Adenosine-Elicited Accumulation of Adenosine 3'', 5''-Cyclic Monophosphate in the Chick Embryo Retina

The cyclic AMP level of 17-day-old chick embryo retina increased from 20 to 331 pmol/mg protein when the tissue was incubated for 20 min in the presence of 4-(3-butoxy-4-methoxybenzyl-2-imidozolinone) (RO 20-1724). The addition of 0.5 mM-3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) or 0.5 units/ml of adenosine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.4) to the medium reduced the increase of cyclic AMP content from 20 to 100 pmol/mg protein. Dipyridamole did not interfere with the rise of the retinal cyclic AMP level observed with RO 20-1724. The EC50 of 6-amino-2-chloropurine riboside (2-chloroadenosine)-elicited accumulation of cyclic AMP of retinas incubated in the presence of RO 20-1724 plus adenosine deaminase was approximately 1 microM. When retina incubation was carried out in the presence of 0.5 mM-IBMX, the 2-chloroadenosine dose-response curve was shifted to the right two orders of magnitude. Maximal stimulation of the cyclic AMP level of 17-day-old chick embryo retina incubated in the presence of 0.5 mM-IBMX was observed at 1 mM-adenosine concentration. This effect was not blocked by dopamine antagonists. Guanosine and adenine did not affect the retinal cyclic AMP level. AMP and ATP had a slight stimulatory effect. Adenosine response of embryonic retina increased sharply from the 14th to the 17th embryonic day. A similar, but not identical adenosine effect was observed in cultured retina cells.     

Norepinephrine acts as D1-dopaminergic agonist in the embryonic avian retina: late expression of beta1-adrenergic receptor shifts norepinephrine specificity in the adult tissue

Dopamine is the main catecholamine found in the chick retina whereas norepinephrine is only found in trace amounts. We compared the effectiveness of dopamine and norepinephrine in promoting cyclic AMP accumulation in retinas at embryonic day 13 (E13) and from post-hatched chicken (P15). Dopamine (EC(50)=10microM) and norepinephrine (EC(50)=30microM), but not the beta(1)-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol, stimulated over seven-fold the production of cyclic AMP in E13 retina. The cyclic AMP accumulation induced by both catecholamines in embryonic tissue was entirely blocked by 2microM SCH23390, a D(1) receptor antagonist, but not by alprenolol (beta-adrenoceptor antagonist). In P15 retinas, 100microM isoproterenol stimulated five-fold the accumulation of cAMP. This effect was blocked by propanolol (10microM), but not by 2microM SCH23390. Embryonic and adult retina display beta(1) adrenergic receptor mRNA as detected by RT-PCR, but the beta(1) adrenergic receptor protein was detected only in post-hatched tissue. We conclude that norepinephrine cross-reacts with D(1) dopaminergic receptor with affinity similar to that of dopamine in the embryonic retina. In the mature retina, however, D(1) receptors become restricted to activation by dopamine. Moreover, as opposed to the embryonic tissue, norepinephrine seems to stimulate cAMP accumulation via beta(1)-like adrenergic receptors in the mature tissue.     

Oocyte maturation is inhibited by adenosine in the presence of follicle-stimulating hormone

Considerable evidence implicates cyclic 3', 5' adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in the maintenance of meiotic arrest of mammalian oocytes. Since this laboratory previously found that adenosine augmented follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-stimulated accumulation of cyclic AMP in oocyte-cumulus-complexes (OCC), in the present studies we investigated the possibility that adenosine inhibits maturation of oocytes. In rat OCC cultured in the presence of FSH, adenosine markedly inhibited oocyte maturation in a dose-dependent and biphasic manner. Maximum inhibition of oocyte maturation was seen with 1-30 microM adenosine in the presence of FSH, and half-maximal inhibition occurred with less than 0.3 microM adenosine. High levels of adenosine (100 microM) did not inhibit oocyte maturation in the presence of FSH. In the absence of FSH, adenosine showed little effect on oocyte maturation in the present studies, but increased the maximum inhibition of oocyte maturation produced by FSH approximately twofold. Like adenosine, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) also inhibited oocyte maturation; whereas adenine, guanosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine were inactive at equivalent levels. The metabolism-resistant adenosine analog (2-chloroadenosine) was as active an inhibitor as adenosine. Inhibition produced by the adenine nucleotides may have been direct or due to conversion to adenosine by extracellular nucleotidases. The concentration dependence and purine specificity for inhibition of oocyte maturation are characteristic of an adenosine receptor-mediated process, but direct evidence for such a mechanism was not shown. The effective concentration of adenosine for inhibition of oocyte maturation is within the range of reported levels of adenosine in biological tissues and fluids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Evaluation of the pentose phosphate pathway from 14CO2 data. Fallibility of a classic equation when applied to non-homogeneous tissues.

