoked by an SFLLRN-containing thrombin-agonist peptide. C6 cells did not respond to plasmin (25 nM-1.5 microM). By contrast, pretreatment of C6 cells with 100 nM plasmin significantly inhibited the [Ca2+]i response to thrombin and the thrombin-agonist peptide. The peak [Ca2+]i response to thrombin, in cells pretreated with plasmin, was reduced by approx. 50%. The effect of plasmin on the cellular response to thrombin was selective, as pretreatment of the cells with plasmin did not affect the [Ca2+]i response to platelet-activating factor. Di-isopropylphosphorylplasmin and plasminogen did not inhibit the cellular response to thrombin, indicating that plasmin activity is required and that occupancy of cellular plasmin(ogen)-binding sites alone is insufficient. These studies demonstrate that plasmin does not directly induce a response in C6 cells, but may affect cellular function by specifically modulating the thrombin response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville 22908.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Redpath
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Humphries
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Gonias
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Vandenberg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005341:Fibrinolysin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005910:Glioma / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D010980:Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D018179:Receptors, Thrombin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013917:Thrombin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D010972:Platelet Activating Factor; D010980:Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D018179:Receptors, Thrombin; C039351:platelet activating factor receptor; D013917:Thrombin; D005341:Fibrinolysin; D002118:Calcium