Intracellular Cyclic AMP Inhibits Constitutive and Phorbol Ester-Stimulated Secretory Cleavage of Amyloid Precursor Protein

Abstract: α-Secretase cleaves the full-length Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein (APP) within the amyloid β peptide sequence, thus precluding amyloid formation. The resultant soluble truncated APP is constitutively secreted. This nonamyloidogenic processing of APP is increased on stimulation of the phospholipase C/protein kinase C pathway by phorbol esters. Here we used C6 cells transfected with APP₇₅₁ to examine whether the α-secretase cleavage is regulated by the adenylate cyclase signal transduction pathway. Forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, inhibited both the constitutive and phorbol ester-stimulated secretion of nexin II (NXII), the secreted product of the α-secretase cleavage of APP₇₅₁. At 1 µ M , forskolin inhibited secretion of NXII by ∼50% without affecting either the intracellular levels of total APP or the secretion of secretory alkaline phosphatase. In contrast, 1,9-dideoxyforskolin, an inactive analogue of forskolin, did not affect secretion of NXII. These results indicated that forskolin specifically inhibited the α-secretase cleavage of APP₇₅₁. Forskolin treatment increased the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP (cAMP), suggesting that the forskolin effects on APP cleavage may be mediated by cAMP. In support of this suggestion, both dibutyryl cAMP, a cAMP analogue, and isoproterenol, an activator of adenylate cyclase, also inhibited secretion of NXII. These data indicate that forskolin inhibition of the nonamyloidogenic cleavage of APP is mediated by the second messenger cAMP, which together with the protein kinase C signal transduction pathway modulates the secretory cleavage of APP.     

Sialosylcholesterol Effects on Reconstitution of Microfilament and Glia Filament

Abstract: The effects of α-sialosylcholesterol (α-SC) on formation of either microfilament or glia filament of rat astrocytes were investigated using a reconstitution system. Polymerization of the depolymerized microfilament preparation that had been extracted from a crude cytoskeletal fraction of rat astrocytes, in the presence of 100 m M KCI and 10 m M MgCI₂, was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner by α-SC. α-SC inhibited polymerization of G-actin in a similar manner. The intensity of a-SC inhibition of G- actin polymerization was as great as that of microfilament polymerization, suggesting that the inhibition of microfilament polymerization by α-SC was due to the direct action of α-SC on actin, the main component of microfilament. α-SC depolymerized partly the polymerized microfilament preparation, which resembled F-actin (microfilament-like filaments). α-SC suppressed, in a dose-dependent manner, polymerization of a glia filament preparation that had been extracted from astrocyte cytoskeletons in the presence of phalloidin. An increase in the amount of added α-SC (up to 15 n M ) decreased the amount of the larger glia filament-like filaments, which were 10 nm thick and centrifuged down at 16,000 g for 30 min, and increased that of smaller ones precipitated only after centrifugation at 100,000 g for 1 h. The lower the concentration of the depolymerized glia filament extract, the greater was the inhibition by α-SC of the polymerization. α-SC repressed polymerization of vimentin, the dominant component of glia filament. Vimentin polymerization was more strongly inhibited by α-SC than polymerization of glia filament was. The findings suggested that α-SC suppressed polymerization of glia filament through a direct action on vimentin and that the glia filament-associated proteins increased its structural stability in the presence of α-SC.     