Two cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) activities were identified in pig aortic endothelial cells, a cyclic GMP-stimulated PDE and a cyclic AMP PDE. Cyclic GMP-stimulated PDE had Km values of 367 microM for cyclic AMP and 24 microM for cyclic GMP, and low concentrations (1 microM) of cyclic GMP increased the affinity of the enzyme for cyclic AMP (Km = 13 microM) without changing the Vmax. This isoenzyme was inhibited by trequinsin [IC50 (concn. giving 50% inhibition of substrate hydrolysis) = 0.6 microM for cyclic AMP hydrolysis in the presence of cyclic GMP; IC50 = 0.6 microM for cyclic GMP hydrolysis] and dipyridamole (IC50 = 5 microM for cyclic AMP hydrolysis in the presence of cyclic GMP; IC50 = 3 microM for cyclic GMP hydrolysis). Cyclic AMP PDE exhibited a Km of 2 microM for cyclic AMP and did not hydrolyse cyclic GMP. This activity was inhibited by trequinsin (IC50 = 0.2 microM), dipyridamole (IC50 = 6 microM) and, selectively, by rolipram (IC50 = 3 microM). Inhibitors of cyclic GMP PDE (M&B 22948) and of low Km (Type III) cyclic AMP PDE (SK&F 94120) only weakly inhibited the two endothelial PDEs. Incubation of intact cells with trequinsin and dipyridamole induced large increases in cyclic GMP, which were completely blocked by LY-83583. Rolipram, SK&F 94120 and M&B 22948 did not significantly influence cyclic GMP accumulation. Dipyridamole enhanced the increase in cyclic GMP induced by sodium nitroprusside. Cyclic AMP accumulation was stimulated by dipyridamole and trequinsin with and without forskolin. Rolipram, although without effect alone, increased cyclic AMP in the presence of forskolin, whereas M&B 22948 and SK&F 94120 had no effects on resting or forskolin-stimulated levels. These results suggest that cyclic GMP-stimulated PDE regulates cyclic GMP levels and that both endothelial PDE isoenzymes contribute to the control of cyclic AMP.     

K+-Evoked Depolarization Stimulates Cyclic AMP Accumulation in Photoreceptor-Enriched Retinal Cell Cultures: Role of Calcium Influx Through Dihydropyridine-Sensitive Calcium Channels

The effect of membrane depolarization on cyclic AMP synthesis was studied in glia-free, low-density, monolayer cultures of chick retinal photoreceptors and neurons. In photoreceptor-enriched cultures prepared from embryonic day 6 retinas and cultured for 6 days, elevated K+ concentrations increased the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP and stimulated the conversion of [3H]adenine to [3H]cyclic AMP. The K(+)-evoked increase of cyclic AMP accumulation was blocked by omitting CaCl2 from the incubation medium, indicating a requirement for extracellular Ca2+. Stimulation of cyclic AMP accumulation was also inhibited by nifedipine, methoxyverapamil, Cd2+, Co2+, and Mg2+, and was enhanced by the dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel agonist Bay K 8644. The enhancement of K(+)-evoked cyclic AMP accumulation by Bay K 8644 was antagonized by nifedipine. Thus, Ca2+ influx through dihydropyridine-sensitive channel is required for depolarization-evoked stimulation of cyclic AMP accumulation in photoreceptor-enriched cultures.     

Presynaptic Adenosine A2 and N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors Regulate Dopamine Synthesis in Rat Striatal Synaptosomes

Dopamine synthesis rate and cyclic AMP concentration were measured in synaptosomes prepared from rat striatum. Dopamine synthesis rate was decreased by the addition of either adenosine deaminase or 8-phenyltheophylline, an adenosine receptor blocker, and was increased by the addition of 2-chloroadenosine. The addition of L-glutamate in the absence of adenosine deaminase decreased both dopamine synthesis rate and cyclic AMP concentration; in the presence of adenosine deaminase, glutamate had no effect on basal dopamine synthesis, but enhanced K(+)-stimulated synthesis. Both these effects of glutamate were abolished in Ca2(+)-free medium or in the presence of 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker. In Mg2(+)-free medium with adenosine deaminase, glutamate enhanced both basal and K(+)-stimulated synthesis. These results suggest that dopaminergic terminals have A2 adenosine receptors, whose activation can stimulate dopamine synthesis by a cyclic AMP-dependent mechanism, and NMDA receptors, which modulate dopamine synthesis by a Ca2(+)-dependent mechanism.     

