Metabolic effect of alpha-and the beta-adrenergic stimulation of rat submaxillary gland in vitro.

1. Incubation of submaxillary-gland slices with isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic agonist, stimulated glucose removal by 41% and decreased tissue [glucose 6-phosphate] by 50%. Propranolol blocked these effects of isoproterenol. 2. Phenylephrine, an alpha-adrenergic agonist, stimulated glucose removal by 35% and decreased tissue [glucose 6-phosphate] by 75%. In addition, phenylephrine also completely overcame the inhibition of pyruvate removal caused by acetoacetate metabolism and decreased tissue [atp] by 45%. Phentolamine blocked the effects of phenylephrine. 3. In contrast with beta-adrenergic stimulation, alpha-adrenergic stimulation required exogenous Ca2+. 4. These results explain the different metabolic responses of the submaxillary gland to adrenaline in the presence and absence of exogenous Ca2+.     

Insulin-like effects of ATP on adipocyte pyruvate dehydrogenase and phosphorylase

Extracellular ATP stimulated adipocyte pyruvate dehydrogenase in a time- and dose-dependent manner with an EC50 of 0.1 mM. The maximal effect was observed at 0.5 mM ATP after a 15-min incubation with a lag period of about 5 min. Depletion of intracellular Ca2+ with ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether) N,N'-tetraacetic acid reduced the effect of ATP by 50% and completely abolished the stimulatory effect of vasopressin on adipocyte pyruvate dehydrogenase but had no effect on the stimulation induced by insulin or adenosine. The effects of insulin and ATP on pyruvate dehydrogenase were glucose-dependent whereas the effect of adenosine was glucose-independent. Furthermore, ATP, like insulin, partially blocked the stimulatory effect of isoproterenol on phosphorylase. Adenosine, at a concentration of 1 mM, did not affect either basal or isoproterenol-stimulated phosphorylase activities. It is concluded that ATP activates adipocyte pyruvate dehydrogenase by at least two separate mechanisms: one is Ca2(+)-dependent and the other is Ca2(+)-independent. However, neither is the result of the formation of adenosine from ATP through hydrolysis.     

Interactions between insulin and alpha 1-adrenergic agents in the regulation of glycogen metabolism in isolated hepatocytes

Addition of insulin to liver cells from fed rats incubated in the absence of other hormones resulted in a 2-fold increase in glycogen synthase activity. This direct effect of insulin has been characterized and compared with the antagonism by insulin of alpha 1-adrenergic effects on glycogen metabolism. The activation of glycogen synthase by insulin developed slowly (20-25 min) and was most effective when the enzyme was partially preactivated by glucose. With glucose concentrations above 15 mM the effects of insulin and glucose were additive. In contrast to glucose, which caused inverse changes in phosphorylase and glycogen synthase activity, insulin activated glycogen synthase without affecting phosphorylase a. Treatment of hepatocytes with phenylephrine led to an activation of phosphorylase and inactivation of glycogen synthase, which could be partially blocked by insulin. This antagonistic effect of insulin was rapid (complete within 5 min of insulin addition) and showed an identical time course for both enzymes. The activation of glycogen synthase by insulin and inactivation by phenylephrine both resulted principally from alterations in the Vmax. Insulin added alone did not alter the basal cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration, which was 160 nM as measured with Quin 2 as an intracellular Ca2+ indicator. Both the magnitude and the initial rate of cytosolic free Ca2+ increase induced by phenylephrine were reduced by about 50% in cells pretreated with insulin. It is concluded that the direct activation of glycogen synthase by insulin is mediated by a glycogen synthase-specific kinase or phosphatase, whereas insulin antagonizes the effects of alpha 1-agonists by interfering with their ability to elevate cytosolic free Ca2+.     

