Histamine Stimulation of Cyclic AMP Accumulation in Astrocyte-Enriched and Neuronal Primary Cultures from Rat Brain

Histamine stimulates cyclic AMP accumulation in astrocyte-enriched and neuronal primary cultures from rat brain in the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine. The response in the astrocyte cultures (Emax = 304 +/- 44% over basal, EC50 = 43 +/- 5 microM) was much higher than in neuronal cultures (Emax = 24 +/- 2%, EC50 = 14 +/- 7 microM). The histamine effect in astrocytes was competitively inhibited by the H2 antagonists cimetidine (Ki = 1.1 +/- 0.2 microM) and ranitidine (Ki = 46 +/- 10 nM) but was insensitive to the H1 antagonist mepyramine (1 microM). The two selective H2 agonists impromidine and dimaprit behaved as partial agonists and showed relative potencies (139 and 0.5, respectively) consistent with an interaction with H2 receptors. The more selective H1 agonist 2-thiazolylethylamine (0.01-1 mM) did not potentiate the response to impromidine (10 microM). Thus, in contrast to what is generally observed in intact cell preparations from brain, the histamine-induced cyclic AMP accumulation in astroglial cells is mediated solely by H2 receptors. The small effect shown in neuronal cultures also appears to be mediated by H2 receptors.     

Galanin Inhibits Noradrenaline-Induced Accumulation of Cyclic AMP in the Rat Cerebral Cortex

The effect of galanin on noradrenaline (NA)-induced accumulation of cyclic AMP was investigated in slices of rat cerebral cortex. NA (10(-4)M) increased cyclic AMP levels during a 20-min observation period. Galanin (3 X 10(-7)M) significantly inhibited this response at all time points examined, although it did not change the basal levels of cyclic AMP. Galanin (10(-8)-3 X 10(-6)M) inhibited the cyclic AMP response to NA (10(-4)M) in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 of approximately 5.6 X 10(-8)M and a maximum inhibition of 59%. These results suggest that galanin, devoid of any detectable effects by itself, modulates the cyclic AMP response to NA in the rat cerebral cortex.     

α2-Adrenergic and Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptors Have Oposing Actions on Cyclic AMP Levels in SK-N-SH Human Neuroblastoma Cells

Forskolin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) were shown to increase cyclic AMP accumulation in a human neuroblastoma cell line, SK-N-SH cells. The alpha 2-adrenergic agonist UK 14304 decreased forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP levels by 40 +/- 2%, with an EC50 of 83 +/- 20 nM. This response was blocked by pretreatment with pertussis toxin (PT) (EC50 = 1 ng/ml) or by the alpha 2-antagonists yohimbine, idazoxan, and phentolamine. Antagonist IC50 values were 0.3 +/- 0.1, 2.2 +/- 0.3, and 1.4 +/- 0.1 microM, respectively. This finding suggests the presence of normal inhibitory coupling of SK-N-SH cell alpha 2-adrenergic receptors to adenylate cyclase via the inhibitory GTP-binding protein species, Gi. Muscarinic receptors in many target cell types are coupled to inhibition of adenylate cyclase. However, in SK-N-SH cells, muscarinic agonists synergistically increased (67-95%) the level of cyclic AMP accumulation elicited by forskolin or VIP. EC50 values for carbamylcholine (CCh) and oxotremorine facilitation of the forskolin response were 1.2 +/- 0.2 and 0.3 +/- 0.1 microM, respectively. Pharmacological studies using the muscarinic receptor subtype-preferring antagonists 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine, pirenzepine, and AF-DX 116 indicated mediation of this response by the M3 subtype. IC50 values were 14 +/- 1, 16,857 +/- 757, and 148,043 +/- 16,209 nM, respectively. CCh-elicited responses were unaffected by PT pretreatment. Muscarinic agonist binding affinity was indirectly measured by the ability of CCh to compete for [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites on SK-N-SH cell membranes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Calcium Independence of Phosphoinositide Hydrolysis-Induced Increase in Cyclic AMP Accumulation in SK-N-SH Human Neuroblastoma Cells

