Desensitization of catecholamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase and down-regulation of beta-adrenergic receptors in rat glioma C6 cells. Role of cyclic AMP and protein synthesis

When exposed to the beta-agonist (-)-isoproterenol, rat glioma C6 cells exhibited a time-and concentration-dependent reduction in isoproterenol responsiveness (desensitization) and a loss of beta-adrenergic receptors (down-regulation). Other agents, such as dibutyryl cyclic AMP, isobutylmethylxanthine, and cholera toxin, all of which elevate intracellular cyclic AMP levels, also induced receptor down-regulation but at a much slower rate than isoproterenol. Loss of beta-receptors was detected with intact cells, cell lysates, and cell membranes. Receptor loss was accompanied by a reduction in isoproterenol-stimulated cyclic AMP production and adenylate cyclase activity. For a given amount of receptor loss, this reduction was much greater with isoproterenol than with other agents. In addition, the concentration of isoproterenol required for half-maximal stimulation of cyclic AMP production was increased in cells treated with isoproterenol but not with isobutylmethylxanthine or dibutyryl cyclic AMP. The affinity of beta-receptors for the agonist was also lower in membranes from cells treated with isoproterenol but not the other agents. Prior treatment of the cells with cycloheximide inhibited receptor loss by isoproterenol but did not prevent desensitization or reduced affinity of beta-receptors for the agonist. Cycloheximide also blocked the loss of receptors induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP and, in addition, prevented a reduction in agonist-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. We propose that desensitization is mediated in rat glioma C6 cells only by agonists and is not dependent on either cyclic AMP or protein synthesis. Down-regulation can be induced both by agonists and by cyclic AMP and does depend on protein synthesis. Thus, desensitization and down-regulation can occur independently.     

Glucocorticoids increase GTP-dependent adenylate cyclase activity in cultured fibroblasts

Glucocorticoid treatment of cultured fibroblasts increases intracellular cyclic AMP accumulation induced by isoproterenol or cholera toxin. This increase in agonist activity is not a direct action of glucocorticoids on cyclic AMP metabolism since about 2 days are necessary for maximal effect. Basal cyclic AMP levels are not changed. In membrane preparations, GTP-dependent adenylate cyclase activity is increased, basal adenylate cyclase activity is unchanged, and NaF-stimulated activity is decreased. The number of beta-adrenergic receptors is unchanged, but the affinity of receptor for the antagonist dihydroalprenolol is increased about 3-fold. This change in affinity is probably not responsible for the increased response to isoproterenol since the augmented response is noted at 0.1 mM isoproterenol, a concentration much larger than the apparent KD (about 5 nM). The results suggest that an alteration in some component in the GTP-dependent regulatory complex is responsible for the increase in agonist response.     

Alpha 2-adrenergic receptor-mediated regulation of adenylate cyclase in the intact human platelet. Evidence for a receptor reserve

The alpha 2-adrenergic receptor on the human platelet is known to mediate the inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity. A comparison of the binding and response properties of intact cells revealed that the full agonists norepinephrine and epinephrine inhibit cyclic AMP accumulation with apparently higher affinity than they exhibit in inhibiting the binding of [3H]yohimbine. Additionally, Hill coefficients of the occupancy curves of the agonists were less than unity, suggesting the presence of a heterogeneous receptor population in intact platelets under conditions that permit robust inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation. The partial agonist clonidine was found to possess the same affinity in the binding assay as in the response assay. These data are consistent with the presence of a receptor reserve in this system, a suggestion that was confirmed in experiments utilizing the irreversible alpha 2 antagonist phenoxybenzamine. The IC50 (100 nM) derived from the blockade of [3H]yohimbine binding by phenoxybenzamine was significantly less than the IC50 (550 nM) for the corresponding reversal by phenoxybenzamine of the effects of norepinephrine on cyclic AMP accumulation. Further studies demonstrated a rightward shift in the dose-response curves for the inhibition by norepinephrine of cyclic AMP accumulation following pretreatment with increasing phenoxybenzamine concentration. These data consistently indicated that occupancy of approximately 10% of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptors by norepinephrine elicits a half-maximal adenylate cyclase response. The relationship of these findings to current models of receptor-effector coupling is discussed.     

Cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate in rat cerebral cortical slices: effects of methoxamine and clonidine.

In incubated slices of cerebral cortex from Sprague-Dawley rats, methoxamine and clonidine have no effect on basal levels of cyclic AMP. Methoxamine effectively inhibits the noradrenaline-stimulated formation of cyclic AMP. The inhibitory constant for methoxamine was 12.6 mumol/l. In the presence of 100 mumol/l adenosine, methoxamine does not inhibit the activity of noradrenaline, but is capable to activate alpha-adrenergic receptors leading to enhanced formation of cyclic AMP. The mechanism by which adenosine alters adrenergic receptors to become methoxamine-sensitive is not known. Clonidine inhibits the effect of noradrenaline alone or in combination with adenosine on the cyclic-AMP-generating system. It does not, as reported earlier, enhance the activity of submaximal concentrations of the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol. These data do not support the concept of adrenergic receptors which require both, alpha- and beta-stimulation for maximal activation of adenylate cyclase.     

Neuronal localization of the enhanced adenylate cyclase responsiveness to catecholamines in the rat cerebral cortex following reserpine injections.

Rats were injected daily with reserpine (2.5 mg/kg) for four days. The animals were sacrificed 4 hr subsequent to the last injection. Studies were performed as a means to determine alterations in catecholamine sensitivity of adenylate cyclase in the cerebral cortex following reserpine. In incubated tissue slices from reserpinized animals a greater accumulation of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) in response to norepinephrine and isoproterenol was seen. In control animals both α-(phentolamine) and β-blocking agents (propranolol) inhibited norepinephrine-induced cyclic nucleotide accumulation, while in the reserpine-injected rats only propranolol was effective. The accumulation of cyclic AMP elicited by isoproterenol was inhibited by propranolol alone whether or not reserpine was administered. In cortical homogenates adenylate cyclase responsiveness to norepinephrine, isoproterenol and dopamine was enhanced in animals pretreated with reserpine. An identical observation was found in isolated neuronal fractions, although increased sensitivity of the enzyme to dopamine was now absent. Neither a- nor β-blocking agents were effective in broken cellular preparations. These data are interpreted to suggest that following depletion of catecholamines by reserpine, the β-receptor component of adenylate cyclase in the cortical neurones becomes hypersensitive to stimulation by catecholamines.     

Cholinergic antagonism of beta-adrenergic stimulated action potentials and adenylate cyclase activity in rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes

The cholinergic antagonism of beta-adrenergic stimulation was examined by measuring adenylate cyclase activity and calcium-mediated action potentials in isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes of adult rabbits. The beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol and the direct adenylate cyclase activator forskolin increased adenylate cyclase activity in homogenates of the myocytes. The cholinergic agonist carbachol (10 nM-100 microM) inhibited in a concentration dependent manner basal, isoproterenol-stimulated and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. The carbachol effect on basal adenylate cyclase activity was antagonized by atropine (10 microM). In parallel experiments using intact cardiomyocytes, calcium action potentials were elicited by intracellular depolarizing current pulses in partially depolarized preparations. These action potentials were prolonged by isoproterenol, forskolin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Acetylcholine reversibly inhibited the prolongation of the action potential induced by isoproterenol and forskolin but not dibutyryl cyclic AMP. These results suggest that cholinergic agonists modulate the increase in the calcium current elicited by isoproterenol and forskolin in isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes by inhibiting adenylate cyclase activity.     

