Contrasting effects of the protein kinase C inhibitor, staurosporine, on cytokine and phorbol ester stimulation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and prostaglandin E production by fibroblasts in vitro. Comparative studies using interleukin-1 alpha, tumour necrosis factor alpha, transforming growth factor beta, interferon-gamma and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate.

It is known that both interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) promote increases in intracellular levels of the glycolytic regulatory metabolite fructose 2,6-bisphosphate [Fru(2,6)P2] and in the production of prostaglandin E (PGE) by subcultured rheumatoid synovial cells (RSC) and human dermal fibroblasts in vitro. We report here that the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine enhanced the IL-1 alpha-induced increase in [Fru(2,6)P2] and PGE production by RSC, whereas in similar concentrations (3-30 nM) this inhibitor decreased the TPA-induced stimulation of these parameters. Staurosporine produced a similar enhancement of the response to IL-1 alpha by normal human dermal fibroblasts. The increased PGE production provoked by tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) in RSC was also augmented by staurosporine, but, in contrast, the increases in cellular [Fru(2,6)P2] induced by transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were diminished. Thus the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine discriminates not only between the effects produced by IL-1 alpha and TPA, but also between those of IL-1 alpha and two other cytokines (but not between IL-1 alpha and TNF alpha). These findings suggest that IL-1 alpha and probably TNF alpha act via an intracellular mechanism different from that mediating the action of TPA, TGF-beta and IFN-gamma, and provide evidence that staurosporine is capable of amplifying the IL-1 signal.