Platelet activating factor induces expression of early response genes c-fos and TIS-1 in human epidermoid carcinoma A-431 cells

The effect of platelet activating factor (PAF) on the induction of early response genes was investigated in A-431 cells (human epidermal carcinoma cells). PAF induced a transient expression of c-fos and TIS-1 mRNA in a time- and dose-dependent manner. As low as 10(-10) M PAF caused detectable expression of these genes with a maximum observed at 10(-7) M. In the presence of cycloheximide, increases in the gene expression were noticeable at 20 min and peaked between 30-60 min. A lack of induction with lyso-PAF, an inactive PAF metabolite, confirmed the specificity of PAF towards this expression. The cells pretreated with CV-6209, a PAF receptor antagonist, did not show any induction of these genes by PAF. It is concluded that PAF causes induction of the early response genes c-fos and TIS-1 in a structurally specific and receptor dependent manner. This finding offers a new role for PAF at the nuclear level and may have important implications in the long term effects of PAF in pathophysiological conditions.