Interactions between cyclic AMP and inositol phosphate transduction systems in astrocytes in primary culture

Astroglial cells in primary culture possess receptors with cyclic AMP and inositol phosphates (IP) as second messengers. The beta-receptor agonist, isoproterenol induces an increase in the accumulation of cyclic AMP, the alpha 2-receptor agonist clonidine inhibits the isoproterenol-induced accumulation of cyclic AMP, while the alpha 1-receptor agonist phenylephrine acts only on the inositol phosphate system. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) stimulates, the formation of inositol phosphate, while isoproterenol and clonidine per se do not affect the inositol phosphate system. In the present paper the possibility of interactions between the cyclic AMP and the inositol phosphate transduction systems were investigated. In the presence of 10(-5) M 5-HT, in itself ineffective on the formation of cyclic AMP, isoproterenol stimulated the accumulation of cyclic AMP far more than in the absence of 5-HT. The potentiation was blocked by the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ketanserin. On the other hand, there were no indications for a beta-receptor influence on the 5-HT-induced inositol phosphate formation. Stimulation of the alpha 2-receptor did not induce accumulation of inositol phosphate but significantly potentiated 5-HT2-receptor transduction, as measured by hydrolysis of phosphoinositide and formation of inositol phosphate. Stimulation by 5-HT also increased the formation of inositol phosphate after adrenergic stimulation and this effect was found to be synergistic at certain concentrations of adrenergic agonists. In addition, there was a statistically significant accumulation of cyclic AMP in the presence of both 5-HT and phenylephrine, none of which stimulated cyclic AMP alone. The results suggest specific interactions between the cyclic AMP and inositol phosphate systems on cultured astroglial cells.     

Norepinephrine stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in rat limbic forebrain slices: partial mediation by a subpopulation of receptors with neither alpha nor beta characteristics.

Both isoproterenol and norepinephrine (NE) increase cyclic AMP in slices of the rat limbic forebrain and the responses are enhanced in the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor RO 20-1724. However, even in the presence of RO 20-1724, no accumulation of cyclic AMP was observed after the addition of dopamine, serotonin or the alpha-agonists methoxamine and phenylephrine. This suggests that these agents do not activate adenylate cyclase in this preparation or that their respective receptors--unlike the beta-receptor--are not coupled to adenylate cyclase. Isoproterenol, which has a high affinity for this adenylate cyclase system but only 20-30% of the maximal activity of NE, does not interfere with the agonist activity of NE. Moreover, the effect of isoproterenol is not additive with that of NE thus suggesting that isoproterenol is acting on a subpopulation of NE receptors. The results indicate that two populations of NE receptors coupled to adenylate cyclase are present in slices of rat limbic forebrain: one which has beta-characteristics and the other with neither alpha- nor beta-characteristics based on agonist studies.     

Effects of histamine H2 receptor antagonists on acid secretion stimulated by imidazoline derivatives in isolated parietal cells

Both the effect of imidazoline derivatives on acid secretion and the mechanism of this effect were studied in the parietal cells isolated from guinea pigs. Clonidine and tolazoline both stimulated the parietal cells to elevate the concentration of cyclic AMP and the accumulation of [14C]aminopyrine concentration dependently, although these imidazoline derivatives are known as alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist or antagonist. These stimulatory effects were inhibited by famotidine, ranitidine and cimetidine, histamine H2 receptor antagonists. However, [3H]clonidine binding to the membrane preparations of parietal cells was not affected by these H2 antagonists and yohimbine but was inhibited by imidazoline derivatives. These results suggest that imidazoline derivatives may bind to the specific binding sites (different from H2 receptor or alpha 2-adrenoceptor) and stimulate the acid secretion of parietal cells with an increase of cyclic AMP, and that H2 antagonists may not only compete with the agonists for receptor binding but also interfere with the receptor adenylate cyclase system.     

