Somatostatin pretreatment desensitizes somatostatin receptors linked to adenylate cyclase and facilitates the stimulation of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate accumulation in anterior pituitary tumor cells

Somatostatin-14 (SRIF) inhibits both hormone- and forskolin-stimulated cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) formation in tumor cells of the mouse anterior pituitary (AtT-20/D16-16). However, long-term pretreatment of cells with SRIF modifies the responsiveness of this system in two ways: The response of adenylate cyclase to stimulatory agents is enhanced, whereas the ability of SRIF to inhibit stimulated cyclic AMP formation is reduced. The supersensitive adenylate cyclase response and the SRIF desensitization were dependent on the concentration and duration of SRIF pretreatment. Enhancement of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP formation occurred within 4 hr, whereas that of corticotropin-releasing-factor-, (-)-isoproterenol-, and vasoactive intestinal peptide-induced cyclic AMP accumulation required 16 hr of pretreatment. The elevated responses to each of these stimulants were due to increases in their maximal ability to stimulate cyclic AMP formation. Cycloheximide treatment blocked the enhanced cyclic AMP response induced by SRIF pretreatment, suggesting a requirement for protein synthesis. In membrane preparations, SRIF pretreatment facilitated activation of adenylate cyclase by forskolin, sodium fluoride, and guanosine 5'-(beta,tau-imido)-triphosphate without affecting basal activity. These results suggest that desensitization of an inhibitory input to adenylate cyclase is accompanied by a supersensitivity of adenylate cyclase to stimulatory agents through a process requiring protein synthesis.     

B-HT 920 activates dopamine D2 receptors coupled to inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity

Summary In homogenates of female rat anterior pituitary, the azepine derivative B-HT 920 inhibited the forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity with an EC₅₀ value of 0.35 M. In male rat anterior pituitary, B-HT 920 curtailed the stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity by vasoactive intestinal peptide with an EC₅₀ of 0.20 M. In synaptic plasma membranes of rat striatum, B-HT 920 significantly reduced basal adenylate cyclase activity with an EC₅₀ of 0.68 M. Both in pituitary and striatum, the B-HT 920 inhibition was counteracted by the dopamine (DA) D₂ receptor antagonist 1-sulpiride, but not by the ₂-adrenergic antagonist yohimbine. These results indicate that B-HT 920 is capable of activating DA D₂ receptors negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase activity.     

Interaction of stable prostaglandin endoperoxide analogs U46619 and U44069 with human platelet membranes: coupling of receptors with high-affinity GTPase and adenylate cyclase

It has been demonstrated using a membrane preparation of human platelets that stable analogs of PGH2, U46619 and U44069, control the activity of adenylate cyclase and a high-affinity hormone-sensitive GTPase. At 10(-8)-10(-6) M, the analogs inhibit the basal activity of adenylate cyclase by 20-25%. With a further rise in U46619 and U44069 concentrations up to 10(-5)-10(-4) M, the inhibition is abolished and adenylate cyclase activity is stimulated in a dose-dependent fashion. In the presence of PGE1, only inhibitory action of U46619 was observed at all the concentrations tested. The inhibitory action of the analogs on adenylate cyclase correlates with the activation of the high-affinity hormone-sensitive GTPase. It is concluded that U46619 and U44069 inhibit human platelet adenylate cyclase via specific receptors coupled to the GTP-binding inhibitory protein.     

Corticotropin releasing factor receptor-mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity in the rat brain

Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity and receptor binding were examined in rat brain homogenates using a potent synthetic CRF analog--[D-Tyr3,D-Pro4,Nle18,21,alpha-helical]CRF3-41 (alpha-hel CRF3-41). Binding of alpha-hel CRF3-41 in the rat brain was saturable, reversible, of high affinity and exhibited relevant peptide specificity. This analog also stimulated adenylate cyclase activity of various brain regions; the greatest magnitude of stimulation was in the cerebral cortex followed by the septum, cerebellum and thalamus. Adenylate cyclase stimulation in the cerebral cortex was concentration-dependent with an ED50 of 2.5 +/- 0.4 nM for alpha-hel CRF3-41 and an ED50 of 16 +/- 2 nM for ovine and rat CRF. Maximal stimulation was comparable for all peptides. Agonist-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was competitively blocked by the CRF antagonists. The inactive CRF analog, ovine CRF1-39, at concentrations less than 1 microM, did not significantly stimulate adenylate cyclase. Adrenalectomy, which has been reported to modulate CRF receptor number and CRF-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the anterior pituitary, had no effect on CRF receptor binding or CRF-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the cerebral cortex. These results suggest that, as in the anterior pituitary, at least some of the physiological responses mediated by CRF receptors in the brain utilize the cyclic nucleotide regulatory pathway as a post-receptor mechanism.     

