Strips of bovine mesenteric artery mounted in disposable organ baths made of polyethylene showed a biphasic relaxation pattern when exposed to glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). The concentration response curve could be resolved into a high affinity component (pD2 11.9) and a low affinity component (pD2 7.5) by means of non-linear regression analysis. The relaxation induced by both low (0.01 nM - 0.1 nM) and high (1 microM) concentrations of GTN seemed to be mediated by cyclic GMP. We found a 2-3-fold increase in cGMP at 0.01 - 0.1 nM GTN and a 5-fold increase at 1 microM GTN. Cyclic AMP levels were unchanged. We also found that GTN-induced relaxation was increased, for a given GTN concentration, when the endothelium was removed, especially in the low concentration range.
We found specific activity of adenylate cyclase (AC) to be as high in rat skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) as in sarcolemma (SL) (39 +/- 5 pmol/mg per min and 34 +/- 5 pmol/mg per min). Detection of AC in SR could not be due to SL contamination. Activity in SR was similar in triads (heavy SR) and longitudinal reticulum (light SR), despite virtual absence of surface membrane markers in preparations of light SR. Also, AC of SR and SL may differ biochemically. In the presence of 10(-5) M 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate, 10(-4) M isoproterenol increased SL activity 508%, crude SR 46.4%, heavy SR 68.3%, light SR only 24.3%. SR activity was 50% higher at 0.32 micromolar Ca++ than at 1 nanomolar Ca++ (p less than 0.05); higher concentrations of Ca++ noncompetively inhibited activity (Ki 0.87 micromolar). In contrast, Ca++ monophasically inhibited SL activity. Permeabilization of SR vesicles with alamethacin indicated that AC is on the cytoplasmic surface of SR; its regulation by physiological changes in cytoplasmic Ca++ could influence SR Ca++ flux.
The effects of 4-beta phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on hormone and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase were evaluated in S49 lymphoma cells. Treatment of wild type (WT) S49 cells with PMA caused stimulation, inhibition or had no effect on epinephrine stimulation of cAMP accumulation. The effect observed was dependent on the length of PMA treatment, the concentration of PMA and the concentration of hormone (or forskolin) used to stimulate cAMP accumulation. Longer treatment times with PMA and higher PMA concentrations favored the inhibitory effects. Pretreating WT with 0.5 microM PMA for 18 min caused an increase in the EC50 and maximal levels for epinephrine stimulation of cAMP accumulation. Thus inhibition was seen at relatively low epinephrine concentrations and augmentation with high concentrations. The inhibitory effects of PMA on epinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity were observed only at low free Mg++ concentrations (0.75 mM). The effects of PMA on PGE1-stimulated cAMP accumulation were similar to those observed for epinephrine. In S49 WT cells 100 nM PMA augmented 5 microM forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation; however with 100 microM forskolin, PMA effects were minimal. PMA also attenuated Gi-mediated Gpp(NH)p inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase in both WT and cyc- membranes, resembling the effects of pertussis toxin. The effects of various phorbol analogues on epinephrine-stimulated cAMP accumulation were as follows: 4 beta-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate had similar effects to PMA, 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate had no effects and 1-oleoyl, 2-acetylglycerol augmented epinephrine-stimulated cAMP accumulation at concentrations greater than or equal to 5 microM. Our results are consistent with a dual mechanism of PMA action on adenylate cyclase involving protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation of Gi and of the beta-adrenergic receptor, the former leading to augmentation and the latter to inhibition of hormone-stimulated adenylate cyclase.
Adenylate cyclase activity in renal papillary membranes was stimulated by both vasopressin and the adenosine agonist 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA). The stimulations mediated by the two receptors were additive at all concentrations and interacted differently with other AC-stimulatory factors viz cholera toxin, pertussis toxin and fluoride ion. Treatment of papillary tubules with cholera toxin increased cyclase activity from 4.5 +/- 1.5 to 110 +/- 9.1 (SE, n = 5) pmol/min/mg protein. Maximally effective concentrations of vasopressin increased activity in control preparations to 10.3 +/- 2.8 (an increase of 5.8 +/- 1.3). In cholera toxin treated preparations, vasopressin increased activity to 138.9 +/- 14.5 (an increase of 28.9 +/- 5.4, n = 5; p less than .01). Pertussis toxin increased activity to 9.1 +/- 3.0. The response to vasopressin was enhanced such that the absolute maximum increase in activity was 12.6 +/- 3.9 (n = 5; p less than .01). Addition of the two toxins together produced a greater than additive stimulation to 145 +/- 36. Maximum increase in activity caused by vasopressin was further enhanced to 48 +/- 13 (n = 5; p less than .01). In contrast, cyclase stimulation by NECA was additive with stimulations by the two toxins, separately and in combination. The NECA stimulation however, was enhanced in the presence of fluoride ion while the vasopressin stimulation was additive at all concentrations. Papillary membranes contained two different cyclase-stimulatory coupling proteins with alpha-subunits of MW's 46,600 +/- 450 (SE, n = 6) and 41,500 +/- 480 (SE, n = 6) as identified on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis following cholera toxin labeling. Taken together, these data suggest that two adenylate cyclase-stimulatory coupling mechanisms with different properties are operative in renal papillary membranes.