Adenosine-elicited accumulation of cyclic AMP in brain slices: potentiation by agents which inhibit uptake of adenosine

The uptake and incorporation of low concentrations of radioactive adenosine into guinea pig cerebral cortical slices is effectively inhibited by dipyridamole, hexobendine, papaverine, 6-($\text{p}$-nitrobenzylthio) guanosine, 5′-deoxy-adenosine and N⁶-phenyladenosine and ineffectively inhibited by other adenosine analogs such as 2-chloroadenosine, 3′-deoxyadenosine and tubercidin or by phosphodiesterase inhibitors such as theophylline, isobutylmethylxanthine, and N, 0-dibutyrylcyclic AMP. When uptake of 10–20

adenosine is inhibited 50–70% by dipyridamole, hexobendine, papaverine or 6-($\text{p}$-nitrobenzylthio)-guanosine, the adenosine-elicited accumulation of cyclic AMP is potentiated 2–3 fold. Potentiation of the effects of low concentrations of adenosine by various agents parallels more closely their efficacy as inhibitors of adenosine uptake rather than their potency as phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Amine-elicited accumulations of cyclic AMP are enhanced by hexobendine, dipyridamole, papaverine and 6-($\text{p}$-nitrobenzylthio) guanosine and this enhancement is blocked by an adenosine antagonist, theophylline. The stimulatory effects of the adenosine analogs, 5′-deoxyadenosine, 2-chloroadenosine and N⁶-phenyladenosine are blocked by theophylline and potentiated by hexobendine. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that the specific inhibition of uptake of adenosine potentiates adenosine or amine-elicited accumulations of cyclic AMP by increasing the effective extracellular concentration of adenosine within the slice. The inhibition or stimulation of cyclic AMP accumulation by adenosine analogs is consonant with differential activities as agonist or antagonist at an extracellular adenosine receptor.     

L-DOPA supply to the neuro retina activates dopaminergic communication at the early stages of embryonic development

DOPA decarboxylase (DDC; aromatic-l-amino acid decarboxylase; EC 4.1.1.28) is absent in retinas from 6-day-old chicken embryos (E6) but is expressed in retina of E8 embryos, in the presumptive outer plexiform layer. Thereafter, DDC appears in cell bodies of presumptive amacrine cells. The dopamine (DA) content of E9/10 and E15/16 retinas, pre-incubated with l-DOPA for 1 h, increased 250- and 600-fold, respectively, showing that DDC is active since early in development. Intercellular communication, measured by endogenous cyclic AMP accumulation, was observed when retinas from E9/10 to E15/16 were pre-incubated for 1 h with 1 mm l-DOPA, washed and followed by incubation in the presence of 0.5 mm 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Cyclic AMP accumulation was prevented when pre-incubation with l-DOPA was carried out in the presence of carbidopa. Moreover, the accumulation of cyclic AMP was inhibited by SCH 23390 (2 micro m). The incubation of retinas in medium previously conditioned by retina-pigmented epithelium (RPE) also increased its cyclic AMP content with the characteristics described for l-DOPA. Our results show that dopaminergic communication takes place in the embryonic retina, before tyrosine hydroxylase expression, provided l-DOPA is supplied to the tissue. It also shows that RPE is a potential source of l-DOPA early in development.     

Regulation of GH3-cell function via adenosine A1 receptors. Inhibition of prolactin release, cyclic AMP production and inositol phosphate generation.

We examined the mechanism by which adenosine inhibits prolactin secretion from GH3 cells, a rat pituitary tumour line. Prolactin release is enhanced by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which increases cyclic AMP, and by thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which increases inositol phosphates (IPx). Analogues of adenosine decreased prolactin release, VIP-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation and TRH-stimulated inositol phospholipid hydrolysis and IPx generation. Inhibition of InsP3 production by R-N6-phenylisopropyladenosine (R-PIA) was rapid (15 s) and was not affected by the addition of forskolin or the removal of external Ca2+. Addition of adenosine deaminase or the potent adenosine-receptor antagonist, BW-A1433U, enhanced the accumulation of cyclic AMP by VIP, indicating that endogenously produced adenosine tonically inhibits adenylate cyclase. The potency order of adenosine analogues for inhibition of cyclic AMP and IPx responses (measured in the presence of adenosine deaminase) was N6-cyclopentyladenosine greater than R-PIA greater than 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine. This rank order indicates that inhibitions of both cyclic AMP and InsP3 production are mediated by adenosine A1 receptors. Responses to R-PIA were blocked by BW-A1433U (1 microM) or by pretreatment of cells with pertussis toxin. A greater amount of toxin was required to eliminate the effect of R-PIA on inositol phosphate than on cyclic AMP accumulation. These data indicate that adenosine, in addition to inhibiting cyclic AMP accumulation, decreases IPx production in GH3 cells, possibly by directly inhibiting phosphoinositide hydrolysis.     

