Activation of adenylate cyclase by forskolin in rat brain and testis

Detergent-dispersed adenylate cyclase from rat cerebrum was detected in two components, one sensitive to Ca2+ and calmodulin and another sensitive to fluoride or guanyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p). The enzyme activity of both components was markedly augmented by forskolin assayed in the presence or absence of other enzyme activators (e.g., NaF, Gpp(NH)p, calmodulin). The catalytic subunit fraction in which G/F protein was totally lacking was also activated by forskolin. During 1-35 days of postnatal development, the basal adenylate cyclase activities in either cerebrum and cerebellum particulate preparations progressively increased. While the fluoride sensitivity of the cerebrum and cerebellum enzyme increased during postnatal development, the responsiveness to forskolin remained unaltered. There was no enhancement of soluble adenylate cyclase (from rat testis) by forskolin under the assay conditions in which there was a marked stimulatory action on the particulate enzyme. The results seen with the solubilized enzyme, with either Lubrol PX or cholate, indicate that the effects of forskolin on the cyclase do not require either G/F protein or calmodulin and the results of our study of brain enzymes support this view. Data on soluble testis cyclase (a poor or absent response to forskolin by this enzyme) imply that it lacks a protein (other than the catalytic unit) which could confer greater stimulation. The present results do not rule out an alternative explanation that forskolin stimulates adenylate cyclase by a direct interaction with the catalytic subunit, if the catalytic proteins do differ widely in various species of cells and their response to this diterpene.     

Domoic acid inhibits adenylate cyclase activity in rat brain membranes

Adenylate cyclase activity measured by the formation of cyclic AMP in rat brain membranes was inhibited by a shellfish toxin, domoic acid (DOM). The inhibition of enzyme was dependent on DOM concentration, but about 50% of enzyme activity was resistant to DOM-induced inhibition. Rat brain supernatant resulting from 105,000×g centrifugation for 60 min, stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in membranes. Domoic acid abolished the supernatant-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. The brain supernatant contains factors which modulate adenylate cyclase activity in membranes. The stimulatory factors include calcium, calmodulin, and GTP. In view of these findings, we examined the role of calcium and calmodulin in DOM-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase in brain membranes. Calcium stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in membranes, and further addition of calmodulin potentiated calcium-stimulated enzyme activity in a concentration dependent manner. Calmodulin also stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, but further addition of calcium did not potentiate calmodulin-stimulated enzyme activity. These results show that the rat brain membranes contain endogenous calcium and calmodulin which stimulate adenylate cyclase activity. However, calmodulin appears to be present in membranes in sub-optimal concentration for adenylate cyclase activation, whereas calcium is present at saturating concentration. Adenylate cyclase activity diminished as DOM concentration was increased, reaching a nadir at about 1 mM. Addition of calcium restored DOM-inhibited adenylate cyclase activity to the control level. Similarly, EGTA also inhibited adenylate cyclase activity in brain membranes in a concentration dependent manner, and addition of calcium restored EGTA-inhibited enzyme activity to above control level. The fact that EGTA is a specific chelator of calcium, and that DOM mimicked adenylate cyclase inhibition by EGTA, indicate that calcium mediates DOM-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity in brain membranes. While DOM completely abolished the supernatant-, and Gpp (NH)p-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, it partly blocked calmodulin-, and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in brain membranes. These results indicate that DOM may interact with guanine nucleotide-binding (G) protein and/or the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase to produce inhibition of enzyme in rat brain membranes.     

