Glucagon receptor activates extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 via cAMP-dependent protein kinase

We prepared a stable cell line expressing the glucagon receptor to characterize the effect of G(s)-coupled receptor stimulation on extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activity. Glucagon treatment of the cell line caused a dose-dependent increase in cAMP concentration, activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), and transient release of intracellular calcium. Glucagon treatment also caused rapid dose-dependent phosphorylation and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/ERK kinase (MEK1/2) and ERK1/2. Inhibition of either PKA or MEK1/2 blocked ERK1/2 activation by glucagon. However, no significant activation of several upstream activators of MEK, including Ras, Rap1, and Raf, was observed in response to glucagon treatment. In addition, chelation of intracellular calcium reduced glucagon-mediated ERK1/2 activation. In transient transfection experiments, glucagon receptor mutants that bound glucagon but failed to increase intracellular cAMP and calcium concentrations showed no glucagon-stimulated ERK1/2 phosphorylation. We conclude that glucagon-induced MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 activation is mediated by PKA and that an increase in intracellular calcium concentration is required for maximal ERK activation.     

Superior efficacy of pulsatile versus continuous hormone exposure on hepatic glucose production in vitro

To elucidate the potency of continuous vs. intermittent exposure to hormonal stimuli, hepatic glucose production of isolated perfused rat livers was monitored in response to glucagon and insulin infusion. Using a nonrecirculating perfusion system, continuous exposure to glucagon (35 pM) induced a rise in hepatic glucose production from basal 0.33 +/- 0.03 mmol/(96 min X 100 g BW) to 0.65 +/- 0.02 mmol/(96 min X 100 g BW), while intermittent exposure (3 min on/off intervals; total dose 50%) to the same glucagon concentration elicited an almost identical rise in hepatic glucose production to 0.59 +/- 0.12 mmol/(96 in X 100 g BW). Insulin (100 mU/liter) given continuously and intermittently (3 min on/off intervals) inhibited glucagon-stimulated (70 pM) hepatic glucose production to the same extent, i.e. by 37.4% and 41.1%, respectively. Doubling the off period to 6 min and thereby reducing the total hormone dose to 33% did not diminish insulin's suppressive effect on glucagon-stimulated hepatic glucose release (34.6%). When the latter infusion protocol was applied with insulin at 300 mU/liter, hepatic glucose production during the first 40 min of glucagon infusion was more restrained (P less than 0.01) than during continuous delivery of 100 mU/liter, although the same amount of insulin was infused per period of time. In parallel, glucagon-stimulated cAMP release was similarly suppressed by insulin in all experiments. From this we conclude that the effect on hepatic glucose production of pulsatile administration of glucagon as well as of insulin, depending on the applied time interval of hormone exposure, is equipotent or even superior to the respective hormones' continuous infusion even if the hormone load is significantly reduced.     

Effect of glucagon and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate on protein phosphorylation in rat pancreatic islets

Isolated rat pancreatic islets, incubated in the presence of extracellular 32Pi to a state of steady 32P incorporation into cellular phosphopeptides, were exposed to glucagon, (Bu)2cAMP, or somatostatin for 10 min. In other experiments, homogenates of rat islets were phosphorylated using [gamma-32P]ATP with or without cAMP. Proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and phosphorylation of proteins was measured by liquid scintillation counting of gel slices. Glucagon (2.9 X 10(-7) M) stimulated the phosphorylation of 15 polypeptides (by approximately 20-50%) with major phosphorylation of proteins with mol wts of 138,000, 93,000, 53,000, 49,000, 35,000, 27,000 and 15,000 in intact rat islets and also stimulated insulin release by 202%. Somatostatin (6.6 X 10(-7) M) inhibited all the glucagon-stimulated phosphorylation by approximately 15-30% and also inhibited the glucagon-stimulated insulin release by 46%. (Bu)2cAMP (10(-3) M) stimulated 32P incorporation (by approximately 20-50%) into the same 15 peptides as did glucagon and also stimulated insulin release by 169%. When homogenates of rat islets were used. cAMP (10(-6) M) stimulated the phosphorylation of proteins (by approximately 25-60%) to an extent similar to that seen in the presence of glucagon or (Bu)2cAMP in intact islets. These findings indicate that the glucagon-stimulated phosphorylation of rat islet proteins may be mediated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and that protein phosphorylation may be important in mediating the glucagon-stimulated insulin release.     

