Relationships between lipolysis induced by various lipolytic agents and hormone-sensitive lipase in rat fat cells

Norepinephrine induced lipolysis in rat fat cells, in vitro, in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, without concomitantly increasing hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) activity. It also induced, time and concentration dependently, HSL translocation from the cytosol to the lipid droplets in fat cells. Isoproterenol, forskolin, dibutyryl cyclic AMP, and theophylline also induced lipolysis in fat cells, but did not stimulate HSL activity. These agents also induced HSL translocation from the cytosol to the lipid droplets in fat cells: about 80% to 90% of all HSL was located in lipid droplets after incubation for 1 h.These results suggest that the critical event in lipolytic activation of fat cells induced by lipolytic agents is not an increase in the catalytic activity of HSL but translocation of HSL to its substrate on the surfaces of lipid droplets in fat cells.-Morimoto, C., K. Kameda, T. Tsujita, and H. Okuda. Relationships between lipolysis induced by various lipolytic agents and hormone-sensitive lipase in rat fat cells. J. Lipid Res. 2001. 42: 120;-127.     

Regulation of triglyceride metabolism in the isotopically prelabeled perfused heart.

Utilization of 14C-prelabeled endogenous triglycerides was studied in isolated perfused working rat hearts. Lipolysis was estimated by the disappearance of 14C-labeled and total triglycerides. Metabolic 14CO2 production was continuously monitored to evaluate triglyceride fatty acid oxidation. Triglyceride utilization was enhanced by an increase in ventricular pressure development as evidenced by a faster rate of triglyceride mobilization and oxidation. Added catecholamines stimulated lipolysis in hearts perfused with glucose-containing buffer but were without effect in the presence of exogenous fatty acids; the latter were shown to be potent and, possibly, direct inhibitors of myocardial lipolysis. Mediation of catecholamine-induced lipolysis by cyclic AMP has not been settled. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP produced only a slight lipolytic effect, although theophylline, a known phosphodiesterase inhibitor, was a potent lipolytic agent. Theophylline may have exerted its lipolytic effect through an alternative mechanism. Hypoxia per se was a strong inhibitor of heart triglyceride utilization. Furthermore, added epinephrine was without effect on triglyceride lipolysis in hypoxic hearts. Thus, cardiac muscle triglyceride utilization is influenced by such factors as mechanical function, exogenous substrates, hormones, and oxygen availability. The mechanisms involved in these areas of regulation need to be resolved.     

Lack of feedback regulation of cyclic 3':5'-AMP accumulation by free fatty acids in chicken fat cells.

Fat cells isolated from the mesenteric adipose tissue of chickens (pullets) responded to glucagon with an increase in lipolysis and a sustained rise in cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) over a 30-min incubation. The prolonged accumulation of cyclic AMP due to glucagon in chicken fat cells was primarily intracellular. In addition, there was little increase in cyclic AMP accumulation due to theophylline alone or potentiation of the increase due to glucagon. These data indicate that chicken fat cells, unlike rat fat cells, are relatively insensitive to theophylline. Neither lipolysis nor cyclic AMP accumulation by chicken fat cells was inhibited by free fatty acid to albumin ratios (3 to 7) which markedly reduced both events in rat fat cells. However, in the absence of albumin from the medium, lipolysis in chicken fat cells was reduced, but not to the same extent as in rat fat cells. Chicken fat cells did accumulate more intracellular free fatty acids in response to lipolytic agents than did rat fat cells. The uptake of oleate by rat and chicken fat cells was identical. Glucagon-induced accumulation of cyclic AMP by chicken fat cell ghosts was unaffected by added oleate. Under identical conditions glucagon-induced adenylate cyclase activity of rat fat cell ghosts was markedly inhibited by added oleate. Triglyceride lipase activity of the pH 5.2 precipitate from a 40,000 x g infranatant of homogenized fat cells from chickens was less sensitive than that from rat fat cells to the ratio of oleate to albumin. These results suggest that the maintenance of cyclic AMP levels in chicken fat cells incubated with lipolytic agents results from the relative insensitivity of chicken fat cells to free fatty acid inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation.     

Insulin as an activator of cyclic AMP accumulation in rat fat cells.

