Intralysosomal hydrolysis of thyroglobulin. II. Different fates of poorly and fully iodinated Tg and specific activation by TSH of the degradation of fully iodinated Tg

Even though adrenergic nerve terminals between and around thyroid follicles and catecholamine stimulation of thyroid adenylate cyclase have been reported, there is no uniform concept on catecholamine interaction with thyrotrophin (TSH) receptors. Therefore, the effect of catecholamines on TSH-stimulated cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation in human follicular thyroid cells has been investigated, to thus eliminating the extrathyroidal actions of catecholamines. Epinephrine, norepinephrine and isoproterenol appeared to be rapid and potent stimulators of intracellular cAMP accumulation, the half maximum increase doses being 4 X 10(-7)M, 1 X 10(-5)M and 5 X 10(-7)M, respectively. While propranolol (1 X 10(-5)M) prevented the stimulatory effect of catecholamines and failed to inhibit the effect of bovine TSH, phentolamine (1 X 10(-5)M) enhanced the potency of norepinephrine and bovine TSH, leaving that of epinephrine unchanged. The effects of epinephrine (2 X 10(-8)M) and isoproterenol (2 X 10(-8)M) were additive to that of bovine TSH (0.5 mU/ml), but the effect of simultaneous stimulation with norepinephrine (5 X 10(-7)M) and bovine TSH (0.5 mU/ml) was lower than expected. Prenalterol, a selective beta 1-agonist, did not stimulate cAMP accumulation, while terbutaline, a selective beta 2-agonist, exerted a potent stimulation. Metoprolol, a selective beta 1-adrenergic blocker, did not affect the response of thyroid follicular cells to isoproterenol. These results demonstrate the existence of beta-adrenergic receptors in human thyroid follicular cells, mainly of the type beta 2, apparently not correlated with TSH receptor. The existence of alpha-adrenergic receptors which counter-regulate TSH functional responses in human thyroid follicular cells is suggested.     

Desensitization of primary cultures of adult rat liver parenchymal cells to stimulation of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate production by glucagon and epinephrine

The ability of glucagon or epinephrine to increase cAMP levels in primary monolayer cultures of adult rat liver parenchymal cells was markedly reduced to pretreatment of the cells with the same hormone. Induction of cAMP production by glucagon (2 X 10(-7) M) was reduced to a plateau level of about 30% of that in untreated cultures by 1 h of glucagon (2 X 10(-7) M) pretreatment, and induction by epinephrine (10(-5) M) pretreatment. The time courses of the stimulation of cAMP production by each hormone were similar in control and hormone-pretreated cells. There was no change in the concentration of hormone producing half-maximal stimulation of cAMP accumulation by epinephrine in desensitized cells and only a small increase in the concentration of glucagon producing half-maximal cAMP induction. Desensitization by glucagon was reversed to about 70% of control levels 1 h after placing treated cells in hormone-free medium, whereas desensitization by epinephrine was poorly reversible. Neither desensitization nor its reversal was affected by inhibition of protein or RNA synthesis. Cells pretreated with glucagon were desensitized equally toward glucagon and epinephrine, whereas epinephrine pretreatment caused, predominantly, desensitization toward epinephrine. Pretreatment of cultures with dibutyryl cAMP resulted in less inhibition of the stimulation of cAMP production by epinephrine than did pretreatment with the hormone itself. Depending on the cell preparation used, dibutyryl cAMP was either as effective or less effective than glucagon itself, but always caused some desensitization. The data are consistent with there being hormone-specific and nonspecific components involved in the overall process of desensitization toward glucagon and epinephrine, with a nonspecific component mediated by cAMP.     

