A novel pathway for the activation of phospholipase D by P2z purinergic receptors in BAC1.2F5 macrophages.

Macrophages express two distinct types of nucleotide (P2 purinergic) receptors for extracellular ATP: one type induces a Ca(2+)-mobilizing response via the activation of phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C (PI-PLC) while the second type induces the rapid formation of nonselective pores which are permeated by ions and small (< 1 kDa) organic molecules. We have confirmed the presence of these two ATP receptor types in the BAC1.2F5 murine macrophage cell line and have identified 3'-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl-ATP (BzATP) as a selective and potent agonist for the so-called P2z or pore-forming ATP receptor type. Several lines of evidence indicated that occupation of these P2z receptors is also accompanied by a rapid and large increase in the activity of a phosphatidylcholine-selective phospholipase D (PLD) effector enzyme. In cells metabolically labeled with [3H]oleic acid or [3H]glycerol and stimulated in the presence of ethanol, ATP and BzATP induced a severalfold increase in the rate and extent of [3H]phosphatidylethanol (PEt) accumulation. These responses were stimulated only by ATP, BzATP, and ATP gamma S (adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) with the rank order of potency: BzATP >> ATP > ATP gamma A; there was no response to other adenine nucleotides or to non-adenine nucleotides. Significantly, the ability of P2z receptor agonists to stimulate this PLD activity was not dependent on the presence of extracellular [Ca2+] or elevation of cytosolic [Ca2+]. The inability of ionomycin, gramicidin, digitonin, UTP, platelet-activating factor, or phorbol ester to quantitatively mimic these nucleotide effects suggested that activation of this PLD by P2z receptor agonists was not a secondary response due to: 1) enhanced Ca2+ influx; 2) membrane depolarization; 3) nonselective permeabilization of the plasma membrane; 4) stimulation of Ca(2+)-mobilizing ATP receptors; 5) stimulation of a primary PI-PLC pathway; or 6) activation of protein kinase C. These findings suggest that activation of a novel PLD-based signaling pathway may play an important role in the modulation of macrophage function by pore-forming P2z receptors for extracellular ATP.