Evidence for selective loss of brain dopamine- and histamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities in rabbits with aging

Dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in striatum and both dopamine-and histamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in hypothalamus, frontal cortex and anterior limbic cortex declined by about 50% as rabbits aged from 5.5 months to 5.5 years of age. These changes were primarily in maximal response to amine although an additional component involving decreased affinity in the case of dopamine may also be present. In contrast, dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase of retina and both basal and guanyl-5′-yl-imidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p)-stimulated activity in these regions were not altered with age. There was no measurable decrease in the old animals in either dopamine or norepinephrine concentration in striatum, anterior limbic cortex or retina, or in choline acetylase activity or [³H]quinuclidinylbenzilate binding in striatum, anterior limbic cortex or frontal cortex. It is proposed that selective age-dependent decreases in transmitter receptors coupled to adenylate cyclase occur in the absence of or independent from neuronal cell loss, as evidenced by the retention of the other biochemical markers.     

Chronic but not acute intracerebroventricular administration of amyloid beta-peptide(25-35) decreases somatostatin content, adenylate cyclase activity, somatostatin-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity, and adenylate cyclase I levels in the rat hippocampus

Although alterations in adenylate cyclase (AC) activity and somatostatin (SRIF) receptor density have been reported in Alzheimer's disease, the effects of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) on these parameters in the hippocampus are unknown. Our aim was to investigate whether the peptide fragment Abeta(25-35) can affect the somatostatinergic system in the rat hippocampus. Hence, Abeta(25-35) was injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) to Wistar rats in a single dose or infused via an osmotic minipump connected to a cannula implanted in the right lateral ventricle during 14 days. The animals were decapitated 7 or 14 days after the single injection and 14 days after chronic infusion of the peptide. Chronic i.c.v. infusion of Abeta(25-35) decreased SRIF-like immunoreactive content without modifying the SRIF receptor density, SRIF receptor expression, or the Gialpha(1), Gialpha(2), and Gialpha(3) protein levels in the hippocampus. This treatment, however, caused a decrease in basal and forskolin-stimulated AC activity as well as in the capacity of SRIF to inhibit AC activity. Furthermore, the protein levels of the neural-specific AC type I were significantly decreased in the hippocampus of the treated rats, whereas an increase in the levels of AC V/VI was found, with no alterations in type VIII AC. A single i.c.v. dose of Abeta(25-35) exerted no effect on SRIF content or SRIF receptors but induced a slight decrease in forskolin-stimulated AC activity and its inhibition by SRIF. Because chronic Abeta(25-35) infusion impairs learning and memory whereas SRIF facilitates these functions, the alterations described here might be physiologically important given the decreased cognitive behavior previously reported in Abeta-treated rats.     

Release of growth hormone, prolactin and somatostatin during perifusion of anterior pituitary and preoptic-medial basal hypothalamus from male and female rats

These experiments were designed to determine whether it is possible using in vitro perifusion to identify a sex difference in anterior pituitary (AP) release of growth hormone (GH) and, if so, to determine whether this difference is correlated with a sex difference in hypothalamic release or content of somatostatin (SRIF). Age-matched rats of both sexes were decapitated at approximately 09.00 h, and blood was collected for determination of non-stress plasma concentrations of GH. Each pituitary was rapidly removed and prepared for perifusion of the AP, and each preoptic-medial basal hypothalamus (PO-MBH) was removed and placed in a separate perifusion chamber. The effluent fractions from perifused APs were assayed for GH and prolactin (Prl), and those from PO-MBH blocks were assayed for SRIF. Non-stress plasma GH concentrations were similar in males and females. During perifusion, baseline GH release was higher (P less than 0.001) from male than from female APs. Release of GH from the APs of both sexes was similarly inhibited (P less than 0.001) by a 1-h administration of SRIF (10(-7) M), and high K+ (50 mM) caused larger (P less than 0.05) GH responses from male than from female APs. In contrast, baseline Prl release was higher (P less than 0.01) from female than from male glands, and Prl release was not affected by SRIF. Male and female PO-MBH tissues showed similar baseline release of SRIF and similar responses to high K+. After perifusion, GH content and concentration were higher in APs from males than from females, but SRIF content in the perifused male and female PO-MBH tissues was similar.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase in hypothalamus: Influence of estrous cycle in female and castration in male rats