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.     

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.     

Adenosine-induced cyclic AMP increase in pig lymphocytes is not related to adenylate cyclase stimulation.

Adenosine-cyclic AMP relationships have been studied in pig mesenteric lymph node lymphocytes. The early 2--3-fold increase in cyclic AMP accumulation elicited by adenosine and 2-chloroadenosine, an adenosine deaminase-resistant analogue, could not be correlated to similar effects on the adenylate cyclase activity of disrupted cell preparations, but rather to the competitive inhibition of the low Km (0.17 muM) cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. The existence of adenosine receptors coupled to lymphocyte adenylate cyclase, which had been proposed by several authors, could not be confirmed by this study Adenosine-cyclic AMP relationships do not appear to be involved in concanavalin A stimulation of pig lymphocytes.     

Adenosine Receptors Mediating Cyclic AMP Productioin the Rat Hippocampus

In the transversely cut rat hippocampus, adenosine caused a dose-dependent increase in the accumulation of [3H]cyclic AMP from [3H]ATP. Adenosine breakdown products were inactive. AMP was somewhat less effective than adenosine, and its effect could be partially, but not completely, abolished by alpha, beta-methylene-ADP and GMP, which inhibited its metabolism by 5'-nucleotidase. The effect of adenosine was unaffected by inhibitors of adenosine deaminase, but enhanced by several inhibitors of adenosine uptake. Some analogues of adenosine, including N6-phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA), 2-chloroadenosine and adenosine 5'-ethylcarboxamide (NECA), were more active than adenosine, whereas others such as 2-deoxyadenosine and 9-(tetrahydro-2-furyl)adenine (SQ 22536) actually inhibited the response. The effect of PIA was highly stereospecific. The action of adenosine was inhibited by several alkylxanthines, the most potent of which was 8-phenyltheophylline. [3H]Cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) bound specifically to cell membranes from the rat hippocampus. The extent of binding was similar to that found in other cortical areas. The relative potency of some adenosine analogues and alkylxanthines to displace labelled CHA was essentially similar to their potency as effectors of the cyclic AMP system. Adenosine contributed to the cyclic AMP-elevating effect of alpha-adrenoceptor-stimulating drugs and several amino acids, but not to that seen with isoprenaline. The cyclic AMP increase seen following depolarization was only partially adenosine-dependent. The present results demonstrate that the rat hippocampus contains adenosine receptors mediating cyclic AMP accumulation and that these receptors have similar characteristics to those mediating pyramidal cell depression. Adenosine-induced cyclic AMP accumulation may be used as a biochemical correlate to electrophysiology and as a convenient parameter to assess the influence of drugs on adenosine mechanisms in the rat hippocampus.     

Adenosine-induced cyclic AMP increase in pig lymphocytes is not related to adenylate cyclase stimulation

Adenosine-cyclic AMP relationships have been studied in pig mesenteric lymph node lymphocytes. The early 2–3-fold increase in cyclic AMP accumulation elicited by adenosine and 2-chloroadenosine, an adenosine deaminase-resistant analogue, could not be correlated to similar effects on the adenylate cyclase activity of disrupted cell preparations, but rather to the competitive inhibition of the low K_m (0.17 μM) cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. The existence of adenosine receptors coupled to lymphocyte adenylate cyclase, which had been proposed by several authors, could not be confirmed by this study. Adenosine-cyclic AMP relationships do not appear to be involved in concanavalin A stimulation of pig lymphocytes.     