Previous work has shown that stimulation of muscarinic receptors in various cell lines increases intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels. This unusual response has been hypothesized to be mediated by stimulation of calcium/calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase, secondary to inositol trisphosphate (IP3)-mediated calcium mobilization. To test this hypothesis, we stimulated muscarinic receptors in SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma cells while blocking the IP3-mediated rise in intracellular calcium concentration using two different methods. Loading cells with the intracellular calcium chelator 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) abolished the carbachol-mediated intracellular calcium release without abolishing the carbachol-mediated increase in cAMP level. Similarly, in cells preexposed to carbachol, the agonist-induced change in intracellular calcium level was blocked, but the cAMP response was not. Thus, both of these methods failed to block the muscarinic receptor-mediated increase in cAMP level, thereby demonstrating that this cAMP level increase is not mediated by a detectable rise in intracellular calcium concentration.     

N-Acetylaspartylglutamate Inhibits Forskolin-Stimulated Cyclic AMP Levels via a Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor in Cultured Cerebellar Granule Cells

Abstract: The neuronal dipeptide N -acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) fulfills several of the criteria for classification as a neurotransmitter including localization in synaptic vesicles, calcium-dependent release after neuronal depolarization, and low potency activation of N -methyl- d -aspartate receptors. In the present study, the influence of NAAG on metabotropic receptor activation in cerebellar granule cells was examined in cell culture. Stimulation of granule cell adenylate cyclase with forskolin increased cyclic AMP (cAMP) several hundredfold above basal levels within 10 min in a concentration-dependent manner. Although gluta-mate, NAAG, and the metabotropic receptor agonist frans-1-amino-1, 3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid did not alter the low basal cAMP levels, the application of 300 μ M glutamate or NAAG or trans-1-amino-1, 3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid reduced forskolin-stimulated cAMP in granule cells by 30–50% in the absence or presence of inhibitors of ionotropic acidic amino acid receptors, as well as 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate. No additivity in the inhibition of cAMP was found when 300 μ M NAAG and trans -1-amino-1, 3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid were coapplied. The β-analogue of NAAG failed to reduce cAMP levels. Similar effects of NAAG and glutamate were obtained under conditions of inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity and were prevented by pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin. These data are consistent with the activation by NAAG of a metabotropic acidic amino acid receptor coupled to an inhibitory G protein. In contrast, the metabotropic acidic amino acid receptor coupled to phosphoinositol turnover in these cells was not activated by NAAG. Granule cells in culture expressed very low levels of extracellular peptidase activity against NAAG, converting to glutamate <0.1% of the 10 μ M through 1 m M NAAG applied to these cells during 15-min in vitro assays.     

Activation of Tyrosine Hydroxylase in PC12 Cells by the Cyclic GMP and Cyclic AMP Second Messenger Systems

Tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis, is subject to regulation by a variety of agents. Previous workers have found that cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and calcium-stimulated protein kinases activate tyrosine hydroxylase. We wanted to determine whether cyclic GMP might also be involved in the regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase activity. We found that treatment of rat PC12 cells with sodium nitroprusside (an activator of guanylate cyclase), 8-bromocyclic GMP, forskolin (an activator of adenylate cyclase), and 8-bromocyclic AMP all produced an increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity measured in vitro or an increased conversion of [14C]tyrosine to labeled catecholamine in situ. Sodium nitroprusside also increased the relative synthesis of cyclic GMP in these cells. In the presence of MgATP, both cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP increased tyrosine hydroxylase activity in PC12 cell extracts. The heat-stable cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor failed to attenuate the activation produced in the presence of cyclic GMP. It eliminated the activation produced in the presence of cyclic AMP. Sodium nitroprusside also increased tyrosine hydroxylase activity in vitro in rat corpus striatal synaptosomes and bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. In all cases, the cyclic AMP-dependent activation of tyrosine hydroxylase was greater than that of the cyclic GMP-dependent second messenger system. These results indicate that both cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP and their cognate protein kinases activate tyrosine hydroxylase activity in PC12 cells.     

