Thrombin- and histamine-induced signal transduction in human endothelial cells. Stimulation and agonist-dependent desensitization of protein phosphorylation.

Treatment of human endothelial cells with thrombin, histamine, or dioctanoylglycerol (DiC8), a synthetic diacylglycerol, resulted in the rapid and transient phosphorylation of a Mr = 29,000 protein (P29) in a dose-dependent manner. Various tumor promoters also promoted P29 phosphorylation while the adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, did not. The level of phosphorylation with all three agonists was similar (2.5-4 fold), and analysis of P29 by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed identical patterns in each case. Receptor specificity was demonstrated for the histamine-stimulated changes; pyrilamine (10(-6) M; H1) but not cimetidine (10(-4); H2) blocked the response. The thrombin effect was active site-dependent. Phosphorylation induced by thrombin and histamine occurred within 1 min, peaked between 5 and 10 min, and returned to control levels by 1 h. DiC8-induced phosphorylation occurred more slowly but was also reduced by 1 h while phorbol ester treatment prolonged phosphorylation for at least 4 h. Treatment of these cells with thrombin or histamine for 1 h desensitized P29 to further phosphorylation by the homologous agonist although secondary phosphorylation could occur with heterologous compounds. However, if the primary agonist was removed following the onset of a desensitized state, secondary phosphorylation of P29 could be stimulated by the same compound. These same results were observed with two other phosphoproteins Mr = 18,000 (P18) and 80,000 (P80) which became more highly phosphorylated in response to thrombin treatment and with histamine/thrombin-stimulated prostaglandin I2 production. In contrast, homologous down-regulation of P29 phosphorylation was not observed with DiC8-treated cells, and the decline in phosphorylated P29 was associated with the loss of functional DiC8. The protein kinase inhibitors staurosporine and H-7 blocked P18 and P80 phosphorylation by thrombin but had no effect on P29 phosphorylation by histamine, thrombin, or DiC8 suggesting distinct pathways leading to the phosphorylation of these different proteins. These data suggest that multiple and independent thrombin/histamine-induced events are susceptible to receptor occupancy-dependent homologous down-regulation.