Change of Cyclic AMP Level in Synaptosomes from Cerebral Cortex; Increase by Adenosine Derivatives

The endogenous level of cyclic AMP in incubated synaptosomes from cerebral cortex of guinea pigs was investigated after the addition of various agents to the incubation medium. It appeared that the synaptosomal suspension already contained exogenous adenosine. Preincubation with theophylline or with adenosine deaminase (ADase) decreased both the exogenous level of adenosine and the intrasynaptosomal level of cyclic AMP. The level of cyclic AMP was reincreased by the addition of adenosine agonists, especially 2-chloroadenosine. This increase was antagonized by deoxyadenosine and was not inhibited by dipyridamole. These results suggest that the adenosine derivatives in the synaptic cleft regulate the level of cyclic AMP in nerve terminals through adenosine receptor on the presynaptic membrane. ADP, ATP, dopamine, and histamine also stimulate the formation of cyclic AMP in the ADase-treated synaptosomes.     

Regulation of Depolarization-Dependent Release of Neurotransmitters by Adenosine: Cyclic AMP-Dependent Enhancement of Release from PC12 Cells

We have used pheochromocytoma cells, clone PC12, as a model system for studying the effects of adenosine on neurosecretion. Exposure of the cells to adenosine or 2-chloroadenosine caused immediate activation of adenylate cyclase, increases in cellular cyclic AMP content, and inhibition of SAM-dependent phospholipid N-methylation and protein carboxymethylation. However, the effects on methylation were only observed with concentrations of adenosine 100 times greater than those that elevated cyclic AMP. Exposure of the cells to adenosine and 2-chloroadenosine did not alter the release of [3H]norepinephrine [(3H]NE) in the absence of depolarization. However, depolarization-dependent release of [3H]NE was markedly elevated by short (1-20 min) pretreatments with adenosine or 2-chloroadenosine. The enhancement of release was observed irrespective of the nature of the depolarizing stimulus (elevated K+, carbamylcholine, or veratridine). Release of [3H]acetylcholine in response to elevated K+ also was increased by adenosine pretreatment. These effects of adenosine and 2-chloroadenosine on neurotransmitter release closely paralleled elevation of cellular cyclic AMP but not inhibition of methylation. Taken together, the results show that adenosine, probably acting through adenosine receptors coupled to stimulation of adenylate cyclase, is able to modulate the neurosecretory process in PC12 cells. Furthermore, the enhancement of release occurred even though the extent of depolarization (measured as 86Rb+ flux through the acetylcholine receptor channel) and the amount of 45Ca2+ which entered upon depolarization were unchanged. Therefore, the enhancement of release produced by elevated cyclic AMP appeared to reflect increased efficiency of the stimulus-secretion coupling process.     

Increased Levels of 3'',5''-Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Induced by Cobaltous Ion or 3-Isobutylmethylxanthine in the Incubated Mouse Retina: Evidence Concerning Location and Response to Ions and Light

Dark levels of 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) of mouse retinas incubated in Earle's medium were elevated by 3-isobutyl-methylxanthine (IBMX) and/or Co2+ or Mn2+, but not by Cd2+, methylverapamil, or excess Mg2+ of Ca2+. Light reduced elevated dark levels of cyclic AMP in the presence of agents known to block the light modulation of post-receptoral neurons (aspartate, Co2+, high Mg2+), a finding consistent with a cyclic AMP metabolism in photoreceptors. Co2+-elevated cyclic AMP levels were not less light-sensitive than cyclic GMP levels. Ouabain substantially increased IBMX-elevated cyclic AMP with a persistent light response, but reduced the dark action of Co2+. IBMX, but not Co2+, also increased cyclic AMP in receptorless (rd/rd) retinas; haloperidol partly reduced this IBMX effect. In normal retinas in Co2+ medium, progressively replacing Na+ by K+ (but not choline+) from 1--50 mM caused a progressive fall in dark, light-sensitive cyclic AMP levels, but from 50 to 100 mM-K+ there appeared haloperidol-preventable increases in both the dark- and light-insensitive levels of cyclic AMP. In IBMX-aspartate medium a haloperidol-preventable, light-insensitive increase in cyclic AMP appeared from 20 mM-K+ upwards. Haloperidol-preventable increases in cyclic AMP as induced by high K+ required Co2+ in normal retinas, but not in receptorless retinas, and 5 nM-Co2+ greatly increased the response to dopamine in receptorless retinas. The post-dopaminergic neurons, which are 4th-order neurons, may have become hypersensitive to dopamine in receptorless retinas consequent to the absent signal from the 1st-order photoreceptors, or directly, as an effect of the same gene underlying the dystrophy.     