Glucagon and hepatic glucose production: modulation by low-dose bradykinin infusion

The effect of a low-dose bradykinin (BK) infusion (30 ng/kg min) on glucagon-induced hepatic glucose production and glucose cycling was studied in five normal volunteers. Studies were performed during constant insulin concentration as achieved by simultaneous somatostatin infusion and insulin replacement. In the basal period glucagon was infused at a rate of 0.5 ng/kg min. Then, glucagon infusion rate was increased to 3 ng/kg min to test the response to hyperglucagonemia. In a second set of experiments BK was infused concomitantly with the high dose glucagon. Each subject served as his own control. BK infusion did not prevent the glucagon-induced rise in hepatic glucose production and glucose cycling. However, at a later stage BK accelerated the negative feedback mechanisms activated by glucagon (decrease in hepatic glucose production) significantly. These findings suggest that intravenous BK may interact with mechanisms involved in the down-regulation of hepatic glucagon effects.     

Glucagon-induced expression of the MAP kinase phosphatase MKP-1 in rat hepatocytes

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Glucagon exerts pleiotropic effects on liver function, but the underlying signal transduction is incompletely understood. We investigated the effect of glucagon on the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase phosphatase MKP-1 expression. METHODS: The effect of glucagon on MKP-1 expression was studied in cultured rat hepatocytes. RESULTS: Glucagon (10-100 nmol/L) and 8-CPT-cAMP (10 or 50 micromol/L) stimulated in rat hepatocytes the expression of MKP-1 messenger RNA and protein, which became maximal within 30 minutes and declined to nearly basal levels after 60 minutes. MKP-1 induction by glucagon was sensitive to inhibition of adenylate cyclase and protein kinase A. The protein kinases G and C, Ca(2+), MAP kinases, reactive oxygen intermediates, and cellular dehydration were not involved in the glucagon-induced signaling to MKP-1. MKP-1 expression correlated with glucagon-induced antagonization of MAP kinase phosphorylation by epidermal growth factor in hepatocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The MKP-1 response to glucagon produces an additional level of interaction with MAP kinase-dependent processes, which may contribute to the regulation of liver function by glucagon or other cAMP-elevating agents.     

Contribution by the glycogen pool and adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate release to the evanescent effect of glucagon on hepatic glucose production in vitro

To elucidate in vitro the transience of glucagon-induced hepatic glucose release, the effects of glucagon on hepatic glucose production and cAMP release were evaluated in the isolated rat liver preparation perfused by a nonrecirculating system. Glucagon was added to the infusate in stepwise increasing concentrations at 0, 60, and 100 min to give final concentrations of 2.5 X 10(-11), 10(-9), and 5 X 10(-8) M, respectively. Glucagon at 2.5 X 10(-11) M caused cAMP release [basal (mean +/- SD), 11.2 +/- 3.0 pmol/(min X 100 g BW)] to rise rapidly and plateau at 23.3 +/- 7.0 pmol/(min X 100 g BW), whereas hepatic glucose production [basal, 3.7 +/- 1.6 mumol/(min X 100 g BW)] increased only transiently to a maximum of 15.3 +/- 3.1 mumol/(min X 100 g BW) and fell thereafter. The enhanced cAMP release during the consecutive glucagon infusion was accompanied by a transient rise in hepatic glucose production during the second, but not during a third, glucagon infusion. When 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, a potent phosphodiesterase inhibitor, was added to the perfusion medium (0.5 mM), the cAMP response to 2.5 X 10(-11) M glucagon was enhanced [247 +/- 124 pmol/(min X 100 g BW)] as was hepatic glucose production (+ 21%; P less than 0.05). Further augmentation of the glucagon concentration was followed by an increase in hepatic cAMP, but not glucose, release. When glucagon infusion (2.5 X 10(-11) M) was repeated with a glucagon-free period of 30 min in between, no stimulation of cAMP and consecutive glucose release was found during the second period. However, when the second glucagon dose was increased to 10(-9) M, glucose and cAMP release were again stimulated to the same extent as in experiments with no glucagon-free period in between. We conclude that the size of the glycogen pool and the cAMP concentration directly modulate hepatic glucose production and are responsible for evanescent glucagon action. This mechanism can be described by computer simulation.     

