Regulation of choline kinase activity and phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by mitogenic growth factors in 3T3 fibroblasts.

The regulation of choline kinase activity by fetal bovine serum and the regulation of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by choline kinase have been investigated in 3T3 fibroblasts. Treatment of quiescent 3T3 fibroblasts with serum was shown in previous work to increase phosphocholine pool size and phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. We now report that treatment of 3T3 cells with serum increased intracellular choline kinase activity by 2-3-fold with a concomitant 2-3-fold decrease of intracellular free choline concentrations.

Cystamine augments the stimulation of DNA synthesis by peptide growth factors and microtubule-disrupting agents in cultures of 3T3 mouse fibroblasts.

Cystamine together with colchicine markedly enhanced the uptake of [3H]-thymidine into DNA of quiescent cultures of insulin-stimulated Swiss 3T3 mouse fibroblasts. Flow cytofluorometric analyses showed an increased rate of transition of cells from G0/G1----S + G2 in response to combinations of insulin, colchicine, and cystamine. Cystamine, the most effective of several thiol compounds, gave maximal augmentation at 200 microM and was toxic at 300-500 microM.

Regulation of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by mitogenic growth factors.

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) biosynthesis in cultured 3T3 fibroblasts was increased in varying degrees by these mitogenic growth factors: fetal bovine serum, insulin, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, epidermal growth factor, vasopressin, fibroblast growth factor and insulin-like growth factors I and II. PC synthesis was increased 2-4-fold by 10% serum, up to 4-fold by growth factors alone, and up to 8-fold by combinations of two or more growth factors. Single growth factors had no effect on the incorporation of [3H]choline into the acid-soluble precursors of PC, while serum or combinations of two or more mitogens could increase the incorporation of [3H]choline into acid-soluble material by up to 2-fold.

The relationship between the disassembly of microtubules during G1 and the enhancement of DNA synthesis by colchicine in mouse fibroblasts stimulated with peptide growth hormones.

By immunofluorescent staining to visualize the cytoplasmic microtubular cytoskeleton in mouse fibroblasts we have ascertained that after a relatively short exposure of cells to colchicine, microtubules remain disassembled for a prolonged period of time after cells are transferred to a colchicine-free medium. In contrast to the persisting effects of colchicine, a brief exposure of cells to nocodazole first induces the expected disruption of microtubules followed by regeneration of the cytoskeleton within a few hours after removal of extracellular drug. These results shed light on our previous finding that quiescent mouse fibroblasts first treated with colchicine and then transferred to colchicine-free medium exhibit an enhanced proliferative response to EGF and insulin, whereas cells treated in a similar manner with nocodazole show no enhancement of DNA synthesis stimulated by peptide growth hormones.