The activity of dopamine- and norepinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase in hypothalamus and amygdala was studied during the estrous cycle of the female and following castration of the male rat. In the medial hypothalamus but not in the anterior hypothalamus or amygdala, stimulation of adenylate cyclase by dopamine was enhanced during proestrus and following castration. There were no changes in norepinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase in medial hypothalamus. Thus, an interaction may exist between gonadal hormones and dopamine receptors linked to adenylate cyclase in medial hypothalamus. The rapidity of the changes in receptor sensitivity suggests that this interaction plays an important role in physiological regulation.     

Interaction of lithium with 5-HT(1B) receptors in depressed unipolar patients treated with clomipramine and lithium versus clomipramine and placebo: preliminary results

Lithium is commonly used in combination with antidepressant drugs as a treatment for refractory depression; less often, it is used in non-resistant depression. The aim of this study was to examine the interaction of lithium with 5-HT(1B) receptors in 10 non-resistant unipolar depressed patients treated with clomipramine+lithium (C+L) vs. clomipramine+placebo (C+P). A mediation of the serotonergic system has been proposed in the literature to explain the clinical effect of lithium. Indeed, in a previous study of healthy human blood platelets, we demonstrated the interaction of lithium with adenylate cyclase activity coupled to 5-HT(1B) receptors. The functional activity of these receptors was measured by studying the inhibitory effect of L694,247, a 5-HT(1B) receptor agonist, on the adenylate cyclase activity determined by the production of cAMP. Using the same technique in the present study, we found that lithium significantly reduced the inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity induced by 5-HT(1B) receptor activation. This result confirms the specific interaction of lithium with 5-HT(1B) receptors. Moreover, a correlation between the percentage of 5-HT(1B) receptor-dependent adenylate cyclase inhibition and the clinical benefit of lithium was established, suggesting 5-HT(1B) receptors may be a target for the therapeutic effect of lithium.     

Adenosine A1 receptor-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase in rabbit retina

The purine adenosine has been postulated as playing a role in CNS neurotransmission or modulation. Evidence is now provided that inhibition of adenylate cyclase in rabbit retinal homogenates is mediated via adenosine A1 receptors. Nanomolar concentrations of the A1 receptor agonists, cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) and phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA), significantly inhibited the activity of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase in preparations in which endogenous adenosine was destroyed by pretreatment with adenosine deaminase. With increasing concentrations of either agonist, biphasic effects on enzyme activity were observed. The effect of the mixed A1-A2 agonist, N-ethyl-carboxamidoadenosine (NECA), on forskolin-stimulated, as well as basal adenylate cyclase, was also investigated. At micromolar concentrations, NECA significantly increased the activity of adenylate cyclase. Isobutylmethylxanthine, a potent antagonist at extracellular adenosine receptors, blocked the effects observed with PIA, CHA, and NECA. The uptake of both 3H-CHA and 3H-adenosine into retinal cells was demonstrated autoradiographically. Both agonists labeled ganglion cell bodies and certain cell bodies located in the proximal portion of the inner nuclear layer.     

Role of interleukin-6 in the neuroendocrine system.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine exerting many immunological and non immunological actions. The cytokine binds to a specific receptor, whose activation induces the association with a novel transducer, the glycoprotein gp 130. Here we present our results about the effect of IL-6 on both hormone secretion and second messenger systems at pituitary level, and the production of IL-6 from cells of central nervous system. IL-6 inhibited basal, VIP and TRH-stimulated prolactin (PRL) secretion from single lactotropes, studied by means of reverse hemolytic plaque assay, whereas in primary cultures of anterior pituitary cells, according to the literature, the cytokine stimulated prolactin secretion. IL-6 did not affect basal adenylate cyclase activity, inositol phosphate production, and cytosolic calcium concentration. Conversely, the preincubation of pituitary cells with interleukin-6 for 20 min significantly reduced VIP- and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, as well as inositol phosphate production and free cytosolic calcium increase induced by TRH.     

Alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of platelet adenylate cyclase and induction of aggregation in major depression. Effect of long-term cyclic antidepressant drug treatment

The functional status of platelet alpha 2-adrenoceptors in patients with major depression has been assessed by simultaneously measuring both a biochemical mechanism of transduction of receptor activation (inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity) and a physiologic response of the receptor (induction of aggregation). The inhibitory effects induced by epinephrine and UK 14304 on adenylate cyclase activity were unchanged, while the aggregation responses induced by the same alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists were potentiated, which indicated receptor supersensitivity. In depressed (n = 30) and euthymic (n = 11) patients as well as in control subjects (n = 66), there was a clear dissociation between inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity and induction of aggregation, indicating that the two responses represent different phenomena of alpha 2-adrenoceptor activation. alpha 2-Adrenoceptor-mediated platelet aggregation could represent a better marker than inhibition of adenylate cyclase to assess functional changes of the receptor in depression. Both of these functional responses are desensitized after long-term antidepressant treatment.     

Alpha-bag cell peptide inhibits bag cell adenylate cyclase via a GTP-dependent mechanism

alpha-Bag cell peptide (alpha-BCP), one of several secreted peptides encoded in the precursor to the egg-laying hormone (proELH) of the neurosecretory bag cells of Aplysia, has been variously reported to have autoexcitatory or autoinhibitory effects on the cells which secrete it. Since we had found previously that alpha-BCP reduces stimulated cAMP levels in intact bag cells, an effect that would be consistent with electrophysiological inhibition, we investigated the direct effect of the peptide on adenylate cyclase in bag cell membrane preparations. alpha-Bag cell peptide did not affect basal adenylate cyclase activity, but reduced forskolin-stimulated activity by about 30%. The potency of the peptide in this assay was within the range reported for observable physiological effects: half-maximal inhibition was seen at approximately 100 nM peptide. Both basal and forskolin-stimulated enzyme activity were dependent on GTP, and the inhibitory effect of alpha-BCP was inversely dependent on the nucleotide. The non-hydrolyzable analogue, GTP-gamma-S, stimulated both basal and forskolin-stimulated enzyme activity and enhanced alpha-BCP's effect to the extent that the peptide completely inhibited forskolin's stimulation of the enzyme. The peptide's effect could be blocked by pretreatment with pertussis toxin. We conclude that alpha-BCP inhibits bag cell adenylate cyclase, an effect which is consistent with an autoinhibitory role in bag cell function. Moreover, this inhibition appears to be mediated by a GTP-binding protein.     

Mu and delta opiate receptors coupled negatively to adenylate cyclase on embryonic neurons from the mouse striatum in primary cultures

Primary cultures of pure populations of neuronal or glial cells from the striatum, the cerebral cortex, and the mesencephalon of the mouse embryo were used to look for the presence of opiate receptors coupled to adenylate cyclase. Leu-enkephalin inhibited cAMP production in membranes of embryonic striatal neurons but not in those of other cell types examined. Mu and delta opiate receptors seemed to be coupled negatively to adenylate cyclase in embryonic striatal neurons. It was found that DTLET (a selective delta agonist), as well as DAGO (a selective mu agonist), inhibited cAMP production on these cells. DTLET but not, however, DAGO produced a similar effect on homogenates from the adult rat striatum and on membranes from the neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cell line NG 108-15, two preparations known to possess only delta receptors negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase. The selective kappa agonist U 50.488 was ineffective on all types of membrane preparations used. The inhibitory effects of both DTLET and DAGO on basal adenylate cyclase activity in striatal neurons were reversed by naloxone with a similar efficacy. Two other selective mu agonists, trimu 5 and morphiceptin, inhibited cAMP production in membranes of striatal neurons as well. The nonadditivity of the inhibitory effects of DTLET and DAGO on basal or forskolin-induced activation of adenylate cyclase suggested that mu and delta receptors were colocalized on a similar subpopulation of striatal cells in primary culture. These cells possess dopaminergic receptors of the D1 subtype as well since the amplitude of the inhibitory effects of DTLET and DAGO on cAMP production was increased in the presence of dopamine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Differential ontogeny of functional dopamine and muscarinic receptors mediating presynaptic inhibition of neurotransmitter release and postsynaptic regulation of adenylate cyclase activity in rat striatum.

