Serotonin-induced alterations in inositol phospholipid metabolism in human platelets

Abstract When human platelets were incubated for 5 min with [ 32 P]orthophosphate and then stimulated with serotonin, the 32 P content of phosphatidylinositol (PI) increased within seconds, compared with the control. The 32 P content of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ) only slightly increased during the first minute after addition of serotonin and became more apparent on prolonged stimulation. These changes were not caused by serotonin-induced change in the specific activity of ATP. Using inorganic phosphate determination for the chemical quantification of different inositol phospholipid pools, we found that the platelet PI content remained nearly constant; the amount of PIP increased while that of PIP 2 decreased. When the platelets were first prelabeled for 80 min with [ 32 P]orthophosphate, the changes in 32 P-labeled inositol phospholipids after addition of serotonin were similar to their changes in mass. When the platelet inositol phospholipids were labeled with myo -[2- 3 H]inositol, serotonin induced an increase in [ 3 H]inositol phosphates. From these data, it is concluded in addition to the earlier-reported effects on phospholipid metabolism (de Chaffoy de Courcelles, D. et al. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7603–7608) that serotonin induces: (1) a very rapid formation of PI; and (2) alterations in inositol phospholipid interconversion that cannot be explained solely as a resynthesis process of PIP 2 .