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The early studies and hypotheses of Geoffrey Burnstock catalyzed intensive characterization of roles for nucleotides and P2 nucleotide receptors in neurotransmission and neuromodulation. These latter analyses have focused on the mechanisms of nucleotide release and action in the microenvironments of nerve endings and synapses. However, studies of various white blood cells, such as monocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, suggest that locally released nucleotides also modulate intercellular signaling at so-called 'immunological synapses'. This communication describes recent findings and speculations regarding nucleotide release and signaling in several key phases of the immune and inflammatory responses.

In macrophages and certain other cell types, extracellular ATP4- can increase plasma membrane permeability through activation of the P2z purinergic receptor. This permeability change involves the induction of non-selective pores which are permeable to molecules with M(r) < or = 900. Electrophysiological studies indicate that agonist occupation of P2z purinergic receptors can additionally activate cation channels which may be distinct from the non-selective pores. We have observed that mammalian P2z purinergic receptors can be expressed in Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA from the BAC1.2F5 murine macrophage cell line. Under voltage-clamp analysis, these oocytes exhibit a multiphasic inward current in response to ATP or 3'-O-(4-benzoyl)-benzoyl-ATP (BzATP), a selective agonist for the P2z purinergic receptor. This ATP/BzATP-induced current is characterized by a rapidly activated phase which is followed by a delayed, but steady, increase in conductance. We have used two-electrode voltage-clamp analysis and ion substitution to further characterize these P2z purinergic receptor-induced currents as expressed in mRNA-injected oocytes. N,N-Hexamethylene amiloride (HMA), a potent inhibitor of various exchangers and channels, selectively and reversibly inhibited the delayed component of the BzATP-induced inward current. This delayed HMA-sensitive current can be carried by large organic cations, such as N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMG+) and Tris+, in addition to small inorganic cations including Na+, Li+, and K+. In contrast, the rapidly activated HMA-insensitive current is readily carried by Na+, Li+, and K+, but is poorly carried by NMG+ and Tris+. Additional studies characterized P2z receptor regulation of Ca2+ influx, depolarization, ethidium uptake, and fura-2 loss in native BAC1.2F5 macrophages. Reduced temperature permitted discrimination of two distinct permeability pathways which could be activated by BzATP. At 20 degrees C, BzATP did not significantly increase membrane permeability to NMG+ (M(r) 195), ethidium+ (M(r) 314), or fura-2 (M(r) 831) but did stimulate an ion conducting pathway which could be competitively permeated by Na+ or Ca2+. At 37 degrees C, BzATP treatment increased membrane permeability to NMG+, ethidium+, and fura-2, in addition to Na+ and Ca2+. These data indicate that macrophage P2z purinergic receptors can be differentially coupled to: 1) a rapidly gated cation channel, and 2) a time- and temperature-dependent formation of non-selective pores. These two permeability pathways can be distinguished by their rates of activation, ion selectivities, sensitivities to amiloride analogs, and temperature dependence.

Extracellular ATP, at micromolar concentrations, induces significant functional changes in a wide variety of cells and tissues. ATP can be released from the cytosol of damaged cells or from exocytotic vesicles and/or granules contained in many types of secretory cells. There are also efficient extracellular mechanisms for the rapid metabolism of released nucleotides by ecto-ATPases and 5'-nucleotidases. The diverse biological responses to ATP are mediated by a variety of cell surface receptors that are activated when ATP or other nucleotides are bound. The functionally identified nucleotide or P2-purinergic receptors include 1) ATP receptors that stimulate G protein-coupled effector enzymes and signaling cascades, including inositol phospholipid hydrolysis and the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ stores; 2) ATP receptors that directly activate ligand-gated cation channels in the plasma membranes of many excitable cell types; 3) ATP receptors that, via the rapid induction of surface membrane channels and/or pores permeable to ions and endogenous metabolites, produce cytotoxic or activation responses in macrophages and other immune effector cells; and 4) ADP receptors that trigger rapid ion fluxes and aggregation responses in platelets. Current research in this area is directed toward the identification and structural characterization of these receptors by biochemical and molecular biological approaches.