A kinetic analysis of hepatocyte responses to a glucagon pulse: mechanism and metabolic consequences of differences in response decay times

Pulsatile administration of glucagon to perifused rat hepatocytes stimulates hepatocyte glucose production (HGP) more effectively than continuous administration. Having established that this effect was due to delayed relaxation of glucagon-stimulated HGP (t1/2 for decay = 3.54 +/- 0.60 min) we wished to examine the mechanism of response termination. Delayed dissociation of glucagon from its receptor was excluded by the brisk washout of [125I]glucagon from perifusion columns (t1/2 = 1.00 +/- 0.13) and the rapid decay in glucagon-stimulated cAMP released into the perifusion medium (t1/2 = 1.14 +/- 0.12). The relaxation of the HGP response to a pulse of administered cAMP was comparable to the decay in glucagon-stimulated HGP (t1/2 = 3.28 +/- 0.22). Furthermore, the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutyl-methylxanthine did not alter the decay of the HGP response to glucagon despite increasing the amplitude of the response (t1/2 = 3.04 +/- 0.36). These data place the rate-limiting step for HGP relaxation distal to cAMP generation and degradation. The decay of the beta-hydroxybutyrate response to a glucagon pulse was not different from the cAMP response (t1/2 = 1.14 +/- 0.23), whereas the decay of gluconeogenesis from lactate was not significantly different from HGP relaxation (t1/2 = 1.94 +/- 0.08). We conclude that rate-limiting events for HGP relaxation occur distal to the second messenger cascade; however, ketogenesis is more closely coupled to the kinetics of cAMP. These results may help to explain the absence of excessive ketosis during fasting in normal humans, who secrete glucagon episodically at 10- to 14-min intervals.     

Glucagon induces the plasma membrane insertion of functional aquaporin-8 water channels in isolated rat hepatocytes

Although glucagon is known to stimulate the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-mediated hepatocyte bile secretion, the precise mechanisms accounting for this choleretic effect are unknown. We recently reported that hepatocytes express the water channel aquaporin-8 (AQP8), which is located primarily in intracellular vesicles, and its relocalization to plasma membranes can be induced with dibutyryl cAMP. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that glucagon induces the trafficking of AQP8 to the hepatocyte plasma membrane and thus increases membrane water permeability. Immunoblotting analysis in subcellular fractions from isolated rat hepatocytes indicated that glucagon caused a significant, dose-dependent increase in the amount of AQP8 in plasma membranes (e.g., 102% with 1 micromol/L glucagon) and a simultaneous decrease in intracellular membranes (e.g., 38% with 1 micromol/L glucagon). Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy in cultured hepatocytes confirmed the glucagon-induced redistribution of AQP8 from intracellular vesicles to plasma membrane. Polarized hepatocyte couplets showed that this redistribution was specifically to the canalicular domain. Glucagon also significantly increased hepatocyte membrane water permeability by about 70%, which was inhibited by the water channel blocker dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The inhibitors of protein kinase A, H-89, and PKI, as well as the microtubule blocker colchicine, prevented the glucagon effect on both AQP8 redistribution to hepatocyte surface and cell membrane water permeability. In conclusion, our data suggest that glucagon induces the protein kinase A and microtubule-dependent translocation of AQP8 water channels to the hepatocyte canalicular plasma membrane, which in turn leads to an increase in membrane water permeability. These findings provide evidence supporting the molecular mechanisms of glucagon-induced hepatocyte bile secretion.     

