Differential response of adenylate cyclase to beta-adrenergic agonists in white adipocyte membranes from lean and obese (ob/ob) mice

The quality of the beta-adrenergic response, as measured by the activation of adenylate cyclase, was found to differ in adipocyte membranes from lean and obese mice. In the tissue from lean mice, the response was similar to that in rat adipose tissue and could, by analogy, be classified as beta 1-receptor response. In the tissue preparations from the obese mice, the rank order of potency of the three classical agonists (isoproterenol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine) was more typical of a beta 2-receptor response.     

Arrhenius plot characteristics of adipocyte-plasma-membrane adenylate cyclase activity in lean and genetically obese (ob/ob) mice

Arrhenius plots of fluoride- and guanine-nucleotide-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity were linear in adipocyte plasma membranes from lean and obese (ob/ob) mice . Arrhenius plots of isoprenaline-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in hepatic plasma membranes biphasic in both groups. The results were biphasic in membranes from Jean mice but linear in membranes from obese mice. In contrast, Arrhenius plots of glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in hepatic plasma membranes were biphasic in both groups. The results suggest that the coupling between the -receptor and the regulatory unit of adenylate cyclase, which has been observed to be defective in adipocyte plasma membranes from obese mice, is influenced by a different lipid environment in membranes from obese animals.     

Quantification of the alpha and beta subunits of the transducing elements (Gs and Gi) of adenylate cyclase in adipocyte membranes from lean and obese (ob/ob) mice.

The abundance of the alpha and beta subunits of the GTP-binding proteins (G-proteins) that transduce hormonal messages to adenylate cyclase was assessed in adipocyte membranes from lean (+/+) and obese (ob/ob) mice, using ADP-ribosylation with bacterial toxin and immunodetection. Both methods revealed two Gs alpha species (48 and 42 kDa) in the membranes. Compared with those of lean mice, the membranes from obese mice contained substantially less of the 48 kDa species of Gs alpha, as assessed by both methods. ADP-ribosylation by pertussis toxin showed that only half as much ADP-ribose was incorporated into Gi alpha in the membranes from obese as compared with lean mice. Immunodetection revealed two separate Gi alpha peptides (39 and 40 kDa) and showed that the 40 kDa species was less abundant in the membranes from obese mice, whereas the amount of the 39 kDa species was similar in membranes from both lean and obese animals. Based on ADP-ribosylation assays, in membranes from lean mice the ratio Gs alpha/Gi alpha was 1:16, whereas in the membranes from obese mice it was 1:10. Similar amounts of immunodetectable beta peptide were found in both types of membranes. On the basis of the currently accepted dissociation model of adenylate cyclase activation, the decrease in the abundance of the Gi alpha subunit in adipocyte membranes from obese mice could account for the abnormal kinetics of the enzyme in these membranes.     

Presence of a functional inhibitory GTP-binding regulatory component, Gi, linked to adenylate cyclase in adipocytes of ob/ob mice

It has been reported recently (Begin-Heick, N. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 6187-6193) that adipocytes from the obese mouse strain (ob/ob), unlike normal mice (+/+), lack functional Gi, a GTP-regulated protein complex that mediates inhibition of adenylate cyclase. In contrast, we have found functional Gi linked to inhibition of adenylate cyclase in adipocyte membranes from both ob/ob and +/+ mice. This conclusion is based on observation of: 1) GTP-dependent inhibition of adenylate cyclase by antilipolytic agents, such as prostaglandin E2, nicotinic acid, and the adenosine receptor agonist, phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA); 2) classical biphasic GTP kinetics, with stimulation by low and inhibition by high concentrations of GTP; and 3) elimination of cyclase inhibition by antilipolytic agents upon treatment of ob/ob adipocytes with pertussis toxin. Upon treatment with pertussis toxin and [32P] NAD, purified adipocyte membranes from ob/ob mice incorporated twice as much radioactivity per unit membrane protein than those from +/+ mice in the 40,000-42,000 region. The inhibitory actions of PIA on adenylate cyclase were blocked by the adenosine receptor antagonists, theophylline and isobutylmethylxanthine. However, in contrast to other known inhibitory adenosine receptors, relatively high (100 nM) PIA concentrations were required for half-maximal inhibition of adenylate cyclases from both +/+ and ob/ob adipocytes. The adipocyte adenylate cyclase from both mouse strains were approximately equally susceptible to inhibition by nicotinic acid and prostaglandin E2. However, the ob/ob cyclase was inhibited by 47% with PIA, whereas the enzyme from the +/+ mouse was inhibited by only 27% (p less than 0.01). This greater inhibition by adenosine may contribute to abnormal fat metabolism in adipocytes from ob/ob mice.     