Incubation of dog thyroid slices with 1 mU/ml TSH resulted in enhanced intracellular and extracellular cAMP accumulation. In the absence of TSH, the intra- and extracellular cAMP concentrations remained at a constant low level. The release of cAMP from TSH-stimulated slices was inhibited by 10 microM PGA1, 1 mM probenecid or 1 mM IBMX, which are known inhibitors of cAMP escape in several tissues. Negative controls of intracellular cAMP levels are exerted in the dog thyroid by 10 microM carbamylcholine (shown to activate a Ca++- calmodulin dependent phosphodiesterase), 100 microM norepinephrine and 100 microM iodide (both inhibiting adenylate cyclase activity). The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate that these three agents do not enhance cAMP escape. The results presented here show that these agents decrease both intracellular accumulation and escape in parallel. Moreover, the escape constants obtained by numerical simulation were not greater in the presence of inhibiting concentrations of carbamylcholine, norepinephrine or iodide. Thus the inhibition by these agents of cAMP accumulation in TSH-stimulated dog thyroid slices cannot be explained by a stimulation of cAMP escape from these cells.
Photolysis of solutions containing 4-azido-7-phenylpyrazolo-[1,5a]-1,3,5-triazine (APPT) and calmodulin-sensitive cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase resulted in reduction of both cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP hydrolytic activity. The inactivation was dependent upon both time of exposure to ultraviolet irradiation and the initial concentration of APPT. The photo-induced inactivation could be attenuated by the presence of cyclic GMP, 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine, and papaverine. alpha-Chymotrypsin treatment caused the enzyme to be fully active in the absence of calmodulin but this treatment did not alter the ability of APPT to inactivate the enzyme. Thus, inhibition of calmodulin-binding did not contribute to the photo-induced inactivation. These data indicate that APPT acts as a photoaffinity agent to covalently modify the APPT-binding site of calmodulin-sensitive phosphodiesterase.
[32P]ADP-ribosylation of membrane proteins catalyzed by either cholera toxin or pertussis toxin was markedly enhanced by NADP+. The effect was concentration dependent; with 20 microM [32P]NAD+ as a substrate maximal enhancement was obtained at a concentration of 0.5-1.0 mM NADP+ for rabbit and guinea-pig liver membranes and 0.1 mM NADP+ for human erythrocyte membranes. NADP+ appears to act by inhibiting the degradation of NAD+ by NAD+-glycohydrolase (NADase) present in membrane preparations, probably as an alternate substrate for the enzyme. Among inhibitors tested (NADP+, isonicotinic acid hydrazide, imidazole, nicotinamide, L-arginine methyl ester and HgCl2) to suppress the enzyme activity, NADP+ was the most effective and, at 10 mM, inhibited hepatic NADase activity by about 90%. The effect of NADP+ was much greater than that of other known effectors of ADP-ribosylation such as Mg2+ and phosphate, or the NADase inhibitors, isonicotinic acid hydrazide and isonicotinamide. In membranes which contain substantial activities of NADase the inclusion of NADP+ in the assay system is necessary to achieve maximal ADP-ribosylation of membrane proteins.
In order to identify common mechanisms of action by which both the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and the tumor promoter tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA) initiate cell growth, the effects of PDGF and TPA on phosphorylation of cellular proteins were examined in density-inhibited Balb/c-3T3 cells. Cultures were incubated with 32Pi and growth factor, and 32P-labeled cellular proteins were examined after separation by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. TPA and PDGF each induced phosphorylation of a major cytosol protein of approximately 75,000 molecular weight (pp75). Phosphorylation of this protein was not induced by either epidermal growth factor or insulin, neither of which initiate 3T3 cell growth but enhance growth later in the 3T3 cell cycle. pp75 was a single band under reduced and non-reduced conditions, and a single spot was seen on two-dimensional gels. Phosphorylation did not occur at 4 degrees C. Phosphorylation of the protein was observed within 3 min and reached a maximum in 10-30 min. Submitogenic doses of TPA and PDGF induced submaximal phosphorylation. The phosphoprotein was labeled only on serine. Cell free phosphorylation of pp75 occurred at 4 degrees C in the presence of Mg++ and Ca2+. Homogenates from cultures pretreated with TPA phosphorylated pp75 in the presence or absence of Ca2+. Phosphorylation of this protein may possibly be related to activation of the Ca2+-dependent, phospholipid sensitive protein kinase C.
