Effects of a tumor promoter on phospholipid metabolism in HeLa cells

The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) caused a marked stimulation of inorganic [32P]orthophosphate incorporation into HeLa-cell phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and lysophosphatidylethanolamine. The increased incorporation of inorganic [32P]orthophosphate into PE and lysophosphatidylethanolamine in the presence of TPA was not associated with an increase in PE synthesis as detected by the incorporation of [3H]serine or [3H]ethanolamine. The PC-specific exchange protein from beef liver was used to insert PC labeled with [3H]choline, inorganic [32P]orthophosphate, or [14C]arachidonic acid plus [3H]palmitic acid into the outer monolayer of intact HeLa cell membranes. Radioactivity from the latter two compounds was rapidly incorporated into PE and lysophosphatidylethanolamine; the incorporation was stimulated by TPA. It was concluded that TPA stimulated the formation of PE by base exchange between ethanolamine and PC.