To study the ontogeny of functional striatal dopamine (DA) D2 and muscarinic receptors we determined the first appearance of the inhibitory effects of activation of autoreceptors on neurotransmitter release and that of postsynaptic receptors on adenylate cyclase activity in striatal slices of rat foetuses and pups. On embryonic day 17 (E17), activation of D2 receptors with LY 171555 (1 microM) resulted in a 50% inhibition of the electrically evoked release of [3H]DA from superfused striata, indicating that D2 autoreceptors are functional at that time. Stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity with the Da D1 agonist SK&F 38393 could also be determined in the striatum on E17. In contrast, inhibition of D1-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity through activation of postsynaptic D2 receptors did not occur until postnatal day 14 (P14), whereas activation of postsynaptic muscarinic receptors with oxotremorine (1 microM) resulted in 30% inhibition already on E17. Endogenous activation of muscarinic receptors with physostigmine (1 microM) was ineffective in the prenatal period, but its inhibitory effect on D1-stimulated adenylate cyclase increased strongly between P7 and P21. Inhibition of striatal [3H]acetylcholine (ACh) release by activation of muscarinic receptors could not be determined until P7, because the release of the neurotransmitter was not measurable before that day. But on P7, oxotremorine and physostigmine (as well as the D2 receptor agonist LY 171555) reduced the electrically evoked release of [3H]ACh from striatal slices. Taken together, these data show that there is a marked time difference between the coupling of D2 receptors and that of the D1 and muscarinic receptors to adenylate cyclase in the developing striatum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Functional maturation of somatostatin neurons and somatostatin receptors during development of mouse hypothalamus in vivo and in vitro

Ontogenesis of somatostatin (SRIF) neurons and receptors was studied in fetal hypothalamic cell cultures kept in serum-free medium, and compared to the in vivo developmental pattern. Initial rise in neuronal content of SRIF occurred later in vitro than in vivo. In vitro, K(+)-induced SRIF release was only present after synaptogenesis. SRIF binding sites were measurable as early as 1 day after birth and at an equivalent time in culture, after 6 days in vitro (DIV); their affinity was in the nanomolar range. In cultured cells, binding reached a maximum at two weeks in vitro and decreased sharply thereafter as a consequence of binding site occupancy by the endogenous ligand. Indeed, pretreatment with cysteamine decreased SRIF concentration in the neuronal cultures and twice as many binding sites as in control cultures of 21 DIV were measured. Competition kinetics using unlabelled SMS 201-995 to displace [125I]SRIF revealed two distinct binding sites in the neuronal preparations (IC50 = 11 +/- 3 pM and 4.5 +/- 0.8 nM). In contrast, only the lower affinity site was present on glial cell preparations (1.7 +/- 0.4 nM). SRIF inhibited adenylate cyclase activity in glia and neurons, and the onset of SRIF coupling to the second messenger occurred earlier in vitro than in vivo. Pertussis toxin pretreatment was equally effective in neuronal and glial cell preparations to decrease SRIF binding and to inhibit adenylate cyclase activity.     

Resistance to extrapyramidal effects of opiates in rats chronically treated with SCH 23390

Rats made tolerant to morphine show neither a change in brain opiate receptor number nor altered sensitivity to the inhibitory effect of opiates on striatal adenylate cyclase (AC) activity. Interestingly, SCH 23390, a selective blocker of D1 dopamine (DA) receptors which, given chronically to rats, induces a 32% increase in D1 receptor number and increases the Vmax of D1-stimulated striatal AC, resulted in marked resistance to acute morphine effects. In particular, rats chronically treated with SCH 23390 failed to show muscular rigidity and increased striatal dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) concentration after morphine. Moreover, basal striatal AC activity in these animals had a significantly reduced sensitivity to opiate inhibition. On the other hand, decreased AC sensitivity to acetylcholine (ACh) inhibition observed in the striatum of rats chronically treated with DFP, an irreversible blocker of acetylcholinesterase, appeared to be secondary to the downregulation of muscarinic receptors and thus did not modify the opiate inhibitory capacity. It was concluded that although a potentiation of striatal AC impairs opiate action, such mechanism is not involved in morphine tolerance.     

