Phosphatidic acid modulates Cl- secretion in T84 cells: varying effects depending on mode of stimulation

Cl- secretion in T84 cells evoked by a stimulus that activates protein kinase C, carbachol, was associated with elevated levels of 32P-labeled phosphatidic acid (PA). PA's role in the regulation of Cl- secretion was explored by examining the effect of exogenous PA (10(-4) M) on Cl- secretion and intracellular Ca2+ levels ([Ca2+]i) in monolayers. PA potentiated the effect of carbachol on [Ca2+]i and Cl- secretion, although it did not stimulate Cl- secretion by itself. PA had divergent effects on cyclic nucleotide-dependent Cl- secretion. It delayed Cl- secretion induced by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide [VIP, adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) dependent] but potentiated that induced by the heat-stable enterotoxin of Escherichia coli (STa; guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate dependent). PA did not alter AMP or GMP levels, suggesting that PA acts at a site distal to the generation of these second messengers. PA caused a slight increase in phosphorylation of protein kinase C substrates but not of cAMP-dependent protein kinase substrates. However, PA is probably not acting through a classical protein kinase C pathway, because we have previously shown that phorbol esters inhibit carbachol's actions, and the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine failed to block the effect of PA on VIP- or STa-stimulated Cl- secretion. Thus PA differentially regulates stimulated Cl- secretion in T84 cells, depending on the nature of the agonist.