Polyamines inhibit phospholipase C-catalysed polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis. Studies with permeabilized GH3 cells

[3H]Inositol-labelled GH3 rat anterior pituitary tumour cells were permeabilized with digitonin and were incubated at 37 degrees C in the presence of ATP and Mg2+. [3H]Polyphosphoinositide breakdown and [3H]inositol phosphate production were stimulated by hydrolysis-resistant GTP analogues and by Ca2+. Of the nucleotides tested, guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP gamma S) was the most effective stimulus. Activation by GTP gamma S appeared to be mediated by a guanine nucleotide-binding (G) protein as GTP gamma S-stimulated [3H]inositol phosphate production was inhibited by other nucleotides with a potency order of GTP = GDP = guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate greater than ITP greater than GMP greater than UTP = CTP = adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate. The stimulatory effects of 10 microM-GTP gamma S on [3H]inositol phosphate levels were reversed by spermine and spermidine with IC50 values of approx. 0.25 and 2 mM respectively. Putrescine was inhibitory only at higher concentrations. Similarly, GTP gamma S-induced decreases in [3H]polyphosphoinositide levels were reversed by 2.5 mM-spermine. The inhibitory effects of spermine were not overcome by supramaximal concentrations of GTP gamma S. In contrast, [3H]inositol phosphate production stimulated by addition of 0.3-0.6 mM-Ca2+ to incubation media was only partially inhibited by spermine (5 mM), and spermine was not inhibitory when added Ca2+ was increased to 1 mM. These data show that polyamines, particularly spermine, inhibit phospholipase C-catalysed polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis with a marked selectivity towards the stimulatory effects of GTP gamma S.