Irreversible inactivation of adenylyl cyclase by the "P"-site agonist 2',5'-dideoxy-,3'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl adenosine

2',5'-Dideoxy,3'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl Adenosine (2',5'-dd3'-FSBA) was synthesized and found to be an agonist and affinity label for the "P"-site of adenylyl cyclase. This compound irreversibly inactivated both a crude detergent-dispersed adenylyl cyclase from rat brain and the partially purified enzyme from bovine brain. The irreversible inactivation by 100 to 200 microM 2',5'-dd3'-FSBA was blocked in a concentration-dependent manner by several established P-site inhibitors of adenylyl cyclase, 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine, 2'-d3'-AMP, adenosine, and 2'-deoxyadenosine, but not by inosine, N6-(phenylisopropyl)adenosine, adenine, 2'-d3':5'-cAMP, or 5'-AMP, agents known not to act at the P-site. Moreover, irreversible inactivation by 2',5'-dd3'-FSBA occurred in the presence of ATP at concentrations up to 3 mM, making it unlikely that inactivation was due to an effect on the enzyme's catalytic site. Adenylyl cyclase was also irreversibly inactivated by 5'-FSBA, although modestly (less than 20%) and apparently nonspecifically. Dithiothreitol protected the enzyme from irreversible inactivation by 2',5'-dd3'-FSBA, but reversible inhibition of the enzyme was still observed, although with reduced potency. When 2 mM dithiothreitol was added after a 30-min preincubation with 2',5'-dd3'-FSBA, the rat brain enzyme was partially (approximately 80%) reactivated. The data suggest that 2',5'-dd3'-FSBA may irreversibly inactivate adenylyl cyclase by reacting with a cysteinyl moiety in proximity to the P-site domain of the enzyme. These data together with results of studies of P-site inhibition kinetics published elsewhere (Johnson, R. A., and Shoshani, I. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 11595-11600) strongly suggest that the P-site and catalytic site are distinct domains on the enzyme. 2',5'-dd3'-FSBA, and especially its radiolabeled analog, should prove to be a useful probe for structural studies of adenylyl cyclase, particularly with regard to the P-site.     

Relationship Among Calmodulin-, Forskolin-, and Guanine Nucleotide-Dependent Adenylate Cyclase Activities in Cerebellar Membranes: Studies by Limited Proteolysis

Adenylate cyclase activity in bovine cerebellar membranes is regulated by calmodulin, forskolin, and both stimulatory (Ns) and inhibitory (Ni) guanine nucleotide-binding components. The susceptibility of the enzyme to chymotrypsin proteolysis was used as a probe of structure-function relationships for these different regulatory pathways. Pretreatment of membranes with low concentrations of chymotrypsin (1-2 micrograms/ml) caused a three- to fourfold increase in basal adenylate cyclase activity and abolished the Ca2+-dependent activation of the enzyme by calmodulin. In contrast, the stimulation of the enzyme by GTP plus isoproterenol was strongly potentiated after protease treatment, an effect that mimics the synergistic activation of adenylate cyclase by Ns and calmodulin in unproteolyzed membranes. Limited proteolysis revealed low- and high-affinity components in the activation of adenylate cyclase by forskolin. The low-affinity component was readily lost on proteolysis, together with calmodulin stimulation of the enzyme. The activation via the high-affinity component was resistant to proteolysis and nonadditive with the Ns-mediated activation of the enzyme, suggesting that both effectors utilize a common pathway. The inhibitory effect of low concentrations (10(-7) M) of guanyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate [Gpp(NH)p] on forskolin-activated adenylate cyclase was retained after limited proteolysis of the membranes, indicating that the proteolytic activation does not result from an impairment of the Ni subunit. Moreover, in the rat cerebellum, proteolysis as well as calmodulin was found to enhance strongly the inhibitory effect of Gpp(NH)p on basal adenylate cyclase activity. Our results suggest that calmodulin and Ns/Ni interact with two structurally distinct but allosterically linked domains of the enzyme. Both domains appear to be involved in the mode of action of forskolin.     

