Dependence on intracellular Ca2+ on mass and turnover of phosphoinositides and phosphatidate in human erythrocytes.

Effects of a calcium-load on mass and turnover of phosphoinositides and phosphatidate were investigated in human erythrocytes by short-term labeling with [32P]Pi. The labeling of phosphatidate was accelerated at normal mass by short-term elevation of free intracellular [Ca2+] up to 1 microM and inhibited by the reduction of normal free [Ca2+]. Thus, the labeling of phosphatidate is a Ca2+-regulated process and not only the consequence of a net synthesis of diacylglycerol by other Ca2+-dependent reactions. Persisting elevation of free intracellular [Ca2+] between 1-40 microM induced an increase of the mass of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate with a concomitant decrease of the mass of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Under these conditions, the normal steady-state turnover of phosphoinositides was not altered by Ca2+, but mass and turnover of phosphatidate continuously rose. The increase in phosphatidate mass by far exceeded the decrease of the mass of phosphoinositides, indicating that phosphatidate was generated to a great extent by hydrolysis of other phospholipids in addition to the action of phosphoinositidase C with subsequent phosphorylation of diacylglycerol to phosphatidate. The results demonstrate that different phospholipid phosphodiesterases of human erythrocytes are activated by Ca2+-concentrations in the microM range as is known from various other cell types. In contrast to current explanations, Ca2+-dependent phospholipid phosphodiesterases of human erythrocytes did not exhibit an unusually low affinity against rising cytosolic Ca2+-concentrations.