Pancreastatin activates protein kinase C by stimulating the formation of 1,2-diacylglycerol in rat hepatocytes.

We describe here the stimulation by pancreastatin of 1,2-diacylglycerol production and protein kinase C activity in liver plasma membrane and isolated hepatocytes. The dose-dependency for the stimulation of both processes was similar to the recently described pattern of glucose output and cytosolic Ca2+ transients produced by pancreastatin. The time course of diacylglycerol production at 30 degrees C showed a rapid increase within 5 min, reaching a maximum at 10 min. Protein kinase C from hepatocytes was dependent on Ca2+ and phosphatidylserine. Neither the pancreastatin-stimulated diacylglycerol production nor the activation of protein kinase C was affected by pretreatment with pertussis toxin. However, the presence of GTP partially inhibited this pancreastatin stimulation of 1,2-diacylglycerol in a dose-dependent manner, although GTP alone stimulates diacylglycerol accumulation. This inhibitory effect of GTP on pancreastatin stimulation of diacylglycerol synthesis was completely abolished by the pretreatment with pertussis toxin. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that pancreastatin stimulates the formation of 1,2-diacylglycerol by a pertussis-toxin-independent mechanism, which may be responsible for the pancreastatin activation of protein kinase C.