ACTH increases de novo synthesis of diacylglycerol and translocates protein kinase C in primary cultures of calf adrenal glomerulosa cells.

Effects of ACTH on the production of diacylglycerol (DAG) and translocation of protein kinase C were studied in primary cultures of calf adrenal glomerulosa cells. To study DAG production two different labeling protocols were used: (a) cells were prelabeled for 3 days with [2-3H]glycerol before ACTH addition; (b) ACTH and [2-3H]glycerol were added simultaneously to cells. In both cases, ACTH provoked rapid increases in the labeling of DAG which were maximal in 2 min, dose-dependent, and paralleled by increases in DAG mass. ACTH also increased the labeling of total glycerolipids including phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and triacylglycerol. In both labeling protocols, the rates of increase in the labeling of DAG and PA were greater than those of other glycerolipids. Our results indicate that ACTH rapidly increases DAG, at least partly by stimulating the de novo synthesis of PA. In addition, we found that ACTH, like phorbol esters, stimulated the apparent translocation of immunoreactive protein kinase C from the cytosol to the membrane fraction.