Mechanisms of beta-adrenergic receptor regulation in cultured chick heart cells. Role of cytoskeleton function and protein synthesis

To examine mechanisms by which cardiac tissue regulates the beta-adrenergic receptor and physiological response to beta-adrenergic agonists, we studied the effects of cytoskeletal disrupting agents and inhibition of protein synthesis on receptor properties and contractile response to isoproterenol in intact cultured ventricular cells from embryonic chick heart. Thirty minutes of exposure of intact cells to 1 microM isoproterenol produced loss of the high-affinity state (KD = 4.5 +/- 1.5 nM) of the receptor found in cell membranes with no loss of total receptor number, whereas there was concomitant decline in the contractile response to 1 microM isoproterenol to 41 +/- 16% (SD) of control. Contractile response recovered within 60 minutes of agonist removal to 78 +/- 11% of initial response. There was concomitant recovery of the high-affinity state of the receptor, so that 1 hour after agonist removal there was 72% of the initial proportion of high-affinity receptors. This desensitization of the contractile response, as well as recovery after agonist removal, was markedly blunted by preincubation with cytochalasin B so that contractile responsiveness to isoproterenol was maintained at 77 +/- 13% of the initial response. Colchicine (10 microM) was without effect on the first 30 minutes of agonist-induced desensitization. More prolonged agonist exposure (1 microM isoproterenol for 24 hours) produced colchicine-sensitive loss of receptors from intact cells to 40% of control levels. Full recovery of receptor number occurred over 72 hours; this was completely blocked by cycloheximide (P less than 0.01). Thus, rapid desensitization and resensitization of the beta-receptor-mediated contractile response is associated with alterations in high-affinity agonist binding and appears to be modulated by microfilaments. Receptor down-regulation is dependent on functional microtubules, and recovery of these receptors after agonist removal requires protein synthesis.     

Desensitisation of calcitonin gene-related peptide responsiveness but not adrenomedullin responsiveness in vascular smooth muscle cells

Adrenomedullin (ADM) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are distantly related peptides. Both act through G protein-coupled receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells to increase intracellular cAMP concentrations, causing vasorelaxation. Recent evidence suggests that both peptides bind to a common heptahelical receptor, with specificity for each peptide being determined by a receptor activity modifying protein (RAMP). This hypothesis predicts that each peptide should desensitise the cellular response to subsequent stimulation by the other. We have studied the patterns of desensitisation of ADM/CGRP receptors in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells. Cells were incubated for 20 min in either serum free medium (SFM), alone (control) or in SFM containing vasoactive agonist (e.g. ADM 10(-8) M, CGRP 10(-7) M, angiotensin II 10(-9) M or isoproterenol 10(-6) M). Cells were then washed and incubated for a further 20 min in SFM containing a second agonist and 1 mM isobutyryl methyl xanthine. Cells were harvested and assayed for cAMP. Pre-exposure of cells to CGRP, isoproterenol, angiotensin II or ADM, decreased cAMP generation in response to subsequent stimulation with CGRP by 84% (+/-5), 66% (+/-18), 45% (+/-5) and 60% (+/-10) respectively (mean+/-s.d.). Pre-incubation of cells with 100 nM H-89, a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, abolished the desensitisation of CGRP by itself, implying that this desensitisation was mediated through PKA. In contrast, there was no attenuation of the cAMP response to stimulation with ADM by pre-exposure to ADM and all other agonists tested. Identical results were seen with or without PKA inhibition by H-89. These results indicate that the ADM receptor does not desensitise over this time period in RAVSMCs, in contrast to the CGRP receptor, which is desensitised by pre-exposure to CGRP and other vaso-active agonists. These data also suggest that ADM and CGRP act through separate receptors in these cells.     

Mechanism for desensitization of beta-adrenergic receptor-stimulated lipolysis in adipocytes from rats harboring pheochromocytoma

Prolonged stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors with catecholamines leads to desensitization of their ability to activate cAMP accumulation. However, little is known about the relationship between these changes and possible alterations in physiological responses. We have used isolated adipocytes prepared from NEDH rats harboring pheochromocytomas, a norepinephrine-secreting tumor, to address this question. As expected, there was a decrease in the ability of isoproterenol to maximally activate cAMP accumulation in adipocytes from rat harboring pheochromocytoma [323 +/- 107 vs. 707 +/- 145 pmol/10(5) cells.min (mean +/- SD) in controls]. This change was associated with an increase in the EC50 of isoproterenol for activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (5.8 X 10(-8) vs. 2.4 X 10(-8) M in controls) and a decrease in maximal activation of the kinase (38 +/- 16% vs. 77 +/- 14% in controls). For lipolysis there was a loss in sensitivity to isoproterenol but no change in maximal lipolytic rate in the adipocytes from rats harboring pheochromocytoma. For both groups there was a similar relationship between kinase activation and lipolysis; maximal lipolysis had already occurred for protein kinase-A activity ratios less than 30%. Therefore, the blunted cAMP response in adipocytes from rats harboring pheochromocytoma did not impair the maximal lipolytic rate. These results demonstrate that adipocytes can efficiently maintain maximal lipolysis in a desensitized state because of considerable reserve in the biochemical cascade leading to the lipolytic response. In addition, our findings demonstrate that there are no regulatory changes induced by prolonged exposure to catecholamines that are distal to cAMP accumulation.     

