Activation of rat brain adenylate cyclase by proteases: involvement of distinct protein components in the activation by α-chymotrypsin and trypsin

Adenylate cyclase in synaptic plasma membranes from rat brain is activated by α-chymotrypsin or trypsin. These proteases also activate adenylate cyclase reconstituted from the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase and the partially purified fraction of the GTP-binding proteins containing both the stimulatory and inhibitory GTP-binding proteins. Properties of the activation of reconstituted adenylate cyclase by the proteases are as follows. (1) The proteases do not directly activate the catalytic subunit. However, the pre-treatment of the partially purified GTP-binding proteins with α-chymotrypsin (100 μg/ml) increases the subsequently reconstituted cyclase activity at least 3-fold. Trypsin (10–30 μg/ml) much more weakly enhances the cyclase activity. (2) α-Chymotrypsin and trypsin synergistically activate the cyclase. (3) Trypsin but not α-chymotrypsin no longer activates the cyclase when the purified stimulatory GTP-binding protein (Gs) replaces the partially purified GTP-binding proteins. (4) The stimulatory effects of α-chymotrypsin and trypsin on the cyclase activity are little or slight unless 5′-guanylylimidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p) is present in the reconstitution. (5) The purified βγ-subunits of the GTP-binding proteins markedly inhibit adenylate cyclase. This inhibition is nearly completely attenuated by treating the βα-subunits with α-chymotrypsin (> 10 μg/ml). (6) Trypsin (1–10 μg/ml) inactivates the GTPase of the α-subunit of the inhibitory GTP-binding protein (Gi). This inactivation of the GTPase seems to correlate with the activation of the reconstituted adenylate cyclase by trypsin.We conclude that two distinct protein components are involved in the activation of adenylate cyclase by α-chymotrypsin and trypsin. One component sensitive to α-chymotrypsin is probably the βγ-subunits of the GTP-binding proteins. The other component sensitive to trypsin may be the α-subunit of Gi.     

Incorporation of rat brain adenylate cyclase into artificial phospholipid vesicles.

Adenylate cyclase was solubilized from rat brain particulate fraction with the nonionic detergent, Nonidet P-40. Incubation of detergent-solubilized adenylate cyclase with liposomes prepared from egg yolk phosphatidylcholine results in virtually quantitative incorporation of the enzyme activity into phospholipid vesicles. Incorporation of adenylate cyclase into liposomes results in an approximately 10- to 20-fold purification relative to the solubilized preparation giving a final specific activity of about 50 nmol of cAMP min-1 mg-1. The detergent-solubilized adenylate cyclase migrates as a broad band between 14 and 33% sucrose on density gradient centrifugation, separated from the endogenous phospholipid. Following overnight incubation of the solubilized enzyme with exogenous phospholipid, all enzyme activity is found in a narrow band between 7 and 9% sucrose, co-migrating with the phospholipid. The adenylate cyclase could not be released from the liposomes by extraction with high ionic strength, low ionic strength-EDTA, or sonication. Treatment of liposomal adenylates cyclase with soluble proteases or immobilized trypsin destroys enzyme activity. Thus, it is likely that a functionally important part of the enzyme molecule is exposed on the outer surface of the liposome. Optimal conditions for the incorporation of adenylate cyclase into liposomes, and some effects of manipulating the phospholipid composition on enzyme activity are reported.     

Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase. Identification of multiple forms of the enzyme by antibodies

Two forms of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase of 200 and 47 kDa have been purified from dialyzed urea extract of the bacteria to specific activities of 466 and 1685 mumol.min-1.mg-1, respectively. Both forms are activated 50-200-fold by calmodulin. The half-maximum concentration required for the activation of the 200-kDa catalyst is 5.4.10(-9) M, whereas the one required for activation of the 47-kDa catalyst is 1.8.10(-10) M. Polyclonal antibodies raised against the 47-kDa catalyst specifically recognize both forms of the enzyme in purified state as well as in bacterial extracts on immunoblots. The antibody inhibits at similar titer adenylate cyclase activity of the purified forms as well as the activity present in dialyzed urea extract of the bacteria. It also prevents the penetration of the invasive B. pertussis adenylate cyclase into human lymphocytes. The inhibition induced by the antisera is specific to B. pertussis enzyme, since both calmodulin-dependent brain and sperm adenylate cyclase are not affected by the antibody.     