Multiple defects occur in the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein system in liver plasma membranes of obese (fa/fa) but not lean (Fa/Fa) Zucker rats: loss of functional Gi and abnormal Gs function

Hepatocyte membranes from both lean and obese Zucker rats exhibited adenylate cyclase activity that could be stimulated by glucagon, forskolin, NaF and elevated concentrations of p[NH]ppG. In membranes from lean animals, functional Gi was detected by the ability of low concentrations of p[NH]ppG to inhibit forskolin-activated adenylate cyclase. This activity was abolished by treatment of hepatocytes with either pertussis toxin or the phorbol ester TPA, prior to making membranes for assay of adenylate cyclase activity. In hepatocyte membranes from obese animals no functional Gi activity was detected. Quantitative immunoblotting, using an antibody able to detect the alpha subunit of Gi, showed that hepatocyte plasma membranes from both lean and obese Zucker rats had similar amounts of Gi-alpha subunit. This was 6.2 pmol/mg plasma membrane for lean and 6.5 pmol/mg plasma membrane for obese animals. Using thiol pre-activated pertussis toxin and [32P]-NAD+, similar degrees of labelling of the 40 kDa alpha subunit of Gi were found using plasma membranes of both lean and obese Zucker rats. We suggest that liver plasma membranes from obese Zucker rats express an inactive Gi alpha subunit. Thus lesions in liver Gi functioning are seen in insulin-resistant obese rats and in alloxan- and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats which also show resistance as regards the acute actions of insulin. Liver plasma membranes of obese animals also showed an impairment in the coupling of glucagon receptors to Gs-controlled adenylate cyclase, with the Kd values for activation by glucagon being 17.3 and 126 nM for lean and obese animals respectively. Membranes from obese animals also showed a reduced ability for high concentration of p[NH]ppG to activate adenylate cyclase. The use of [32P]-NAD+ and thiol-preactivated cholera toxin to label the 43 kDa and 52 kDa forms of the alpha-subunit of Gs showed that a reduced labelling occurred using liver plasma membranes from obese animals. It is suggested that abnormalities in the levels of expression of primarily the 52 kDa form of alpha-Gs may give rise to the abnormal coupling between glucagon receptors and adenylate cyclase in liver membranes from obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats.     

Absence of the inhibitory effect of guanine nucleotides on adenylate cyclase activity in white adipocyte membranes of the ob/ob mouse. Effect of the ob gene

In mice homozygous for the ob gene (ob/ob), the response of adipose tissue adenylate cyclase to stimulation by lipolytic hormones is abnormally low in comparison to that in lean mice (+/+). Studies on the kinetics of adenylate cyclase activation in white adipocyte membranes under a variety of conditions show the following differences between +/+ and ob/ob mice. 1) The inhibitory effects of GTP and guanyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate, which were clearly seen in +/+ membranes, were absent in the ob/ob membranes. 2) Half-maximal activation by GTP (in the presence of isoproterenol) required at least 10 times more GTP in ob/ob than in +/+ membranes. 3) Increasing the magnesium concentration (up to 10 mM) of the assay medium facilitated the activation of cyclase by modulatory ligands proportionately more in ob/ob than in +/+ membranes; in the +/+ membranes, 10 mM Mg2+ abolished the inhibitory effects of GTP. 4) Treatment with pertussis toxin attenuated the inhibitory effects of guanine nucleotides in +/+ membranes; no effect of the treatment was seen in the ob/ob membranes. 5) Pretreatment of membranes with cholera toxin facilitated cyclase activation proportionately more in ob/ob than in +/+ membranes; in addition, this treatment led to a shift to the left of the GTP dose-response curve in the ob/ob membranes. Cholera and pertussis toxins catalyzed the incorporation of ADP-ribose into their respective substrates in both the +/+ and the ob/ob membranes, showing that the alpha subunits of the stimulatory and inhibitory proteins of the regulatory component Ns and Ni, respectively are present in both types of membranes. Taken together, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that an excess of beta subunit (either primary or secondary to an altered interaction between beta and Ni alpha or Ns alpha) is responsible for the altered sensitivity to activating ligands of the adipocyte adenylate cyclase of the ob/ob mouse. In addition to these findings, we report an effect of the ob gene on the expression of adenylate cyclase activity, since adipose tissue cyclase from heterozygous lean mice (+/ob) showed characteristics which were intermediate between those of +/+ and ob/ob membranes.     