Stimulation by calcitonin gene-related peptide of atrial natriuretic peptide secretion in vitro and its mechanism of action

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is present in nerve fibers within atrial tissue, raising the possibility that CGRP release may influence atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion. We, therefore, examined the effect of CGRP on immunoreactive ANP (ANP-IR) secretion. Isolated rat left atria paced at 2 Hz were superfused with 0.1 microM CGRP. A biphasic 2-fold increase in ANP-IR secretion occurred in response to CGRP. We next examined the mechanism of CGRP-stimulated secretion. The biphasic ANP-IR secretory response to CGRP was similar to that induced by superfusion with the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol and (Bu)2cAMP, but distinct from that of the non-cAMP dependent stimuli phenylephrine, ouabain, and Bay K 8644. Superfusion with 0.1 microM CGRP for 4 min with 100 microM isobutylmethylxanthine increased atrial cAMP content from 4.29 +/- 1.21 to 10.32 +/- 2.14 pmol/mg atrial weight (P less than 0.001). Atria were next superfused with methacholine, an inhibitor of adenylyl cyclase activation. The addition of 0.1 microM isoproterenol or 0.1 microM CGRP to the superfusate containing 10 microM methacholine failed to stimulate ANP-IR secretion and lowered cAMP accumulation by 70%. Superfusion with 10 microM atropine negated the inhibitory effects of methacholine. We conclude that 1) CGRP stimulates ANP-IR secretion in vitro; and 2) CGRP-stimulated secretion appears to be mediated by cAMP. Thus, ANP-IR secretion may be modulated by atrial nerve fibers containing CGRP in vivo.     

Glucocorticoid modulation of corticotropin-releasing factor desensitization in cultured rat anterior pituitary cells

The ability of ovine corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) to stimulate both ACTH release and intracellular cAMP accumulation is rapidly and reversibly desensitized when rat anterior pituitary cells are cultured in the absence of added glucocorticoids. Since this desensitization has not been readily apparent in vivo, where initial CRF exposure results in high levels of ambient glucocorticoids, we examined the effect of glucocorticoids on the desensitization process in vitro. Rat anterior pituitary cells were cultured for 3-5 days in the absence of added steroid hormones. Dexamethasone was then added to some culture wells 24 h before the desensitization experiment began. Desensitization of CRF was achieved by preincubating the cells for 4 h with varying concentrations (10(-11)-10(-7) M) of ovine CRF, washing the cells with medium alone, and then reexposing the cells to CRF. In the absence of glucocorticoid, the ED50 for CRF desensitization (the preincubation dose causing 50% desensitization of subsequent ACTH release) was 3 X 10(-10) M, but cells that had been preexposed to dexamethasone desensitized less readily. With concentrations of dexamethasone of 10(-8) M or greater, no desensitization occurred. When cells were incubated in the absence of added glucocorticoids, CRF-stimulated intracellular cAMP accumulation was diminished by prior exposure to CRF. No decrease in intracellular cAMP accumulation was seen in those cells that had been preincubated with dexamethasone, however. Similar changes in CRF desensitization of ACTH release were observed when cells were incubated with corticosterone, but not with 10(-8) M testosterone, progesterone, aldosterone, or estradiol. These data demonstrate that glucocorticoids profoundly alter the development of CRF desensitization in vitro and suggest that high ambient glucocorticoid concentrations prevent the development of substantial CRF desensitization in vivo.     