Prostaglandin mediated natriuresis during glucagon infusion in dogs.

Ten mug/min glucagon infused intravenously for 30 min in conscious dogs (weight 15-25 kg) is shown to increase renal prostaglandin activity and to produce a natriuretic effect, which is impaired by indomethacin pretreatment. Cardiac output, heart rate, renal blood flow and urine cAMP excretion are similarly increases in non-pre-treated and indomethacin pre-treated dogs. Glucagon infusion does not consistently change plasma renin activity in non-pre-treated dogs, while the renin secretion is almost totally blocked when glucagon is administered to dogs that are pre-treated with indomethacin. The results are consistent with the view that the natriuretic response to glucagon is largley dependent upon increased renal blood flow. An addition tubular prostaglandin mediated and possible anti-aldosterone effect is, however, also involved.     

Follicle-stimulating hormone-dependent phosphorylation of vimentin in cultures of rat Sertoli cells.

Endogenous protein phosphorylation was investigated in cultured rat Sertoli cells after treatment with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and pharmacological agents that activate cAMP-dependent protein kinases. In intact Sertoli cells, both phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of proteins occurred in response to treatment with these agents. Studies using cell-free preparations suggest that four phosphoproteins phosphorylated by cAMP or the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase were also phosphorylated in a FSH-dependent manner in intact cells. These data suggest that FSH-dependent phosphorylation in Sertoli cells occurs through activation of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase. A FSH-dependent phosphoprotein with a molecular weight of 58,000 was identified as the intermediate filament protein vimentin, based on its migration in two-dimensional gels and its peptide map. The cellular distribution of vimentin was monitored by immunofluorescence in Sertoli cells after treatment with FSH. Results of this study support a role for intermediate filaments in FSH-dependent events in Sertoli cells.     

Theophylline potentiates glucagon-induced hepatic glucose production in man but does not prevent hepatic downregulation to glucagon

Prolonged hyperglucagonemia causes only a transient increase in hepatic glucose production. To determine whether activation of hepatic phosphodiesterase by glucagon is responsible for the transient nature of this response, the effect of infusion of the phosphodiestrase inhibitor theophylline alone, glucagon alone, and glucagon plus theophylline on isotopically determined glucose production was examined in normal human subjects. Infusion of theophylline alone did not alter rates of glucose production or utilization. Infusion of glucagon alone increased glucose production transiently from a basal rate of 1.9 ± 0.1 mg/kg/min to a maximum at min 30 of 2.8 ± 0.3 mg/kg/min followed by a return to rates no different from basal by min 60; plasma glucose increased from 89 ± 3 mg/dl to a maximum of 114 ± 5 mg/dl. Infusion of glucagon in the presence of theophylline resulted in greater increases in both plasma glucose (maximum at min 60 of 134 ± 9 mg/dl) and glucose production (maximum at min 30 of 3.5 ± 0.3 mg/kg/min) than had occurred during infusion of glucagon alone; the increase in glucose production, however, was not sustained. Thus theophylline potentiated glucagon-induced stimulation of hepatic glucose production, but it did not prevent the evanescent hepatic response to sustained hyperglucagonemia. Therefore, the present studies indicate that glucagon activation of hepatic phosphodiesterase does not appear to be responsible for the transient nature of the increase in hepatic glucose production observed during prolonged hyperglucagonemia.     