Desensitization of β-adrenergic receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase activity: Differences following exposure of cells to two full agonists

The effects on the β-adrenergic receptors of intact L6 muscle cells of exposure to agonists were investigated. Treatment of cells with isoproterenol decreased GTP-, isoproterenol-, and zinterol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities, whereas exposure of cells to zinterol decreased only isoproterenol- and zinterol-stimulated activities. Although the effects of these two full agonists on GTP-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity were different, the time courses for development and reversal of the effects were similar. The decrease in agonist-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity observed in membranes prepared from cells previously exposed to isoproterenol or zinterol was due to both an increase in the concentration of agonist required for half-maximal activation and a decrease in the maximum level of activation. No effects on fluoride- or manganese-stimulated activities were observed following exposure of cells to either agonist. Decreases in GTP-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity were also observed following exposure of cells to epinephrine, Cc-25, fenoterol, norepinephrine, terbutaline, or metaproterenol, but not following incubation of cells with dobutamine or salmefamol. The results suggest that full agonists interacting with the same receptor can induce different changes in the components of the adenylate cyclase system. Desensitization following exposure to zinterol may result from modification of the receptor, whereas that following exposure to isoproterenol may be due to alterations in both the guanine nucleotide-binding protein and the receptor.     

Activation of adenylate cyclase by human recombinant sst5 receptors expressed in CHO-K1 cells and involvement of Galphas proteins

1. The coupling of the human somatostatin sst5 receptor recombinantly expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells to adenylate cyclase was investigated using receptor selective ligands. 2. Forskolin (10 microM)-stimulated adenosine 3': 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) accumulation was inhibited by somatostatin-14 and a number of receptor-selective agonists with a rank order of agonist potency typical of the sst5 receptor. L-362,855 and BIM-23056 behaved as full agonists. At higher somatostatin-14 concentrations there was sub-maximal inhibition resulting in a bell-shaped concentration-effect relationship. Pertussis toxin (PTx; 100 ng ml(-1), 18 h) pre-treatment abolished agonist-mediated inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation and markedly enhanced stimulation of cyclic AMP at higher agonist concentrations. 3. The concentration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the incubation media was raised 14 fold by 1 microM somatostatin-14 but was insufficient to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity via endogenous prostanoid receptors. 4. Pre-treatment with cholera toxin (ChTx; 20 microg ml(-1), 18 h) markedly inhibited sst5 receptor-mediated increases in cyclic AMP formation in intact cells. Somatostatin-14-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation was also observed in sst5 receptor containing CHO-K1 membranes and was inhibited by the synthetic peptide Galphasacetyl-354-372-amide (100 microM) by 65.9+/-3.5%, implicating a Galphas protein involvement in this response. 5. Activation of Galphas proteins by somatostatin-14 could be demonstrated with [35S]-guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate ([35S]-GTPgammaS) binding and subsequent immunoprecipitation of 35S labelled Galphas proteins with anti-Galphas serum. 6. These data show that the sst5 receptor is very efficiently coupled in a negative manner to adenylate cyclase. However, at higher agonist concentrations the receptor can also mediate activation of adenylate cyclase by a mechanism apparently involving Galphas protein activation.     

Alpha 2-adrenoceptor stimulation affects total glucose utilization in isolated islets of Langerhans

Glucose utilization in isolated islets of Langerhans of the rat was determined by measuring the conversion of [5-3H]glucose (10 mM) to 3H2O. The alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists clonidine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in the presence of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin and the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol inhibited glucose utilization by as much as 50%. Yohimbine, an alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist, reversed the reduction in glucose utilization evoked by alpha 2 receptor agonists. The cholinomimetics carbachol and muscarine, and 8-bromo-cyclic GMP, but not other cyclic nucleotides, reversed the clonidine-induced suppression of glucose utilization. 3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine potentiated the stimulation of glucose utilization by carbachol with clonidine. In contrast, the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol did not affect glucose utilization. Forskolin, which activates adenylate cyclase, reduced glucose utilization and did not affect the inhibitory response to clonidine. The ester phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate induced a latent reversal of the effects of clonidine. Insulin release paralleled changes in glucose utilization with alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists. Carbachol and 8-bromo-cyclic GMP antagonized the alpha 2-adrenoceptor-induced inhibition of insulin release. During sustained insulin release (60 min), 8-bromo-cyclic AMP became a more potent modulator of secretion than 8-bromo-cyclic GMP in the presence of clonidine, although glucose utilization was not enhanced by 8-bromo-cyclic AMP.     