Desensitization to gonadotropin-releasing hormone in perifused chicken anterior pituitary cells

A perifusion method consisting of dispersed chicken anterior pituitary cells suspended in columns of Bio-Gel was developed to monitor the dynamics of LH release. The perifused cells responded to chicken I GnRH (Gln8-GnRH) in a dose-dependent manner. The ED50 was 3 X 10(-10) M, and maximal LH release occurred in response to 4 X 10(-9) M Gln8-GnRH. Continuous administration of 10(-7) M Gln8-GnRH and agonist stimulated an initial 8- to 10-fold increase in LH release within minutes. LH release then declined rapidly, reaching basal levels within 100 min. A biphasic response was noted. Calcium ionophore A23187 was effective in releasing additional LH from cells desensitized to 10(-7) Gln8-GnRH and agonist, indicating that total cellular LH was not depleted. In contrast, delivery of 2-min pulses of 10(-7) M and 10(-9) M Gln8-GnRH at a frequency of one pulse every 30 or 60 min for 3-5 h maintained pituitary responsiveness. Exposure to 10(-7) M Gln8-GnRH for 20 min was sufficient to desensitize pituitary cells to subsequent Gln8-GnRH stimulation. However, 20-min exposure to 10(-7) M GnRH antagonist neither evoked LH release nor had a desensitizing effect on subsequent stimulation by 10(-7) M Gln8-GnRH, indicating that receptor activation, not merely receptor binding, is necessary for Gln8-GnRH-mediated homologous desensitization. Pituitary cells desensitized by 20-min exposure to 10(-8) M Gln8-GnRH maintained responsiveness to a higher dose (10(-6 M) of Gln8-GnRH, suggesting that down-regulation of pituitary GnRH receptors might play a part in desensitization. Calcium ionophore A23187 partially desensitized pituitary cells to subsequent stimulation with Gln8-GnRH, probably due to depletion of releasable LH or desensitization of calcium-coupled secretory mechanisms. In calcium-free medium, 10(-7) M Gln8-GnRH did not evoke LH release, but nevertheless partially desensitized cells to subsequent 10(-7) M Gln8-GnRH stimulation. Thus desensitization is partially calcium-dependent. These findings demonstrate that the GnRH-mediated desensitization of gonadotrophs is a characteristic of chicken pituitary cells as in the mammal. However, chicken pituitary cells differ from mammalian cells in that desensitization is more rapid and partially dependent on extracellular calcium.     

Induction of type II 5'-deiodinase activity by cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate in cultured rat astroglial cells

Cultured astroglial cells were found to contain a type II 5'-deiodinase (5'D) activity which was increased by 10(-3) M (Bu)2cAMP but not by 2 X 10(-3) M n-butyrate. 8-Bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP) (10(-3) M) also increased this enzyme activity. Cycloheximide (2 micrograms/ml) inhibited the 8-Br-cAMP effect on 5'D activity. Forskolin (10(-5) M), cholera toxin (5 micrograms/ml), 10(-5) M isoproterenol, and 3 X 10(-6) M norephinephrine also increased the 5'D activity of astroglial cells. After a 4-h incubation these agents or cAMP analogs had maximal effect, and enzyme activities were 6- to 14-fold above control value. The stimulatory effects of isoproterenol and norepinephrine were almost completely reversed after 8 h incubation. The induction of 5'D activity by isoproterenol or norepinephrine was inhibited by the beta-adrenergic antagonist alprenolol (5 X 10(-6) M). The effect of norepinephrine was not significantly affected by the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist, prazosin (10(-5) M). Thus, 5'D activity is controlled by agents increasing cAMP in astroglial cells, and in particular by the neurotransmitter, norephinephrine, via a beta-adrenergic mechanism.     

Corticotropin-induced desensitization: steroidogenic and cyclic AMP responses in superfused adrenocortical cells