Studies on the Mechanism of Action of Estradiol in Regulating Follicular Progesterone Levels: Effects on cAMP Mediated Events and 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase

Previous studies demonstrated that estradiol interferes with pituitary-induced progesterone production and oocyte maturation in cultured amphibian ( Rana pipiens ) ovarian follicles. To elucidate the mode of action of estradiol in modulating follicular progesterone accumulation we have examined its effects on cAMP-induced progesterone production and enzymatic conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone by 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD). Follicular cAMP levels were manipulated with forskolin (an adenylate cyclase activator), isobutyl methyl xanthine (IBMX-phosphodiesterase inhibitor) and exogenously added cAMP. Progesterone production induced by forskolin alone or forskolin in combination with frog pituitary homogenate (FPH) was inhibited by estrogen. Addition of estradiol to culture medium markedly inhibited follicular progesterone accumulation following treatment of follicles with cAMP and IBMX. In the presence of exogenous pregnenolone, non-FPH stimulated ovarian follicles effectively converted the 3β-HSD substrate to progesterone. Treatment of follicles with estradiol inhibited conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone. The results indicate that estradiol acts, following FPH stimulation, at one or more steps subsequent to elevation of cAMP levels to regulate intrafollicular progesterone accumulation and oocyte maturation. Estrogen appears to directly influence the enzymatic (3β-HSD) conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone.     

Effects of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, monoamines, prostaglandins, and 2-chloroadenosine on adenylate cyclase in rat cerebral microvessels

Abstract: Adenylate cyclase in microvessels isolated from rat cerebral cortex was stimulated by guanine nucleotides, catecholamines, prostaglandin E₁, prostaglandin E₂, and 2-chloroadenosine. Catecholamine stimulation was mediated by interaction with β-adrenergic receptors. The order of relative potency was: isoproterenol > epinephrine > norepinephrine. Activation of microvessel adenylate cyclase by prostaglandins E₁ and E₂ as well as by 2-chloroadenosine was dose related. Twenty-two peptides were tested for possible effects on the microvessel adenylate cyclase. Only vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) was stimulatory. No inhibitory action was observed. Activation by VIP required guanosine triphosphate and was dose dependent from 10 n M to μ M (ED₅₀= 0.1 μ M ). At 30°C, stimulation of adenylate cyclase by the peptide increased linearly with time for up to 15 min. The effect of VIP was not inhibited by phentolamine or propranolol, suggesting that its action was not elicited by interaction with α- or β-adrenergic receptors. Activation achieved by VIP and isoproterenol, prostaglandin E₁, or 2-chloroadenosine was the sum of the individual stimulations, suggesting that receptors for VIP were distinct from those for isoproterenol, prostaglandin E₁, and 2-chloroadenosine.     

Effects of forskolin on adenylate cyclase,cyclic AMP,protein kinase and intermediary metabolism of the thyroid gland

Forskolin (40 μM) stimulated adenylate cyclase activities of bovine thyroid plasma membranes without pthe addition of guanine nucleotides. GDP had little effect on the forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity while Gpp[NH]p (0.1–1.0 μM) decreased it. In the presence of TSH (10 mU/0.11), Gpp[NH]p no longer caused inhibition. Forskolin did not affect phosphodiesterase activities of thyroid homogenates. Forskolin (10 μM) rapidly increased cAMP levels in bovine thyroid slices both in the absence and presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. The effect of TSH (50 mU/ml) on cAMP levels was additive or greater than additive to that of forskolin. An initial 2-h incubation of slices with forskolin did not decrease their subsequent cAMP responses to either forskolin and/or TSH while similar treatment of slices with TSH induced desensitization of the cAMP response to TSH, but not to forskolin. Forskolin (10 μM) as well as TSH (50 mU/ml) activated cAMP-dependent protein kinase of slices in the absence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Although forskolin activated the adenylate cyclase cAMP system, it did not stimulate iodide organification or glucose oxidation, effects which have been attributed to cAMP. In fact, forskolin inhibited these parameters and ³²P incorporation into phospholipids as well as their stimulation by TSH. These results indicate that an increase in cAMP levels and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity in thyroid slices may not necessarily reproduce the effects of TSH on the thyroid.     