Digitonin-permeabilized monolayers of C6-2B rat astrocytoma cells exhibit adenylate cyclase activity in the presence of exogenously added ATP. The adenylate cyclase retains the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of hormone stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in whole cells including GTP dependency and 100 fold stimulation by isoproterenol. Forskolin increased enzymatic activity in the absence of added GTP, however forskolin efficacy and potency was enhanced by GTP. Low non-efficacious concentrations of forskolin, without added GTP, supported isoproterenol-stimulated cyclase activity. The GTP-stimulated isoproterenol response was potentiated by forskolin. Forskolin support of isoproterenol stimulated cyclase in the absence of GTP raises the possibility that forskolin can act independently of GTP in coupling receptors to cyclase catalytic units and/or that forskolin could increase the efficacy and potency of GTP in the coupling reaction. Permeabilization of C6-2B and other cultured cells yields a preparation of adenylate cyclase which retains the enzyme in a state which closely approximates its activity in the native membrane--a system which could prove useful in studies of the regulation of adenylate cyclase in vivo.
Highly purified 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase from pig brain is susceptible to phosphorylation by the purified cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit. Up to 0.7 moles of phosphate from ATP-(gamma)-32P can be incorporated per mole of dimeric holoenzyme. Maximum phosphorylation was observed within about 90 minutes at 30 degrees C. Despite the extensive degree of phosphorylation observed, no kinetic property of the enzyme was perceptibly altered. Removal of cofactor had no detectable impact on the extent of phosphorylation but thermal inactivation of the enzyme increased and mild reduction with sodium borohydride decreased the phosphorylatability of the aminotransferase. It was possible to separate the enzyme into phospho and dephospho forms by the use of DEAE chromatography. Validation that the two fractions represented genuine aminotransferase was obtained by proteolytic peptide mapping. The phospho form of the enzyme was found to possess little or no aminotransferase activity while that of the dephospho form exhibited higher specific activity than the purified enzyme prior to phosphorylation. Furthermore, the dephospho form of the enzyme could not be detectably phosphorylated by reincubation with the kinase following DEAE chromatography unless it was subjected to thermal inactivation. The stoichiometry of phosphorylation of the fraction containing 32P from DEAE chromatography was approximately 1 mole/mole of dimer. These results suggest that the substrate for phosphorylation by the kinase is a form of the aminotransferase which is somehow inactivated during routine purification even when extensive precautions are taken to maximally preserve catalytic activity.
Isoproterenol activates adenylate cyclase indirectly via the beta-receptors. Forskolin, on the other hand, directly activates the adenylate cyclase. Both compounds can induce slow action potentials (APs) in isolated guinea pig papillary muscles, consistent with their ability to activate adenylate cyclase. Acetylcholine (ACh), 1-10 microM, depressed or abolished slow APs induced by isoproterenol or forskolin. There was no difference between the forskolin- and isoproterenol-induced slow APs with regard to their sensitivity to ACh. Similar results were obtained in cultured embryonic chick heart cells. We conclude that forskolin induces slow APs that are essentially the same as those induced by isoproterenol, and that ACh action on depressing slow APs must be either directly on the adenylate cyclase complex and/or on another step entirely (e.g., mediated through increased cGMP.
Thio-substituted ATP is a sensitive probe for detecting protein kinase C activity as demonstrated in bovine adrenocortical cell membrane preparations. A single endogenous protein substrate with a molecular weight of approximately 47 Kd was rapidly phosphorylated with [3 5S] gamma-thio-ATP as phosphate donor. Phosphorylation was significantly increased in 30 seconds and reached a plateau by 3 minutes. The activity of the endogenous membrane kinase was unaffected by ACTH, cAMP, calmodulin or trifluoperazine but was responsive to combinations of calcium (Ca), diolein and phosphatidyl serine (PS). In addition, the kinase was activated by the tumor promoting phorbol ester, 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, indicating that the membrane contains a protein kinase C and a single 47 Kd phosphorylatable protein substrate. The same substrate is phosphorylated by Ca/diolein/PS activated kinase in membrane preparations from a broad range of rat tissues. Attempts to identify the substrate indicate that it is neither the type I regulatory subunit of cAMP dependent protein kinase nor mitochondrial cytochrome P450.