Increased response of adipose tissue of the ob/ob mouse to the action of adrenaline after treatment with thyroxin.

The activity of the lipolytic system of the obese hyperglycemic mouse was assessed after treatment with physiological doses of thyroxin (T4). The treatment significantly increased fatty acid mobilization in response to adrenaline over the levels observed in the control mice under all conditions studied. The activities of the high- and low-Km phosphodiesterases and of adenylate cyclase were also studied. Treatment of the ob/ob mice with T4 had little effect on the activities of the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases (high and low Km) but it partially restored the activity of adenylate cyclase, which is deficient in these animals. A correlation was found in the T4-treated obese animals between the ability of the epididymal adipose tissue to mobilize fatty acids, its ability to increase the intracellular levels of cyclic AMP, and the activity of adenylate cyclase in response to adrenaline stimulation.     

Lack of vasopressin receptors in liver, but not in kidney, of ob/ob mice.

The activity of phosphorylase a was measured in isolated hepatocytes from fed lean and ob/ob mice after addition of vasopressin, angiotensin, phenylephrine and glucagon. The binding of these hormones to purified liver plasma membranes was also determined. In hepatocytes of ob/ob mice, no increase in phosphorylase a was measured after addition of vasopressin, whereas the other hormones promoted an increase in the activity of the enzyme. No specific vasopressin receptors could be measured on purified liver plasma membrane of ob/ob mice. A decrease in the number of receptors for angiotensin and glucagon, without modification of the affinity, was also observed. No restoration of the number of vasopressin receptors was observed in liver of ob/ob mice starved for 3 days or in younger (5-6 weeks) animals. Vasopressin receptors and vasopressin-stimulated adenylate cyclase, measured on purified kidney medulla membranes, were similar in both lean and ob/ob mice. The data indicate a selective lack of vasopressin receptors and metabolic response in liver of the ob/ob mouse.     

Adenylate cyclase activity in brown adipose tissue of the genetically obese (ob/ob) mouse

The activation of brown adipose tissue adenylate cyclase by catecholamines was studied in genetically obese (ob/ob) and lean mice. In obese mice, the maximum activation of the enzyme by several beta-adrenergic agonists was only two-thirds that in lean mice and, as an activator, noradrenaline was only one-eighth as potent. The adenylate cyclase was also less responsive to guanine nucleotides. In these respects, the defect in catecholamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase was similar in both white and brown adipose tissue of the obese mouse. The enzyme in brown adipose tissue differed from that in white adipose tissue in its sensitivity to other beta-adrenergic agonists and in its requirement for Mg2+. It is suggested that this abnormal catecholamine-activated adenylate cyclase in brown adipose tissue may be relate to the thermoregulatory defect of the obese mouse and hence may contribute to the obesity syndrome.     

Alterations in G-protein expression, Gi function and stimulatory receptor-mediated regulation of adipocyte adenylyl cyclase in a model of insulin-resistant diabetes with obesity.