Dissociation of the alpha-adrenergic inhibitory effects on glucagon- and secretin-stimulated bile volume and on cyclic adenosine monophosphate production in the isolated perfused rat liver

In the isolated perfused rat liver, glucagon increased glucose, cAMP, and bile production. Secretin increased cAMP in the effluent more and bile volume less than glucagon, but did not increase glucose output. When glucagon and secretin were infused together, the effect on cAMP was additive, but glucose output and bile volume were the same as with glucagon alone. The stimulation of bile production by glucagon was suppressed by phenylephrine but not by oxymetazoline, whereas the glucagon-induced cAMP increase in the effluent was suppressed by oxymetazoline in a dose-dependent manner, but not by phenylephrine. Glucagon-stimulated glucose output was not suppressed even when cAMP in the effluent was significantly suppressed by oxymetazoline. The secretin-induced stimulation of bile production was suppressed by phenylephrine, but not by oxymetazoline. Secretin-stimulated cAMP was suppressed more by oxymetazoline than by phenylephrine. The bile volume was not suppressed by phenylephrine alone either in the presence or in the absence of sodium taurocholate. These results indicate that the cholestatic effect of adrenergic agents is mediated by alpha 1-adrenergic receptors, whereas their cAMP suppressive effect is mediated by alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. The stimulatory effect of glucagon on cAMP production was more resistant to alpha-adrenergic agonists than to that of secretin. The dissociation by oxymetazoline of the effects of glucagon on cAMP production from its effect on glucose production is unexplained, whereas the significance of the secretin-induced increase in cAMP production is uncertain.     

Somatostatin inhibits corticotropin-releasing factor-stimulated adrenocorticotropin release, adenylate cyclase, and activation of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase isoenzymes in AtT20 cells

The mechanisms by which somatostatin (SRIF) inhibits CRF-induced ACTH secretion from AtT20 cells were characterized by comparing the effects of SRIF on cAMP production, adenylate cyclase activity, and activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase isoenzymes with its effects on ACTH release. In isolated membranes, CRF (100 nM) stimulated adenylate cyclase activity 4- to 5-fold. SRIF inhibited CRF-stimulated adenylate cyclase in a concentration-dependent manner. However, maximal inhibition was 50%. SRIF did not inhibit basal adenylate cyclase or forskolin-stimulated cyclase in the absence of guanine nucleotides and had only small effects on forskolin-stimulated cyclase when assayed in the presence of guanine nucleotides. CRF (100 nM) induced small rises (2-fold) in intracellular cAMP levels which produced maximal ACTH release. SRIF inhibited basal and CRF-stimulated ACTH release in a concentration-dependent manner, and there was a good correlation between inhibition of ACTH release and inhibition of the activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinases in these cells. Thus, the effect of SRIF on CRF-induced ACTH release appeared to result from its effect on inhibition of adenylate cyclase. In the presence of 3-methylisobutylxanthine (MIX), CRF increased cAMP levels 20-fold and activated a greater proportion of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, but did not stimulate ACTH release more than CRF alone. Under these conditions, SRIF (100 nM) inhibited cAMP accumulation by 90%. ACTH release was also inhibited, but higher concentrations of SRIF were required to block ACTH release compared to cells incubated in the absence of MIX. Sufficient cAMP levels were achieved so that activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinases was only partially blocked. There was still sufficient cAMP to activate cAMP-dependent protein kinase to an extent equal to that seen with CRF without MIX. Similar effects of SRIF on cAMP accumulation and protein kinase activation were seen when cells were stimulated with forskolin. Our results demonstrate that SRIF inhibits ACTH release from AtT20 cells by inhibiting hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclase and thereby prevents the activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinases. However, under conditions where cAMP-dependent protein kinases are still sufficiently active to induce ACTH secretion, high concentrations of SRIF can inhibit ACTH release by a mechanism independent of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Age-related change in ketone body metabolism: diminished glucagon effect on ketogenesis in adult rats

