Dual effects of nordidemnin on WRK1 cells: inhibition of phosphoinositide metabolism and cell proliferation.

Nordidemnin (NorD), a cyclodepsipeptide isolated from marine invertebrates, exhibits antiproliferative and antitumoral properties identical to didemnin B on many cell lines. On WRK1 cells, a rat mammary tumor cell line, NorD considerably reduced the vasopressin-stimulated accumulation of inositol phosphates. This effect was more pronounced on dividing cells and of weak amplitude on quiescent ones. It was observed with nanomolar concentrations of NorD and became significative after 3 hr of incubation at 37 degrees C. The maximal effect was observed after a 14-hr incubation period. In contrast, the inactive analog epinordidemnin, as well as the structurally related immunosuppressive cyclosporin A, had no significant effect on phosphoinositide metabolism. More detailed analysis demonstrated that NorD reduced the amounts of all intracellular inositol phosphate isomers, including inositol pentakisphosphate and inositol hexakisphosphate. Vasopressin-stimulated inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate accumulation was reduced by 80% and, as a consequence, the intracellular calcium mobilization was strongly affected. Similarly, NorD reduced both the level of inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate and the intracellular free calcium concentration of unstimulated cells. NorD blocked phosphoinositide metabolism by reducing the myoinositol transporter and, by a consequence, the pool of inositol lipids. NorD also strongly inhibited WRK1 cell proliferation with the same EC50 as that observed for the effect on phosphoinositide metabolism. Epinordidemnin, which was unable to inhibit inositol phosphate accumulation, had no effect on cell growth. Cyclosporin A, which slightly inhibited WRK1 cell growth, did not significantly affect the calcium-phosphatidylinositol cascade. Taken together, these results suggest that NorD might interfere with WRK1 cell growth by inhibiting phosphoinositide turnover.