Pertussis toxin lesioning of the nucleus caudate-putamen attenuates adenylate cyclase inhibition and alters neuronal electrophysiological activity

Receptor-mediated inhibition of brain adenylate cyclase activity has been well characterized at the biochemical level. However, less understood is how these, typically modest, inhibitory effects on cyclase activity correlate with the electrophysiological activity of brain preparations. In addressing this question, we injected pertussis toxin (PT) into the nucleus caudate-putamen of intact rats, and observed a subsequent attenuated inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity in caudate membranes, which correlated with altered electrophysiological activity in this nucleus. PT completely abolished and electrophysiological activity in this nucleus. PT completely abolished and significantly reduced, respectively, dopamine D2 and opioid receptor-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase. In addition, pretreatment of rat caudate nuclei with PT attenuated the amount of in vitro ADP-ribosylation of 41,000 and 39,000 Da PT substrates measured in caudate membranes. Extracellular recording of the spontaneous activity of caudate neurons revealed that PT pretreatment significantly increased firing rates above those of cells recorded from sham-operated and unoperated controls. Furthermore, a significantly greater number of cells pretreated with PT displayed interspike intervals less than 50 ms, reflecting 'burst-like' activity. In short, the inactivation of G-proteins serving as PT substrates in rat caudate-putamen renders caudate cells more likely to fire spontaneously, and to fire in bursting, rather than uniform, patterns of activity. These observations suggest that PT substrates identical or similar to those which regulate adenylate cyclase, play a significant role in governing the electrophysiological behavior of intact caudate neurons.     

Control of opiate receptor-adenylate cyclase interactions by calcium ions and guanosine-5′-triphosphate

Adenylate cyclase of homogenates of NG108-15 neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cells is activated by low concentrations of Ca2+ ions and is inhibited by higher (greater than 0.1 mM) concentrations of Ca2+ ions. Activation of either opiate receptors by 10 microM morphine or alpha-adrenergic receptors by 10 microM norepinephrine inhibits adenylate cyclase by 55% in the absence of Ca2+ ions, and inhibits the Ca2+-dependent activation of adenylate cyclase by more than 90%. Concentrations of Ca2+ ions greater than 0.1 mM inhibit adenylate cyclase and also reduce the extent inhibition of adenylate cyclase by morphine but not by norepinephrine. Guanosine-5'-triphosphate (0.1-1 microM) is required for inhibition of adenylate cyclase by morphine. The results show that morphine inhibits adenylate cyclase by a guanosine-5-triphosphate-dependent process and that the extent of inhibition of adenylate cyclase by morphine or norepinephrine is a function of the Ca2+ ion concentration and the proportion of adenylate cyclase molecules that are activated or inhibited by Ca2+ ions.     

Adenosine inhibits alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone release from frog pituitary melanotrophs. Evidence for the involvement of a(1) adenosine receptors negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase

Adenosine is recognized as an important modulator of cell activity. In particular, adenosine regulates the secretion of adrenocorticotropin from anterior pituitary cells. However, the possible role of adenosine on the pars intermedia has never been investigated. In the present study, we have examined the effect of adenosine on α-melanotropin (α-MSH) secretion from the intermediate lobe of the pituitary of the frog (Rana ridibunda), using the perifusion technique. When whole neurointermediate lobes were exposed to graded doses of adenosine (10(-9) to 10(-4) M), a dose-dependent inhibition of a-MSH release was observed. Repeated pulses of adenosine (5 ± 10(-5) M) induced a reproducible inhibition of α-MSH secretion without any desensitization phenomenon. The effect of adenosine was mimicked by the non-selective agonist 5'-N-ethylcarboxamide-adenosine and the highly specific adenosine A, receptor agonist N(6) -[R-phenylisopropyl]-adenosine (R-PIA). In contrast the selective adenosine A(2) receptor agonist, CGS 21680, induced a slight stimulation of α-MSH release. Adenosine-induced inhibition of α-MSH secretion was blocked by the non-selective adenosine antagonist, 8-(p-sulfophenyl)-theophyline. Adenosine and R-PIA also inhibited α-MSH secretion from acutely dispersed pars intermedia cells. Adenosine did not block thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced α-MSH release from perifused neurointermediate lobes. In contrast, adenosine inhibited both acetylcholine-evoked and muscarine-evoked α-MSH secretion. Finally, R-PIA induced a significant inhibition of basal and forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP levels in whole neurointermediate lobes. The present results demonstrate that adenosine exerts a direct inhibitory effect on α-MSH release from melanotrope cells through activation of the A(1) receptor subtype, negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase. These data suggest that adenosine may play a physiological role in the regulation of hormone release from the intermediate lobe of the pituitary.