Enzyme activity during the metabolism of glycogen

Summary Phosphorylase activities were investigated by histochemical and ultrastructural procedures in the electroreceptive sensory cells of the tuberous organ of Gnathonemus petersii.After incubation in G1P, G1P activated by AMP (Takeuchi and Kuriaki medium) or in G1P activated by ATP+MgSO₄ (Guha and Wegman medium) newly formed polysaccharides were analysed with the iodine and P.A.S. reactions under light microscopy and, under electron microscopy, with the periodic acid thiocarbohydrazide (TCH) silver proteinate (PATAg reaction, Thiery), The newly formed polysaccharides proved the presence of glycogen phosphorylase (2.4.1.1) activities and of their branching enzymes (2.4.1.18). When G1P was activated by ATP+MgSO₄, they appeared as glycogen particles with the same constitution as native glycogen. After incubation in G1P and in G1P activated by AMP they appeared as glycogen and polyglucose filaments too. In the latter case they were high concentrated. The results show that the phosphorylases are principally present in this sensory cell in their inactive form.     

Glycogen metabolism in novikoff ascites-hepatoma cells

A study of the enzymes of the glycogen pathway in Novikoff ascites hepatoma shows that glycogen synthetase has the lowest activity and that the tumour contains no high-K(m) soluble glucokinase. However, incubation of tumour cells with metabolizable sugars in vitro, or intraperitoneal administration of glucose into the tumour-bearing rat, results in glycogen accumulation by the tumour cells. Glycogen synthesis in the tumour is supported by aerobically produced ATP but is decreased anaerobically and by uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation. Absence of P(i) from the incubation medium increases glycogen synthesis and decreases glycolysis. The optimum temperature for glycogen synthesis is 37 degrees . The capacity of the intact tumour cell to degrade deposited glycogen is low, but is accelerated by 2,4-dinitrophenol. Tumour homogenates prepared after osmotic shock do not incorporate [(14)C]glucose into glycogen. The glucose moiety of glucose 1-phosphate and of UDP-glucose is incorporated into glycogen by the homogenates and the incorporation of glucose 1-phosphate is greatly enhanced by AMP. Glucose 6-phosphate is a poor precursor of glycogen in the homogenate system, probably because it inhibits activation of phosphorylase b by AMP.     

Enzyme activity during the metabolism of glycogen. II. Cytochemical study of glycogen synthetase in the sensory cells of the tuberous organ of Gnathonemus petersii (Mormyridae).

Glycogen synthetase (2.4.1.11) forms I (independent or active) and D (dependent or passive) as well as the enzymes active in the transformation of the pathways, protein kinase and phosphatase transferase, were studied in the sensory cells and glycogen rich epidermal cells of the weakly electric fish Gnathonemus petersii (Mormyridae). For light microscopy an indirect cytochemical method which differentiated between glycogen originally present and that produced during incubation in the presence of UDPG was used. This differentiation was obtained by iodine, PAS and alpha and beta amylases. Glycogen synthetase is present in the sensory cells in the I and D forms. The epidermal cells only contain the D form. Protein kinase (active I yields D) has only been found in the sensory cells but phosphatase transferase (active D yields I) has been found in both the epidermal cells and the sensory cells, but only within certain organs. Electron microscopy studies of glycogen synthetase I and D and protein kinase were restricted to the sensory cells only. As with the light microscope it was possible to differentiate between native glycogen and newly formed glycogen. This was done using ultrathin sections and staining with uranyl acetate, lead citrate or by the PATAg reaction. It was possible from these observations to locate precisely the positions of these enzymes. In fact, glycogen synthetase I and D are found both in the sensory cytoplasm and in the sensory cavity with the polysaccharide filaments. Protein kinase is also abundant in the sensory cytoplasm especially in the periphery of the cell near the microvillary border.     

Probing into the function of the gene product responsible for glycogen storage disease type Ib

This study aimed at directly assessing glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) transport by intact rat liver microsomes. Tracer uptake from labeled G6P occurred with T(1/2) values that proved insensitive to unlabeled G6P or 100 microM vanadate, and could not be activated over background levels by intravesicular phosphate in the complete absence of G6P hydrolysis. [(32)P]Phosphate efflux was similarly unaffected by G6P or phosphate in the incubation medium. We conclude that the gene product responsible for glycogen storage disease type Ib is functionally distinct from the bacterial hexose phosphate transporter, which operates as an obligatory phosphate:phosphate or G6P:phosphate exchanger.     