Forskolin is a unique diterpene activator of adenylate cyclase which has been extensively used in the study of cAMP generating systems. This report describes the production of antibodies to forskolin and the optimization of two sensitive assay methods for such antibodies. 7-0-Hemisuccinyl 7-deacetyl forskolin, coupled to either human serum albumin or goat IgG, was injected into goats to elicit antibodies to the forskolin hapten. Two assay methods, a radioimmunoassay with [12-3H]forskolin as a tracer and a colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with horse radish peroxidase-labelled rabbit anti-goat IgG as an indicator, were optimized to test for the presence of forskolin antibodies in antisera and isolated IgG fractions. The titers for forskolin antisera were 4000-10000. Both assay methods can be adapted to quantify forskolin and its protein conjugates. The availability of antibodies to this diterpene will be useful in accelerating the understanding of the mechanism of adenylate cyclase activation by forskolin.
Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (cAMP-PrK) regulatory subunits, RI and RII, and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (cGMP-PrK) have been simultaneously purified from skeletal muscle, utilizing sequential affinity chromatography on cyclic AMP-Sepharose. Rat skeletal muscle extract was chromatographed over DEAE-cellulose. Appropriate fractions, enriched in RI, RII or cGMP-PrK were further purified by affinity chromatography on cAMP-Sepharose. The protein kinase units were specifically eluted with cAMP or cGMP. A novel procedure, using two affinity columns, differing in their linkage of cAMP via either N6 or C-8 bonds, was developed to obtain RII free of other cyclic nucleotide binding proteins. In all cases, affinity chromatography was followed by HPLC gel exclusion chromatography to remove residual contaminating proteins. Proteins were purified to essential homogeneity as judged by silver stained SDS polyacrylamide gels. This procedure yields protein kinase subunits of high purity, and may be applicable to the isolation of these proteins from other sources.
The intact rat adipocyte was used to investigate the possibility of common intermediates in the insulin stimulation of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase and the beta-adrenergic/adenosine regulation of adenylate cyclase. A five minute incubation of the isolated adipocytes with insulin produced a 50-100% increase in the phosphodiesterase activity found in the particulate fraction of homogenates. The insulin stimulation was not impaired by the presence of either agonist or antagonists of the inhibitory adenosine receptor which acts on adenylate cyclase. Phosphodiesterase activation by insulin was also observable above the level of stimulation produced by the beta-adrenergic agent isoproterenol and forskolin. The validity of the enzyme activity measurements was supported by measurements of the hormonal actions on cyclic AMP levels within the cells. Possible crossover between the adenylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase regulation systems at a post-receptor site was investigated using adipocytes exposed to bacterial toxins specific for the modification of guanine nucleotide binding proteins. Both cholera toxin, which irreversibly activates Gs and pertussis toxin which inactivates Gi caused some stimulation of the phosphodiesterase activity and suppressed activation by isoproterenol, but neither toxin prevented the insulin stimulation of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. These results suggest, while common components may participate in the beta-adrenergic stimulation of both adenylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase, the mechanism of insulin activation of the phosphodiesterase does not involve the components of adenylate cyclase regulation.
The polyamines, spermine and spermidine, activate a high molecular weight form of phosphorylase a phosphatase isolated from rat liver. This broad specificity protein phosphatase (type 2A) was partially purified, using both protein and non-protein phosphoester substrates. Spermine and spermidine activated isolated protein phosphatase-2A1 (apparent Mr 210,000) approximately 2-fold, when p-nitrophenyl phosphate (PNPP) was used as substrate. Freeze-thawing, which activated the phosphatase activity against a variety of phosphoprotein substrates, also increased the extent of stimulation of PNPP phosphatase activity by spermine (8 to 9-fold with Ka of 93 microM) and spermidine (6 to 7-fold with Ka 280 microM). Kinetic analysis indicated that the activation of phosphatase by polyamines was accomplished by an increase in Vmax of the enzyme, by a mechanism independent of that achieved by other cations. The data indicate that polyamines, at physiological concentrations, can activate a form of protein phosphatase widely distributed in mammalian tissues, and thereby influence cellular protein phosphorylation.
Several hormones, including catecholamines, histamine, and prostaglandin E1, regulate the function of human mononuclear leukocytes (MNL) by stimulating the accumulation of cAMP. Isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP accumulation in MNL isolated and washed at 4 degrees is five times greater than in cells prepared at ambient temperature. The current study was aimed at understanding this difference. cAMP accumulation in MNL prepared at ambient temperature could not be increased by chilling the cells for 4 hours. Warming MNL prepared at 4 degrees for 30 min, however, reduced later isoproterenol-, histamine-, and PGE1-stimulated cAMP accumulation by 65-85% without altering forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation and without altering cellular viability or ATP content. In broken cell preparations, there was no difference in either adenylate cyclase or phosphodiesterase activities, and no difference in the binding of isoproterenol to the beta-adrenergic receptors. The reduction in isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP accumulation in warmed intact cells was reversed when the MNL were incubated with autologous leukocyte-depleted blood or with plasma. These data suggest the presence of one or more factors in plasma that enhances hormone-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in intact MNL.
