Okadaic acid induces both augmentation and inhibition of opsonized zymosan-stimulated superoxide production by differentiated HL-60 cells. Possible involvement of dephosphorylation of a cytosolic 21K protein in respiratory burst.

We found that okadaic acid (OA), a potent tumor promoter and a phosphatase inhibitor, has a unique opposing effect on opsonized zymosan (Op.-zym.)-elicited O2.- production by differentiated HL-60 cells in a narrow range of concentrations but does not induce any O2.- production by itself. Okadaic acid magnified the O2.- production 2.5-fold at 1.0 microM, while it inhibited it at 2.0 microM or higher concentrations. This effect of OA did not correspond to the changes in the expression of surface receptors (CD11b/CD18, CR3) for Op.-zym., because they were weakly down-regulated by OA at any concentration. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that in the absence of OA, Op.-zym. induced rapid dephosphorylation of a cytosolic 21K protein with a very slight increase in phosphorylation of membranous p47phox, which is one of the cytosolic factors required for respiratory burst. In the presence of a stimulatory concentration (1.0 microM) of OA, the Op.-zym.-caused dephosphorylation of the 21K protein was still observed and the phosphorylation of p47phox was enhanced. In the presence of an inhibitory concentration (2.0 or 5.0 microM) of OA, the Op.-zym.-induced dephosphorylation of the 21K protein was strongly inhibited while p47phox was heavily phosphorylated. Acid hydrolysis of the 21K phosphoprotein yielded only phosphoserine as a phosphoamino acid. Furthermore, at least part of the 21K protein seemed to be associated with p67phox and p47phox, because it was co-immunoprecipitated with those cytosolic factors. These results suggest that a cytosolic 21K protein plays an important role in respiratory burst through dephosphorylation by a phosphoserine phosphatase, and that the dephosphorylated 21K protein may work synergistically with the phosphorylated p47phox on the pathway for activation of the respiratory burst oxidase.