Muscarinic Receptor-Stimulated Phosphoinositide Turnover in Human SK-N-SH Neuroblastoma Cells: Differential Inhibition by Agents that Elevate Cyclic AMP

The possibility that an increased intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP (cAMP) can regulate the extent of muscarinic receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide (PPI) turnover in the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH was examined. Addition of either forskolin (or its water-soluble analog, L-85,8051), theophylline, isobutylmethylxanthine, or cholera toxin, agents that interact with either the catalytic unit of adenylate cyclase, cAMP phosphodiesterase, or the guanine nucleotide binding protein linked to adenylate cyclase activation, resulted in a 45-181% increase in cAMP concentration and a 27-70% inhibition of carbachol-stimulated inositol phosphate release. Through the use of digitonin-permeabilized cells, the site of inhibition was localized to a step at, or distal to, the guanine nucleotide binding protein that regulates phospholipase C activity. In contrast, when intact SK-N-SH cells were exposed to prostaglandin E1, the ensuing increases in cAMP were not accompanied by an inhibition of stimulated PPI turnover. These differential effects of increased cAMP concentrations on stimulated PPI turnover may reflect the compartmentation of cAMP within SK-N-SH cells.     

Specific Inhibition of Dopamine D-1-Mediated Cyclic AMP Formation by Dopamine D-2, Muscarinic Cholinergic, and Opiate Receptor Stimulation in Rat Striatal Slices

The ability of different receptors to mediate inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation due to a variety of agonists was examined in rat striatal slices. In the presence of 1 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, dopamine D-2, muscarinic cholinergic, and opiate receptor stimulation by RU 24926, carbachol, and morphine (all at 10(-8)-10(-5) M), respectively, inhibited the increase in cyclic AMP accumulation in slices of rat striatum due to dopamine D-1 receptor stimulation by 1 microM SKF 38393. In contrast, these inhibitory agents were unable to reduce the ability of a number of other agonists, including isoprenaline, prostaglandin E1, 2-chloroadenosine, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and cholera toxin, to increase cyclic AMP levels in striatal slices. These results suggest that in rat striatum either dopamine D-2, muscarinic cholinergic, and opiate receptors are only functionally linked to dopamine D-1 receptors or that the D-1 and D-2 receptors linked to adenylate cyclase lie on the cells, distinct from other receptors capable of elevating striatal cyclic AMP levels.     

Adenosine Receptor Activation and the Regulation of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Activity in PC 12 and PC 18 Cells

We compared the response of rat PC12 cells and a derivative PC18 cell line to the effects of adenosine receptor agonists, antagonists, and adenine nucleotide metabolizing enzymes. We found that theophylline (an adenosine receptor antagonist), adenosine deaminase, and AMP deaminase all decreased basal cyclic AMP content and tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the PC12 cells, but not in PC18 cells. Both cell lines responded to the addition of 2-chloroadenosine and 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine, adenosine receptor agonists, by exhibiting an increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity and cyclic AMP content. The latter finding indicates that both cell lines contained an adenosine receptor linked to adenylate cyclase. We found that the addition of dipyridamole, an inhibitor of adenosine uptake, produced an elevation of cyclic AMP and tyrosine hydroxylase activity in both cell lines. Deoxycoformycin, an inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, failed to alter the levels of cyclic AMP or tyrosine hydroxylase activity. This suggests that uptake was the primary inactivating mechanism of adenosine action in these cells. We conclude that both cell types generated adenine nucleotides which activate the adenosine receptor in an autocrine or paracrine fashion. We found that PC12 cells released ATP in a calcium-dependent process in response to activation of the nicotinic receptor. We also measured the rates of degradation of exogenous ATP, ADP, and AMP by PC12 cells. We found that the rates of metabolism of the former two were at least an order of magnitude greater than that of AMP. Any released ATP would be rapidly metabolized to AMP and then more slowly degraded to adenosine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Melatonin Receptor-Mediated Inhibition of Cyclic AMP Accumulation in Chick Retinal Cell Cultures