Adenylate cyclase stimulation by trypsin.

Adenylate cyclase activity of a rat embryo fibroblast cell line (F111) is markedly increased by brief treatment with 1:300 trypsin. The degree of stimulation depends upon the length of time the cells are treated and the concentration of trypsin. Crystalline trypsin produced a stimulation similar to that obtained with 1:300 trypsin. Further, the addition of soybean trypsin inhibitor blocked the stimulation of adenylate cyclase by 1:300 trypsin. Trypsin-treated adenylate cyclase responds to PGE1, but there is no increase over that of untreated enzyme. This result and the increase in fluoride-stimulated levels of activity suggest that the trypsin is acting upon the catalytic unit of the enzyme.     

Activation of adenylate cyclase in cultured fibroblasts by trypsin

Adenylate cyclase activity measured in membranes of cultured normal rat kidney (NRK) fibroblasts was markedly increased by prior treatment of the intact cells with trypsin. Cell population density influenced the extent of activation observed. Trypsin treatment of sparse cells significantly enhanced adenylate cyclase activity, whereas similar treatment of confluent cells caused only a slight increase in adenylate cyclase activity. The degree of activation noted after trypsin treatment also varied depending on the adenylate cyclase function measured. Activity determined in the presence of GTP alone showed the greatest increase after trypsin treatment. Similar enhancement of adenylate cyclase activity of a washed cell membrane preparation was achieved by the addition of low concentrations of trypsin directly to the adenylate cyclase reaction mixture. The membranes of confluent NRK fibroblasts initially exhibited higher adenylate cyclase activity than did membranes of sparse cells. The present results suggest that this change in adenylate cyclase activity at cell confluence is not due to an increase in the amount of adenylate cyclase in the cell membrane but rather to a change in membrane components that regulate its activity. Proteolytic activation of adenylate cyclase appears to result from degradation of cell membrane proteins that modulate the activity of this enzyme.     

Purification and characterization of a calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis

Bordetella pertussis, the bacterium responsible for whooping cough, releases a soluble, calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase into its culture medium. B. pertussis mutants deficient in this enzyme are avirulent, indicating that the adenylate cyclase contributes to the pathogenesis of the disease. It has been proposed that B. pertussis adenylate cyclase may enter animal cells and increase intracellular adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate (cAMP) levels. We have purified the enzyme extensively from culture medium using anion-exchange chromatography in the presence and absence of calmodulin and gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme was purified 1600-fold to a specific activity of 608 mumol of cAMP min-1 mg-1 and was free of islet activating protein. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 43 400 in the absence of calmodulin and 54 200 in the presence of calmodulin. The Km of the bacterial enzyme for adenosine 5'-triphosphate was 2.0 mM, whereas the Km of the calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase from bovine brain was 0.07 mM. Although the enzyme was not purified to homogeneity, its turnover number of 27 000 min-1 is the highest documented for any adenylate cyclase preparation.     

Thrombin-like inhibitory action of trypsin and trypsin-like proteases on human platelet adenylate cyclase

