Eicosanoids enhance epidermal growth factor receptor activation and proliferation in glomerular epithelial cells

Proliferation of glomerular epithelial cells (GEC) and release of prostaglandins (PG) and thromboxane (Tx) A2 may occur in glomerular injury. We studied the relationship of eicosanoids to epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced proliferation of rat GEC in culture. After 48 h of serum-deprivation, EGF stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation ninefold above serum-deprived cells. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase with indomethacin or of Txsynthase with OKY-046 decreased the proliferative effect of EGF by 50 and 38%, respectively. The effect of indomethacin was reversed by addition of PGE2. Synthesis of PGE2, PGF2 alpha, and TxA2 by serum-deprived GEC was not enhanced by EGF. Scatchard analysis of 125I-EGF binding to GEC demonstrated two populations of EGF receptors; the high-affinity site had a dissociation constant (Kd) of 444 pM and 24,864 receptors/cell. EGF receptor autophosphorylation (reflecting receptor activation) was studied by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting of GEC membrane proteins with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody. EGF increased phosphorylation of a protein of approximately 170 kDa, which comigrated with proteins immunoprecipitated from [35S]methionine-labeled GEC with antibodies to EGF receptor. Indomethacin and OKY-046 decreased the EGF-dependent phosphorylation of the 170-kDa protein, and this decrease was overcome by addition of PGE2. Indomethacin and OKY-046 did not, however, reduce 125I-EGF binding. Thus, in GEC, the basal synthesis of eicosanoids enhanced EGF-induced proliferation. This effect appears to be due to enhancement of EGF receptor activation.