‘Insulin-like’ effects of lithium ion on isolated rat adipocytes II. Specific activation of glycogen synthase

Lithium ion, like insulin, activated adipocyte glycogen synthase with or without glucose in the medium. However, the effect of lithium ion was much greater than that of insulin under both conditions. The lithium-activated glycogen synthase was stable to both Sephadex chromatography and ethanol precipitation of the enzyme, indicating that the effect of lithium ion on glycogen synthase was through covalent modification of the enzyme. Glycogen synthase was significantly activated by lithium ion under conditions where concentrations of cellular ATP were unaffected. The effect of lithium ion on glycogen synthase was rapid and observed at concentrations as low as 1 to 3 mM, reaching a maximum at the concentration of 40 mM. It was thus the most sensitive of all the effects studied (see previous paper). Insulin further stimulated glycogen synthase at low concentrations but not at maximal concentration of lithium ion. Lithium-activated glycogen synthase was inhibited by both epinephrine and dibutyryl cyclic AMP, but was not affected by the removal of extracellular Ca++. Interestingly, lithium ion had no detectable effect on basal pyruvate dehydrogenase as well as on epinephrine-stimulated phosphorylase. The failure of lithium ion to thus mimic insulin actions on pyruvate dehydrogenase and on phosphorylase suggests that the action of lithium ion on glycogen synthase is quite specific and may be mediated by stimulating a phosphatase or by inhibiting a protein kinase acting specifically on glycogen synthase.     

Inhibition of the lipolytic action of beta-adrenergic agonists in human adipocytes by alpha-adrenergic agonists

The aim of this study was to define the role of the alpha-adrenergic receptor in the regulation of lipolysis by human adipocytes. Glycerol production by isolated human adipocytes was stimulated by the pure beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol in a dose-dependent fashion. This stimulation of lipolysis was inhibited by the alpha-adrenergic agonists methoxamine, phenylephrine, and clonidine. Epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis was potentiated by the alpha-adrenergic antagonists, dihydroergocryptine, phentolamine, phenoxybenzamine, and yohimbine. Whereas the attenuation of beta-adrenergic agonist-stimulated lipolysis by alpha-adrenergic agonists was reversed completely by the alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist yohimbine, the alpha 1-antagonist prazosin did not reverse such attenuation. It is concluded that alpha-adrenergic agonists act as antilipolytic agents in human adipocytes and that this action may result from the interaction of these compounds with a population of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors.     

Hormonal regulation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in the isolated perfused rat liver

The effect of Ca2+-mobilizing hormones, vasopressin, angiotensin II and the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine, on the metabolic flux through the tricarboxylic acid cycle was investigated in isolated perfused rat livers. All three Ca2+-mobilizing agonists stimulated 14CO2 production and gluconeogenesis in livers of 24-h-fasted rats perfused with [2-14C]pyruvate. Prazosin blocked the phenylephrine-elicited stimulation of 14CO2 and glucose production from [2-14C]pyruvate whereas the alpha 2-adrenergic agonist, BHT-933, did not affect the rates of 14CO2 and glucose production from [2-14C]pyruvate indicating that the phenylephrine-mediated response involved alpha 1-adrenergic receptors. Phenylephrine, vasopressin and angiotensin II stimulated 14CO2 production from [2-14C]acetate in livers derived from fed rats but not in livers of 24-h-fasted rats. In livers of 24-h-fasted rats, perfused with [2-14C]acetate, exogenously added pyruvate was required for an increase in the rate of 14CO2 production during phenylephrine infusion. This last observation suggests increased pyruvate carboxylation as one of the mechanisms involved in stimulation of tricarboxylic acid cycle activity by the Ca2+-mobilizing agonists, vasopressin, angiotensin II and phenylephrine.     

Insulin counteraction of alpha-adrenergic effects on liver glycogen metabolism.

Insulin counteracted the effects of a pure alpha-adrenergic agonist, phenylephrine, on hepatocyte glycogen synthase and phosphorylase. These results argue against current concepts of insulin increasing cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration.     

Calcium fluxes in isolated acinar cells from rat parotid. Effect of adrenergic and cholinergic stimulation.