The effects of trypsin, acrosin and a recently described trypsin-like protease from bovine sperm were studied on adenylate cyclase activity in membranes of human platelets. These proteases caused an immediate decrease in adenylate cyclase activity, which was independent of the platelet membrane concentration used and which was constant for up to 20 min of incubation at 25 degrees C. When the incubation was prolonged, the proteases eliminated their own inhibitory action as well as that of the inhibitory hormone epinephrine. The adenylate cyclase inhibition caused by the proteases was strictly dependent on the presence of GTP (EC50 approximately 0.1 microM), whereas in the absence of GTP only minor changes in enzyme activity were observed at the conditions and protease concentrations used. Maximal inhibition caused by the proteases was between 40% and 60%. Half-maximal inhibition by the purified proteases trypsin and acrosin was observed at about 30 ng/ml and 2 micrograms/ml respectively. Inhibition of platelet adenylate cyclase by the proteases was partially additive with that caused by epinephrine, while with thrombin no additivity was observed. The serine protease inhibitor leupeptin blocked the actions of the proteases when added simultaneously with the enzymes, but was ineffective when added later on. Treatment of platelet membranes with the alkylating N-ethylmaleimide at low concentrations and Mn2+ ions (greater than or equal to 1 mM), both agents known to abolish inhibition of adenylate cyclase via the inhibitory guanine-nucleotide-binding protein Gi, eliminated the inhibitory action of the proteases. The data indicate that trypsin and trypsin-like proteases have two opposite effects on the platelet adenylate cyclase system, the well-documented elimination of Gi action and, as shown here, an immediate activation of Gi with subsequent adenylate cyclase inhibition. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the activation of Gi caused by the proteases is due to an interaction of the proteases with specific cell-surface receptor sites in a manner similar to thrombin.     

Isolation and characterization of a small catalytic domain released from the adenylate cyclase from Escherichia coli by digestion with trypsin

An expression plasmid containing a hybrid gene encoding a protein having the primary amino acid sequence of the adenylate cyclase from Escherichia coli was constructed. When the gene was induced, the adenylate cyclase could be expressed at high levels in a cya- strain of E. coli. The majority of the enzymatic activity and protein (having a molecular weight of 95,000) induced was insoluble. However, treatment of the insoluble fraction of cell lysates with trypsin resulted in both an increase in and solubilization of the total amount of adenylate cyclase activity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the soluble protein produced by treatment with trypsin revealed a polypeptide having a molecular weight of 30,000. This soluble, catalytically active fragment of adenylate cyclase was purified and subjected to amino-terminal sequence analyses; two amino-terminal sequences were identified beginning at residue 82 and at residue 342 of the intact enzyme. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of the purified fragment followed by either silver or Coomassie Blue staining revealed the presence of only a single polypeptide having a molecular weight of 30,000; a short oligopeptide associated with the amino terminus at residue 342 could not be detected. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to place a stop codon at residue 341; the truncated enzyme was catalytically active, so the short oligopeptide is not necessary for catalysis. The Km for ATP, the Ka for Mg2+, and the Vmax determined for the product containing the 30,000-dalton fragment were similar to the values reported for the intact enzyme from E. coli.     

Solubilization and separation of the glucagon receptor and adenylate cyclase in guanine nucleotide-sensitive states.

Adenylate cyclase in liver membranes was solubilized with Lubrol PX and partially purified by gel filtration. The partially purified enzyme was susceptible to activation by guanyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p). Studies on the binding of [3H]Gpp(NH)p to various fractions eluted from the gels revealed that an upper limit of 1% of the Gpp(NH)p binding sites is associated with adenylate cyclase activity stimulated by the nucleotide. The glucagon receptor, pretagged with 125I-glucagon in the membranes, solubilized with Lubrol PX, and fractionated on the same gel columns, eluted in a peak fraction that overlaps with, but is separate from, adenylate cyclase in its Gpp(NH)p-stimulated form. Addition of GTP to the solubilized glucagon-receptor complex caused complete dissociation of the complex, as has been shown with the membrane-bound form of the complex. Since the GTP-sensitive form of the glucagon receptor complex separates from the Gpp(NH)p-sensitive form of adenylate cyclase, it is concluded that the receptor and the enzyme are separate molecules, each associated with a distinct nucleotide regulatory site or component. These findings are discussed in terms of the possible structure of the hormone-sensitive state of adenylate cyclase.     

Identification of residues essential for catalysis and binding of calmodulin in Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase by site-directed mutagenesis.