Effect of PT-treatment on ANP-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase and amylase release in rat parotid gland

Effects of pertussis toxin (PT) treatment on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase and amylase release were investigated in rat parotid gland. Adenylate cyclase activity stimulated by GTPS in PT-treated membranes was much larger than that in normal membranes. ANP dose-dependently inhibited adenylate cyclase stimulated by GTPS in control rat parotid membranes, however in membranes prepared from PT-injected (in vivo) rat parotid gland, ANP did not inhibit adenylate cyclase. ANP(10^–7M) inhibited cAMP accumulation stimulated by forskolin (10^–6M) in control rat parotid acinar cells by about 34%, however, in PT-treated cells, the inhibitory effect of ANP was attenuated completely. In control cells, amylase release stimulated by isoproterenol (10^–6M) and forskolin (10^–6M) were also depressed by ANP (10^–7M) by 27 and 30%, respectively. The inhibitory response of ANP on amylase release was completely attenuated by PT-treatment. Gi was detected as a ADP-ribosylated 41-KDa protein by incubation of parotid membranes with PT and [-³²P]NAD. In rat parotid gland, these results suggested that ANP mediates adenylate cyclase/cAMP system and consequently reduces amylase release through ANP-C receptor coupled to Gi. (Mol Cell Biochem)139: 53–58, 1994)     

Opposite Regulation of Adenylyl Cyclase by Protein Kinase C in Astrocyte and Microglia Cultures

Abstract: We studied the regulation of cyclic AMP responses by protein kinase C (PKC) in purified astrocyte and microglia cultures obtained from the neonatal rat brain. In astrocytes, a 10-min treatment with the phorbol esters phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and 4β-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4β-PDD) (but not with 4α-PDD) or with diacylglycerol, which activate PKC, dose-dependently enhanced cyclic AMP accumulation induced by the β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol and the adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin. Such enhancement was prevented by the PKC inhibitors staurosporine and calphostin-C and by down-regulation of PKC and was not related to activation of membrane receptors or G_s proteins or to inhibition of G_i proteins or phosphodiesterases. Instead, the activity of adenylyl cyclase doubled in PMA-treated astrocytes. In microglia, a 10-min treatment with PMA or PKC inhibitors did not affect cyclic AMP accumulation, whereas longer treatments with PMA or 4β-PDD (but not 4α-PDD) inhibited the cyclic AMP response in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Such inhibition was mimicked by staurosporine and calphostin-C. Also, in the case of microglia, the modulation of cyclic AMP responses appeared to occur at the level of adenylyl cyclase, and not elsewhere in the cyclic AMP cascade. The inhibition of microglial adenylyl cyclase was apparently not due to aspecific cytotoxicity. A differential regulation of adenylyl cyclase by PKC in astrocytes and microglia may help to explain qualitative and quantitative differences in the response of these cells to various physiological and pathological stimuli.     

Effects of cAMP forskolin and cyanoketone on invitro oocyte maturation in the catfish,Clarias batrachus

This study investigated the interactive effects of cyanoketone (CK), an inhibitor of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase on the effects of cAMP and forskolin (FK) on oocyte maturation inClarias batrachus using an in vitro incubation technique. When the oocytes were incubated in the presence of 1 Μg/ml 17α, 20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one[l7α, 20Β-DP, the maturation-inducing steroid (MIS) of this species] for 6h, they matured [85.3 + 1.36% germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD)] normally after additional incubation for 20–30 h in plain medium. On the other hand, exposure to 1.0 and 8 0 mM of cAMP after MIS stimulation caused significant inhibition of GVBD but lower concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 mM) of cAMP were noninhibitory. However, when the oocytes were preincubated for 1 h with 1 μg/mI CK, a significant inhibition in the percentage of GVBD was recorded including the lower concentrations of cAMP. FK, an activator of adenylate cyclase, could significantly induce GVBD at all of its concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 10.0 μM) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, when the oocytes were exposed to 1 μg/ml CK for 1 h, prior to FK stimulation, a complete inhibition of GVBD occurred but when CK treatment was given after the FK stimulation, only a partial inhibition of maturation was observed. Taken together, these data indirectly suggest that FK induces catfish oocyte maturation probably by stimulating follicular production of Δ⁴ steroid ( 17α,20 β-DP)through an adenylate cyclase-c AMP-mediated pathway, a mechanism identical to the gonadotropin-induced oocyte maturation.     

