Sphingosine enhances phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase activity in rabbit platelets

The modulating effect of sphingosine on the metabolism of inositol phospholipids was investigated using rabbit platelets. When [3H]arachidonic acid- or [3H]inositol-labeled platelets were incubated at 37 degrees C with sphingosine, the radioactivity of the phosphatidylinositol (PI) fraction obtained on TLC decreased time-dependently up to 5 min, and phosphatidylinositol monophosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2) increased concomitantly, though neither arachidonic acid nor 1,2-diacylglycerol was formed. The effect of sphingosine was dose-dependent, the maximum effect being observed at 20 microM. Treatment with a sphingosine derivative, sphingosine-1-phosphate (Sph-1-P) or N-hexanoyl-sphingosine (C6-ceramide), did not result in an increase in PIP. The increased radioactivity of PIP with sphingosine was attributable to an increase in phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, but not phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate. Furthermore, wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI 3-kinase, did not affect the modulating effect of sphingosine at 100 nM, at which the enzyme is known to be completely inhibited. The activity of PI 4-kinase in the platelet lysate was increased by sphingosine but not by Sph-1-P. These results suggest that sphingosine enhances the activity of PI 4-kinase and thereby contributes to the regulation of inositol phospholipid metabolism.