The age-related changes in plasma ketone body levels and related substances such as carnitine and FFA of normal and streptozotocin diabetic rats, as well as its effects on glucagon-induced ketogenesis in isolated perfused rat livers, were examined in this study. The degree of increase of acetoacetate (AcAc) in adult rats (50-week-old) after a 36-h fasting period in both normal and diabetic rats was significantly smaller than that of young rats (8-week-old). Plasma total carnitine tended to decrease with aging. On the other hand, the plasma levels of FFA and glucagon in fasted adult rats were significantly higher than those in young rats. In parallel with the in vivo observation, the basal output of AcAc, but not 3-hydroxybutyrate, from adult rat livers was significantly smaller than that of the young normal and diabetic rats. The level of glucagon-stimulated AcAc output from the young rat liver was significantly higher than that from the adult rat liver in both the normal and diabetic rats. This study demonstrates that the hepatic unresponsiveness to glucagon in terms of its ketone body production by aging may be one of the major causes of hyperosmolar nonketotic coma in elderly people.     

cAMP increases junctional conductance and stimulates phosphorylation of the 27-kDa principal gap junction polypeptide.

Membrane-permeant cAMP derivatives (dibutyryl- and 8-bromo-cAMP) increase gap-junctional conductance within minutes when applied to voltage-clamped pairs of rat hepatocytes. Glucagon also increases junctional conductances, but the response has a more rapid onset and is more rapidly reversible. The glucagon effect can be prevented by intracellular injection of the protein inhibitor of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (Walsh inhibitor), indicating that the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase is directly involved. The 27-kDa major gap junction polypeptide is phosphorylated when liver cells dissociated into small groups are incubated with 32P. Addition of 8-bromo-cAMP to cells increases the incorporation of 32P into the 27-kDa junctional protein. Serine is the amino acid residue that is phosphorylated. When isolated liver gap junctions are incubated in the presence of catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, the 27-kDa gap junction polypeptide is phosphorylated with low stoichiometry on serine. The rapid increases in gap junctional conductance caused by agents that elevate cAMP and phosphorylation of the gap junction protein by cAMP-dependent protein kinase suggest that cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the gap junction channel modulates the conductance of liver gap junctions.     

Glucocorticoid treatment facilitates cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase response in parathyroid hormone-responsive osteogenic sarcoma cells

Late passage cultures of a clonal osteogenic sarcoma line (ROS 17/2.8) failed to respond to PTH with activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase isoenzymes despite showing a sensitive and dose-dependent increase in cAMP after treatment with the hormone. When cells were treated with hydrocortisone or dexamethasone, protein kinase responsiveness to PTH was readily demonstrated; such treatment also resulted in enhanced cAMP production. Forskolin preincubation resulted in a cAMP response to PTH of similar magnitude to that seen with hydrocortisone but no activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase occurred. Thus, the effect of glucocorticoid cannot be explained merely by the increased amplitude and sensitivity of the cAMP response which developed with glucocorticoid treatment in these cells. The data indicate that cellular activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase does not automatically follow cAMP generation and that information transfer can be restored by pharmacological means.     

Tyrosine kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activation are required for cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent potentiation of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis induced by insulin-like growth factor-I in FRTL-5 cells

In previous studies, we showed that pretreatment of rat FRTL-5 thyroid cells with TSH, or other agents that increased intracellular cAMP, markedly potentiated DNA synthesis in response to insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). In addition, we found that TSH pretreatment caused an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of intracellular proteins including an unidentified 125-kDa protein that was well correlated with the TSH-potentiating effect on DNA synthesis induced by IGF-I. These results suggested that cAMP amplified IGF-I-dependent signals for cell growth through changes of cAMP-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation. The present studies were undertaken to determine how tyrosine kinase activation followed by an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation is required for cAMP-dependent potentiation of DNA synthesis induced by IGF-I in this cell line. First of all, we measured tyrosine kinase or protein-tyrosine phosphatase activities in the cell lysates by the in vitro assay. Chronic treatment with TSH or (Bu)2-cAMP stimulated tyrosine kinase activity in the particulate fraction and protein-tyrosine phosphatase activity in the soluble fraction, suggesting that tyrosine kinase plays more important roles for a cAMP-dependent increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of intracellular proteins. The increased tyrosine kinase activity was sensitive to genistein, a potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Genistein abolished both the cAMP-dependent increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of the 125-kDa protein and the enhanced DNA synthesis induced by IGF-I in a similar concentration-dependent manner. The only tyrosine-phosphorylated protein associated with the p85 regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase in response to cAMP was 125 kDa. In addition, we found that PI 3-kinase activity bound to p85 subunit significantly increased after (Bu)2cAMP treatment. These results suggested that cAMP stimulates PI 3-kinase through tyrosine phosphorylation of the 125-kDa protein. We then measured DNA synthesis in cells pretreated for 24 h with TSH or (Bu)2cAMP in the absence or presence of LY294002, a PI 3-kinase inhibitor, followed by treatment with IGF-I for 24 h. Presence of LY294002 during TSH or (Bu)2cAMP pretreatment completely abolished cAMP-dependent potentiation of DNA synthesis induced by IGF-I. These results suggest that in FRTL-5 cells cAMP activates genistein-sensitive tyrosine kinases that in turn activate PI 3-kinase activity. These mechanisms appear to be necessary for cAMP-dependent potentiation of the DNA synthesis induced by IGF-I.     

