Protein kinase D1 (PKD1) is involved in cellular processes including protein secretion, proliferation and apoptosis. Studies suggest PKD1 is activated by various stimulants including gastrointestinal (GI) hormones/neurotransmitters and growth factors in a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway. However, little is known about the mechanisms of PKD1 activation in physiologic GI tissues. We explored PKD1 activation by GI hormones/neurotransmitters and growth factors and the mediators involved in rat pancreatic acini. Only hormones/neurotransmitters activating phospholipase C caused PKD1 phosphorylation (S916, S744/748). CCK activated PKD1 and caused a time- and dose-dependent increase in serine phosphorylation by activation of high- and low-affinity CCK(A) receptor states. Inhibition of CCK-stimulated increases in phospholipase C, PKC activity or intracellular calcium decreased PKD1 S916 phosphorylation by 56%, 62% and 96%, respectively. PKC inhibitors GF109203X/Go6976/Go6983/PKC-zeta pseudosubstrate caused a 62/43/49/0% inhibition of PKD1 S916 phosphorylation and an 87/13/82/0% inhibition of PKD1 S744/748 phosphorylation. Expression of dominant negative PKC-delta, but not PKC-epsilon, or treatment with PKC-delta translocation inhibitor caused marked inhibition of PKD phosphorylation. Inhibition of Src/PI3K/MAPK/tyrosine phosphorylation had no effect. In unstimulated cells, PKD1 was mostly located in the cytoplasm. CCK stimulated translocation of total and phosphorylated PKD1 to the membrane. These results demonstrate that CCK(A) receptor activation leads to PKD activation by signaling through PKC-dependent and PKC-independent pathways.

Akt is a central regulator of apoptosis, cell growth and survival. Growth factors and some G-proteincoupled receptors (GPCR) regulate Akt. Whereas growth-factor activation of Akt has been extensively studied, the regulation of Akt by GPCR's, especially gastrointestinal hormones/ neurotransmitters, remains unclear. To address this area, in this study the effects of GI growth factors and hormones/neurotransmitters were investigate in rat pancreatic acinar cells which are high responsive to these agents. Pancreatic acini expressed Akt and 5 of 7 known pancreatic growth-factors stimulate Akt phosphorylation (T308, S473) and translocation. These effects are mediated by p85 phosphorylation and activation of PI3K. GI hormones increasing intracellular cAMP had similar effects. However, GI-hormones/neurotransmitters[CCK, bombesin,carbachol] activating phospholipase C (PLC) inhibited basal and growth-factor-stimulated Akt activation. Detailed studies with CCK, which has both physiological and pathophysiological effects on pancreatic acinar cells at different concentrations, demonstrated CCK has a biphasic effect: at low concentrations(pM) stimulating Akt by a Src-dependent mechanism and at higher concentrations(nM) inhibited basal and stimulated Akt translocation, phosphorylation and activation, by de-phosphorylating p85 resulting in decreasing PI3K activity. This effect required activation of both limbs of the PLC-pathway and a protein tyrosine phosphatase, but was not mediated by p44/42 MAPK, Src or activation of a serine phosphatase. Akt inhibition by CCK was also found in vivo and in Panc-1 cancer cells where it inhibited serum-mediated rescue from apoptosis. These results demonstrate that GI growth factors as well as gastrointestinal hormones/neurotransmitters with different cellular basis of action can all regulate Akt phosphorylation in pancreatic acinar cells. This regulation is complex with phospholipase C agents such as CCK, because both stimulatory and inhibitory effects can be seen, which are mediated by different mechanisms.