The characteristics of the sensitization and desensitization of superfused, rat dissociated adrenal fasciculata cells were examined. The dynamic output of steroids and cyclic AMP was determined following pulsed treatment with various agonists. Repeated doses of identical small amounts of ACTH or ACTH gave gradually increasing responses which were maximal after 3-4 injections, but then desensitized the adrenal cells. An initial dose of 2.5 X 10(-11) moles of ACTH, itself insufficient to stimulate steroidogenesis in this system, had the effect of priming the cells, which showed an enhanced initial response and achieved maximum responsiveness on the second injection of 4 X 10(-13) moles ACTH. Thereafter, although the cells exhibited a diminishing steroid output, a dose at the end of the experiment of 8 X 10(-12) moles ACTH restored the maximum responsiveness, and demonstrated that cell loss or death could not account for the desensitization effect. Only a sensitization of the cells was observed following repeated doses of 5 X 10(-6) moles cyclic AMP. Since no desensitization effect was discernible for this agonist, it was concluded that in this system the lesion giving rise to the desensitization effect occurred prior to the adenylate cyclase catalytic unit for the generation of cyclic AMP within the cell and the receptor-nucleotide-regulatory protein complex is thus implicated in the desensitization mechanism for adrenal steroidogenesis. The studies demonstrate the exquisite sensitivity of adrenal cells to the desensitizing effects of even brief intermittent pulses of ACTH.     

Protein kinase C is involved in PTH-induced homologous desensitization by directly affecting PTH receptor in the osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells.

We have investigated mechanisms of PTH-induced homologous desensitization reflected in the refractoriness of cAMP response to the second exposure to PTH in the clonal rat osteosarcoma cell line, UMR-106. Preincubation with 10(-7) M rat (r) PTH-(1-34) for 6 h caused the desensitization, resulting in a 65% decrease in cAMP accumulation in response to further exposure to rPTH. This desensitization was apparent at 10(-10) M rPTH and maximal at 10(-7) M rPTH. UMR-106 cells treated with protein kinase C (PK-C) activating phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 10(-6) M) for 6 h also induced desensitization manifested by a loss of rPTH-stimulated cAMP accumulation to 50% of that in the control cells. On the other hand, 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, incapable of activating PK-C, failed to induce desensitization. Fifty micromolar H-7 (PK-C inhibitor) significantly blocked both rPTH- and PMA-induced desensitization. Thus, PK-C seemed to play a major role in rPTH-induced desensitization. Pretreatment with neither rPTH nor PMA changed the cAMP responsiveness to 10 micrograms/ml cholera toxin or 100 microM forskolin. Islet activating protein failed to influence the desensitization in this cell line. PTH receptor binding, assessed by using 125I-labeled [Nle8,Nle18,Tyr34]PTH-(1-34) as a radioligand, was decreased along with PTH receptor numbers by pretreatment with rPTH or PMA. These data indicate that rPTH-induced homologous desensitization occurs at least in part through the activation of PK-C and that PK-C directly affects PTH receptor in UMR-106 cells.     

Emergence of beta-adrenergic sensitivity in the developing chicken heart.

Muscle cells dissociated from 5-day embryonic chicken hearts showed dose-dependent increases in both chronotropic rates of contraction and cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels in response to epinephrine (EPI), an effect that could be blocked by beta-adrenergic antagonists. However, 2- to 2.5-day embryonic chicken myocardial cells, although similar to 5-day heart cells with respect to the organization of myofibrils, failed to respond to EPI either by increased rates of contraction or by elevated levels of intracellular cAMP. Development of beta-adrenergic sensitivity in 2- to 2.5-day cells did not occur even after several days of growth in culture. However, addition of an extract prepared from 11-day chicken embryos to 2- to 2.5-day muscle cell cultures at any point during in vitro growth resulted in the development of sensitivity to EPI as measured by increases in both the beating frequency and cAMP levels after a 48-hr incubation in embryo extract (EE). The basal level of cAMP in cells unresponsive to EPI is 5 times that in EPI-sensitive muscle cells from older hearts (5 days). The high basal level of cAMP in these cells is reduced to a level characteristic of cells from older hearts when treated with the EE. Once sensitivity was acquired, it was retained as a stable trait of the muscle cells in culture. Furthermore, EE-treated 2- to 2.5-day cells showed less reduction of positive chronotropy in response to multiple doses of EPI than did cells prepared from 5-day hearts. Fractionation of EE on Sephadex G-200 showed that the activity was present in the large-molecule fractions. It is concluded that the development of beta-adrenergic sensitivity can be induced in unresponsive heart cells cultured from 2- to 2.5-day embryos by a factor(s) in the EE that is not adsorbed on Sephadex G-200.     