P2-purinergic control of liver glycogenolysis.

Purinergic agonists cause a dose-dependent activation of glycogen phosphorylase in isolated rat hepatocytes. Half-maximally effective concentrations are 5 X 10(-7)M for ATP, 2 X 10(-6)M for ADP, and about 5 X 10(-5) M for AMP and adenosine. This potency series indicates the presence of P2-purinergic receptors. The mode of action of ATP appears to be identical with that of the Ca2+-dependent glycogenolytic hormones angiotensin, vasopressin and alpha 1-adrenergic agonists. (1) They all require Ca2+ for phosphorylase activation; (2) they do not increase cyclic AMP levels; (3) they are susceptible to heterologous desensitization by vasopressin and phenylephrine; (4) they lower cyclic AMP concentrations in hepatocytes stimulated by glucagon, most probably mediated by an enhanced phosphodiesterase activity.     

The control of glycogen metabolism in yeast. 1. Interconversion in vivo of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase induced by glucose, a nitrogen source or uncouplers

The addition of glucose to a suspension of yeast initiated glycogen synthesis and ethanol formation. Other effects of the glucose addition were a transient rise in the concentration of cyclic AMP and a more prolonged increase in the concentration of hexose 6-monophosphate and of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. The activity of glycogen synthase increased about 4-fold and that of glycogen phosphorylase decreased 3-5-fold. These changes could be reversed by the removal of glucose from the medium and induced again by a new addition of the sugar. These effects of glucose were also obtained with glucose derivatives known to form the corresponding 6-phosphoester. Similar changes in glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activity were induced by glucose in a thermosensitive mutant deficient in adenylate cyclase (cdc35) when incubated at the permissive temperature of 26 degrees C, but were much more pronounced at the nonpermissive temperature of 35 degrees C. Under the latter condition, glycogen synthase was nearly fully activated and glycogen phosphorylase fully inactivated. Such large effects of glucose were, however, not seen in another adenylate-cyclase-deficient mutant (cyr1), able to incorporate exogenous cyclic AMP. When a nitrogen source or uncouplers were added to the incubation medium after glucose, they had effects on glycogen metabolism and on the activity of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase which were directly opposite to those of glucose. By contrast, like glucose, these agents also caused, under most experimental conditions, a detectable rise in cyclic AMP concentration and a series of cyclic-AMP-dependent effects such as an activation of phosphofructokinase 2 and of trehalase and an increase in the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and in the rate of glycolysis. Under all experimental conditions, the rate of glycolysis was proportional to the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. Uncouplers, but not a nitrogen source, also induced an activation of glycogen phosphorylase and an inactivation of glycogen synthase when added to the cdc35 mutant incubated at the restrictive temperature of 35 degrees C without affecting cyclic AMP concentration.     

Activation of Glycogen Phosphorylase by Cyclic AMP in Tetrahymena pyriformis1

Glycogen phosphorylase in Tetrahymena pyriformis was activated by a Mg²⁺ ATP-dependent process and this activation was further increased by the addition of cyclic AMP. When the enzyme activity in subcellular fractions was measured, it was largely associated with the glycogen fraction but was no longer activated by ATP and cyclic AMP. Mixing the glycogen fraction and cytosol fraction together restored the effects of ATP and cyclic AMP on phosphorylase activity. These findings suggest that glycogen phosphorylase associated with Tetrahymena glycogen granules may be regulated by cytosolic factor(s) with cyclic AMP.     

On the role of calcium as second messenger in liver for the hormonally induced activation of glycogen phosphorylase.

We have studied the mode of action of three hormones (angiotensin, vasopressin and phenylephrine, an alpha-adrenergic agent) which promote liver glycogenolysis in a cyclic AMP-independent way, in comparison with that of glucagon, which is known to act essentially via cyclic AMP. The following observations were made using isolated rat hepatocytes: (a) In the normal Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate medium, the hormones activated glycogen phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1) to about the same degree. In contrast to glucagon, the cyclic AMP-independent hormones did not activate either protein kinase (EC 2.7.1.37) or phosphorylase b kinase (EC 2.7.1.38). (b) The absence of Ca2+ from the incubation medium prevented the activation of glycogen phosphorylase by the cyclic AMP-independent agents and slowed down that induced by glucagon. (c) The ionophore A 23187 produced the same degree of activation of glycogen phosphorylase, provided that Ca2+ was present in the incubation medium. (d) Glucagon, cyclic AMP and three cyclic AMP-dependent hormones caused an enhanced uptake of 45Ca; it was verified that concentrations of angiotensin and of vasopressin known to occur in haemorrhagic conditions were able to produce phosphorylase activation and stimulate 45Ca uptake. (e) Appropriate antagonists (i.e. phentolamine against phenylephrine and an angiotensin analogue against angiotensin) prevented both the enhanced 45Ca uptake and the phosphorylase activation. We interpret our data in favour of a role of calcium (1) as the second messenger in liver for the three cyclic AMP-independent glycogenolytic hormones and (2) as an additional messenger for glucagon which, via cyclic AMP, will make calcium available to the cytoplasm either from extracellular or from intracellular pools. The target enzyme for Ca2+ is most probably phosphorylase b kinase.     