A cAMP independent inhibitory action of high doses of forskolin in rat Leydig cells

In addition to well known direct stimulatory and potentiatory actions of forskolin, we have previously reported that low doses of this diterpene (10(-9), 10(-12) M) markedly inhibit the production of cAMP and testosterone in rat Leydig cells through a pertussis toxin sensitive G-protein (A. Khanum and M. L. Dufau, J. Biol. Chem. 261, 1986). A different type of inhibitory effect of forskolin is described in this study. Forskolin (10(-5) M) markedly stimulates basal adenylate cyclase activity (about 200%) in rat Leydig cell membranes and potentiates the stimulatory effect of gonadotropin (10(-9), 10(-7) M) on adenylate cyclase in presence or in absence of GTP (10(-5) M). Similarly a time-dependent stimulation of forskolin (10(-5) M) alone is noted on all cAMP pools and testosterone production. Using a supramaximal steroidogenic dose of hCG (0.26 nM) or choleragen (0.1 microM), forskolin potentiates the gonadotrophin and toxin-induced responses of all cAMP pools significantly while inhibiting testosterone production. Moreover, forskolin also inhibits 8-Bromo-cAMP stimulated steroidogenesis. In contrast, pregnenolone synthesis was not altered by the diterpene. We have demonstrated in this study that the inhibitory effect of high doses of forskolin on steroidogenesis is distal to cAMP generation, and resulted from a steroidogenic block residing beyond pregnenolone synthesis.     

Adenosine A2A receptors enhance GABA transport into nerve terminals by restraining PKC inhibition of GAT-1

Neurotransmitter transporters are regulated by phosphorylation but little is known about endogenous substances and receptors that regulate this process. Adenosine is an ubiquitous neuromodulator operating G-protein coupled receptors, which affect the activity of several kinases. We therefore evaluated the influence of adenosine upon the GABA transporter 1 (GAT-1) mediated GABA uptake into hippocampal synaptosomes. Removal of endogenous adenosine (adenosine deaminase, 1 U/mL) decreased GABA uptake, an effect mimicked by blockade of A2A receptors (2-(2-furanyl)-7-(2-phenylethyl)-7H-pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidin-5-amine, 50 nM) but not A1 or A2B receptors. A2A receptor activation (4-[2-[[6-amino-9-( N -ethyl-β- d -ribofuranuronamidosyl)-9H-purin-yl]amino]ethyl]benzenepropanoic acid hydrochloride, 3–100 nM) enhanced GABA uptake by increasing the transporter Vmax without change of K_M. This was mimicked by adenylate cyclase activation (forskolin, 10 μM) and prevented by protein kinase A (PKA) inhibition ( N -[2-( p -bromocinnamylamino) ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide dihydrochloride, 1 μM), which per se did not influence GABA transport. Blockade of protein kinase C (PKC) (2-[1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)indol-3-yl]-3-(indol-3-yl) maleimide, 1 μM) facilitated GABA transport whereas PKC activation (4-β-phorbol-didecanoate, 250 nM) inhibited it. PKA blockade did not affect the facilitatory action of the PKC inhibitor or the inhibitory action of the PKC activator. However, when adenylate cyclase was activated neither activation nor inhibition of PKC affected GABA uptake. It is concluded that A2A receptors, through activation of the adenylate cyclase/cAMP/PKA transducing pathway facilitate GAT-1 mediated GABA transport into nerve endings by restraining tonic PKC-mediated inhibition.     