Role of calcium ion in hormone-stimulated lipolysis

Using the flask-incubated fat cell system, the effects of Ca2+ removal from the incubation medium on the lipolytic system were studied. The removal of Ca2+ resulted in a total abolition of the lipolytic response and the increased cyclic AMP accumulation produced by ACTH. The lipolytic response to isoproterenol and forskolin were reduced approximately 40% by Ca2+ removal, but cyclic AMP accumulation was not altered in the presence of either of these agents using a Ca2+-free medium. The lipolytic response to the dibutyryl analog of cyclic AMP was also reduced by omission of Ca2+ from the incubation medium. It is concluded the Ca2+ is required for the interaction of ACTH with its receptor and the resultant activation of adenylate cyclase. Ca2+ also is required at some step in the lipolytic process distal to cyclic AMP.     

Differences in muscarinic receptor reserve for inhibition of adenylate cyclase and stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in chick heart cells

Carbachol is 100 times more potent for inhibiting cyclic AMP formation than for stimulating phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis in chick heart cells. To determine whether this reflects differences in agonist affinity of the receptor(s) coupled to the two responses, we measured these functional responses following removal of receptor reserve with propylbenzilycholine mustard (PrBCM). Conditions of PrBCM treatment that led to progressive loss of up to 95% of the [3H]-N-methylscopolamine-binding sites decreased the potency but not the maximal capacity of carbachol to inhibit cyclic AMP formation. In contrast, there was a marked decrease in the maximal PI response to carbachol. The KA for carbachol, calculated by measuring functional responses following receptor inactivation, was similar whether the cyclic AMP or the PI response was examined. These KA values (approximately 40 microM) were similar to the KD calculated by examining carbachol competition for [3H]-N-methylscopolamine-binding sites on the intact cell. PrBCM treatment also decreased the maximal effect of oxotremorine on cyclic AMP formation under conditions in which carbachol remained a full agonist for this response. We interpret our data as indicating that: there is much greater receptor reserve in the coupling of muscarinic receptors to adenylate cyclase than to PI hydrolysis; this, rather than differences in receptor affinity underlies the disparate dose-response relationships for the two responses; and differences in the effects of weak agonist on the two responses may also reflect differences in receptor reserve. We suggest that muscarinic receptors with the same affinity for carbachol interact with different efficiency with the transducers (Gi and Gx) that regulate adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C.     

Alterations in cardiac beta-adrenoceptor responsiveness and adenylate cyclase system by congestive heart failure in dogs

The effects of congestive heart failure on the physiological and biochemical functions of the cardiac beta-adrenoceptor-coupled adenylate cyclase system were studied in dogs with right heart failure produced by progressive pulmonary artery constriction and tricuspid avulsion. The cardiac inotropic response to dobutamine was attenuated in congestive heart failure, as determined by the right and left ventricular dP/dt responses. Adrenergic beta-receptor density, measured by [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding, was reduced in membrane fractions of the failing right ventricle, but not in the left ventricle. The functional activity of the adenylate cyclase system was studied in vitro by measuring the net cyclic AMP production following additions of isoproterenol, 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p), forskolin, or manganese chloride, which act either directly on the beta-adrenergic receptors or on one of the post-receptor components of the adenylate cyclase system. Congestive heart failure reduced the net production of cyclic AMP by isoproterenol, Gpp(NH)p, and forskolin in both the right and left ventricles, but did not alter the effect of manganese chloride. Thus, beta-receptor down-regulation is chamber-specific, occurring only in the hemodynamically stressed right ventricle. In contrast, the post-receptor defect of the adenylate cyclase system occurred in both ventricles of the heart failure dogs. This decreased activation of adenylate cyclase by beta-agonists may be responsible, at least in part, for the diminished cardiac inotropic response to catecholamines in congestive heart failure.     