Abstract: Melatonin receptors were characterized in cultured neurons and photoreceptors prepared from chick embryo retina. Cultured cells contained high-affinity 2-[¹²⁵I]iodomelatonin binding sites (K_D = 41.6 pM), similar to those in intact retina. The effects of melatonin and related indoles on cyclic AMP accumulation were examined. Melatonin (10^?7M) had no effect on basal or K⁺-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation, but inhibited forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation by approximately 50%. Melatonin inhibited forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in the presence or absence of the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, suggesting an effect on cyclic AMP synthesis rather than degradation. Half-maximal inhibition was observed at 5.9 × 10^?10M melatonin. The relative order of potency among melatonin analogues was 2-iodomelatonin > melatonin ≈ 6-chloromelatonin ≥ 6-hydroxymelatonin > N-acetylserotonin ≈ 5-methoxytryptophol > serotonin. The EC₅₀ value for inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation by 2-iodomelatonin (36.7 pM) was comparable to the K_D value for binding of the radioligand, suggesting that the binding sites represent functional receptors. The inhibitory effect of melatonin was antagonized by the putative melatonin antagonists luzindole, N-acetyltryptamine, and N-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-5-methoxytryptamine, with estimated K_B values of 0.12, 0.17, and 1 µM, respectively. At a concentration of 10 µM, N-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-5-methoxytryptamine significantly inhibited forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation when added alone; at 30 µM, luzindole and N-acetyltryptamine also had significant inhibitory effects. The inhibitory effect of melatonin was blocked by pretreatment with pertussis toxin. The results of this study indicate that melatonin receptors on retinal cells are coupled via inhibitory G proteins to cyclic AMP accumulation. Thus, some of the effects of melatonin on retinal physiology may be related to regulation of cyclic nucleotide metabolism.     

Serotonin 5-HT1A Receptor Activation Increases Cyclic AMP Formation in the Rat Hippocampus In Vivo

Abstract: In vivo microdialysis was used to examine the efflux of cyclic AMP (cAMP) into the extracellular fluid of the ventral hippocampus in the freely moving rat. The changes in extracellular cAMP concentration were monitored in response to forskolin and the serotonin 5-HT_1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT). The basal level of hippocampal extracellular cAMP was 2.3 ± 0.2 pmol/ml (n = 6), after a 3-h postsur- gery stabilisation period. Perfusion of forskolin (100 μM) through the probe for 30 min significantly increased the efflux of cAMP, which returned to baseline levels within 90 min. 8-OH-DPAT (0.3 mg/kg s.c.) also significantly increased cAMP efflux, whereas a similar volume of saline had no effect. Desensitisation of the 8-OH-DPAT-induced increase in cAMP efflux was observed following a second administration of 8-OH-DPAT after a 4-h interval. Administration of 8-OH-DPAT did not alter the efflux of cAMP when forskolin was perfused through the probe. Pretreatment with WAY 100135 [N-tert-butyl 3–4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine-1 -yl-2-phenylpropanamide dihydrochloride] (5 mg/kg s.c.), a specific 5-HT_1A receptor antagonist, prevented the 8-OH-DPAT-induced increase in cAMP efflux. The data indicate that the 8-OH-DPAT-induced increase in cAMP efflux in vivo is mediated by a 5-HT_1A receptor.     