In order to identify molecular features of the calmodulin (CaM) activated adenylate cyclase of Bordetella pertussis, a truncated cya gene was fused after the 459th codon in frame with the alpha-lacZ' gene fragment and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant, 604 residue long protein was purified to homogeneity by ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The kinetic parameters of the recombinant protein are very similar to that of adenylate cyclase purified from B.pertussis culture supernatants, i.e. a specific activity greater than 2000 mumol/min mg of protein at 30 degrees C and pH 8, a KmATP of 0.6 mM and a Kd for its activator, CaM, of 0.2 nM. Proteolysis with trypsin in the presence of CaM converted the recombinant protein to a 43 kd protein with no loss of activity; the latter corresponds to the secreted form of B.pertussis adenylate cyclase. Site-directed mutagenesis of residue Trp-242 in the recombinant protein yielded mutants expressing full catalytic activity but having altered affinity for CaM. Thus, substitution of an aspartic acid residue for Trp-242 reduced the affinity of adenylate cyclase for CaM greater than 1000-fold. Substitution of a Gln residue for Lys-58 or Lys-65 yielded mutants with a drastically reduced catalytic activity (approximately 0.1% of that of wild-type protein) but with little alteration of CaM-binding. These results substantiated, at the molecular level, our previous genetic and biochemical studies according to which the N-terminal tryptic fragment of secreted B.pertussis adenylate cyclase (residues 1-235/237) harbours the catalytic site, whereas the C-terminal tryptic fragment (residues 235/237-399) corresponds to the main CaM-binding domain of the enzyme.     

Rat testis mitochondrial adenylate cyclase. Partial purification and characterization.

1. Adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1) from rat testis mitochondria has been solubilized by treatment with the non-ionic detergent Lubrol PX. The soluble enzyme was further purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. 2. The specific activity of the adenylate cyclase eluted from the DEAE-cellulose column was found to be four times higher than that of an intact mitochondrial preparation. At this step the enzyme shows a sedimentation coefficient of 4.2 S and a diffusion coefficient (D) of 3.12 - 10- minus 7 cm-2/sec. 3. Solubilization of the adenylate cyclase resulted in loss of responsiveness to gonadotrophic hormones. Addition of phosphatidylserine to the soluble preparation partially restored the activation of adenylate cyclase by human chorionic gonadotrophin. 4. The results of this study suggest that the activity of the adenylate cyclase may be dependent on the membrane-bound phospholipids and that the enzyme attached to the mitochondrial membranes has some properties which are similar to the adenylate cyclase found to be associated with other membrane systems of the cell.?     

Characterization of the bacterial cell associated calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis

Bordetella pertussis produces a calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase that is associated with the whole bacteria and released into its culture media. Preparations of this enzyme invade animal cells, causing elevations in intracellular cAMP levels. Cell-associated adenylate cyclase accounted for 28% of the total adenylate cyclase activity while 72% was released into the culture supernatant. Over 90% of the cell-associated adenylate cyclase activity was sensitive to trypsin treatment of whole cells, indicating that the catalytic domain of the enzyme is localized on the outer surface of the bacterial cells. Enzyme activity was released from whole cells by treatment with SDS. This activity was resolved as a large form (Mr 215,000) by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In contrast, the culture supernatant contained only the 45,000-dalton catalytic subunit. Enzyme activity released from spheroplasts by sonication was resolved into a large form (Mr 215,000) and a small form (Mr 45,000). The appearance of the small form with spheroplast formation was probably the result of proteolytic degradation. Antibodies generated against the catalytic subunit purified from culture supernatants cross-reacted with and immunoprecipitated both the large and small forms of adenylate cyclase isolated from bacterial cells. Furthermore, incubation of the cell-associated enzyme with a crude bacterial extract resulted in a time-dependent disappearance of the 215,000-dalton form and a concomitant increase in the amount of the smaller 45,000-dalton form. There was also a parallel increase in the ability of the cell-associated preparation to elevate intracellular cAMP levels in N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Preparative isoelectric focusing and some properties of solubilized adenylate cyclase from rat brain

