RAS is required for epidermal growth factor-stimulated arachidonic acid release in rat-1 fibroblasts

Previous studies have provided suggestive evidence for an interaction between ras activation and signalling pathways involved in agonist-stimulated arachidonic acid release in a variety of cell systems. In order to clarify this interaction, we have measured epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated arachidonic acid release in rat-1 fibroblasts transfected with the N-17 dominant negative mutation of ras. Cells transfected with the N-17 ras mutant, display a markedly attenuated arachidonic acid-release response to EGF, compared to sham-transfected and non-transfected cells. In contrast, the response to phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) was not attenuated in the N-17-mutant expressing cells. No differences were detected between sham-transfected and N-17 mutant expressing cells in levels of immunodetectable EGF receptor, cytosolic phospholipase A2 or mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. Attenuation of EGF-stimulated arachidonic acid release in the N-17 mutant expressing cells, was accompanied by a marked diminution in EGF-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of MAP kinase. We conclude that the signalling pathway involved in epidermal growth factor-stimulated arachidonic acid release is similar to the signalling pathway for mitogenic responses to epidermal growth factor and requires ras activation, likely followed by a downstream cascade of kinases eventuating in MAP kinase activation.