TYROSINE PHOSPHORYLATION AND ACTIVATION OF NADPH OXIDASE IN HUMAN NEUTROPHILS - A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR MAP KINASES AND FOR A 75 KDA PROTEIN

Challenge of neutrophils with concanavalin A (ConA), formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins. Among these proteins we have identified two mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) isoforms of 43 kDa (p43 MAPK) and 45 kDa (p45 MAPK) molecular mass. Moreover here we show that: (1) FMLP induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of the p43 MAPK, and ConA that of p45 MAPK, while PMA induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of both p43 and p45 MAPK; all these agonists induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of a 75 kDa protein (p75). (2) With FMLP or ConA as agonists, tyrosine phosphorylations of MAPK and p75 can be involved in the process of NADPH oxidase activation. On the contrary, PMA can activate the respiratory burst independently of these phosphorylations. (3) In Ca2+-depleted neutrophils, where phospholipid hydrolysis did not take place, ConA or FMLP did not activate the respiratory burst, but while ConA induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of p45 MAPK and p75, FMLP was not able to phosphorylate p43 MAPK and p75. (4) As previously observed in our laboratory, a double stimulation of Ca2+-depleted neutrophils with ConA plus FMLP induced a respiratory burst in the absence of activation of second messengers derived from phospholipase C, D and A2 activity. This respiratory burst was accompanied by tyrosine phosphorylation of both p43 and p45 MAPKs. These results indicate that when FMLP is the agonist, both the tyrosine phosphorylation of p43 MAPK and p75, and the activation of NADPH oxidase, are coupled to Ca2+-dependent mechanisms. On the contrary, ConA can induce the tyrosine phosphorylation of p45 MAPK and p75 independently of calcium, but an unknown Ca2+-dependent mechanism is necessary for the activation of NADPH oxidase by this agonist. This mechanism could be substituted by the induction of tyrosine phosphorylation of both p43 MAPK and p45 MAPK when Ca2+-depleted neutrophils are stimulated with ConA plus FMLP.