A new procedure for the purification of rat brain adenylate cyclase (ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1) is presented. The enzyme solubilized in Lubrol PX was purified either by molecular sieving or by hydrophobic chromatography, followed by a preparative isoelectric focusing step. For this purpose, a new isoelectric focusing technique was developed which allows a good resolution of adenylate cyclase in a short period of time. When resolved by this procedure, the enzyme migrated as a single molecular species with a pI of 6.3. When isoelectric focusing was performed in the presence of EGTA, two distinct peaks of activity could be detected at pI 6.1 and 7.3. This suggests that adenylate cyclase consists of two subunits held together by divalent ions. It is shown that the purified adenylate cyclase has a smaller sedimentation coefficient and is less hydrophobic than the native one. We conclude that the adenylate cyclase containing complex was at least partially disaggregated by this procedure.     

Alterations in plasma membrane proteins associated with the proteolytic activation of adenylate cyclase

Treatment of intact normal rat kidney fibroblasts, or of purified NRK plasma membranes, with trypsin or papain markedly enhances adenylate cyclase activity [ATP pyrophosphatelyase (cyclizing) EC 4.6.1.1]. Limited proteolysis (25 μg/ml trypsin for 7 min) of confluent cells grown with unheated calf serum significantly increases cyclase activity, whereas similar treatment of sparse cells causes only a marginal increase in cyclic AMP formation. To determine which membrane protein(s) is altered under conditions which result in proteolytic activation of adenylate cyclase, purified plasma membranes and intact normal rat kidney cells were subjected to limited proteolysis and membrane proteins analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis. Membranes prepared from intact confluent normal rat kidney cells exposed to mild trypsinization showed a decrease in proteins of 56,000, 46,000, 37,000, and 32,000 daltons. Trypsin treatment of intact, sparse cells does not activate the cyclase system and does not lead to modification of the 46,000-dalton membrane protein. Treatment of purified normal rat kidney plasma membranes results in the loss of numerous bands in the high molecular mass region (>150,000 daltons) as well as decreases membrane proteins of 56,000, 49,000, 46,000, and 23,000 daltons. Compared with trypsin, the proteolytic action of papain appears to be quite specific, causing a discernible decrease in only the 46,000-dalton protein. The correlation between modification of the 46,000-dalton membrane component and the activation of the cyclase system suggests that perhaps this protein is proteolytically modified to elicit activation of adenylate cyclase.     

Isolation, purification and characterization of regulatory properties of adenylate cyclase from rabbit heart]

Rabbit heart membranes possessing the adenylate cyclase activity were isolated and purified by extraction with high ionic strength solutions and centrifugation in the sucrose density gradient. It was shown that the membranes are characterized by a high percentage of cholesterol (molar ratio cholesterol/phospholipids is 0.24) and an increased activity of Na, K-ATPase, which suggests the localization of adenylate cyclase in the sarcolemma. During centrifugation in the sucrose density gradient the activities of andenylate cyclase and Na,K-ATPase are not separated. Treatment of heart sarcolemma with a 0.3% solution of lubrol WX results in 10--20% solubilization of adenylate cyclase. Purification of the enzyme in the membrane fraction is accompanied by a decrease in the activity of phosphodiesterase; however, about 2% of the heart diesterase total activity cannot be removed from the sarcolemma even after its treatment with 0.3% lubrol WX. Epinephrine and NaF activate adenylate cyclase without changing the pH dependence of the enzyme. The alpha-adrenergic antagonist phentolamine has no effect on the adenylate cyclase activation by catecholamines, glucagon and histamine; the beta-adrenergic antagonist alprenolol competitively inhibits the effects of isoproterenol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, having no effect on the enzyme activation by glucagon and histamine. There is no competition between epinephrine, glucagon and histamine for the binding site of the hormone; however, there may occur a competition between the hormone receptors for the binding to the enzyme. A combined action of several hormones on the membranes results in the averaging of their individual activating effects. When the hormones were added one after another, the extent of adenylate cyclase activation corresponded to that induced by the first hormone; the activation was insensitive to the effect of the second hormone added. It is assumed that the outer membrane of myocardium cells contains a adenylate cyclase and three types of receptors, each being capable to interact with the same form of enzyme. The activity of adenylate cyclase is determined by the type of the receptor, to which it is bound and by the amount of the enzyme-receptor complex.     