Modulation of Cyclic AMP Metabolism by Glucocorticoids in PC18 Cells

Abstract: Glucocorticoids modulate signal transduction mechanisms in a number of cell systems. As the adrenal medulla is exposed to relatively high levels of adrenal cortical glucocorticoids in vivo, particularly during periods of stress, the aim of the present study was to determine whether glucocorticoids modulate cyclic AMP (cAMP) metabolism in an in vitro model of this system, the PC18 cell line. Dexamethasone significantly potentiated cAMP accumulation in response to the adenosine analogue N ⁶- R -phenylisopropyl adenosine (PIA), and in response to forskolin. This effect was both time- and concentration-dependent. Maximal potentiation was observed after 48 h of exposure to 1 µ M dexamethasone. Corticosterone and to a lesser extent aldosterone also significantly potentiated PIA-dependent cAMP accumulation. In contrast, estradiol, testosterone, and triiodothyronine had no potentiative effect. Potentiation could be eliminated by coincubation with the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. In the presence of Ro 20-1724, a cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor, the degree of potentiation of both PIA- and forskolin-dependent cAMP accumulation was significantly decreased by 50–60%. These data suggested that altered cAMP-phosphodiesterase activity may be involved in this response. However, cytosolic and membrane-bound low K _m cAMP-phosphodiesterase activity was unchanged in dexamethasone-treated cells compared with controls. Similarly, there were no significant differences in basal, PIA-, forskolin-, or GTPγS-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities between groups. These studies indicate that glucocorticoids can potentiate cAMP accumulation in intact PC18 cells. The mechanism underlying this potentiation is likely to be multifactorial, but may be due in part to decreased cAMP catabolism.     

Aluminum Increases Agonist-Stimulated Cyclic AMP Production in Rat Cerebral Cortical Slices

The effects of AlCl3 on basal and stimulated cyclic AMP production in rat cerebral cortical slices were studied. AlCl3 (10-250 microM) had no effect on the cyclic AMP concentration in the absence of drugs that stimulate the synthesis of cyclic AMP. 2-Chloroadenosine (25-200 microM) significantly stimulated the synthesis of cyclic AMP in a concentration-dependent manner, and AlCl3 significantly potentiated this response at 50 and 100 microM 2-chloroadenosine. This effect of AlCl3 was dependent on preexposure of the slices to AlCl3 before addition of the agonist. The potentiation by AlCl3 of the 2-chloroadenosine-induced increase in cyclic AMP level was concentration dependent, with significant enhancement by 100 (142% of the control) and 250 (150% of the control) microM AlCl3. Lower concentrations of AlCl3 had no significant effect on the production of cyclic AMP stimulated by 2-chloroadenosine. AlCl3 also potentiated the isoproterenol-induced increase in cyclic AMP production. Forskolin-induced production of cyclic AMP was unaltered by the presence of AlCl3. These results demonstrate that AlCl3 can potentiate agonist-stimulated cyclic AMP production in a whole-cell brain preparation without the addition of fluoride. This may account for the previously reported aluminum-induced increase in cyclic AMP concentrations in rat brain in vivo.     

Activation of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in the Hippocampus Increases Cyclic AMP Accumulation

The selective metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist trans-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (trans-ACPD) stimulates phosphoinositide hydrolysis and elicits several physiological responses in rat hippocampal slices. However, recent studies suggest that the physiological effects of trans-ACPD in the hippocampus are mediated by activation of a receptor that is distinct from the phosphoinositide hydrolysis-linked receptor. Previous experiments indicate that cyclic AMP mimics many of the physiological effects of trans-ACPD in hippocampal slices. Furthermore, recent cloning and biochemistry experiments indicate that multiple metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes exist, some of which are coupled to yet unidentified effector systems. Thus, we performed a series of experiments to test the hypothesis that ACPD increases cyclic AMP levels in hippocampal slices. We report that 1S,3R- and 1S,3S-ACPD (but not 1R,3S-ACPD) induce a concentration-dependent increase in cyclic AMP accumulation in hippocampal slices. This effect was blocked by the metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist L-2-amino-3-phosphonoproprionic acid but not by selective antagonists of ionotropic glutamate receptors. Furthermore, our results suggest that 1S,3R-ACPD-stimulated increases in cyclic AMP accumulation are not secondary to increases in cell firing or to activation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis.     

