Jung Mo Kim

We investigated whether lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) modulates cellular signaling in different cell types. SK-OV3 ovarian cancer cells and OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells were responsive to LPE. LPE-stimulated intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) increase was inhibited by U-73122, suggesting that LPE stimulates calcium signaling via phospholipase C activation. Moreover, pertussis toxin (PTX) almost completely inhibited [Ca(2+)](i) increase by LPE, indicating the involvement of PTX-sensitive G-proteins. Furthermore, we found that LPE stimulated chemotactic migration and cellular invasion in SK-OV3 ovarian cancer cells. We examined the role of lysophosphatidic acid receptors on LPE-stimulated cellular responses using HepG2 cells transfected with different LPA receptors, and found that LPE failed to stimulate nuclear factor kappa B-driven luciferase. We suggest that LPE stimulates a membrane bound receptor, different from well known LPA receptors, resulting in chemotactic migration and cellular invasion in SK-OV3 ovarian cancer cells.