Purification of the proteolytically solubilized, active catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase from ram sperm. Inhibition by adenosine

Ram spermatozoa adenylate cyclase is insensitive to all usual regulatory processes. The purification of its active catalytic subunit was accomplished after proteolytic solubilization of a particulate fraction by alpha-chymotrypsin. The purification (26,000-fold from the particulate fraction or 125,000-fold from the whole-sperm proteins) was achieved by conventional procedures (DEAE-Trisacryl, Ultrogel AcA 34, DEAE-Sephacel, hydroxyapatite), in the absence of detergent, and with a yield of 5-10% and a final specific activity of 19 mumol cyclic AMP formed mg protein-1 min-1 at 30 degrees C in the presence of manganese as cosubstrate. The solubilized enzyme, stable at the beginning of the purification procedure, became unstable at the later stages. After the last step (chromatography on hydroxyapatite) half-lives of 27 min, 50 min and 160 min were obtained at 30 degrees C, 20 degrees C and 4 degrees C respectively. The enzyme was stabilized by addition of bovine serum albumin and Lubrol PX, 80% of the activity remaining after 24 h at 4 degrees C. The purified enzyme exhibited a Km value similar to that of the native enzyme (Km = 1.4 mM). Unlike the native enzyme, the purified enzyme has an absolute requirement for MnATP; no significant activity was recovered in the presence of MgATP. Adenosine inhibited the activity of both the native and purified forms of the enzyme to the same extent and in a non-competitive manner. This indicates that adenosine acts on the catalytic component itself and the inhibition site and the catalytic site are different. Data obtained with adenosine analogs indicate that adenosine interacts with the cyclase catalytic subunit with a 'P-site' specificity. The purified adenylate cyclase, which had an apparent molecular mass of 38 kDa on a high-performance liquid chromatography column [Stengel, D., Guenet, L. and Hanoune, J. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 10,818-10,826], gave a doublet of 36 kDa and 34 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. This represents the smallest protein entity associated with adenylate cyclase activity so far reported.     

Stimulation of Escherichia coli adenylate cyclase activity by elongation factor Tu, a GTP-binding protein essential for protein synthesis

A unique feature of eucaryotic adenylate cyclases is their interaction with GTP-binding proteins that mediate hormonal responses. Until now, there has been no evidence for regulation of Escherichia coli adenylate cyclase by a GTP-binding protein. We describe here that the most abundant protein in E. coli, the GTP-binding protein EF-Tu, which is important as an elongation factor in protein synthesis, also serves as a stimulator of adenylate cyclase activity. Homogeneous EF-Tu specifically increased the activity of purified adenylate cyclase as much as 70%; other E. coli GTP-binding proteins had no effect on enzyme activity. A study of the guanine nucleotide specificity for EF-Tu-mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity suggested that the preferred activator is EF-Tu X GDP. To account for the GTP-specific stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity observed in intact cells, we propose that the nucleotide specificity for EF-Tu-dependent activation of adenylate cyclase is governed by other factors in the cell.     

Activation of spermatozoan adenylate cyclase by a low molecular weight factor in porcine seminal plasma

