When RBL-1 cells were incubated with L-cysteine (7.5 mM) and the ionophore A23187, the slow reacting substances SRS-GSH and SRS-Cys-Gly were formed. When Lcysteine was omitted in the incubation, SRS-GSH and SRS-Cys were isolated but only a trace amount of SRS-Cys-Gly was detectable. Each of the characterized SRSs was accompanied by an as yet uncharacterized structural isomer showing UV absorption at 278 nm. L-Cysteine and other thiols inhibited an aminopeptidase that transforms the highly bioactive SRS of anaphylaxis (SRS-Cys-Gly) into the less bioactive SRS-Cys. SRS-GSH, SRS-Cys-Gly, and SRS-Cys may be readily distinguished from each other by means of their bioactivities, antagonism by FPL 55712, and relative susceptibilities to the actions of soybean lipoxygenase, microsome-bound leucine aminopeptidase, and y-glutamyl transpeptidase. Slow reacting substance (SRS) is generated and released during acute allergic reactions in lung and other tissues (1). Because SRS has long been suspected to be an important mediator in bronchial asthma (2), the isolation and structural characterization of SRSs from various natural sources have been the object of intense investigation. Recently, the isolation of SRS from murine mastocytoma cells was reported (3-5). This SRS was named leukotriene C and was reported to possess the structure 5-hydroxy-6-y-glutamylcysteinylglycyl-7,9, 11,-
14-icosatetraenoic acid (SRS-GSH).It is well documented that rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-1) produce SRS in response to the ionophore A23187 (6, 7). RBL SRS has been characterized as a family of thiolipids (8). Recently, two groups described the identification of 5-hydroxy-6-S-cysteinylglycyl-7,9,11,14-icosatetraenoic acid from RBL-1 cells (9, 10).In this paper, we report the identification of several additional SRSs from RBL-1 cells, and we report that cysteine alters the levels of SRSs indirectly by inhibiting an aminopeptidase, an enzyme involved in the inactivation of SRS-Cys-Gly.MATERIALS AND METHODS Materials. Type I soybean lipoxygenase (155,300 units/mg), -y-glutamyltranspeptidase (bovine, 4.0 units/mg), type IV-S leucine aminopeptidase (11 units/mg), prostaglandin B2, arachidonic acid (99%), and L-cysteine were products of Sigma. The SRS antagonist FPL 55712 was supplied by Fisons Limited, Longborough, England. Ionophore A23187 was kindly furnished by R. Hamill of Eli Lilly. Eagle's minimal essential medium, fetal calf serum, newborn calf serum, penicillin, amphotericin B, and streptomycin were products of GIBCO. D-Penicillamine and 3-mercaptopropionic acid were products of Aldrich. The chromatographic adsorbents consisted of Amberlite XAD-7 (Mallinckrodt) and silicic acid (100 mesh, Cells were harvested by centrifugation (400 X g, 10 min), washed once in buffer (150 mM NaCl/3.7 mM KCI/3.0 mM Na2HPO4/3.5 mM KH2PO4/0.9 mM CaCl2, 5.6 mM glucose, adjusted to pH 7.2 with 1 M NaOH), and suspended in this buffer to 1-1.5 X 107 cells per ml. After addition of L-cysteine (7.5 mM), the cell suspension was incubated for 2 min at 38°C. A...