Rat parotid acinar cells dispersed by a combination of enzymatic treatments remain sensitive to adrenergic and cholinergic agonists. Previous studies have implicated Ca2+ in both adrenergic and cholinergic responses. This paper describes the effects of adrenergic and cholinergic stimulation upon 45Ca2+ fluxes in isolated parotid acinar cells. Suspensions of dispersed cells took up 45Ca2+ from the medium. The net rate of isotope influx was increased by the adrenergic agonists epinephrine, norepinephrine, isoproterenol, and phenylephrine, and by the cholinergic agonists acetylcholine and carbamylcholine. In 1 mM Ca2+, epinephrine was capable of increasing the 45Ca2+ influx in 40 min to three times that of resting cells. Isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic agonist, was only half as effective as epinephrine in stimulating maximal calcium uptake although it was equally effective in stimulating maximal amylase release in the same cells. Experiments with the alpha-adrenergic antagonist phentolamine, the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol, and the cholinergic antagonist atropine confirmed that alpha- and beta-adrenergic and cholinergic stimulation each had a direct stimulatory effect on 45Ca2+ uptake. N6,O2'-Dibutyryl adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate also caused some stimulation of net calcium uptake. Direct measurement of Ca2+ efflux indicated that the increased calcium uptake in the presence of epinephrine was not the indirect result of a decrease in efflux. The rates of both basal and epinephrine-stimulated calcium uptake increased with increasing calcium concentration in the medium. Epinephrine had little effect on the rate of calcium uptake at 0.15 mM Ca2+. Although the energy poison NaCN had little effect on the basal rate of calcium uptake, the stimulable component of calcium uptake was inhibited by NaCN at all calcium concentrations tested (0.2 to 4.1 mM).     

Alpha-adrenergic stimulation of sarcolemmal protein phosphorylation and slow responses in intact myocardium

The effects of alpha- and beta-adrenergic stimulation on sarcolemmal protein phosphorylation and contractile slow responses were studied in intact myocardium. Isolated rat ventricles were perfused via the coronary arteries with 32Pi after which membrane vesicles partially enriched in sarcolemma were isolated from individual hearts. Alterations in the sarcolemmal slow inward Ca2+ current were assessed in the 32P-perfused hearts using a contractile slow response model. In this model, Na+ channels were first inactivated by partial depolarization of the hearts in 25 mM K+ after which alterations in Ca2+ channel activity produced by either alpha- or beta-adrenergic agonists could be assessed as restoration of contractions. alpha-Adrenergic stimulation (phenylephrine + propranolol) of the perfused hearts resulted in increased 32P incorporation into a 15-kDa sarcolemmal protein. This protein co-migrated with the 15-kDa sarcolemmal protein phosphorylated in hearts exposed to beta-adrenergic stimulation produced by isoproterenol. beta-Adrenergic stimulation, but not alpha-adrenergic stimulation, also resulted in phosphorylation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum protein, phospholamban. Phosphorylation of the 15-kDa protein in perfused hearts in response to either alpha- or beta-adrenergic stimulation was associated with restoration of contractions, indicative of increases in the slow inward Ca2+ current. Increases in 32P incorporation into the 15-kDa protein preceded restoration of contractions by phenylephrine. Nifedipine abolished the contractile responses to alpha-adrenergic stimulation while having no effect on increases in 15-kDa protein phosphorylation. The effects of alpha-adrenergic stimulation occurred in the absence of increases in cAMP levels. These results suggest that phosphorylation of the 15-kDa protein may be involved in increases in the slow inward current produced by stimulation of either alpha- or beta-adrenergic receptors.     

The effects of alpha-adrenergic stimulation on the regulation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in the perfused rat liver