Increased cyclic AMP content accelerates protein synthesis in rat heart

Elevation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) content in perfused rat hearts by exposure to glucagon, forskolin, and 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (IBMX) increased rates of protein synthesis during the second hour of perfusion with buffer that contained glucose in the absence of added insulin. When tetrodotoxin was added to arrest contractile activity, glucagon, forskolin, and IBMX still elevated cAMP content and rates of protein synthesis. Perfusion of beating rat hearts at elevated aortic pressure (120 mm Hg vs. 60 mm Hg) also accelerated rates of protein synthesis and raised cAMP content and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity during the second hour of perfusion. Insulin accelerated rates of protein synthesis in beating hearts during the first and second hour of perfusion but did not increase cAMP content. Elevation of aortic pressure in insulin-treated hearts raised cAMP content but had no further effect on rates of protein synthesis. Perfusion of arrested hearts for as little as 2 minutes at 120 mm Hg resulted in a rapid and sustained increase in cAMP content, cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity, and rate of protein synthesis after 60-120 minutes of additional perfusion at 60 mm Hg. Exposure of arrested hearts to 0.2 mM methacholine, a muscarinic-cholinergic agonist, for 5 minutes before elevation of perfusion pressure blocked the pressure-induced increases in cAMP content, cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity, and rates of protein synthesis. When hearts were removed from pertussis toxin-treated animals, methacholine did not block the effects of forskolin on these same three parameters. These studies indicated that elevation of tissue cAMP by hormone binding, direct activation of adenylate cyclase, or inhibition of phosphodiesterase resulted in acceleration of protein synthesis. Furthermore, the effects of increased aortic pressure to accelerate synthesis appeared to involve a cAMP-dependent mechanism that was independent of changes in contractile activity but could be blocked with a muscarinic-cholinergic agonist. Acceleration of protein synthesis by insulin was not associated with an elevation of cAMP.     

The effect of somatostatin on the activation of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in isolated rat islets of Langerhans

Somatostatin has been reported to inhibit the increases in cAMP levels induced by glucagon in isolated islets of Langerhans. The present study was undertaken to test whether the reported effects of somatostatin on islet cAMP levels were also reflected in changes in the cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. Isolated islets were found to contain both isoenzymes of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In the presence of theophylline (2 mM), glucagon (2.9 X 10(-6) M) increased the islet protein kinase activity ratio from 0.24 +/- 0.02 to 0.55 +/- 0.02. Somatostatin (6.6 X 10(-7) M) fully inhibited both the glucagon (2.9 X 10(-7) M)- and theophylline (2 mM)-induced increases in the protein kinase activity ratio. Omission of Ca2+ from the islet incubation media did not alter the inhibitory effect of somatostatin on the glucagon-dependent activation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The present study has demonstrated that in the islets of Langerhans, glucagon-dependent activation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase can be modulated by somatostatin.