In rat fat cells incubated with lipolytic agents and insulin for 30 or 60 minutes the increase in cyclic AMP accumulation due to norepinephrine and theophylline or adenosine deaminase added during the last 2-5 minutes of the incubation period was much greater as compared to cells incubated in the absence of insulin. Protaglandin E1 or nicotinic acid were just as anti-lipolytic as insulin but prior incubation with these agents markedly decreased the subsequent rise in cyclic AMP accumulation due to late catecholamine addition. The ability of insulin to increase cyclic AMP accumulation appeared to be secondary to inhibition of lipolysis. These results indicate that prostaglandin E1 and nicotinic acid are inhibitors of cyclic AMP accumulation while insulin acts by another mechanism to reduce lipolysis.     

Cyclic AMP metabolism and lipolysis in cultured human adipocyte precursors

Triacylglycerol breakdown (lipolysis) results from a series of reactions culminated by activation of "hormone-stimulated" triacylglycerol lipase, an enzyme unique to adipose tissue. We have studied various components of the lipolytic process in human omental adipocyte precursors differentiating in culture. The levels of cyclic AMP, the "second messenger" of lipolytic hormones, were about sixfold higher in fat cell precursors than those in abdominal skin fibroblasts. L-Isoproterenol resulted in significant elevation of cyclic AMP levels in both cell types. Preincubation of intact adipocyte precursors with insulin resulted in significant enhancement of "low Km" cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity; in contrast, this hormone had no effect on fibroblast phosphodiesterase activity, a distinctive biochemical difference despite the morphological similarities between the two cell types during the early stages of adipocyte precursor maturation. Incubation of adipocyte precursors with isoproterenol resulted in the release of fatty acids into the medium, findings indicative of "hormone-stimulated" lipase activity and, hence, the operation of the entire "lipolytic cascade"; isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis was inhibited by insulin. Release of fatty acids from fibroblasts was not observed. Thus, "hormone-stimulated" lipolysis and insulin stimulation of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity are expressed during early stages of human adipocyte precursor differentiation.     

Studies on adrenaline-induced lipolysis in artificial lipid micelles.

Lipid micelles were prepared by incubating a mixture of glycerides (triolein, diolein, and monoolein), and lecithin in Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer at 37 degrees C for 30 min. It was found that adrenaline stimulated the release of free fatty acids in a lipolytic system consisting of the lipid micelles and adipose tissue lipase. Adrenaline did not increase the cyclic AMP content of the reaction mixture. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP, theophylline, and phospholipase C increased the rate of lipolysis in the system but cyclic AMP and phospholipase D did not.     

Relationship between the tissue level of cyclic AMP and the fat cell size of human adipose tissue.

The relationship between mean fat cell size, maximal tissue cyclic AMP concentration, and glycerol release was investigated in human subcutaneous adipose tissue incubated in vitro with or without isoprenaline or noradrenaline added at maximal effective concentrations. Basal and stimulated glycerol release and cyclic AMP concentration were each related to the fat cell size. Whether or not the phosphodiesterase inhibitor theophylline was present in the incubation system, basal and noradrenaline-induced cyclic AMP levels were significantly correlated with the fat cell size. The noradrenaline-induced cyclic AMP levels resulted in twice as rapid glycerol release as could be expected from the basal ratio between glycerol release and cyclic AMP. Furthermore, both basal and noradrenaline-induced glycerol release in relation to the cyclic AMP levels were more rapid in enlarge fat cells. It is concluded that basal and catecholamine-induced production of cyclic AMP is related to the fat cell size and that a quantitative relationship exists between rate of lipolysis and maximal tissue levels of cyclic AMP in human adipose tissue. Basal and noradrenaline-induced lipolysis are probably regulated by different mechanisms and the lipolytic sensitivity to cyclic AMP seems increased in large fat cells.     

Effects of thyroid hormone deficiency on lipolysis in chicken fat cells

Effect of lack of thyroid hormones on lipolysis in chicken fat cells was studied. Isolated fat cells from hypothyroid chickens in contrast to normal animals, have an impaired ability to give lipolytic response to glucagon. However activation of triglyceride lipolysis was induced to the same level by theophylline in hypothyroid and normal chickens.     