Inhibitory effect of clonidine upon adenylate cyclase activity,cyclic AMP production,and insulin release in rat pancreatic islets

Conflicting opinions were recently expressed concerning the possible effect of ₂-adrenergic agonists upon cyclic AMP production in pancreatic islets. In the present: study, clonidine inhibited glucose-induced insulin release from rat pancreatic islets, this inhibitory effect being abolished by idazoxan. Clonidine did not suppress the capacity of forskolin to augment glucose-induced insulin release. In a particulate subcellular fraction derived from the islets, adenylate cyclase was activated by calmodulin (in the presence of Ca²⁺), NaF, GTP,, L-arginine, and forskolin, and slightly inhibited by clonidine. The inhibitory action of clonidine upon basal adenylate cyclase activity was more pronounced in islet crude homogenates. The inhibitory effect of clonidine was antagonized by forskolin whether in the particulate fraction or crude homogenate. At variance with the modest effects of glucagon, D-glucose, L-arginine, or a tumor-promoting phorbol ester upon cyclic AMP production by intact islets, forskolin caused a six-fold increase in cyclic AMP production. Clonidine inhibited cyclic AMP production by intact islets, whether in the absence or presence of forskolin. It is proposed that the inhibitory action of clonidine upon insulin release is attributable , in part at least, to inhibition of adenylate cyclase.     

Inhibitory action of forskolin on adenylate cyclase activity and cyclic AMP generation

In testicular Leydig cells, forskolin causes the expected stimulation of cAMP and testosterone production and potentiates gonadotropin-induced responses, when present in concentrations of 1-10 microM. In addition, when added at lower doses that did not affect cAMP generation and testosterone responses (100 nM), forskolin caused an increase in sensitivity to hormonal stimulation for all cAMP pools (extracellular, intracellular, and receptor-bound) and a 70% reduction in the ED50 for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) stimulation of testosterone production. Forskolin-induced increases in receptor-bound cAMP were less effective than those elicited by hCG in stimulating steroidogenesis. In contrast to the well-known stimulatory actions of forskolin, low doses of the diterpene (in the picomolar to nanomolar range) markedly inhibited the production of cAMP and testosterone. Such inhibitory actions of low-dose forskolin were prevented by preincubation of Leydig cells with pertussis toxin before addition of forskolin and/or hCG. Low concentrations of forskolin also inhibited adenylate cyclase activation by GTP and luteinizing hormone, and this effect was prevented by pretreatment of cell membranes with pertussis toxin. These studies have defined the stimulatory effects of forskolin on Leydig-cell cAMP pools, including potentiation of the hormonal increase in receptor-bound cyclic AMP by forskolin, and have provided additional evidence for the functional importance of cAMP compartmentalization during hormonal stimulation of steroidogenesis. We have also demonstrated a novel, high-affinity inhibitory action of forskolin upon adenylate cyclase activity and cyclic AMP generation, an effect that appears to be mediated by the Ni guanine nucleotide regulatory subunit of adenylate cyclase.     

Atrial natriuretic factor increases cyclic GMP and inhibits cyclic AMP in rat renal papillary collecting tubule cells in culture

The present study was undertaken to determine whether human atrial natriuretic factor (hANF) produces guanosine-3', 5'-monophosphate (cGMP) and alters arginine vasopressin (AVP)- and forskolin (F)- induced adenosine-3', 5'-monophosphate (cAMP) production in the cultured rat renal papillary collecting tubule cells. hANF increased cellular cGMP levels in a dose dependent manner. AVP and F, however, did not affect cGMP production. hANF significantly inhibited AVP- and F-stimulated cAMP levels, but hANF by itself did not affect cellular cAMP production. Since F activates adenylate cyclase at a step of catalytic unit and the cellular action of AVP to activate adenylate cyclase is mediated through receptor-catalytic units, the present results indicate that hANF may directly inhibit the AVP- and F-stimulated adenylate cyclase in renal papillary collecting tubules.     

