The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) enhanced sensitivity to cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (DPP) in human ovarina carcinoma 2008 cells by a factor of 2.53 +/- 0.74 fold (S.D.). Sensitization was maximum 3 h after a 1-h exposure to TPA and had disappeared completely by 7 h after treatment. An equivalent degree of sensitization was produced in a 2008 variant selected for 10-fold resistance to DDP. TPA neither increased nor decreased cellular accumulation of DDP. Phorbol, a TPA analog which does not activate protein kinase C, did not cause sensitization. This synergistic interaction between TPA and DDP was completely inhibited by pretreatment with staurosporine, a protein kinase C inhibitor. Cellular cAMP was not altered by TPA stimulation. Furthermore, cycloheximide, a potent protein synthesis inhibitor, did not block the TPA-induced enhancement of drug sensitivity. These results strongly suggest that DDP sensitivity can be modulated by protein kinase C and regulated by phosphorylation of a protein kinase C substrate in both intrinsically sensitive and DDP-resistant cells.