Desensitization of beta-adrenergic receptors by pheochromocytoma

Prolonged stimulation of cells by beta-adrenergic receptor agonists may lead to diminished responsiveness of the cells to subsequent activation by catecholamines. This phenomenon has been termed desensitization; the mechanism(s) for desensitization may involve an apparent loss in the number of beta-adrenergic receptors or an alteration in receptor-effector coupling. We have examined the consequences of prolonged stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors in an interesting rat model harboring pheochromocytoma. New England Deaconess Hospital rats with transplanted pheochromocytomas developed systolic hypertension and plasma norepinephrine concentrations approximately 40-fold greater than controls. beta-Adrenergic receptors were quantitated in several tissues from controls and rats with transplanted pheochromocytoma using the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist [125I]iodocyanopindolol. Down-regulation of beta 1-receptors was found in heart tissue (22.8 vs. 13.6 fmol/mg protein; P less than 0.001) and adipocytes (29,400 vs. 2,800 sites/cell; P less than 0.001). Also, maximal isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP accumulation in isolated adipocytes was diminished in pheochromocytomic animals (13.1 vs. 4.9 pmol cAMP/10(5) cells/min; P less than 0.05). Interestingly, there was no change in beta-receptors in lung and mesenteric artery, which predominantly contain beta 2-receptors. Furthermore, the competition curves of isoproterenol in the heart membranes from control and pheochromocytomic rats in the absence and presence of guanylylimidodiphosphate indicated uncoupling of the beta-adrenergic receptors in pheochromocytomic animals. Rats with pheochromocytoma secreting large amounts of norepinephrine provide a valuable model system for studying the in vivo development of desensitization.     

Calcitonin gene-related peptide enhances the rate of desensitization of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in cultured mouse muscle cells.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a neuropeptide that coexists with acetylcholine in spinal cord motoneurons. The effects of CGRP on the functional properties of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AcChoR) were examined by electrophysiological methods. Using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique and a mouse cell line derived from soleus muscle, we found that CGRP produces a progressive and reversible enhancement of the rapid-decay phase of AcChoR desensitization. Single-channel data further show that CGRP decreases acetylcholine-activated channel opening frequency. This decrease occurs when CGRP and acetylcholine are applied on different cell-surface areas and thus is likely mediated by a second-messenger system. CGRP is also shown to increase cAMP accumulation in this cell line. The effects of CGRP on macroscopic acetylcholine-activated currents are mimicked by external application of forskolin (10 microM) or by internal perfusion of the cell with cAMP (1 microM). In both these cases, further application of CGRP produces no additional enhancement of AcChoR desensitization. These results suggest that, on mouse muscle cells, CGRP regulates AcChoR desensitization by a mechanism that involves, at least in part, cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the AcChoR.     

Characterization and regulation of high affinity calcitonin gene-related peptide receptors in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes.

Previous studies have shown that stimulation of cultured beating cardiac myocytes with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) produces increased beating frequency, increased cellular cAMP concentration, and a homologous desensitization of the cAMP-elevating action of CGRP. In the present study, the characteristics and regulation of [125I]CGRP binding sites in cultured cardiac myocytes were investigated. Binding of [125I] CGRP to membranes prepared from these cells was selective, saturable, and of high affinity. Scatchard transformation of the saturation isotherm generated a linear plot suggesting the existence of a homogeneous population of binding sites with an equilibrium binding constant of 41 +/- 7 pM and maximum binding capacity of 31 +/- 5 fmol/mg protein. Binding of [125I]CGRP to membranes was inhibited completely by guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate (250 microM), suggesting association of the binding sites with a G protein. Consistent with the saturation binding data, association kinetic studies indicated that [125I]CGRP associated with a single population of binding sites. Dissociation kinetic data, in contrast, indicated that [125I]CGRP dissociated from two affinity component sites on membranes, suggesting the existence of multiple affinity states of the G protein-coupled forms of the CGRP receptor. Nonequilibrium dissociation kinetic experiments revealed a time-dependent conversion of [125I] CGRP binding sites from a fast- to a slow-dissociating state. Desensitization of cells to CGRP by prior exposure to CGRP (10 nM) for 5 min reduced the maximal cAMP response of cells to further CGRP challenge and the number of [125I]CGRP binding sites in membranes prepared from these cells approximately 90% and 80%, respectively. These results demonstrate the existence of high affinity CGRP receptors in cardiac myocytes which appear coupled to G proteins and which undergo ligand-induced affinity alterations and desensitization-induced loss of receptor activity. The present findings also suggest the existence of multiple affinity states of the CGRP:receptor:G protein ternary complex.     