Calmodulin plays a dominant role in determining neurotransmitter regulation of neuronal adenylate cyclase

Ca2+, through the mediation of calmodulin, stimulates the activity of brain adenylate cyclase. The growing awareness that fluctuating Ca2+ concentrations play a major role in intracellular signalling prompted the present study, which aimed to investigate the implications for neurotransmitter (receptor) regulation of enzymatic activity of this calmodulin regulation. The role of Ca2+/calmodulin in regulating neurotransmitter-mediated inhibition and stimulation was assessed in a number of rat brain areas. Ca2+/calmodulin stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in EGTA-washed plasma preparations from each region studied--from 1.3-fold (in striatum) to 3.4-fold (in cerebral cortex). The fold-stimulation produced by Ca2+/calmodulin was decreased in the presence of GTP, forskolin, or Mn2+. In EGTA-washed membranes, receptor-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase was strictly dependent upon Ca2+/calmodulin stimulation in all regions, except striatum. A requirement for Mg2+ in combination with Ca2+/calmodulin to observe neurotransmitter-mediated inhibition was also observed. In contrast, receptor-mediated stimulation of activity was much greater in the absence of Ca2+/calmodulin. The findings demonstrate that ambient Ca2+ concentrations, in concert with endogenous calmodulin, may play a central role in dictating whether inhibition or stimulation of adenylate cyclase by neurotransmitters may proceed.     

Inhibition of adenylate cyclase by polyadenylate

The effects of ribo- and deoxyribonucleic acids on the activity of detergent-dispersed adenylate cyclases from rat and bovine brain were examined. Mn2+ (10 mM)-activated adenylate cyclase was inhibited by micromolar concentrations of poly(A) (IC50 congruent to 0.45 microM). This inhibition was directly due to poly(A) and was not mediated by: (a) protein contamination of the poly(A) preparation, (b) metal chelation, (c) formation of an acid-soluble inhibitor of adenylate cyclase, (d) effects on the specific activity of [alpha-32P]ATP, (e) competition with MnATP for binding to adenylate cyclase, or (f) diversion of substrate to an alternate polymerase reaction. Inhibition of adenylate cyclase by poly(A) was on the enzyme's catalytic unit, as purified preparations of the enzyme from bovine brain were inhibited by poly(A). This inhibition by poly(A) was not likely mediated via the enzyme's "P"-site, through which activated forms of the enzyme are selectively inhibited by specific adenosine phosphates. In contrast with inhibition by the "P"-site agonist 3' AMP, inhibition of adenylate cyclase by poly(A) was slow in onset and was not reversible by dilution and showed a different metal-dependence. Inhibition of adenylate cyclase was relatively specific for poly(A) as poly(U) caused less than 50% inhibition and deoxyribonucleic acids had no effect. The potency and specificity of the inhibition of adenylate cyclase by poly(A) imply a biochemically interesting interaction that is possibly also of physiological significance.     

Regulation of Dictyostelium discoideum adenylate cyclase by manganese and adenosine analogs

Adenylate cyclase is the critical enzyme in the chemotactic signal relay mechanism of the slime mold amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum. However, few studies examining the regulation of this enzyme have been performed in vitro due to the instability of enzyme activity in crude lysates. For studies presented in this communication, a membrane preparation has been isolated that exhibits a high specific activity adenylate cyclase that is stable during storage at -70 degrees C and under assay conditions at 27 degrees C. The enzyme was activated by micromolar concentrations of MnCl2. GTP and its non-hydrolyzable analog, guanosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imino)triphosphate, inhibited the enzyme non-competitively in the presence of either Mg2+ or Mn2+. However, this inhibition was more pronounced in the presence of Mn2+. Since guanylate cyclase activity in the D. discoideum membranes was less than 10% of the adenylate cyclase activity, there could not be a significant contribution by guanylate cyclase toward the production of cyclic AMP. Experiments indicate that D. discoideum adenylate cyclase was also regulated by adenosine analogs. The enzyme was inhibited by 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine and 2'-deoxyadenosine and inhibition was augmented by the presence of Mn2+. However, the inhibition was not entirely consistent with that which would be expected for the P-site of eukaryotic systems because some purine-modified adenosine analogs also inhibited the enzyme. Guanine nucleotides had no effect on the inhibition by either purine-modified or ribose-modified adenosine analogs. The binding of cyclic AMP to its receptor on the D. discoideum membranes was not affected by either MnCl2 or adenosine analogs.     

