Growth factor-regulated phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase in astrocytes. Involvement of pp60c-src

Growth factors differently regulate astroglial cell differentiation and proliferation. In an effort to understand the early intracellular events promoted by growth factors in astroglial cells, we have determined the effects of IGF1, insulin, PDGF, EGF and FGFs on phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase. IGF1, PDGF and EGF which stimulate cell proliferation of astroglial cells, increased phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase activity immunoprecipitated with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies as shown by thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. FGFa and FGFb, which strongly stimulate proliferation of astroglial cells, have no effect on phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase activity. Addition of 1 nM PDGF, 10 nM IGF1 or 100 nM EGF to the culture medium rapidly stimulated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase activity which declined slowly after 2 min. The stimulation of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase increased with growth factor concentration. The maximum increase in phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase activity occurred with 50 nM IGF1, 1 nM PDGF or 100 nM EGF. Since insulin was active only at high concentration (1 microM), its effect was probably mediated through IGF1 receptors and not through insulin receptors. Treatment with IGF1-plus-EGF, had an additive effect on PI(3)-kinase activity, PDGF-plus-IGF1 did not. IGF1 and PDGF, to a lesser degree, also increased the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase activity associated with pp60c-src protein. Immunoblots performed with an antibody directed against the p85-subunit of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase confirmed that IGF1 increased the number of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase molecules associated with phosphotyrosine-containing proteins or with c-src protein. Each growth factor affects in a different manner the association of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase with phosphotyrosine-containing proteins and with c-src protein and thus probably modulates intracellular signals downstream of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase in astroglial cells.