Characterization of the phosphorylated form of the insulin-stimulated cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase from rat liver plasma membranes.

Incubation of intact purified rat liver plasma membranes with insulin, cyclic AMP and ATP led to the activation of the peripheral "low-Km" cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. When (gamma-32P]ATP was included in the incubation mixture, after purification of this enzyme to homogeneity it was found to contain 1 mol of alkali-labile 32P/mol of enzyme. Treatment of the homogeneous phosphorylated enzyme with alkaline phosphatase released all of the 32P from the protein while restoring its activity to the native state. The reversibility of the activation that is achieved by the phosphorylation of this enzyme could also be demonstrated with a high-speed supernatant from rat liver. This restored the activity of the activated membrane-bound enzyme to its native state. The Ka for the cyclic AMP-dependence of this process (1.6 micrometer) was unaffected by a range of ATP concentrations (1-10 mM) and by a range of membrane protein concentrations (0.2-2 mg/ml). Adenylyl imidodiphosphate could not substitute for ATP, and concanavalin A could not substitute for insulin, as essential ligands in the activation process. The purified activated enzyme exhibited Km 0.6 microM, Vmax 10.9 units/mg of protein and Hill coefficient (h) 0.47. The Vmax. for this activated enzyme was much higher than that of the native enzyme, yet h was much lower.     

Effects of added adenine nucleotides on renal carbohydrate metabolism

1. The regulatory effects that adenine nucleotides are known to exert on enzymes of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis were demonstrated to operate in kidney-cortex slices and in the isolated perfused rat kidney by the addition of exogenous ATP, ADP and AMP to the incubation or perfusion media. 2. Both preparations rapidly converted added ATP into ADP and AMP, and ADP into AMP; added AMP was rapidly dephosphorylated. AMP formed from ATP was dephosphorylated at a lower rate than was added AMP, especially when the initial ATP concentration was high (10mm). Deamination of added AMP occurred more slowly than dephosphorylation of AMP. 3. Gluconeogenesis from lactate or propionate by rat kidney-cortex slices, and from lactate by the isolated perfused rat kidney, was inhibited by the addition of adenine nucleotides to the incubation or perfusion media. In contrast, oxygen consumption and the utilization of propionate or lactate by slices were not significantly affected by added ATP or AMP. 4. The extent and rapidity of onset of the inhibition of renal gluconeogenesis were proportional to the AMP concentration in the medium and the tissue, and were not due to the production of acid or P(i) or the formation of complexes with Mg(2+) ions. 5. Glucose uptake by kidney-cortex slices was stimulated 30-50% by added ATP, but the extra glucose removed was not oxidized to carbon dioxide and did not all appear as lactate. Glucose uptake, but not lactate production, by the isolated perfused kidney was also stimulated by the addition of ATP or AMP. 6. In the presence of either glucose or lactate, ATP and AMP greatly increased the concentrations of C(3) phosphorylated intermediates and fructose 1,6-diphosphate in the kidney. There was a simultaneous rise in the concentration of malate and fall in the concentration of alpha-oxoglutarate. 7. The effects of added adenine nucleotides on renal carbohydrate metabolism seem to be mainly due to an increased concentration of intracellular AMP, which inhibits fructose diphosphatase and deinhibits phosphofructokinase. This conclusion is supported by the accumulation of intermediates of the glycolytic pathway between fructose diphosphate and pyruvate. 8. ATP or ADP (10mm) added to the medium perfusing an isolated rat kidney temporarily increased the renal vascular resistance, greatly diminishing the flow rate of perfusion medium for a period of several minutes.     

Glycogen consumption in hypoxic rat cardiomyocytes.