The regulation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex was investigated during alpha-adrenergic stimulation with phenylephrine in the isolated perfused rat liver. The metabolic flux through the pyruvate dehydrogenase reaction was monitored by measuring the production of 14CO2 from infused [1-14C] pyruvate. In livers from fed animals perfused with a low concentration of pyruvate (0.05 mM), phenylephrine infusion significantly inhibited the rate of pyruvate decarboxylation without affecting the amount of pyruvate dehydrogenase in its active form. Also, phenylephrine caused no significant effect on tissue NADH/NAD+ and acetyl-CoA/CoASH ratios or on the kinetics of pyruvate decarboxylation in 14CO2 washout experiments. Phenylephrine inhibition of [1-14C]pyruvate decarboxylation was, however, closely associated with a decrease in the specific radioactivity of perfusate lactate, suggesting that the pyruvate decarboxylation response simply reflected dilution of the labeled pyruvate pool due to phenylephrine-stimulated glycogenolysis. This suggestion was confirmed in additional experiments which showed that the alpha-adrenergic-mediated inhibitory effect on pyruvate decarboxylation was reduced in livers perfused with a high concentration of pyruvate (1 mM) and was absent in livers from starved rats. Thus, alpha-adrenergic agonists do not exert short term regulatory effects on pyruvate dehydrogenase in the liver. Furthermore, the results suggest either that the rat liver pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is insensitive to changes in mitochondrial calcium or that changes in intramitochondrial calcium levels as a result of alpha-adrenergic stimulation are considerably less than suggested by others.     

Stimulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase activity by polyamines

Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase requires Mg2+ or Mn2+, and its activity in the presence of Mg2+ is markedly stimulated by Ca2+. At saturating Mg2+ and Ca2+ concentrations, the polyamines spermine, spermidine and putrescine stimulated the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1.5- to 3-fold. Spermine was the most active of the polyamines. At a physiological concentration of Mg2+ (1 mM) and saturating Ca2+ concentration, the stimulation by 0.5 mM spermine was 4- to 5-fold, and at 0.3 mM Mg2+, the stimulation was 20- to 30-fold. In the absence of Mg2+ or Ca2+, spermine had no effect. These results suggest that a polybasic factor may be involved in the regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase activity.     

Ca2+, K+ redistributions and alpha-adrenergic activation of glycogenolysis in perfused rat livers

1. The alpha-adrenergic activation of glycogenolysis was investigated in isolated rat livers perfused in a non-recirculating system. Net uptake and/or release of Ca2+, K+ and H+ by the liver (measured by ion-selective electrodes) were correlated with the glycogenolytic effects of phenylephrine. Uptake and retention of 45Ca by the mitochondria of perfused livers were studied to obtain information on the role played by exchangeable mitochondrial calcium in alpha-adrenergic activation of glycogenolysis. 2. Between 1 and 5 min after starting the addition of phenylephrine a net release of Ca2+ was observed, this was paralleled by an uptake of K+. Production rates of glucose and lactate from endogenous glycogen started to increase at the same time. During the following minutes K+ was released. 2 mM EGTA and a high concentration of Mg2+ strongly diminished the ionic and metabolic responses to phenylephrine, 0.2 mM EGTA was less effective. 3. High concentrations of K+ prevented the metabolic response to phenylephrine but had no effect on the release of Ca2+ into the extracellular medium. Tetracaine activated glycogenolysis and suppressed all the effects of the alpha-adrenergic agonist. 4. Experiments with 45Ca provided no evidence for an alpha-adrenergic release of Ca2+ from the exchangeable mitochondrial pool. Incorporation of 45Ca into the mitochondria of perfused livers was enhanced by phenylephrine. 5. We propose that the alpha-adrenergic release of Ca2+ from a pool located close to the surface of the cell is capable of triggering the glycogenolytic response.     

Synergistic Action of Postsynaptic α-Adrenergic Receptor Stimulation on Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide-Induced Increases in Pineal N-Acetyltransferase Activity

The alpha-adrenergic agonists phenylephrine and methoxamine, at concentrations that have little effect on pineal N-acetyltransferase activity, markedly enhance stimulation of this enzyme by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). This augmentation can be blocked by the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonists phenoxybenzamine and prazosin and, at 10 but not 1 microM, by the alpha 2-antagonist yohimbine. The time course for VIP stimulation is not altered by concomitant alpha-adrenergic stimulation. Augmented activity does not require concomitant alpha-adrenergic stimulation, but alpha-adrenergic agonists must be present for augmentation to be maintained. Phorbol 12,13-diacetate or -dibutyrate but not 4 alpha-phorbol can substitute for phenylephrine, a finding suggesting that protein kinase C is involved in the augmentation. These results are, in general, analogous to alpha-adrenergic magnification of N-acetyltransferase induction by beta-adrenergic agonists.     