Forskolin Stimulation of Cyclic AMP Accumulation in Rat Brain Cortex Slices Is Markedly Enhanced by Endogenous Adenosine

Stimulation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation in rat cortex slices by 1 microM forskolin (F) was markedly reduced (96%) by treatment with adenosine deaminase (ADA). The effect of ADA was progressively less at higher concentrations of F, but still inhibited the response by 50% at 100 microM F. ADA-mediated inhibition of the cAMP response to 1 microM F was completely reversed by 5 microM 2-chloroadenosine (CA), an ADA-resistant analogue. Stimulation by F (controls) and F plus CA (ADA treated) in cortex slices was significantly inhibited by 200 microM caffeine (CAF) and by 10 microM 8-phenyltheophylline. cAMP accumulation in ADA-treated cortex slices stimulated with CA at concentrations from 5 to 100 microM was markedly enhanced by 1 microM F. Neither ADA treatment nor 200 microM CAF significantly affected cAMP accumulation in slices stimulated by 1 microM vasoactive intestinal polypeptide or adenylate cyclase in membranes stimulated by 1 microM F. CAF (1 mM) did not significantly increase basal cAMP levels in cortex slices, whereas 1 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine caused a significant 80% increase and 100 microM rolipram enhanced cAMP levels by 4.5-fold. F-stimulated cAMP accumulation (1 microM) in cortex slices was inhibited 98% by 1 mM CAF and 49% by 1 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and was enhanced 2.5-fold by 100 microM rolipram. These data have been interpreted to indicate that the stimulation of cAMP accumulation in rat cortex slices by 1 microM F is predominantly due to synergistic interaction with endogenous adenosine and that the inhibition of this response by CAF is largely due to blockade of adenosine receptors.     

Calcium Potentiates Cyclic AMP Stimulation of Pineal Arylalkylamine N-Acetyltransferase

Abstract: Pineal arylalkylamine N -acetyltransferase ( N -acetyltransferase) controls large daily changes in melatonin production. It is generally thought that the activity of this enzyme is controlled by norepinephrine acting exclusively via elevation of cyclic AMP. However, norepinephrine also elevates pineal intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i), and it is not known whether Ca²⁺ is involved in regulating N -acetyltransferase activity other than through its established role in cyclic AMP production. In this study, the issue of whether Ca²⁺ enhances the effects of cyclic AMP on N -acetyltransferase activity was investigated. The effects of cyclic AMP protagonists (isobutylmethylxanthine, N ⁶, 2'- O -dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate, Sp-diastereomer) were examined in combination with [Ca²⁺]_i protagonists (A23187, ionomycin, and phenylephrine). All [Ca²⁺]_i protagonists potentiated the effects of cyclic AMP protagonists. For example, ionomycin potentiated the effects of low concentrations of 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, and A23187 potentiated the effects of isobutylmethylxanthine without altering cyclic AMP accumulation. These findings indicate that Ca²⁺ and cyclic AMP probably act physiologically in a coordinated manner to stimulate N -acetyltransferase activity; these second messengers could act directly at one or more sites or through indirect actions mediated by kinases.     