Glycogen consumption was investigated in isolated adult rat myocytes incubated for 2 h (37 degrees C) in substrate-free, hypoxic Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer. No consumption of glycogen occurred after 1 h of incubation, and the residual glycogen after 2 h was 23% despite an 89% reduction of the initial ATP content (from 27.1 +/- 1.8 to 3.1 +/- 0.5 nmol/mg dry weight, n = 12). The residual glycogen was not due to lactate inhibition of glycolytic enzymes, since myocytes incubated in the presence of 5 mM glucose maintained high energy phosphates throughout the incubation period despite a considerable lactate accumulation (1740 +/- 43 nmol/mg dry weight in glucose-supplemented vs. 138 +/- 14 nmol/mg dry weight in substrate-free incubations, n = 12). We have previously shown that the content of cyclic AMP in myocytes is not altered in response to hypoxia, thereby excluding activation of glycogen phosphorylase a. In the present study, the fall in myocyte ATP content was not followed by a rise in AMP, possibly preventing allosteric activation of glycogen phosphorylase b. However, addition of cyanide to the hypoxic incubations increased cellular AMP (initial level 2.1 +/- 0.4 nmol/mg dry weight vs. 9.8 +/- 0.7 after 30 min, n = 12) without increasing the amount of glycogen consumed, also ruling out the lack of glycogen phosphorylase b activation in the myocytes. Therefore, the glycogen rest was probably confined to the 17% of myocytes hypercontracted at the start of incubations.     

Cytophotometric analysis of glycogen, protein and DNA of a glycogen-storing rat hepatoma (N13) cell line.

This study examines the behavior of glycogen-storing rat hepatoma (N13) in vitro using cytophotometric techniques. A significant increase in glycogen is observed in these cells after 30 min incubation in a buffered solution containing 0.1 mM glucose, that is 80 times lower than the physiological glucose concentration in rat blood. N13 hepatoma cells grow exponentially in culture using RPMI 1640 tissue culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. During the first day in culture these cells store a large amount of glycogen and this increase is also observed in serum-free cultures. In more prolonged cultures the amount of glycogen per cell gradually becomes lower, although the culturing conditions are maintained. Similar variations of protein are also observed during the initial period of culture. DNA distribution does not show significant changes, although in serum-free cultures an increase in the proportion of cells in S and G2/M phases is observed. The addition of glucagon, epinephrine and cyclic AMP derivatives to serum-free cultures does not impede the storage of glycogen. Nevertheless, addition of either 2 mM N6,O2'-dibutyryl cyclic AMP or 0.1 mM 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cyclic AMP blocks the cell cycle at G0/G1 and glycogen content does not decrease after the first day in culture. We believe that this cell line offers an appropriated model to study glycogen metabolism and its involvement in the neoplastic process.     

Role of AMP on the activation of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase by adenosine, fructose, and glutamine in rat hepatocytes

The mechanism for glycogen synthesis stimulation produced by adenosine, fructose, and glutamine has been investigated. We have analyzed the relationship between adenine nucleotides and glycogen metabolism rate-limiting enzymes upon hepatocyte incubation with these three compounds. In isolated hepatocytes, inhibition of AMP deaminase with erythro-9-(2-hydroxyl-3nonyl)adenine further increases the accumulation of AMP and the activation of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase by fructose. This ketose does not increase cyclic AMP or the activity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Adenosine raises AMP and ATP concentration. This nucleotide also activates glycogen synthase and phosphorylase by covalent modification. The correlation coefficient between AMP and glycogen synthase activity is 0.974. Nitrobenzylthioinosine, a transport inhibitor of adenosine, blocks (by 50%) the effect of the nucleoside on AMP formation and glycogen synthase but not on phosphorylase. 2-Chloroadenosine and N6-phenylisopropyladenosine, nonmetabolizable analogues of adenosine, activate phosphorylase (6-fold) without increasing the concentration of adenine nucleotides or the activity of glycogen synthase. Cyclic AMP is not increased by adenosine in hepatocytes from starved rats but is in cells from fed animals. [Ethylenebis (oxyethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid (EGTA) blocks by 60% the activation of phosphorylase by adenosine but not that of glycogen synthase. Glutamine also increases AMP concentration and glycogen synthase and phosphorylase activities, and these effects are blocked by 6-mercaptopurine, a purine synthesis inhibitor. Neither adenosine nor glutamine increases glucose 6-phosphate. It is proposed that the observed efficient glycogen synthesis from fructose, adenosine, and glutamine is due to the generation of AMP that activates glycogen synthase probably through increases in synthase phosphatase activity. It is also concluded that the activation of phosphorylase by the above-mentioned compounds can be triggered by metabolic changes.     

