Thrombin and histamine activate phospholipase C in human endothelial cells via a phorbol ester-sensitive pathway

The effects of phorbol esters and synthetic diglycerides on thrombin- and histamine-stimulated increases in inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and cytosolic free calcium [( Ca2+]i) were studied in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HEC). Thrombin (0.003-3.0 U/ml) and histamine (10(-7)-10(-4) M) induced rapid increases in [Ca2+]i in suspended cells as monitored with the fluorescent calcium indicator fura-2. In [3H]myoinositol-labeled cells, both thrombin (3 U/ml)- and histamine (10(-4) M)-induced IP3 increases (195% +/- 6% and 98% +/- 4%, respectively) occurred in less than 15 sec and were temporally correlated with [Ca2+]i increases. Brief incubations (5-60 min) with different protein kinase C activators [4-beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (1-100 nM), mezerein (100 nM), and sn-1,2 dioctanoylglycerol (0.1-10 microM)] attenuated agonist-induced increases in [Ca2+]i. These compounds also inhibited thrombin- and histamine-stimulated IP3 formation, thus suggesting a tight coupling between phospholipase C activation and calcium flux in cultured HEC. Overall, these observations suggest that the pathway linking receptors to phospholipase C stimulation in human endothelial cells is sensitive to protein kinase C activation.