Activation of pancreatic acinar cell phospholipase D by epidermal, insulin-like, and basic fibroblast growth factors involves tyrosine kinase.

The involvement of phospholipase D (PLD) in phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis by epidermal (EGF), insulin-like (IGF-I), and basic fibroblast (bFGF) growth factors was investigated in rat pancreatic acini. Acini were prelabeled with [3H]myristic acid which is mostly incorporated into phosphatidylcholine. EGF, IGF-I, and bFGF caused significant and dose-dependent increases in [3H]phosphatidic acid (PA) accumulation in the presence of propranolol, a phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase inhibitor. The effects of EGF and IGF-I were significant after 5, 15, and 30 min of stimulation, whereas that of bFGF was evident only at 30 min. PA production in response to all three factors was dose dependent with maximal responses to EGF at 25 nM, to IGF-I at 16.5 nM, and to bFGF at 50 pM. Preincubation of acini with staurosporine, a protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase inhibitor, totally inhibited PA production by the three factors. Similarly, acini preincubation with genistein, a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, also neutralized the influence of the three factors on PA accumulation. In the presence of 1% ethanol, EGF, IGF-I, and bFGF caused significant phosphatidylethanol production after 20 min of incubation, thus confirming the involvement of PLD in PA production. These data present for the first time the description of a new signaling pathway through which EGF, IGF-I, and bFGF may operate to induce some of their specific effects on the pancreas in association with these growth factor receptors' tyrosine kinase activity.