Mu and delta opiate receptors in neuronal and astroglial primary cultures from various regions of the brain--coupling with adenylate cyclase, localisation on the same neurones and association with dopamine (D1) receptor adenylate cyclase.

Primary cultures, enriched in neurones or astroglial cells, from three phylogenetically different regions of the brain of the rat, the cerebral cortex, the striatum and the brain stem, were used to investigate the presence of opiate receptors, coupled to adenylate cyclase. Morphine was used as a mu-receptor agonist and [D-Ala2, D-Leu5]-enkephalin (DADLE) was used as a delta-receptor agonist. In the neuronal cultures, both ligands inhibited the prostaglandin (PG)E1-stimulated intracellular accumulation of cyclic AMP dose-dependently, with the most prominent effects seen in the cultures of striatum and with DADLE being more potent than morphine. The opiate receptor antagonist, naloxone reversed the effects. Morphine and DADLE, added together, inhibited the PGE1-stimulated accumulation of cyclic AMP, less than the sum of the effects of each drug. Therefore, it might be that these opioid receptors are localized together on the same neurone. Striatal neurones contained dopamine receptors coupled to cyclic AMP, as second messenger. It was shown that the D1 (dopamine) receptor-stimulated activity of adenylate cyclase was inhibited by the mu and delta opioid receptor ligands. Thus, interactions at the level of adenylate cyclase seem to exist between D1, mu and delta opiate receptors. In the astroglial enriched cultures, DADLE inhibited the PGE1-induced accumulation of cyclic AMP, however, with a less prominent effect in the brain stem cultures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Role of cyclic AMP in cardiac beta-adrenoceptor desensitization: studies using prenalterol and inhibitors of phosphodiesterase

We examined the effects of prolonged exposure of cardiac cells in primary culture to the partial beta-adrenoceptor agonist prenalterol and inhibitors of phosphodiesterase on their subsequent ability to increase intracellular cyclic AMP during a 5-min exposure to 50 microM isoprenaline (receptor responsiveness). Although prenalterol possesses only 7% of the agonist activity of isoprenaline on adenylate cyclase, it induces extensive beta-adrenoceptor desensitization. Three hours after exposing the cells to 1 microM prenalterol, beta-adrenoceptor responsiveness was reduced by 40% (p less than 0.05), whereas after 12 h the reduction averaged 55%. Prolonging the incubation time to 48 h had no further effect on the magnitude of receptor desensitization. The magnitude of the desensitization was concentration dependent. On exposure of cells to 10(-8) M prenalterol for 16 h, receptor responsiveness was reduced by 19%, and at concentrations of 1 microM and higher responsiveness was reduced by 60% (p less than 0.01). Receptor desensitization appeared to be due to an inability of receptors to activate adenylate cyclase as well as to receptor loss. To investigate if beta-adrenoceptor desensitization as well as receptor loss could be mediated by cyclic AMP, the cells were exposed for 16 h to inhibitors of phosphodiesterase. Exposure of cells to the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine (0.1 mM) (which increased intracellular cyclic AMP by between 50 and 150%) also induced receptor desensitization. The reduction in receptor responsiveness averaged 62% (p less than 0.01). The loss in responsiveness could be accounted for by an inability of receptors to activate adenylate cyclase as well as by receptor loss.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation by alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the rat cerebral cortex