Rat cardiac muscle single cell automaticity responses to alpha- and beta-adrenergic agonists and antagonists

Isolated cardiac muscle cells from neonatal rat ventricular myocardium have both alpha- and beta-adrenergic, positive chronotropic responses, with sensitivity to applied adrenergic agents more than 100 times greater than the intact neonatal heart. These highly sensitive isolated single cells and small groups of cells also reveal partial agonist activity of the alpha-adrenergic antagonist, phentolamine, and the beta-adrenergic antagonist, propranolol. The most likely explanation for the high sensitivity is the lack of a desensitization process that could involve both a desensitization substance and changes in receptors. These experiments suggest that all adrenergic antagonists could possibly show partial agonist activity.     

Homologous desensitization of cultured chick kidney cells to parathyroid hormone

The development of refractoriness of the cAMP response to PTH in primary cultures of chick kidney cells and recovery from the refractory state was investigated. When cells were preincubated with bovine PTH1-34, complete refractoriness to a subsequent challenge with the hormone developed within 2 h and at hormone concentrations as low as 5 ng/ml. The ability of PTH to stimulate activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase was also abolished by preincubation with the hormone. When cells were desensitized and then incubated in hormone-free medium, recovery of the cAMP response began within an hour and was maximal, but not complete (80%) after 16 h. Cycloheximide did not affect either desensitization or the rate or extent of recovery from the refractory state. Low concentrations of forskolin (2.5 X 10(-7) M) greatly enhanced cAMP production stimulated by PTH and higher concentrations (10(-6) - 10(-4) M) stimulated rates of cAMP production 50 times those obtained with PTH alone. Preincubation with forskolin did not bring about desensitization to PTH nor did preincubation with PTH affect the subsequent response to forskolin. The half-life of biologically active bovine PTH1-34 in chick kidney cell culture was approximately 12 h and the rate of its removal was not significantly altered during a 20-h incubation period. The results suggest that desensitization of chick kidney cells to PTH is not suggest that desensitization of chick kidney cells to PTH is not brought about by cAMP generation itself, is not primarily dependent on protein synthesis, and does not involve a change in the rate of removal of biologically active hormone from the medium. In addition, recovery of the cAMP response to PTH also does not require new protein synthesis. These results are compatible with a mechanism of desensitization which occurs at the level of the receptor or hormone-receptor coupling to adenyl cyclase.     

Preserved cardiac beta-adrenergic sensitivity in early renovascular hypertension

To determine the mechanism of blunted sympathetic reflex responses in early renovascular hypertension, we measured inotropic and chronotropic responses of the heart to beta-adrenergic stimulation in vivo and myocardial beta-adrenergic receptor number and adenylate cyclase activity in 10 dogs during an early stage of one-kidney renal hypertension. Mean aortic pressure was higher in the hypertensive dogs (152 +/- 4 mm Hg) than in eight sham-operated dogs (122 +/- 1 mm Hg; p less than 0.001), but heart rate, cardiac output, and left atrial pressure did not differ between the two groups. Blood pressure reduction with a direct-acting vasodilator, pinacidil, resulted in marked increases in heart rate (+97 +/- 12 beats/min) and rate of change of left ventricular pressure (dP/dt; +1447 +/- 367 mm Hg/sec) in normotensive dogs but only blunted heart rate (+54 +/- 12 beats/min) and minimal left ventricular dP/dt (+376 +/- 264 mm Hg/sec) responses in hypertensive dogs. In contrast, intravenously administered isoproterenol produced similar increases in heart rate and left ventricular dP/dt in the two groups. These two groups also did not differ in either left ventricular beta-adrenergic receptor number and affinity or basal, isoproterenol-stimulated, and fluoride-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. Thus, despite blunted reflex responses to blood pressure reduction, hypertensive dogs showed neither reduction in chronotropic and inotropic responses to direct beta-adrenergic stimulation nor beta-adrenergic desensitization of the myocardium, as assessed by beta-adrenergic receptor number and adenylate cyclase activity. Blunted reflex responses in this model of early hypertension must be due to factors operating at some locus other than the beta-adrenergic receptor-adenylate cyclase complex.     

