Structural requirements of lyngbyatoxin A for activation and downregulation of protein kinase C

Structure-activity studies of novel synthetic analogues of lyngbyatoxin A reveal that the lactam ring but not the 7-linalyl moiety of lyngbyatoxin A is essential for the in vitro stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC). (-)-Indolactam V (ILV), which contains no hydrophobic substituent at C-7, or analogues containing either a linalyl or n-hexyl group at C-7 were equally efficacious in stimulating HeLa cell PKC in vitro and in competing with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate for binding to PKC in intact cells. The hydrophobicity of alkyl groups at C-7, however, influenced the potency of these compounds to bind to and activate PKC. In addition, these compounds exhibited differences in their ability to translocate PKC. Lyngbyatoxin A (0.1 microM) like TPA induced a rapid translocation of PKC from the cytosol to the membrane and subsequently led to a sustained decrease in both cytosolic and membrane PKC activity. In contrast, (-)-n-hexylILV (0.1 microM) and (-)-ILV (1 microM) produced a transient and attenuated decrease in cytosolic PKC activity. At concentrations that produced half-maximal PKC stimulation, (-)-ILV did not cause any downregulation of PKC whereas lyngbyatoxin A and (-)-n-hexylILV led to 60% and 40% PKC downregulation, respectively. Western blot analyses with monoclonal antibodies to PKC isoforms indicated that reduction in PKC activity by chronic exposure to TPA or lyngbyatoxin A analogues could be explained by downregulation of PKC alpha. Constitutive expression of PKC beta and PKC gamma isoforms was low in HeLa cells and was not affected significantly by TPA or lyngbyatoxin A analogues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)