The effects of alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist and antagonists on the accumulation of cyclic AMP were examined in rat cerebral cortex slices. Norepinephrine (10(-4) M) caused a 123 +/- 11% increase in the cyclic AMP concentration in the cortical slices, which was greater than the increase (89 +/- 7% increase) caused by isoproterenol (10(-4) M) alone. However, the cyclic AMP response to norepinephrine was completely inhibited by propranolol (10(-4) M), a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist. Yohimbine (10(-7)-10(-5) M), an alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist, intensified the cyclic AMP response to norepinephrine by 30%, whereas, clonidine, an alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, decreased the response. Treatment with reserpine (3.0 mg/kg) reduced the density of [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding sites (Bmax, 93.8 +/- 18.4 fmol/mg protein) compared to the density in non-treated rats (154.4 +/- 33.5 fmol/mg protein). The potentiating effect of yohimbine and the inhibitory effect of clonidine on the cyclic AMP response to norepinephrine were also reduced. These results suggest that alpha 2-adrenoceptors regulate the accumulation of cyclic AMP in the rat cerebral cortex in an inhibitory fashion. The results also suggest that the accumulation is mediated through beta-adrenoceptors and that this response is intensified by alpha 1-adrenoceptor stimulation.     

Distinct mechanisms of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation and forskolin-potentiated hormone responses in C6-2B cells

Forskolin activates a variety of adenylate cyclase systems and acts synergistically with receptor-mediated agonists which stimulate cyclic AMP production. The mechanism(s) and site(s) of forskolin action remain unclear. In C6-2B rat astrocytoma cells, forskolin stimulated greater than a 100-fold increase in cellular cyclic AMP content with a half-maximally effective concentration (EC50) of greater than 50 microM. Incubation of C6-2B cells with forskolin plus (-)-isoproterenol resulted in an increase in (-)-isoproterenol efficacy and potency. The EC50 for the forskolin-induced increase in (-)-isoproterenol potency was 22 nM, greater than 3 orders of magnitude lower than the EC50 for direct forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation. Forskolin had no effect on beta-receptor affinity for (-)-isoproterenol as measured by competition for (-)-[125I]iodopindolol binding sites. Forskolin also augmented the responses to prostaglandin E1 and cholera toxin. Inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide markedly reduced forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation with little or no effect on the responses to (-)-isoproterenol, prostaglandin E1, or cholera toxin. The ability of forskolin to act synergistically with these agents was unaffected by cycloheximide treatment. These observations are compatible with a two-site model of forskolin action in C6-2B cells: a low-affinity site which mediates the direct action of forskolin to increase cellular cyclic AMP accumulation and a high-affinity site which mediates the potentiative action of forskolin. The low-affinity forskolin site appears to reside on a protein which is closely associated with the catalytic adenylate cyclase moiety and has a relatively shorter half-life than other components of the cyclase system. The high-affinity site resides on a more stable component of the adenylate cyclase system. The synergistic action of forskolin may involve an enhancement of the interaction between the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory component and the catalytic component of the adenylate cyclase complex.     

Effects of pertussis toxin on the alpha 2-adrenoceptor-inhibitory GTP-binding protein-adenylate cyclase system in rat brain: pharmacological and neurochemical studies

Behavioral excitement and the increase in locomotion were observed in male adult rats four days after an intraventricular injection of 5 micrograms pertussis toxin (IAP). Clonidine (100 micrograms/kg s.c.)-induced locomotor hypoactivity was not observed in animals pretreated with 1 and 5 micrograms IAP. IAP caused a significant (P less than 0.05) decrease in the KD value of [3H]clonidine binding and enhanced GTP (1 microM)-induced decrease in the binding to cortical membranes from rat brain. In addition, the inhibition of adenylate cyclase induced by alpha 2-receptor stimulation (100 microM adrenaline plus 100 microM propranolol) was completely suppressed in the cerebral cortical membranes by IAP pretreatment. It is suggested that the system consisting of alpha 2-receptor, the inhibitory GTP-binding protein (Ni) and adenylate cyclase inhibits some animal behaviors and cyclic AMP formation. Moreover, IAP seems to inactivate Ni, subsequently producing behavioral excitement and it inhibits clonidine-induced sedation.