Regional Difference in Responsiveness of Adenosine-Sensitive Cyclic AMP-Generating Systems in Chronic Epileptic Cerebral Cortex of the Rat

Cyclic AMP accumulation in brain slices incubated with adenosine or the adenosine analogue 2-chloroadenosine was examined in different areas of rat cerebral cortex following a unilateral injection of FeCl2 solution into the sensorimotor cortex to induce chronic epileptic activity. In the epileptic cortex, cyclic AMP accumulation in cortical slices was elicited three- to 11-fold by adenosine. The elicitation by adenosine of cyclic AMP accumulation was markedly inhibited by the adenosine antagonist 8-phenyltheophylline. In anterior cortical areas of rats in which the appearance of electrographic isolated spikes was dominant either ipsilateral or contralateral to the injection site 8 days or more after the injection, the adenosine-elicited accumulation of cyclic AMP was greater on the side of dominant spike activity than on the other. In anterior cortical areas of rats showing nearly equal spike activity on the two sides 19 days or more after the injection, the cyclic AMP accumulation was greater on the side ipsilateral to the injection site than on the other. In anterior and posterior cortical areas of rats showing spike-and-wave complexes and isolated spikes 1 month or more after the injection, the cyclic AMP accumulation was greater on the ipsilateral side than on the other. Similar regional differences in the adenosine-elicited accumulation of cyclic AMP were detected in the presence of the adenosine uptake inhibitor dipyridamole or the phosphodiesterase inhibitor DL-4-(3-butoxy-4-methoxybenzyl)-2-imidazolidinone (Ro 20-1724). The cyclic AMP accumulation was elicited five- to 17-fold by 2-chloroadenosine, in which case the elicitation was markedly inhibited by 8-phenyltheophylline. Regional differences in the 2-chloroadenosine-elicited accumulation of cyclic AMP were similar to those with adenosine and were detected in the presence of Ro 20-1724 or adenosine deaminase. The regional differences which correlated with the electrographic discharge patterns were due mainly to persistent changes in cyclic AMP accumulation on the primary epileptic side. These results suggest that alterations in adenosine-sensitive cyclic AMP generation in the cortex are associated with the neurochemical process leading to chronic iron-induced epilepsy.     

Developmental increase in the inotropic and cyclic AMP response to isoproterenol in embryonic and newly hatched chicks

The cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) levels of ventricles isolated from 15- to 20-day-old chick embryos and 0- to 3-day-old hatched chicks were compared to clarify the mechanism underlying the change in sensitivity to isoproterenol during perinatal developmental stages when the functional sympathetic innervation has been completely achieved. Isoproterenol produced a positive inotropic effect on ventricles isolated from both embryonic and hatched chicks, but the ventricles from the hatched chicks were more sensitive. At both developmental stages sotalol was an equipotent antagonist of isoproterenol. 3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) produced an increment in the contractile force of the ventricles at both stages, but the ventricles from the hatched chicks responded to lower doses of IBMX. The reactivity to isoproterenol in increasing cyclic AMP level was significantly higher in the hatched ventricles than in the embryonic ventricles. The results suggest that the different sensitivities to isoproterenol between embryonic and newly hatched chick ventricles may be due to some changes in the process for cyclic AMP production.     

D1 Dopamine Receptors of NS20Y Neuroblastoma Cells Are Functionally Similar to Rat Striatal D1 Receptors

Dopamine or agonists with D1 receptor potency stimulated cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation in whole cell preparations of NS20Y neuroblastoma cells. The accumulation of cAMP after D1 stimulation was rapid and linear for 3 min. Both dopamine and the novel D1 receptor agonist dihydrexidine stimulated cAMP accumulation two- to three-fold over baseline. The pseudo-Km for dopamine was approximately 2 microM, whereas for dihydrexidine it was approximately 30 nM. The effects of both drugs were blocked by either the D1-selective antagonist SCH23390 (Ki, 0.3 nM) or the nonselective antagonist (+)-butaclamol (Ki, 5 nM). Both (-)-butaclamol and the D2-selective antagonist (-)-sulpiride were ineffective (Ki greater than 3 microM). Forskolin (10 microM), prostaglandin E1 (1 microM), and adenosine (10 microM) also stimulated cAMP accumulation, but none were antagonized by SCH23390 (1 microM). Finally, muscarinic receptor stimulation (100 microM carbachol) inhibited both D1- and forskolin-stimulated increases in cAMP accumulation by 80%. The present results indicate that NS20Y neuroblastoma cells have D1 receptors that are coupled to adenylate cyclase, and that these receptors have a pharmacological profile similar to that of the D1 receptor(s) found in rat striatum.