The ejaculated porcine spermatozoa were fractionated into the cytosol, membrane, midpiece plus tail (flagella) and head fractions, and their adenylate cyclase activities were measured. About 65% of the total activity was located in the flagella fraction. For all the fractions, Mn2+-dependent adenylate cyclase activity was about 20 times higher than Mg2+-dependent activity, and guanine nucleotides, fluoride, and other reagents tested did not activate adenylate cyclase. The results suggest that the GTP-dependent regulatory subunit is absent in porcine spermatozoa. The porcine seminal plasma was found to stimulate the adenylate cyclase activity in spermatozoa. The stimulating factor in porcine seminal plasma was partially purified by gel filtration and the molecular weight of the factor appeared to be between 200 and 300. The partially purified factor is heat stable and is not inactivated by treatment with Pronase, trypsin, phospholipase A2 or D but is inactivated by acid hydrolysis. It is easily soluble in water, partially soluble in methanol, and insoluble in ethanol, ethyl ether, chloroform, or acetone. The activation of sperm adenylate cyclase by the factor occurred without a time lag. The activating effect was dose-dependent, saturated at high dose, and ascribed to the increase of the maximal velocity (Vmax). The effect of the factor appears to be limited to adenylate cyclase in spermatozoa; the factor activated adenylate cyclase both in porcine and bovine spermatozoa but failed to activate those in other porcine tissues. The factor was shown to activate the enzyme not only in the ejaculated spermatozoa but also in the epididymal sperm. The factor was also found to elevate the cAMP level in the intact porcine spermatozoa. The factor enhanced the motility of corpus and cauda epididymal spermatozoa. These findings indicate the possibility that this factor initiates the spermatozoan motility upon ejaculation through directly activating adenylate cyclase.     

Immunological distinction between calmodulin-sensitive and calmodulin-insensitive adenylate cyclases

Previous studies using calmodulin-Sepharose affinity chromatography have suggested that bovine brain may contain a mixture of calmodulin-sensitive and -insensitive adenylate cyclase activities (Wescott, K. R., La Porte, D. C., and Storm, D. R. (1979) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 3086-3090). In this study, mice were immunized with a purified preparation of the calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase from bovine brain, and a polyclonal antiserum was obtained which was specific to the calmodulin-sensitive form of the enzyme. The antiserum was not inhibitory and precipitated enzyme activity from a homogeneous preparation of the calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase catalytic subunit. Furthermore, the antiserum did not interact with calmodulin-insensitive adenylate cyclase which was resolved from the calmodulin-sensitive form of the enzyme by calmodulin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. Since the only polypeptide specifically precipitated by the antiserum had an Mr of 135,000, which was identical to the Mr of the catalytic subunit of the enzyme, it is concluded that the antiserum interacted directly and specifically with the catalytic subunit of the calmodulin-sensitive isozyme of adenylate cyclase. Detergent-solubilized membranes from several rat tissues were examined for the presence of calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase using anti-calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase antiserum. Approximately 40-60% of the total adenylate cyclase activity of rat brain and kidney were immunoprecipitated by the antiserum, whereas liver and testes contained no detectable calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase. Approximately 15% of the total adenylate cyclase activity in rat heart and lung was the calmodulin-sensitive form. These data indicate that the calmodulin-sensitive and insensitive adenylate cyclases from bovine brain are immunologically distinct and support the proposal that there may be two or more distinct adenylate cyclase isozymes in brain.     

The purification and characterization of plasma membranes and the subcellular distribution of adenylate cyclase in mouse parotid gland.

1. Plasma membranes have been purified 17-fold from mouse parotid gland homogenates prepared in hypertonic sucrose media using differential centrifugation. The method is fast and simple. The membranes were characterised by electron microscopy, enzyme composition and chemical composition. Further purification was achieved by isopycnic centrifugation in discontinuous sucrose gradients. 2. The purified membranes contain an adenylate cyclase activity which is stimulated by isoproterenol and fluoride. Only 50% of the total adenylate cyclase activity sedimented in the plasma membrane fraction. The rest of the activity resided in the crude nuclear and mitochondrial pellets. However, this adenylate cyclase activity was not associated with these organelles but with membrane fragments in the pellets. Purified nuclei did not contain adenylate cyclase activity. 3. Adenylate cyclase activity was also localised by electron microscopic cytochemistry. Besides being found at the plasma membrane, large amounts of adenylate cyclase were found in a small proportion of the vesicles within the acinar cells, which appeared to be secondary lysosomes. 4. Adenylate cyclase activities, under standard assay conditions, are proportional to the time of incubation and the concentration of enzyme. The enzyme requires both Mg-2+ and CA-2+ for activity. Isoproterenol increased activity 2-fold and this increase is abolished by beta-adrenergic blocking agents.