We have previously reported that the occupancy of P2z purinergic receptors in BAC1.2F5 macrophages stimulates both the formation of nonselective membrane pores/channels and a novel phospholipase D (PLD) activity. In the present study, the relationship between these two P2z receptor-mediated responses was investigated. In [3H]oleic acid-labeled macrophages, isoosmotic replacement of extracellular Na+ with choline completely abolished 3'-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl-ATP (BzATP)-stimulated [3H]phosphatidylethanol ([3H]PEt) accumulation. This inhibitory effect of choline was mimicked when Na+ was replaced with other amine-containing cations (N-methylglucamine, ethanolamine, Tris+), but not with inorganic cations (K+, Li+). In contrast, substitution of Na+ with choline (or other cationic amines) did not prevent BzATP-induced Ca2+ influx and membrane depolarization. Thus, choline, which enters the cells through the BzATP-induced pores, can act to inhibit P2z receptor-stimulated PLD activity but not pore formation. The two responses also exhibit differential sensitivities to the pH of the incubation medium, to depletion of intracellular ATP, and to chronic phorbol ester treatment. These observations indicate that P2z receptor-mediated pore formation can be functionally uncoupled from the activation of PLD. However, both pore formation and PLD activity are similarly inhibited when the cells are: 1) partially desensitized by previous treatment with P2z agonists and 2) preincubated with 2',3'-dialdehyde-ATP or 4',4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate. This suggests that these two distinct responses are mediated by the same, or similar, P2z receptors.

Extracellular ATP activates two distinct types of P2 purinoreceptor-mediated signaling pathways in macrophages, 1) the rapid formation of nonselective pores/channels in the plasma membrane and 2) a guanine nucleotide-binding protein-dependent stimulation of phosphotidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, with subsequent mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. Several studies have suggested that the pore-forming, or P2z, purinoreceptor may be involved in the cytolytic effects of ATP on macrophages and other cell types. We have identified 3'-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl-ATP (BzATP) and UTP as selective agonists for the P2z purinoreceptor and Ca(2+)-mobilizing nucleotide receptor, respectively, in BAC1.2F5 macrophages. In this paper we demonstrate that BzATP and ATP (but not UTP) activate membrane depolarization in BAC1.2F5 cells and also stimulate appropriate electrophysiological responses, consistent with the expression of the P2z purinoreceptor, in Xenopus oocytes injected with poly(A)+ RNA derived from BAC1.2F5 cells. Micromolar concentrations of BzATP or millimolar concentrations of ATP induced a sustained increase in the membrane holding current in these voltage-clamped oocytes. This response was significantly potentiated in the absence of extracellular divalent cations, consistent with the specificity of the P2z purinoreceptor for tetrabasic nucleotides. The sustained currents induced by BzATP or ATP were distinct from the transient and/or oscillating increases in Ca(2+)-dependent Cl- currents that were stimulated by UTP but not BzATP. UTP-stimulated transient currents and nucleotide-dependent increases in aequorin luminescence in poly(A)+ RNA-injected oocytes were independent of extracellular Ca2+ and were correlated with the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ stores. Sucrose fractionation of the poly(A)+ RNA from BAC1.2F5 cells resulted in the enrichment of mRNA species encoding the components of the P2z purinoreceptor, as well as the Ca(2+)-mobilizing nucleotide receptor, in fractions containing 2.5-4.0-kilobase species.

Macrophages express two distinct types of nucleotide (P2 purinergic) receptors for extracellular ATP: one type induces a Ca(2+)-mobilizing response via the activation of phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C (PI-PLC) while the second type induces the rapid formation of nonselective pores which are permeated by ions and small (< 1 kDa) organic molecules. We have confirmed the presence of these two ATP receptor types in the BAC1.2F5 murine macrophage cell line and have identified 3'-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl-ATP (BzATP) as a selective and potent agonist for the so-called P2z or pore-forming ATP receptor type. Several lines of evidence indicated that occupation of these P2z receptors is also accompanied by a rapid and large increase in the activity of a phosphatidylcholine-selective phospholipase D (PLD) effector enzyme. In cells metabolically labeled with [3H]oleic acid or [3H]glycerol and stimulated in the presence of ethanol, ATP and BzATP induced a severalfold increase in the rate and extent of [3H]phosphatidylethanol (PEt) accumulation. These responses were stimulated only by ATP, BzATP, and ATP gamma S (adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) with the rank order of potency: BzATP >> ATP > ATP gamma A; there was no response to other adenine nucleotides or to non-adenine nucleotides. Significantly, the ability of P2z receptor agonists to stimulate this PLD activity was not dependent on the presence of extracellular [Ca2+] or elevation of cytosolic [Ca2+]. The inability of ionomycin, gramicidin, digitonin, UTP, platelet-activating factor, or phorbol ester to quantitatively mimic these nucleotide effects suggested that activation of this PLD by P2z receptor agonists was not a secondary response due to: 1) enhanced Ca2+ influx; 2) membrane depolarization; 3) nonselective permeabilization of the plasma membrane; 4) stimulation of Ca(2+)-mobilizing ATP receptors; 5) stimulation of a primary PI-PLC pathway; or 6) activation of protein kinase C. These findings suggest that activation of a novel PLD-based signaling pathway may play an important role in the modulation of macrophage function by pore-forming P2z receptors for extracellular ATP.