Influence of some mononucleotides and their corresponding nucleosides on the metabolism of carbohydrates in the isolated rat diaphragm muscle.

1. The influence of ATP on glucose metabolism was studied in the isolated rat diaphragm; it was shown that ATP increases the oxidation of glucose and the aerobic conversion of glucose into lactate, whereas it decreases glycogen synthesis. There was no influence of ATP on the anaerobic formation of lactate from glucose. 2. A maximum effect of ATP on the oxidation of glucose (about 160% increase) was obtained in the presence of 10mm-ATP; in the presence of 2mm-ATP the effect was about 65%, and was approximately constant from 10 to 90min. incubation period. 3. In a phosphate-free tris-buffered medium the oxidation of glucose was considerably decreased, but the percentage stimulation by ATP was about the same as in a phosphate-buffered medium. 4. ATP was shown to increase the oxidation of fructose, glucose 6-phosphate, glucose 1-phosphate, fructose 1,6-diphosphate and, to a much smaller extent, pyruvate. 5. ADP stimulated the oxidation of glucose to the same extent as ATP at a concentration of 2mm and the effect with AMP was only slightly less; IMP and adenosine had only a small stimulatory effect at this concentration, whereas inosine had no effect.     

Activation of adenylate cyclase in human platelet membranes by guanosine 5''-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate is inhibited by cyclic-AMP-dependent phosphorylation. Slow activation occurs in the absence of ATP.

Incubation of platelet membranes with guanosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate causes a slow increase in GS (stimulatory GTP-binding protein) activation of adenylate cyclase. Mg2+ is necessary for this slow activation. This process is inhibited in the presence of ATP, and inhibition is greater if cyclic AMP is also included in the incubation. Adenosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate instead of ATP in the incubation facilitates the slow activation in the presence of cyclic AMP, and incubation of membranes with cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor decreased inhibition of the slow activation of adenylate cyclase by ATP and cyclic AMP. A protein of 45 kDa in platelet membranes is phosphorylated in a cyclic-AMP-dependent manner. The transition from a reversibly activated form of GS to an irreversibly activated form is substantially slower in the presence of ATP and cyclic AMP. We propose that guanosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate-activated GS may exist in phosphorylated or non-phosphorylated forms, and that the non-phosphorylated form is the more active of the two species. The non-phosphorylated form of GS may correspond to the irreversibly activated state.     

Purification and characterization of the AMP-activated protein kinase. Copurification of acetyl-CoA carboxylase kinase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase kinase activities

1. We have purified the AMP-activated protein kinase 4800-fold from rat liver. The acetyl-CoA carboxylase kinase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA(HMG-CoA) reductase kinase activities copurify through all six purification steps and are inactivated with similar kinetics by treatment with the reactive ATP analogue fluorosulphonylbenzoyladenosine. 2. The final preparation contains several polypeptides detectable by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, but only one of these, with an apparent molecular mass of 63 kDa, is labelled using [14C]fluorosulphonylbenzoyladenosine. This is also the only polypeptide in the preparation that becomes significantly labelled during incubation with [gamma 32P]ATP. This autophosphorylation reaction did not affect the AMP-stimulated kinase activity. 3. In the absence of AMP the purified kinase has apparent Km values for ATP and acetyl-CoA carboxylase of 86 microM and 1.9 microM respectively. AMP increases the Vmax 3-5-fold without a significant change in the Km for either protein or ATP substrates. 4. The response to AMP depends on the ATP concentration in the assay, but at a near-physiological ATP concentration the half-maximal effect of AMP occurs at 14 microM. Studies with a range of nucleoside monophosphates and diphosphates, and AMP analogues showed that the allosteric activation by AMP was very specific. ADP gave a small stimulation at low concentrations but was inhibitory at high concentrations. 5. These results show that the AMP-activated protein kinase is the major HMG-CoA reductase kinase detectable in rat liver under our assay conditions and that it is therefore likely to be identical to previously described HMG-CoA reductase kinase(s) which are activated by adenine nucleotides and phosphorylation. The AMP-binding and catalytic domains of the kinase are located on a 63-kDa polypeptide which is subject to autophosphorylation.     

