The effect of CD137-CD137 ligand interaction on phospholipase C signaling pathway in human endothelial cells

We previously reported the emerging role of CD137-CD137L interaction in inflammation and atherosclerosis. The mechanism of CD137-CD137L interaction may be related to a variety of signaling pathways. The most important signaling pathway involves the activation of phospholipase C(PLC) which induces the diacylglycerol-protein kinase C(DAG-PKC) and the inositol trisphosphate-intracellular free calcium (IP3-[Ca(2+)]i) pathway. In the current study, we investigated whether CD137-CD137L interaction can stimulate the PLC signaling pathway in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol trisphosphate (IP3) levels in HUVEC were measured by radioenzymatic assay. The activity of protein kinase (PKC) was detected by its ability to transfer phosphate from [γ-(32)P]ATP to lysine-rich histone. The [Ca(2+)]i concentrations were measured by flow cytometric analysis. The DAG level and PKC activity were increased in a concentration-dependent, biphasic manner in HUVEC induced by anti-CD137. PKC activity was mainly in the cytosol at rest, and then translocated to the membrane when stimulated by anti-CD137. Similarly, rapid IP3 formation induced by anti-CD137 coincided with the peak of the DAG level. Moreover, anti-CD137 induced peak [Ca(2+)]i responses including the rapid transient phase and the sustained phase. However, anti-CD137L suppressed the activation of the DAG-PKC and IP3-[Ca(2+)]i signaling pathway, which was stimulated by anti-CD137 in HUVEC. In conclusion, the data suggested that CD137-CD137L interaction induces robust activation of the PLC signaling pathway in HUVEC.