The stimulatory effect of Mn2+ (1.5-fold), forskolin (1.6-fold) and low (1 microM) concentrations of GTP (1.9-fold) on the adenylyl cyclase of adipocyte membranes from obese, diabetic CBA/Ca mice was markedly enhanced compared to that seen using membranes prepared from their lean littermates. In contrast, receptor-mediated stimulation, achieved with either isoprenaline or secretin was reduced and that by glucagon abolished in membranes from diabetic animals. The levels of expression of alpha-subunits of Gi-1, Gi-2 and Gi-3 were reduced to some 49, 76 and 54%, respectively, in membranes from diabetic animals compared with those from normal animals. Levels of G-protein beta-subunits and Gs alpha-subunits were similar. Receptor-mediated inhibition of adenylate activity elicited by either nicotinic acid or prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) was of a similar magnitude in membranes from normal and diabetic animals but the inhibitory action of N6-(L-2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (PIA) was greater in membranes from diabetic animals by about 30%. Gi function was similarly evident in membranes from both lean and diabetic animals, as assessed using low concentrations of guanylyl 5'-imidodiphosphate to inhibit forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. However, assessing Gi function using GTP showed marked dissimilarities in that the elevated GTP concentrations expected to occur physiologically were incapable of reversing the stimulation achieved at low concentrations of GTP in membranes from diabetic but not normal animals. The adipocytes of CBA/Ca mice, as do other animal models of insulin resistance, show lesions in adenylyl cyclase regulation, Gi function and G-protein expression.     

The hysteretic effect of Gpp(NH)p on adenylate cyclase is not altered by Mg2+ in adipocyte membranes of ob/ob mice

We have established previously that the regulation of adenylate cyclase is abnormal in adipose tissue membranes of ob/ob mice. To help establish the nature of the defect, we studied the time course of guanine nucleotide activation and inhibition of adenylate cyclase. The activation of adenylate cyclase by Gpp(NH)p in adipocyte membranes of normal (+/+) and ob/ob mice proceeds with a lag phase. In +/+ membranes, this lag could be shortened by increasing the concentration of Mg2+ in the incubation medium or by pretreatment of the membranes with cholera toxin, and it could be abolished by isoproterenol in combination with 4 mM MgCl2. In contrast, in the ob/ob membranes, only pretreatment with cholera toxin was effective in shortening the lag phase. These results indicate an impediment in the activation of adenylate cyclase in ob/ob membranes. In the +/+ membranes, Gpp(NH)p inhibited foreskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase, following a short lag phase, producing lower steady-state velocities than those seen with forskolin alone. The inhibitory effect of Gpp(NH)p on forskolin-stimulated activity was abolished by pertussis but not by cholera toxin treatment. In the ob/ob membranes, neither Gpp(NH)p nor pertussis treatment had any effect on the steady-state velocity of the forskolin-stimulated activity. These data have been interpreted as meaning that an anomaly in Ni rather than in Ns is likely to be responsible for the impairment of adenylate cyclase activity in the membranes of the ob/ob mouse.     

The effect of alpha and beta adrenergic receptor stimulation on the adenylate cyclase activity of human adipocytes.

The effects of the mixed agonist epinephrine and the beta agonist isoproterenol, each alone and in combination with the alpha adrenergic blocker phentolamine and the beta blocker propranolol on the adenylate cyclase activity of human adipocyte membrane fragments were determined in a calcium free buffer. Neither phentolamine (10 muM) nor propranolol (32 muM) affected basal adenylate cyclase activity. Epinephrine (10 muM) stimulated adenylate cyclase activity and this effect was slightly enhanced by phentolamine. The combination of epinephrine plus propranolol depressed adenylate cyclase below the basal level. Isoproterenol (10 muM) markedly stimulated adenylate cyclase; the addition of phentolamine caused an equivocal further increase while the addition of propranolol depressed adenylate cyclase activity to, but not below, the basal level. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that human adipocytes have both alpha and beta adrenergic receptors and that these receptors are associated with the cell membrane adenylate cyclase system.     

Inhibition of adenylate cyclase of catfish and rat hepatocyte membranes by 9-(tetrahydro-2-furyl)adenine (SQ 22536).

The adenosine analogue 9-(Tetrahydro-2-furyl)adenine, SQ 22536, inhibited adenylate cyclase [ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1] activity of crude membrane preparations from catfish (Ictalurus melas) and rat isolated hepatocytes in a non-competitive manner. The IC50s were reduced in the presence of NaF. SQ 22536 reduced the activity of adenylate cyclase also in the presence of increasing concentrations of GTP, as well as Mg++ and Mn++. In the presence of catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, isoproterenol, phenylephrine) SQ 22536 reduced their activating effect on adenylate cyclase in both catfish and rat membranes. SQ 22536 also inhibited the effect of glucagon (0.1 microM) on rat membrane cyclase activity.     