Regulation of lypolysis in white adipose tissues of lean and obese Zucker rats

Obese Zucker rat is often used as a model of genetic obesity to understand the mechanism of the development of obesity. In the present work, in order to better understand the regulation of lipolysis in the Zucker rat, the lipolytic activities of adipocytes isolated from different adipose depots of lean and obese Zucker rats, in the basal state or after catecholamine stimulation have been measured. The obese Zucker rat presents hyperinsulinemia without hyperglycemia and with elevated plasma free fatty acids, suggesting a dyslipidemia. Morphological studies of three adipose deposits show a marked hypertrophic and hyperplastic type of obesity, much pronounced in the subcutaneous depot. In the current study we show that the basal lipolytic rate is higher in adipocytes from each deposit of obese rats (when results are corrected for cell surface area). This finding, associated with the increase of all deposits, could contribute to the elevated plasma FFA observed. Investigation of the responsiveness of dibutyril cAMP (DBcAMP) points out that the defect in the NE responsiveness is essentially located at post-receptor level. Nevertheless, a receptor defect could not be excluded as suggested by a decrease of the beta-ARs observed in all deposits. Our study points out that the lipolytic resistance to catecholamines in adipose tissue of obese Zucker rats appears to counteract the increase in the lipolytic rate, in order to moderate the increase in plasma FFA levels that may contribute to the hyperinsulinemia observed, characteristic of an insulino-resistant state.     

Permissive action of glucocorticoids on catecholamine-induced lipolysis: direct "in vitro" effects on the fat cell beta-adrenoreceptor-coupled-adenylate cyclase system

Exposure of adipose tissue fragments to dexamethasone leads to enhanced lipolytic and cyclic AMP responses of isolated fat cells to isoproterenol. This permissive effect of the steroid is dose-dependent, prevented by the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU 38486, maximum after 48 h exposure to 10 nM dexamethasone and affects only the amplitude of the maximal response (+50%). Exposure to dexamethasone also induces an increase in both the number of beta-adrenergic receptors (+30%), and the adenylate cyclase-catalytic activity (+64%) and - responses to GTP (+114%) and isoproterenol (+55%). These data strongly suggest that the permissive effect of glucocorticoids towards lipolysis "in vivo" results at least in part from a glucocorticoid-receptor mediated action of these hormones on the fat cell membranous components involved in the beta-adrenergic control of lipolysis.     

Regulation by lipolytic and antillipolytic compounds of the phosphorylation of specific proteins in isolated intact fat cells.

The effects of various lipolytic and antilipolytic compounds on the phosphorylation of specific proteins, on lipolysis, and on cyclic AMP levels have been studied in isolated intact fat cells of rats. Norepinephrine (NE), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), and monobutyryl cyclic AMP (MBcAMP) each increased the incorporation of [³²P] into three proteins, with apparent molecular weights of approximately 130,000 (protein A), 69,000 (protein B), and 47,000 (protein C), as determined by gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (DodSO₄^?). The concentrations of lipolytic agents necessary to obtain a half-maximal increase in phosphorylation of these proteins were similar to the concentrations necessary to obtain a half-maximal stimulation of lipolysis. Propranolol, a β-adrenergic blocking agent, blocked the effects of NE both on protein phosphorylation and on lipolysis, but did not modify the effects of ACTH, IBMX, or MBcAMP on these parameters. When the NE-induced increase in phosphorylation of proteins B and C was maximal, addition of propranolol resulted in a rapid dephosphorylation of these proteins and a rapid cessation of lipolysis; under the same experimental conditions, propranolol had almost no effect on the dephosphorylation of protein A. Concentrations of insulin that prevented or reversed the actions of NE and ACTH on lipolysis also prevented or reversed the NE- and ACTH-induced increase in [³²P] incorporation into proteins B and C. Insulin did not modify the effects of IBMX or MBcAMP either on lipolysis or on [³²P] incorporation into proteins B and C. Insulin increased the incorporation of [³²P] into a protein which, by several criteria, appeared to be protein A. Under a variety of experimental conditions in which lipolytic and antilipolytic hormones were studied, the rate of lipolysis correlated well with the level of phosphorylation of proteins B and C, but not with the level of cyclic AMP.     