Identification of a monoclonal antibody which interacts with the parathyroid hormone receptor-adenylate cyclase system in murine bone

We have produced monoclonal antibodies which bind specifically to mouse bone cells and then selected these monoclonal antibodies for their ability to inhibit parathyroid hormone (PTH) responses in mouse cranial bone treated with the (1-34) amino terminal peptide of bovine PTH [bPTH(1-34)]. One clone, designated 3-6, characterized as an IgM(kappa), significantly inhibited the accumulation of cAMP in response to bPTH(1-34) at concentrations of hormone between 10(-9) and 10(-7) M. This antibody was subsequently isolated by gel filtration and shown to bind to intact mouse calvariae, with saturation binding occurring at 3 micrograms/ml IgM. A maximal inhibition of approximately 70% of the cAMP accumulation produced in response to 2.5 X 10(-9) M (100 ng/ml) bPTH(1-34) was obtained with 7 micrograms/ml of the purified 3-6 IgM. At this concentration of 3-6 IgM, the half-maximal dose of PTH for activation of cAMP accumulation was increased from 5 X 10(-9) M to 2 X 10(-8) M with no reduction in maximal levels of cAMP production. The utility of this antibody as an inhibitor was further tested by its ability to block the binding of an iodinated PTH analogue, 125I-[Nle8, Nle18, Tyr34]-bPTH(1-34) to mouse cranial bone. The 3-6 IgM at a concentration of 5 X 10(-8) M inhibited 70% of the specific binding of the 125I-labeled analogue. In the absence of parathyroid hormone, 2 X 10(-8) M 3-6 IgM produced a 4-fold increase in cAMP above basal levels, as compared to 40-fold maximal increases observed with PTH, indicating a partial PTH agonist activity of this antibody. When tested for effects on other hormones, 3-6 IgM did not inhibit cAMP accumulation produced in response to salmon calcitonin, epinephrine, prostaglandin E2 or cholera toxin. We propose that the 3-6 monoclonal IgM is specific for the PTH receptor or a component of the PTH receptor-adenylate cyclase system and that this or similar antibodies will serve as useful reagents for future molecular characterization of this receptor.     

Effects of ethanol on alpha-adrenergic and beta-adrenergic agonist-stimulated beta-endorphin release and cAMP production in hypothalamic cells in primary cultures

We have previously shown that low concentrations of ethanol rapidly stimulate beta-endorphin (beta-EP) release from hypothalamic neurons in primary cultures and that chronic exposures to these concentrations of ethanol desensitize beta-EP neurons to ethanol challenges. We have also shown that chronic ethanol desensitizes dibutyryl cAMP-, adenosine-, and prostaglandin E1-stimulated beta-EP release and the cAMP content in hypothalamic neurons. In this study, we determined the effects of ethanol (50 mM) on beta-adrenergic agonist (isoproterenol) or alpha-adrenergic agonist (l-phenylephrine)-induced beta-EP release and cellular contents of cAMP to identify whether ethanol causes heterologous desensitization of the adenylate cyclase system in this neuronal cell population. Both isoproterenol and l-phenylephrine increased beta-EP levels in culture media and elevated the cAMP content in cell extracts in a concentration (0.1 and 10 microM)-dependent fashion between 3 to 6 hr. A 50 mM dose of ethanol increased beta-EP and cAMP levels at 3 hr, but it did not elevate beta-EP and cAMP levels after 48 hr of exposure. Acute exposure (3 hr) of these cells to ethanol moderately enhanced the isoproterenol-stimulated and l-phenylephrine-stimulated levels of media beta-EP and intracellular levels of cAMP. However, chronic exposure (48 hr) to ethanol reduced the magnitude of both alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptor agonist-stimulated beta-EP release and cAMP production. These results confirm our previous findings that the ethanol action on beta-EP secretion is mediated by the cAMP system and further suggest that chronic ethanol causes heterologous desensitization of the adenylate cyclase system in the beta-EP neuronal cell population.