Stimulation of hepatic lipogenesis and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase by vasopressin.

The effect of vasopressin on the short-term regulation of fatty acid synthesis was studied in isolated hepatocytes from rats fed ad libitum. Vasopressin stimulates fatty acid synthesis by 30-110%. This increase is comparable with that obtained with insulin. Angiotensin also stimulates fatty acid synthesis, whereas phenylephrine does not. The dose-response curve for vasopressin-stimulated lipogenesis is similar to the dose-response curve for glycogenolysis and release of lactate plus pyruvate. Vasopression also stimulates acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Vasopressin does not relieve glucagon-inhibited lipogenesis, whereas insulin does. The action of vasopressin on hepatic lipogenesis is decreased, but not suppressed, in Ca2+-depleted hepatocytes. The results suggest that vasopressin acts on lipogenesis by increasing availability of lipogenic substrate (lactate + pyruvate) and by activating acetyl-CoA carboxylase.     

Heterologous desensitization of the cyclic AMP-independent glycogenolytic response in rat liver cells.

Vasopressin and alpha-adrenergic agonists are known to be potent cyclic AMP-independent Ca2+-dependent activators of liver glycogen phosphorylase. When hepatocytes are pre-incubated with increasing concentrations of vasopressin or of the alpha-agonist phenylephrine, they become progressively unresponsive to a second addition of the respective agonist. The relative abilities of six vasopressin analogues and of five alpha-agonists to activate glycogen phosphorylase and to cause subsequent desensitization are highly correlated, indicating that the same vasopressin and alpha-adrenergic receptors are involved in both responses. About 5-times-higher peptide concentrations are needed to desensitize the cells than to activate their glycogen phosphorylase, whereas the concentrations of alpha-agonists required for the desensitization are only twice those needed for the activation of phosphorylase. The desensitization is not mediated by a perturbation in the agonist-receptor interaction. It is clearly heterologous, i.e. it is not agonist-specific, and must therefore involve a mechanism common to both series of agonists. The evidence for a role of Ca2+ movements or phosphatidylinositol turnover is briefly discussed.     

Regulation of calcium efflux from isolated rat parotid cells

Calcium efflux from isolated rat parotid acinar cells was studied with 45Ca. Carbachol, phenylephrine, substance P, monobutyryl cyclic AMP and isoproterenol stimulated 45Ca efflux. It is suggested that carbachol, phenylephrine and substance P mobilize the same pool of cellular Ca. This suggestion is based on two observations. Firstly, combinations of any two of these three agonists at saturating concentrations result in no more 45Ca efflux than either agonist alone. Secondly, stimulation of 45Ca efflux by any one of the three agonists prevents further stimulation of 45Ca efflux by the same or one of the other two agonists. The pool of calcium mobilized by isoproterenol or monobutyryl cyclic AMP is different from the pool mobilized by carbachol. This conclusion is based on the observation that stimulation of 45Ca efflux by a saturating concentration of carbachol did not inhibit stimulation of 45Ca efflux by isoproterenol. Furthermore the effect of a saturating concentration of isoproterenol on 45Ca efflux is additive with that caused by a saturating concentration of carbachol. The effect of carbachol, phenylephrine and substance P on 45Ca2+ efflux did not require extracellular Ca2+.     

Calcium metabolism in rat hepatocytes.