Dibutyryl cyclic AMP treatment of 3T3 and SV40 virus-transformed 3T3 cells in aggregates. Effects on mobility and cell contact ultrastructure

The random cell movement of BALB/c 3T3 and SV40 virus-transformed BALB/c 3T3 cells within homogeneous aggregates was studied by observing the degree of penetration of newly attached [3H]thymidine-labeled cells into the interior of the aggregates. The 3T3 cells penetrated into 3T3 aggregates an average of 0.89 cell diameter in 1.5 days, whereas the SV40-3T3 cells penetrated into SV40-3T3 aggregates an average of 3.20 cell diameters in the same time. Treatment of the aggregates with theophylline, theophylline plus prostaglandin E1, or theophylline plus dibutyryl cyclic AMP all decreased the penetration of the SV40-3T3 cells into SV40-3T3 aggregates (2.36, 1.22, and 0.79 cell diameters, respectively). The same treatments had little effect on 3T3 aggregates. The ultrastructure of 3T3 and SV40-3T3 cells in aggregates was examined by transmission electron microscopy. The 3T3 cells in aggregates were surrounded by microvilli and lamellipodia which were in contact with neighboring cells, whereas SV40-3T3 cells were nearly devoid of microvilli and lamellipodia and made contact at broader, less regular surface undulations. Treatment with theophylline plus dibutyryl cyclic AMP resulted in the appearance of microvilli on SV40-3T3 cells and also appeared to increase the area of intercellular contacts in both 3T3 and SV40-3T3 cells. These observations were supported for the surface cells of the aggregates by scanning electron microscopy.     

Biomodulator-mediated susceptibility of endogenous lipid droplets from rat adipocytes to hormone-sensitive lipase

The amount of fatty acid release by a fat cell homogenate without pretreatment with epinephrine was found to be slightly more than that released from fat cells by epinephrine, suggesting that fat cells contain high lipolytic activity even in the absence of lipolytic agents. Fat cells contain high hormone-sensitive lipase activity (1383 mumole free fatty acids/g/hr) in the absence of epinephrine, and addition of epinephrine to the cells did not increase the activity, significantly. Like epinephrine, DBcAMP and/or theophylline also elicited marked release of glycerol from fat cells without activating the hormone-sensitive lipase activity. However, although fat cells contain a large amount of hormone-sensitive lipase, lipolysis was negligible in the absence of these lipolytic agents. These results suggest that lipolytic agents such as epinephrine, DBcAMP, and theophylline induce lipolysis in fat cells through some mechanism other than activation of hormone-sensitive lipase and that in the absence of lipolytic agents, some system in fat cells inhibits lipolysis of endogenous lipid droplets by hormone-sensitive lipase. The lipid droplets in fat cells consist mainly of triglyceride with phospholipids, cholesterol, carbohydrate, and protein as minor constituents. The phospholipid fraction was found to consist of 75% phosphatidylcholine and 25% phosphatidylethanolamine. Of the minor constituents of endogenous lipid droplets, only phosphatidylcholine strongly inhibited hormone-sensitive lipase activity in a [3H]triolein emulsion. These results suggest that phosphatidylcholine in endogenous lipid droplets may be responsible for inhibition of hormone-sensitive lipase. Then, a cell-free system was established in which epinephrine, DBcAMP, and theophylline stimulated lipolysis of endogenous lipid droplets from fat cells by lipase solution. In this system, these lipolytic agents did not induce lipolysis in the absence of added lipase. Lipolysis in the mixture of the endogenous lipid droplets and lipase solution was accelerated by phospholipase C with concomitant loss of epinephrine-induced lipolysis. After pretreatment of the endogenous lipid droplets with phospholipase C, these lipolytic agents no longer induced lipolysis. Pretreatment of the endogenous lipid droplets with phospholipase C reduced their phospholipid content with the formation of phosphorylcholine, but did not affect their triglyceride and cholesterol contents. Treatment of the endogenous lipid droplets with phospholipase D did not affect lipolysis in the cell-free system. These results suggest that phosphatidylcholine in the endogenous lipid droplets may inhibit their lipolysis by hormone-sensitive lipase in fat cells and also be involved in the mechanisms of the stimulatory effects of epinephrine, DBcAMP, and theophylline on lipolysis.     

Inhibition of lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation by adenosine analogues in hamster epididymal adipocytes exposed to cholera toxin

The effects of adenosine, N6-phenylisopropyl adenosine and 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine on lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation, in hamster adipocytes treated with cholera toxin, were studied. Cholera toxin caused an increase in lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation that was dependent upon the concentration of toxin and the length of time cells were exposed to the toxin. When N6-phenylisopropyl adenosine or 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine were present, the lipolytic and cyclic AMP responses to cholera toxin were inhibited. The adenosine analogues were equally effective inhibitors of lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation, when they were added 1 or 2 h after exposure to the toxin. Enzymatic removal of endogenously produced adenosine with adenosine deaminase potentiated both the lipolytic and cyclic AMP responses to cholera toxin. In addition, the inhibitory effects of N6-phenylisopropyl adenosine, 2'5'-dideoxyadenosine and clonidine on lipolysis and cyclic AMP were enhanced consequent to enzymatic removal of adenosine. These data show responses of intact fat cells to N6-phenylisopropyl adenosine, 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine or removal of endogenous adenosine and provide evidence for an adenosine sensitivity of fat cells exposed to cholera toxin.     

