Coordinated regulation in human T cells of nucleotide-hydrolyzing ecto-enzymatic activities, including CD38 and PC-1. Possible role in the recycling of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide metabolites.

The human leukocyte surface Ag CD38 was recently identified as a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)(+)-glycohydrolase ecto-enzyme, degrading NAD into nicotinamide and ADP-ribose. We show here that expression of CD38 is increased in the Jurkat T cell line after treatment with agents that augment intracellular cAMP, with the permeant cAMP analogue dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP), and also with PMA, which activates protein kinase C. Treatment of human PBL T cells with db-cAMP or submitogenic doses of PMA also increased CD38 expression. Two other nucleotide-hydrolyzing activities were induced on the T cell surface concomitantly with CD38: the human PC-1 molecule, a nucleotide phosphodiesterase/pyrophosphatase that produces AMP from NAD or ADP-ribose, and a nucleotidase that produces adenosine from AMP, but which may be distinct from the CD73 5'-nucleotidase. All three enzymes were up-regulated after stimulation of human peripheral blood T cells with PHA. The coordinated regulation of these ecto-enzymes suggested that, besides a possible signaling function, they may recycle extracellular NAD by degrading it to adenosine and nicotinamide, which can be taken up by cells. In support of this hypothesis, db-cAMP-treated Jurkat cells could degrade extracellular NAD for de novo synthesis of purines, while untreated cells could not. Activated lymphocytes are often located in tissues in which cell death is common. It is suggested that the coordinated expression of these enzymes may allow activated T cells to re-use NAD and nucleotides from dead cells.