Activation of glycogenolysis in perfused rat livers by glucagon and metabolic inhibitors

The activation of hepatic glycogenolysis by glucagon and metabolic inhibitors was studied in isolated perfused livers from fed rats. Glucose production rates and phosphorylase activity were increased by all these agents. If iodoacetate (1 mM) and cyanide (1 mM) were infused simultaneously, glycogenolysis was activated to the same extent as by glucagon (1 nM). The effects of the hormone were additive to those of cyanide, but not to those of iodoacetate. When glycogen breakdown was maximally activated by cyanide plus glucagon, additional iodoacetate was inhibitory. The glucagon-induced release of cyclic AMP into the perfusate was partially suppressed by iodoacetate. The inhibitors caused various degrees of depletion of the tissue ATP content and parallel augmentation of the AMP levels. ADP rose to a lesser extent. Indirect evidence suggested that of a progressive lowering of the cellular ATP levels was accompanied by an inhibition of enzyme dephosphorylation as well as of phosphorylation processes. However, dephosphorylation appeared to be more sensitive to changes of the energy balance, resulting in an activation of phosphorylase in response to the metabolic inhibitors.     

Evaluation of the glycogenolytic effect of alpha-amylase using radioautography and electron microscopy.

The effectiveness of crystalline alpha-amylase and saliva in hydrolyzing newly formed glycogen in liver and muscle was examined. Glycogen synthesis was induced by the administration of H3-glucose to fasting rats or by the incubation of tissue slices in a medium containing H3-glucose. Paraffin sections of Rossman-fixed tissues or small pieces of liver fixed in glutaraldehyde and subsequently postosmicated and embedded in Epon were then enzymatically digested. Grain counts were made in radioautographs of treated and untreated materials, and the amount of radioactivity removed by the digestion was used to assess the efficiency of the enzymes in hydrolyzing glycogen. Crystalline alpha-amylase hydrolyzed almost completely newly formed glycogen in liver and muscle. Saliva removed the glycogen that was synthesized in vivo, but it was less effective in hydrolyzing glycogen synthesized in vitro. Electron micrographs of digested liver cells confirmed the radioautographic findings on the effectiveness of the enzyme preparations.     

ATP and its metabolite adenosine act synergistically to mobilize intracellular calcium via the formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in a smooth muscle cell line.

Interactions between ATP and adenosine on the formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3) and mobilization of intracellular calcium were investigated in the smooth muscle cell line DDT1 MF-2. Activation of adenosine A1 receptors with adenosine or cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) or of nucleotide receptors with ATP increased both Ins(1,4,5)P3 formation and intracellular calcium concentrations. The A1 receptor-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 formation (EC50 10 nM) was antagonized by the A1 antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX) and by pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin (PTX). ATP-stimulated Ins(1,4,5)P3 formation (EC50 21 microM) was attenuated, but still present, after PTX treatment. ATP and CPA had supraadditive effects on Ins(1,4,5)P3 accumulation and CPA increased ATP-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC50 of 3 nM, a concentration which per se had little or no effect on Ins(1,4,5)P3 accumulation. ATP (EC50 4 microM) and CPA (EC50 4 nM) both increased intracellular calcium levels. The effect of ATP was partially sensitive to PTX treatment, whereas the effect of CPA was blocked both by PTX and by DPCPX. Concentrations of ATP and CPA that by themselves were insufficient to raise intracellular calcium were able to do so when combined. The synergy between ATP and CPA on the mobilization of intracellular calcium was abolished after treatment of cells with PTX or when DPCPX was included in the experiment. Since ATP was metabolized by ecto-enzymes to ADP, AMP, and adenosine, we also examined whether adenosine formed from ATP could enhance the ATP effects on Ins(1,4,5)P3 accumulation. Indeed, the addition of the A1 receptor antagonist DPCPX or removal of endogenous adenosine by inclusion of adenosine deaminase in the experimental medium significantly attenuated the ATP response, and the two treatments did not have additive effects. The present study thus demonstrates that in a clonal cell line two types of receptors increase phospholipase C activity, but via different pathways; nucleotide receptors appeared to act via partially PTX-insensitive, and A1 receptors via PTX-sensitive G-proteins. ATP and CPA are not only able per se to induce formation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 and mobilize intracellular calcium, but they also act synergistically. Finally, it is demonstrated that endogenous adenosine, possibly formed from the rapid breakdown of ATP, can significantly enhance some ATP effects.