Relationship between cyclic AMP production and lipolysis induced by forskolin in rat fat cells.

Forskolin (7 beta-acetoxy-8, 13-epoxy-1 alpha,6 beta,9 alpha-trihydroxy-labd-14-ene-11-one) induced both cyclic AMP production and lipolysis in intact fat cells, but stimulated lipolysis without increasing cyclic AMP at a concentration of 10(-5) M. Homogenization of fat cells elicited lipolysis without elevation of cyclic AMP. Forskolin did not stimulate lipolysis in the homogenate. Forskolin stimulated both cyclic AMP production and lipolysis in a cell-free system consisting of endogenous lipid droplets and a lipoprotein lipase-free lipase fraction prepared from fat cells. However, at a concentration of 10(-6) M, it induced lipolysis without increase in the cyclic AMP content in this cell-free system. In the cell-free system, homogenization of the lipid droplets resulted in marked increase in lipolysis to almost the same level as that with 10(-4) M forskolin without concomitant increase in cyclic AMP. Addition of forskolin to a cell-free system consisting of homogenized lipid droplets and lipase did not stimulate lipolysis further. Phosphodiesterase activities were found to be almost the same both in the presence and absence of forskolin in these reaction mixtures. Although 10(-3) M forskolin produced maximal concentrations of cyclic AMP: 6.7 x 10(-7) M in fat cells and 2.7 x 10(-7) M in the cell-free system, 10(-4) M cyclic AMP did not stimulate lipolysis in the cell-free system. In a cell-free system consisting of lipid droplets and the lipase, pyrophosphate inhibited forskolin-induced cyclic AMP production, but decreased forskolin-mediated lipolysis only slightly. Based on these results, mechanism of lipolytic action of forskolin was discussed.     

Bimodal effect of insulin on hormone-stimulated lipolysis: relation to intracellular 3',5'-cyclic adenylic acid and free fatty acid levels

The present study was undertaken to determine the relationship between the antilipolytic and lipolytic effects of insulin on hormone-stimulated lipolysis and the mechanisms of these reactions. The dose-response curve of norepinephrine-stimulated lipolysis in rat adipocytes was not sigmoidal but biphasic in nature. Intracellular free fatty acid levels were linearly related to lipolytic rate and also described a biphasic profile in response to increments in norepinephrine concentration. Intracellular 3',5'-cyclic AMP levels measured 10 min after addition of increasing concentrations of norepinephrine showed a rise and a plateau followed by a secondary rise. Insulin was antilipolytic at low concentrations of norepinephrine and distinctly lipolytic at high concentrations. The combined antilipolytic and lipolytic effect of insulin is termed the "bimodal" effect of insulin on hormone-stimulated lipolysis. The bimodal effect of insulin correlated positively with changes in peak intracellular 3',5'-cyclic AMP levels. In the presence of glucose, insulin invariably enhanced lipolysis. It is suggested that the antilipolytic effect of insulin is achieved by both inhibition of adenyl cyclase activity and activation of low-K(m) 3',5'-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, the net effect being a low accumulation of 3',5'-cyclic AMP. On the other hand, the lipolytic effect of insulin probably reflects enhancement of adenyl cyclase activity to an extent that overrides any activation of low-K(m) 3',5'-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity, resulting in an increase in peak adipocyte 3',5'-cyclic AMP levels.     