Regulation of adenylate cyclase in two rat liver cell lines, 3C4 and 62.

Adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1) activities were examined in membrane preparations from two rat liver cell lines (62 and 3C4) which were grown in monolayer cultures. The cells were epithelial-like in growth character. Adenylate cyclase from the line 62 was stimulated by epinephrine, Gpp(NH)p, and prostaglandins A1,A2,E1,E2, and F2alpha, but not by glucagon. Arrhenius plots of adenylate cylase activity from line 62 gave straight lines, except when epinephrine was present in the assay; epinephrine-stimulated activity gave a distinct break at 20 degrees C. Adenylate cyclase activity in line 3C4 was stimulated by glucagon ten times greater than by epinephrine. It was responsive to Gpp(NH)p and all the prostaglandins. Arrhenius plots of adenylate cyclase activity of line 3C4 always gave straight line curves. Prostaglandins flattened the straight line curves (allowed temperature independence) of adenylate cyclase activity in membranes from both cell lines.     

Changes in plasma membrane enzyme activities during liver regeneration in the rat.

Changes in activities of plasma membrane enzymes during liver regeneration may be related to the maintenance of hepatic function or to the regulation of cell proliferation. Plasma membranes were isolated from rat livers at various times after partial hepatectomy, and the specific activities of alkaline phosphatase, (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, leucine aminopeptidase, 5'-nucleotidase, and adenylate cyclase (basal and with glucagon or epinephrine) were measured. Alkaline phosphatase and (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity increased 3.6-fold and 2-fold respectively, during the first 48 h after partial hepatectomy. The time of onset and duration of change suggest that these increases in activity are involved in the maintenance of bile secretion. Decreases in leucine aminopeptidase activity at 48--108 h and in 5'-nucleotidase activity at 12--24 h were observed, which may be involved in the restoration of protein and accumulation of RNA. The basal activity of adenylate cyclase increased after partial hepatectomy. The response of adenylate cyclase to epinephrine showed a transitory increase between 36 and 108 h after surgery, while the response to glucagon was decreased by approximately 50% at all time points through 324 h after surgery. These changes in the hormone responsiveness of adenylate cyclase are similar to those previously observed in fetal and preneoplastic liver.     

The effects of adrenalectomy and of hydrocortisone administration on adenylate cyclase activity in rabbit adipose cells (author's transl)]

Adenylate cyclase activity in rabbit adipocyte plasma membranes was studied with special reference to the effects of adrenalectomy and administration of cortisol in vivo. Adrenalectomy was accompanied by an increase in adenylate cyclase activity during basal conditions; cortisol (5 mg/kg body wt., intramuscularly) partly prevents this effect of adrenalectomy. The response of adenylate cyclase to corticotropin, epinephrine and norepinephrine stimulation was higher in the adrenalectomized rabbit than in the sham operated animal. Our in vitro results were in agreement with the striking fat mobilization observed in rabbit plasma after adrenalectomy and with the hypolipemic effects of cortisol we had previously observed in both normal and adrenalectomized rabbit.     

Alterations in mRNA levels, expression, and function of GTP-binding regulatory proteins in adipocytes from obese mice (C57BL/6J-ob/ob)

Messenger RNA levels for the alpha subunit of G-proteins expressed in adipocytes of lean and obese (ob/ob) mice were compared with relative levels of the encoded proteins. Using both toxin labeling and Western blots, expression of Gs alpha, Gi alpha-1, and Gi alpha-3 was decreased by approximately 2-fold in adipocytes of obese mice, while levels of Gi alpha-2 did not differ between the phenotypes. The decreases in Gi alpha-1 and Gs alpha in the obese mouse were attributed to decreased mRNA levels for these proteins. Similar mRNA levels for Gi alpha-3 were noted in both phenotypes, but Gi alpha-2 message was increased 2-fold in the obese mouse. Inhibitory regulation of adipocyte adenylylcyclase through G-proteins was evaluated by comparing the ability of R-PIA to inhibit isoproterenol-stimulated responses between the phenotypes. In spite of the decrease in Gi alpha-1 and Gi alpha-3 in adipocytes from obese mice, R-PIA inhibited adenylylcyclase, cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and lipolysis in similar fashion in both phenotypes. The GTP analog, Gpp(NH)p also inhibited forskolin-stimulated adenylylcyclase in a comparable manner, but the magnitude of the inhibition was slightly less in adipocyte membranes from obese mice. In contrast, the decrease in expression of Gs alpha was translated into substantially poorer activation of isoproterenol-stimulated responses in the obese mouse. The concentration of isoproterenol producing half-maximal activation of adenylylcyclase, protein kinase, and lipolysis did not differ between the phenotypes, but the maximal responses were much lower in cells from obese mice. Similar lipolytic potential in isolated adipocytes from each phenotype and similar total forskolin-stimulated cyclase activity in adipocyte membranes from each phenotype suggest that decreased expression of Gs alpha may contribute to the characteristic alteration in mobilization of triglycerides noted in adipocytes from obese mice.     