Interaction of sialosyl cholesterol with the cell surface of rat astrocytes and its biological activities

The interaction between sialosyl cholesterol (- or neuraminyl cholesterol, - or β-SC) and the plasma membrane of astrocytes was investigated by the use of ¹⁴C-labeled - or β-SC. Both - and β-SC were dose-dependently and time-dependently bound to rat astrocytes. The Scatchard plot analyses showed that rat astrocytes bound apparently 9.69 × 10⁹ molecules of both -SC/cell (apparent K_d = 2.29 × 10⁻⁵ M) and β-SC/cell (apparent K_d = 5.39 × 10⁻⁵ M) at 37°C. Both the binding of -SC to astrocytes and the subsequent inhibition of DNA synthesis were decreased at the low temperature (4°C), and also suppressed by serum proteins including albumin. One molecule of bovine serum albumin (BSA) bound 2.3 molecules of -SC with the slightly lower K_d-value (8.03 × 10⁻⁶ M) than that for the binding site on astrocytes. BSA not only suppressed the -SC-binding to astrocytes but also increased its release from the cells to the culture media. Gangliosides such as GM1 and GM3 unaffected the -SC-binding, promoted the small release of -SC from the cell surface, and inhibited the morphological changes of astrocytes induced by -SC. The mechanism of -SC-binding to cultured astrocytes with reference to the effects of serum or gangliosides is discussed.     

Adrenergic Stimulation of Cyclic GMP Formation Requires NO-Dependent Activation of Cytosolic Guanylate Cyclase in Rat Pinealocytes

Abstract: Cyclic GMP (cGMP) formation in rat pinealocytes is regulated through a synergistic dual receptor mechanism involving β-and α₁-adrenergic receptors. The effects of N -monomethyl- l -arginine (NMMA), which inhibits nitric oxide (NO) synthase and NO-mediated activation of cytosolic guanylate cyclase, and methylene blue (MB), which inhibits cytosolic guanylate cyclase, were investigated in an attempt to understand the role of NO in adrenergic cGMP formation. Both NMMA and MB inhibited β-adrenergic stimulation of cGMP formation as well as α₁-adrenergic potentiation of β-adrenergic stimulation of cGMP formation, whereas they had no effect in unstimulated pinealocytes. The inhibitory action of NMMA was antagonized by addition of l -arginine. On the basis of these findings it can be concluded that the adrenergic stimulation of cGMP formation involves NO synthesis followed by activation of cytosolic guanylate cyclase.     

In vitro pattern‐related effects of forskolin on melanophore adrenoceptor‐mediated responses of winter flounder

In vitro experiments were performed on melanophores on scales carrying small slips of skin (scale slips) sampled from the white spot, dark band and general background components of patterning in winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus . In vitro , forskolin (10⁻⁴ to 10⁻⁷ M) was employed to increase melanophore intracellular cytosolic adenosine‐3'‐5'‐monophosphate (cAMP) levels by stimulating adenylate cyclase. Such increase shifted noradrenaline concentration‐response curves to the right, general background melanophores being least sensitive to the forskolin, indicating a relatively higher proportion of α₂‐adrenoceptors, and those from white spots the most sensitive. Melanosome dispersion, in balanced salt solution, was also enhanced by such raised levels of cAMP. Without forskolin, melanophores from white spots displayed the shortest pigment dispersion time in balanced salt solution, the slower melanophores from the other pattern components being those most affected by the addition of forskolin. The results demonstrate that differences in melanophore physiological responsiveness associated with flatfish patterns involve differential intracellular levels of cAMP, as well as differences in melanophore size and rates of melanosome movement.     