Differences and Similarities in Muscarinic Receptors of Rat Heart and Retina: Effects of Agonists, Guanine Nucleotides, and N-Ethylmaleimide

Muscarinic receptor stimulation inhibits cyclic AMP formation in rat atria but not in retina. We compared the properties of the muscarinic receptors in rat atrial and retinal membranes using the antagonist [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate. In both atria and retina there is a single binding site for antagonists, while agonists appear to interact at two classes of binding sites. Muscarinic receptors in atria and retina have the same apparent affinities for several antagonists and for a series of muscarinic agonists. In both tissues N-ethylmaleimide decreases agonist affinity for the high-affinity binding sites. Muscarinic receptors in atria and retina differ, however, in several properties relating to the proportions of high- and low-affinity agonist sites. First, guanine nucleotides markedly increase the proportion of low-affinity binding sites in atria, but not in retina. Second, for all agonists there are fewer high-affinity binding sites in retina. Third, the "partial agonist" pilocarpine appears to interact with two classes of binding sites in atria, but with only a single class of sites in retina. Our data suggest that muscarinic receptors that inhibit cyclic AMP formation and those that do not share common properties that determine receptor affinity for agonists and classic antagonists. The differences between these receptors are manifest, however, in the effects of guanine nucleotides and the ability of agonists, especially those of low efficacy, to affect the proportion of high- and low-affinity sites and to effect a biological response.     

Multiple Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes Controlling Cyclic AMP Formation: Comparison of Brain Slices and Primary Neuronal and Glial Cultures

The adrenergic receptor subtypes involved in cyclic AMP responses to norepinephrine (NE) were compared between slices of rat cerebral cortex and primary neuronal and glial cultures from rat brain. In neuronal cultures, NE and the beta-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol (ISO) caused similar increases in cyclic AMP, which were not altered by the alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonist phentolamine. In glial cultures, NE caused a much smaller cyclic AMP response than did ISO, and this difference was reversed by alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonists (phentolamine greater than yohimbine greater than prazosin). alpha 2-Adrenergic receptor agonists partially inhibited the ISO response in glial cultures to a level similar to that observed with NE alone (clonidine = UK 14,304 greater than NE greater than 6-fluoro-NE greater than epinephrine). In slices from cerebral cortex, NE caused a much larger increase in cyclic AMP than did ISO, and this difference was reversed by alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonists with a different order of potency (prazosin greater than phentolamine greater than yohimbine). alpha 1-Adrenergic receptor agonists potentiated the response to ISO to a level similar to that observed with NE alone (epinephrine = NE greater than phenylephrine greater than 6-fluoro-NE greater than methoxamine). In all three tissue preparations, large responses to both alpha 1-receptor activation (increases in inositol phosphate accumulation) and alpha 2-receptor activation (decreases in forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation) were observed. These data indicate that all of the major adrenergic receptor subtypes (beta, alpha 1, alpha 2) are present in each tissue preparation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Regulation of Cyclic AMP Accumulation by Peptide Hormone Receptors in Immunocytochemically: Defined Astroglial Cells

Primary cultures of neonatal murine brain have been reported to express multiple receptors that regulate adenylate cyclase activity. Since for the most part these results were obtained with mixed cell cultures, it has been difficult to define receptor profiles for specific cell types. With this concern in mind a series of studies has been initiated designed to identify specific receptors present on highly purified, immunocytochemically defined astroglia derived from the cerebral cortices of neonatal rats. In this study the capacity of a variety of peptide hormones to regulate cyclic AMP metabolism in these cells was examined. Fibroblasts derived from the meninges represent a predictable source of contamination in primary CNS culture. Thus, to assign more clearly specific receptors to the astroglial cell population, receptor-mediated regulation of cyclic AMP accumulation was also examined in fibroblasts. Cyclic AMP accumulation in astroglia was stimulated by catecholamines (acting at beta 1-adrenergic receptors), prostaglandin E1, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, and adrenocorticotropin. Bombesin, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, neurotensin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, somatostatin, secretin, and vasopressin did not significantly increase cyclic AMP levels in these cultures. Catecholamines, acting at alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, and somatostatin inhibited agonist-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation. In meningeal cell cultures catecholamines (acting at beta 2- and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors) and prostaglandin E1 regulated cyclic AMP levels. However, vasoactive intestinal peptide did not stimulate and somatostatin did not inhibit cyclic AMP accumulation in these cells.