Effects of insulin on lipolysis and lipogenesis in adipocytes from genetically obese (ob/ob) mice.

A method for the preparation of isolated adipocytes from obese mice is described. Similar yields of adipocytes (50--60%), as judged by several criteria, are obtained from obese mice and lean controls. Few fat-globules and no free nuclei were observed in cell preparations, which are metabolically active, respond to hormonal control and appear to be representative of intact adipose tissue. Noradrenaline-stimulated lipolysis was inhibited by insulin, equally in adipocytes from lean and obese mice. Inhibition in obese cells required exogenous glucose, and the insulin dose--response curve was shifted to the right. Basal lipogenesis from glucose was higher in adipocytes from obese mice, and the stimulatory effect of insulin was greater in cells from obese mice compared with lean controls. A rightward shift in the insulin dose--response curve was again observed with cells from obese animals. This suggests that adipose tissue from obese mice is insulin-sensitive at the high blood insulin concentrations found in vivo. The resistance of obese mice to the hypoglycaemic effect of exogenous insulin and their impaired tolerance to glucose loading appear to be associated with an impaired insulin response by muscle rather than by adipose tissue.     

Mechanisms of heart adenylate cyclase activation by epinephrine and fluoride ions

The effects of epinephrine and NaF on the membrane preparations of adenylate cyclase from rabbit heart were studied. After preincubation with epinephrine or NaF at 37 degrees C and subsequent washing of the membranes at 4 degrees C from the effectors, adenylate cyclase passes into the activated state and loses its sensitivity to epinephrine and NaF. The effect may be "reversed" by preincubation of the membranes at 37 degrees C. The addition of ATP to the preincubation media does not affect the regulatory and catalytic properties of the enzyme. It is assumed that adenylate cyclase regulation by hormones and fluoride ions may occur without hypothetical processes of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the enzyme. The effect of preincubation is probably due to the temperature-dependent association and dissociation of the enzyme-receptor complex in the membrane. Epinephrine and NaF partially protect the cyclase against trypsin-induced inactivation, which is indicative of structural or conformational changes of the adenylate cyclase complex during its interaction with activators.     

Activation of adipocyte adenylate cyclase by protein kinase C

Adenylate cyclase activity in purified rat adipocyte membranes is stimulated by the calcium- and phospholipid-dependent enzyme protein kinase C. Over the concentration range of 100-1000 milliunits/ml, both highly purified (approximately 3000 units/mg of protein) protein kinase C from rat brain and partially purified (14 units/mg of protein) protein kinase C from guinea pig pancreas stimulate cyclase activity. The actions of both protein kinase C preparations on adenylate cyclase activity are dependent on added calcium, which is effective at concentrations less than 10 microM. Exogenous phospholipids are not required for stimulation of adenylate cyclase by protein kinase C; but, under typical cyclase assay conditions, the adipocyte membranes satisfy the lipid requirement for protein kinase C phosphorylation of histone. The tumor-promoting phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate enhances the kinase action on cyclase, and the phorbol ester is effective at concentrations equimolar with the kinase (less than 10 nM). With the brain protein kinase C, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate effects are especially evident at limiting calcium concentrations. Inhibitors of protein kinase C activity, such as chlorpromazine, palmitoylcarnitine, and polymyxin B, inhibit selectively that adenylate cyclase activity which is stimulated by protein kinase C plus calcium. It is concluded that protein kinase C acts directly on the adipocyte adenylate cyclase system.