Studies on the mechanism of inhibition of hepatic cAMP accumulation by vasopressin

Vasopressin elicited a dose-dependent inhibition of glucagon-induced cAMP accumulation in isolated hepatocytes. This response was not diminished by incubation of cells with the calmodulin antagonists trifluoperazine or chlorpromazine and was only slightly reduced in Ca2+-depleted hepatocytes. Half-maximal inhibition of cAMP accumulation occurred at 8 X 10(-11) M vasopressin, a dose which does not increase cytosolic Ca2+ in hepatocytes. Direct activation of adenylate cyclase by forskolin was significantly inhibited by vasopressin in Ca2+-depleted cells. It is concluded that inhibition of hormone-induced cAMP accumulation by vasopressin in liver is not dependent on cellular Ca2+ mobilisation but may involve direct inhibition of adenylate cyclase.     

A model for studying the transmission of information produced by certain growth factors: activation mechanisms of S6 kinase in cultured astrocytes

Treatment of cultured astrocytes from 2-day-old rat cerebral hemispheres with insulin, somatomedin C (IGF1), thrombin and acidic or basic fibroblast growth factors promoted a rapid activation of a cytosolic protein kinase (S6 kinase) which phosphorylates ribosomal protein S6. The phorbol ester (TPA) also triggered a rapid increase in S6 kinase activity. Two agonists of adenylate cyclase activity (forskolin and isoproterenol) and the cyclic AMP analog (dibutyryl cAMP) also stimulated the same S6 kinase. These observations support the idea that several pathways might promote the activation of the same entity that is regarded as one of the primary targets of signals elicited by growth factors.     

Effect of forskolin on collagen production in clonal osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells

The effect of forskolin on collagen production in osteoblasts was investigated by using clonal osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells cultured in a-minimum essential medium containing 0.1% bovine serum albumin. Forskolin increased the adenylate cyclase activity in membranes pelleted from homogenates of the cell line in a dose-dependent manner. The drug caused a 13-fold stimulation at 10(-4) M, indicating that the compound directly acts on adenylate cyclase, leading to an increase in the intracellular cAMP content of the cells. Collagen accumulation in the cultures was elevated by one-day treatment with 5 X 10(-5) M forskolin to about twice that in the controls. The stimulation was mainly due to an elevation in collagen synthesis but not to an inhibition of intracellular collagen degradation because forskolin dose-dependently increased collagen synthesis; it also significantly increased the amount of low-molecular-weight hydroxyproline found in the cultures. Cells treated with forskolin produced mainly type I collagen, as found in bone matrix in situ, with only small amounts of other types of collagen. Furthermore, forskolin time-dependently inhibited DNA synthesis in the cells, indicating that the increase in type I collagen synthesis by forskolin was not due to stimulated cell proliferation. These results suggest that cAMP is closely linked to the differentiation of osteoblasts in vitro.     

Adenylate cyclase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a peripheral membrane protein.

The adenylate cyclase system of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains the CYR1 polypeptide, responsible for catalyzing formation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) from ATP, and two RAS polypeptides, which mediate stimulation of cAMP synthesis of guanine nucleotides. By analogy to the mammalian enzyme, models of yeast adenylate cyclase have depicted the enzyme as a membrane protein. We have concluded that adenylate cyclase is only peripherally bound to the yeast membrane, based on the following criteria: (i) substantial activity was found in cytoplasmic fractions; (ii) activity was released from membranes by the addition of 0.5 M NaCl; (iii) in the presence of 0.5 M NaCl, activity in detergent extracts had hydrodynamic properties identical to those of cytosolic or NaCl-extracted enzyme; (iv) antibodies to yeast adenylate cyclase identified a full-length adenylate cyclase in both membrane and cytosol fractions; and (v) activity from both cytosolic fractions and NaCl extracts could be functionally reconstituted into membranes lacking adenylate cyclase activity. The binding of adenylate cyclase to the membrane may have regulatory significance; the fraction of activity associated with the membrane increased as cultures approached stationary phase. In addition, binding of adenylate cyclase to membranes appeared to be inhibited by cAMP. These results indicate the existence of a protein anchoring adenylate cyclase to the membrane. The identity of this protein remains unknown.