Novel changes in the plasma membrane and cortical cytoplasm during wound-induced contraction in a giant-celled green alga

Summary Changes in the plasma membrane surface and in the cortical cytoplasm during wound healing in giant green algal cells ofErnodesmis verticillata (Kützing) Brgesen were followed using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Microvillus-like structures that contain cytoplasmic and cytoskeletal constituents were observed emanating from the surface of the plasma membrane at the retracting/cut end of wounded cells. These delicate structures seem to be remnants of cell wall-plasmalemma connections that draw out the plasma membrane and cortical components from the contracting cytoplasm as it pulls away from the cell wall. Most of these connections break during wound healing and, when contraction stops, the microvillus-like protrusions become progressively shorter. In cells treated with a calmodulin antagonist (W-7), a number of distinctive bodies accumulate that are of unknown composition, are oblong in shape, and have a diameter slightly smaller than the protoplasmic protrusions. Ultrastructural and other data indicate that these bodies result from retrieved constituents of the plasma-membrane protrusions, as they do not accumulate in unwounded drugtreated cells or in cells treated in W-5. These findings suggest that the protoplasmic protrusions accumulate membrane and cytoplasmic components that are retrieved and recycled during wound healing inErnodesmis by a novel mechanism. The combined plasma membrane surfaces of the microvillus-like protrusions may help to account for the drastic decrease in surface area that occurs during wound healing.Abbreviations SEM scanning electron microscopy - TEM transmission electron microscopy - W-7 N-[6-aminohexyl]-5-chloro-1-naph-thalenesulfonamide - W-5 N-[6-aminohexyl]-1-naphthalenesulfonamide     

Changes in Surface Morphology of Myogenic Cells during the Cell Cycle, Fusion and Myotube Formation

The surface morphology of chick myogenic cells during development in cell culture was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Myoblasts at the G₁ and S phases of the cell cycle had a relatively smooth surface. In late G₂ and mitosis, they had many microvilli and some blebs on their surfaces. Ca²⁺-deficient fusion-arrested myoblasts had a relatively smooth surface. When the cells underwent cell fusion, many microvilli, small spherical protrusions, and some blebs appeared on their surface. In newly formed myotubes, the surface over the nucleus was smooth whereas that over perinuclear regions had many flat excrescences and other surface protrusions. This mosaic appearance of the surface was less prominent in striated myotubes. Scanning electron microscopy combined with fluorescence microscopy using rhodamine-labeled erabutoxin b revealed that sites of accumulation of acetylcholine receptor had a smooth surface. These results suggest that changes in surface structure occur in association with the cell cycle, fusion and subsequent development of myotubes.     

Perifused adipose cells, quantitation and kinetics of lipolysis.

The perifused fat cell system is a system with which lipolytic activity can be monitored on a minute-to-minute basis. Thus, the rate at which lipolysis changes following the addition and removal of hormones can be followed. Catecholamines and other lipolytic agents produced a time-dependent increase in lipolysis following addition of agents, and a time-dependent decrease in lipolysis occurred following removal of the agent. ACTH also produced an increase in lipolysis. However, on termination of ACTH infusion, the lipolytic rate did not return to basal level but remained elevated for at least an additional 30 min (persistent phase). The persistent phase could be terminated by removal of Ca2+. Readdition of Ca2+ in the absence of additional ACTH resulted in a rapid increase in glycerol release. No persistant phase occurred following ACTH if the adipocytes were perifused in a Ca2+-free buffer. However, if Ca2+ was added to the system 20 min after termination of ACTH infusion, lipolysis increased to a rate greater than that obtained initially by infusing ACTH in a Ca2+-free buffer. It is concluded that ACTH is bound to some component of the fat cell in a Ca2+ independent, tenacious manner, and the full manifestation of that binding is dependent on the presence of Ca2+.     

Synergistic Effects of Adenosine and Compounds Related to Adenosine 3': 5'-cyclic Monophosphate on Dedifferentiating Iris Epithelial Cells in Culture

Addition of adenosine or 5' AMP to the primary culture of newt iris epithelial cells produces an extensive array of fine cytoplasmic processes in a fraction of the cell population. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP, monobutyryl cyclic AMP, cyclic AMP and theophylline have the same effect, but the minimum effective concentrations of the latter four compounds are higher than those of the former two. When the primary cultures are treated simultaneously with two effective compounds at various concentrations a synergis-tic effect is observed between dibutyryl cyclic AMP and theophylline; cyclic AMP and theophylline; adenosine and theophylline; adenosine and cyclic AMP. The results support the interpretation that an increase in cellular level of cyclic AMP, which is produced by exogenous adenosine or 5' AMP as well as by exogenous cyclic AMP, its derivatives or theophylline, is responsible for the formation of radial cytoplasmic processes. The morphogenetic response does not depend on the presence of serum in the culture medium. The possibility is discussed that the cellular level of cyclic AMP is involved as one link of the sequential events which control the dedifferentiation of iris epithelial cells in cell-type conversion.