In previous studies we have demonstrated that extracellular ATP (and UTP), acting through P2-purinergic receptors, can stimulate the inositol phospholipid signaling system in neutrophils and monocytes, as well as in neutrophil/monocyte progenitor cells. In this study we have examined the ability of extracellular nucleotides to modulate the phenotype of myelomonocytic progenitor cells. As model systems, we utilized the established HL-60 promyelocytic and U937 promonocytic human cell lines which were cultured in the continuous presence of nucleotides known to be potent agonists for P2-purinergic receptors. When cultured for 5 days with ATP gamma S (a phosphatase resistant analog of ATP) plus 10% fetal bovine serum, both HL-60 cells and U937 cells expressed several (but not all) phenotypic characteristics of differentiated phagocytes. In HL-60 cells these characteristics were (1) increased intracellular calcium mobilization in response to formylated chemotactic peptides, (2) a reduction in cell size with a decreased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, (3) a sharply reduced rate of proliferation, (4) a reduction in the percentage of cells expressing surface transferrin receptors, and (5) an increase in the percentage of cells expressing the type 1 complement receptor (CR1). In U937 cells these characteristics were (1) increased intracellular calcium mobilization in response to formylated chemotactic peptides and platelet activating factor, (2) a reduced rate of proliferation, (3) a reduction in the percentage of cells expressing surface transferrin receptors, and (4) increases in the percentage of cells expressing both type 1 (CR1) and type 3 (CR3) complement receptors. During the first 12-24 hr after exposure to ATP gamma S, HL-60 cells showed no obvious changes in morphology, viability, or the levels of beta-actin mRNA, but did show (1) a 4-fold increase in chemotactic peptide-induced Ca2+ mobilization, and (2) a greater than 90% decrease in c-myc mRNA levels. Significantly, when HL-60 cells were treated under serum-free conditions, the ability of ATP to enhance expression of functional FMLP receptors could be dissociated from the inhibitory effects of adenine nucleotides on cell proliferation observed in serum containing media. Moreover, treatment of serum-free HL-60 cultures with UTP, another P2-purinergic receptor agonist, also resulted in enhanced expression of functional FMLP receptors.

We have compared the abilities of extracellular ATP (acting via P2-purinergic receptors) and formylated peptides (FMLP) to stimulate both phospholipase D (PLD)-based signal transduction and primary granule (azurophilic) secretion in HL-60 cells induced to differentiate along the granulocytic pathway. In undifferentiated HL-60 cells, neither ATP nor FMLP elicited significant PLD activation or increased secretion despite the previously documented ability of ATP to stimulate large increases in polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis and Ca2+ mobilization. Conversely, within 1 d after induction of granulocytic differentiation by dibutyryl cAMP, both ATP and FMLP induced large increases in azurophilic secretion and corresponding increases in PLD activity. ATP-activated PLD activity was near-maximal within 1 d after dibutyryl cAMP treatment, while the FMLP-induced activity increased continuously over 4 d, with a maximal level twice that stimulated by ATP. Additional experiments characterized the activation of PLD by receptor-independent pathways at different stages of differentiation; these included studies of phorbol ester action in intact cells and GTP gamma S action in electropermeabilized cells. An apparent role for guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins in PLD regulation was also indicated by the significant reduction in FMLP- and ATP-stimulated PLD activity observed in cells pretreated with pertussis toxin. At all stages of differentiation, there was good correlation between the relative efficacies of ATP versus FMLP in stimulating both secretion and PLD activity. These data indicate: (a) that the receptor-regulated phospholipase D signaling pathway is induced during differentiation of myeloid progenitor cells; and (b) that differential activation of this signaling system by various Ca(2+)-mobilizing receptor agonists may underlie the differential regulation of secretion and other phagocyte functions by such agents.

Extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), at micromolar/nanomolar concentrations, has been shown to induce significant functional changes in a wide variety of normal and transformed cell types. While ATP can be nonspecifically released from the cytosol of damaged cells, it is also co-packaged in certain exocytotic vesicles/granules containing conventional neurotransmitters and hormones. The diverse biologic responses to ATP appear to be mediated by a variety of so-called P2-purinergic, cell surface receptors that are activated upon binding ATP and other nucleotides. Recent physiologic, biochemical, and pharmacologic studies suggest that there are multiple ATP receptor subtypes. These include: (1) G-protein-coupled ATP receptors, which stimulate inositol phospholipid hydrolysis, Ca2+ mobilization, and activation of protein kinase C; (2) ATP receptors that directly activate nonselective cation channels in the plasma membranes of a variety of excitable cell types; and (3) ATP receptors that, via the rapid induction of surface membranes pores permeable to both ions and endogenous metabolites, can produce cytotoxic or activation responses in T lymphocytes and other immune effector cells. In addition to these functional criteria, these putative ATP receptor subtypes can be distinguished by characteristic selectivities for a variety of structurally modified ATP analogs. Current research is directed towards the identification, isolation, and structural characterization of these receptors by both biochemical and molecular biologic approaches.

The mechanisms whereby P2-purinergic receptors for extracellular ATP are coupled to the inositol phospholipid-signaling system were studied in the HL60 human promyelocytic leukemia cell line. Brief pretreatment of either undifferentiated or differentiated HL60 cells with various activators of protein kinase C Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme (e.g. phorbol myristate acetate) produced a 50-fold decrease in the potency of extracellular ATP to induce mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. The ATP-induced increase in rate of inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) accumulation in these 4-beta-phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate-treated cells was characterized by a 40% decrease in the maximal rate of InsP3 accumulation. Incubation of the cells with NaF also induced mobilization of the same Ca2+ stores released in response to extracellular ATP; this provided indirect evidence that the transmembrane signaling actions of P2-purinergic receptors may be mediated by GTP-binding regulatory proteins. This latter possibility was further supported by the finding that treatment of either undifferentiated or differentiated HL60 cells with pertussis toxin produced a significant, but partial, inhibition of ATP-induced signaling actions. These included: 1) a 60-70% decrease in the maximum rate of InsP3 accumulation, and 2) a 1.5 log unit increase in the half-maximally effective [ATP] required for mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. In cells treated with both pertussis toxin and 4-beta-phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate, there was an 80% decrease in maximal rate of ATP-induced InsP3 accumulation and near-complete inhibition of ATP-induced Ca2+ mobilization. Significantly, the residual, pertussis toxin-insensitive portion of ATP-induced signaling was observed in the same samples of differentiated HL60 cells wherein pertussis toxin treatment produced complete abolition of InsP3 accumulation and Ca2+ mobilization in response to occupation of chemotactic peptide receptors. These results indicate that the activation of inositol phospholipid breakdown by P2-purinergic receptors in HL60 cells may be mediated by both pertussis toxin-sensitive and toxin-insensitive mechanisms; this suggests that these myeloid progenitor cells may express two distinct types of GTP-binding proteins coupled to phospholipase C.

We have presented evidence indicating that P2-purinergic receptors may activate the polyphosphoinositide-phospholipase C in HL60 cells via the mediation of a pertussis-toxin-sensitive GTP-binding protein, which also mediates the actions of chemotactic peptide receptors in these and other phagocytic white blood cells. However, our data also suggest that these same receptors can be coupled to the phospholipase via an additional pertussis-toxin-insensitive mechanism. This latter finding raises the possibility that undifferentiated HL60 cells express two distinct GTP-binding proteins coupled to phospholipase C; one of these is very likely to be the GHL/GC protein recently isolated from this cell line. Significantly, the data of Oinuma et al. and Falloon et al. indicate that expression of the 40-kDa alpha-subunit/toxin substrate increases upon differentiation of HL60 cells along the granulocyte pathway. It would be interesting to determine whether expression of the putative pertussis-toxin-insensitive G-protein decreases with differentiation of these and other myelomonocytic progenitor cells. Such studies, which are now in progress, should be facilitated by the fact that the P2-purinergic receptors appear to be expressed in myelopoietic cells from the promyelocytic/promonocytic stages through the terminally differentiated stages represented by circulating neutrophils and monocytes.