1. The total calcium concentration in rat hepatocytes was 7.9 microgram-atoms/g dry wt.; 77% of this was mitochondrial. Approx. 20% of cell calcium exchanged with 45Ca within 2 min. Thereafter incorporation proceeded at a low rate to reach 28% of total calcium after 60 min. Incorporation into mitochondria showed a similar time course and accounted for 20% of mitochondrial total calcium after 60 min. 2. The alpha-adrenergic agonists phenylephrine and adrenaline + propranolol stimulated incorporation of 45Ca into hepatocytes. Phenylephrine was shown to increase total calcium in hepatocytes. Phenylephrine inhibited efflux fo 45Ca from hepatocytes perifused with calcium-free medium. 3. Glucagon, dibutryl cyclic AMP and beta-adrenergic agonists adrenaline and 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine stimulated calcium efflux from hepatocytes perifused with calcium-free medium. The effect of glucagon was blocked by insulin. Insulin itself had no effect on calcium efflux and it did not affect the response to dibutyryl cyclic AMP. 4. Incorporation of 45Ca into mitochondria in hepatocytes was stimulated by phenylephrine and inhibited by glucagon and by carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone. The effect of glucagon was blocked by insulin. 5. Ionophore A23187 stimulated hepatocyte uptake of 45Ca, uptake of 45Ca into mitochondria in hepatocytes and efflux of 45Ca into a calcium-free medium.     

Decreased flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase during calcium ion movements induced by vasopressin, alpha-adrenergic agonists and the ionophore A23187 in perfused rat liver.

Vasopressin or alpha-adrenergic agents such as phenylephrine or adrenaline, but not glucagon, elicited an initial decrease in flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase assayed by 14CO2 production from [1-14C]pyruvate in perfused rat liver. This rapid decrease in 14CO2 production was maximal within 1-2 min of exposure, concomitant with a rise in effluent pyruvate concentration: a subsequent return towards initial values in both parameters was completed well before 5 min. This time course was superposed with Ca2+ efflux from perfused liver, maximal (at 116 nmol/min per g wet wt. of liver) at 1-2 min of exposure. The percentage of the active (dephospho) form of pyruvate dehydrogenase was not decreased at 2 min of exposure. The effect on flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase by phenylephrine was abolished by prazosine, phentolamine or phenoxybenzamine. Ionophore A23187 also caused a depression in 14CO2 production from [1-14C]pyruvate and a rise in effluent pyruvate concentration, but this effect was stable for longer times, and it was delayed when Ca2+ was omitted from the perfusion medium. Responses of phenylephrine and A23187 were not additive. The results demonstrate that under the experimental conditions employed in intact perfused liver, the mitochondrial multienzyme system of pyruvate dehydrogenase is sensitive to vasopressin, alpha-adrenergic agents and A23187. The similar time course in Ca2+ efflux may be indicative of the involvement of Ca2+ in mediating this effect.     

Inhibition of lipogenesis by halothane in isolated rat liver cells.

1. Halothane at clinically effective concentrations [2.5 and 4% (v/v) of the gas phase of the incubation flask] was found to inhibit significantly lipogenesis from endogenous substrates, e.g., glycogen, or from added lactate plus pyruvate. This was accompanied by a decrease in the ratio of the free [NAD+]/[NADH] of the mitochondrion and the cytoplasm, as shown by the [3-hydroxybutyrate]/[acetoacetate] ratio and the [lactate]/[pyruvate] ratio. 2. Acetoacetate or pyruvate decreased the inhibitory effect of halothane and restored lipogenesis to control rates. They were reduced rapidly by 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase or lactate dehydrogenase respectively, with the concomitant oxidation of NADH and the generation of NAD+. 3. These results suggest that the mechanism by which halothane inhibits lipogenesis from glycogen or lactate is by inhibition of the oxidation of NADH; this results in inhibition of flux of carbon through pyruvate dehydrogenase and a shortage of acetyl-CoA for fatty acid synthesis. Thus when NADH acceptors are added in the presence of halothane, the concentration of mitochondrial NAD+ is raised so that the flux of carbon through pyruvate dehydrogenase increases and lipogenesis is restored.     

Role of calcium in the phenylephrine-induced activation of phosphorylase "A" in isolated liver cells

The ability of phenylephrine to activate phosphorylase in liver cells with variable degrees of Ca2+ loading was studied. Phenylephrine has been found to be capable of stimulating phosphorylase at saturating Ca2+ concentrations that precluded any further action of this ion. Furthermore the degree of activation was proportional to the cellular calcium content. These results allow to conclude that alpha-adrenergic agonists activate phosphorylase by a mechanism apparently unrelated to their ability to mobilize and subsequently increase the cytosolic concentration of free Ca2+.