Differential regulation of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and diacylglycerol in NG108-15 neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cells.

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a tumor promoter and potent activator of protein kinase C, stimulates [3H]choline incorporation into phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) in NG108-15 cells (Liscovitch, M., Freese, A., Blusztajn, J. K. and Wurtman, R. J. (1986) J. Neurochem. 47, 1936-1941). In the present study we demonstrate that two cell-permeant diacylglycerols, sn-1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol and sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol, also stimulate [3H]choline incorporation into PtdCho. However, the effect of diacylglycerol is additional to that produced by a maximally effective concentration of TPA (0.5 microM), suggesting that the two agents may not act via the same mechanism. In addition, the protein kinase inhibitor 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine dihydrochloride (at 200 microM) inhibits the action of TPA by 59% while not affecting that of diacylglycerol. Finally, preincubation of the cells with TPA (0.1 microM) for 24 h reduces protein kinase C activity in the cells and completely abolishes the effect of additional TPA on choline incorporation. In contrast, diacylglycerol-induced stimulation of PtdCho biosynthesis was not inhibited in the cells that were desensitized to TPA. These results suggest that the effect of the two cell-permeant diacylglycerols on PtdCho biosynthesis either is not mediated by protein kinase C activation, or, is mediated by a TPA-insensitive isoenzyme of protein kinase C.