Regulation by forskolin of octopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase from brain of the dipterous Ceratitis capitata

Forskolin, a diterpene that exerts several pharmacological effects, activates adenylate cyclase in brain and in some other mammalian tissues. Properties of forskolin activation of adenylate cyclase from central nervous system of the dipterous Ceratitis capitata are described. The interaction of forskolin with the insect adenylate cyclase system was studied by evaluating its effect on metal-ATP kinetics, protection against thermal inactivation, membrane fluidity and enzyme modulation by fluoride, guanine nucleotides, octopamine, and ADP-ribosylation by cholera toxin. The diterpene stimulated basal enzyme activity both in membranes and Triton X-100-solubilized preparations, apparently devoid of functional regulatory unit, this effect being rapidly reversed by washing the membranes. An increase of Vmax accounts for the activation of soluble and membrane adenylate cyclase preparations by forskolin, whereas the affinity of the enzyme for the substrate was not affected. Forskolin apparently protects the membrane enzyme from thermal inactivation, and at concentrations that promote the enzyme activity the diterpene does not alter membrane microviscosity. Forskolin does not appear to alter the sensitivity of insect adenylate cyclase to sodium fluoride, guanine nucleotide, or regulatory subunit ADP ribosylated by cholera toxin, the combined effect of these factors with the diterpene resulting in a nearly additive enzymatic activation. However, forskolin blocks the octopamine stimulatory input. Results obtained with the insect adenylate cyclase system are discussed and compared to what is known about mammalian systems to propose a mechanism of enzyme activation by forskolin.     

Adenosine Inhibition of Calmodulin-Sensitive Adenylate Cyclase from Bovine Cerebral Cortex

Calmodulin (CaM)-sensitive adenylate cyclase has recently been purified extensively from bovine brain. In this study, the sensitivity of the CaM-sensitive adenylate cyclase to adenosine and adenosine analogs was examined. The highly purified enzyme preparation retained sensitivity to inhibition by adenosine and adenosine analogs with ribose ring modifications, but not to those with purine ring modifications. Adenosine inhibition of this enzyme was not dependent on GTP and was noncompetitive with respect to ATP. Enzyme that had been dissociated from functional guanine nucleotide binding protein interactions by gel filtration in the presence of the zwitterionic detergent 3-[3-(cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-propanesulfonate and Mn2+ retained sensitivity to adenosine inhibition. The Ki for adenosine inhibition of the CaM-sensitive adenylate cyclase was approximately 2.6 X 10(-4) M. 5'-Guanylylimidodiphosphate and CaM did not affect the Ki of 3'-deoxyadenosine for the enzyme, but the presence of Ca2+ in the millimolar range raised the Ki by a factor of 5. These results show that the CaM-sensitive form of adenylate cyclase from bovine brain is subject to adenosine inhibition, and strongly suggest that this inhibition is due to interaction of ligands with a purine-specific ("P") site located on the catalytic subunit of the enzyme.     

Kinetics of "P"-site-mediated inhibition of adenylyl cyclase and the requirements for substrate

The kinetics of "P"-site-mediated inhibition of adenylyl cyclase was studied with the detergent-solubilized enzyme from rat brain. Mn2(+)-activated adenylyl cyclase exhibited typical noncompetitive inhibition by 2'-d3'-AMP or 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine (2',5'-ddAdo). However, enzyme that was preactivated with guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) or proteolytically with ninhibin (+ GTP gamma S) exhibited apparently uncompetitive inhibition with either 2'-d3'-AMP or 2',5'-ddAdo and with either MgATP or MgApp(NH)p (adenosine 5'-(beta gamma-imino)triphosphate) as substrate. Inhibition increased with increasing substrate concentration, consistent with distinct domains for catalysis and the P-site and the formation of a 2'-d3'-AMP.C.MgATP complex. This conclusion was supported by the kinetics of product inhibition. For both cAMP and inorganic pyrophosphate (MgPPi) inhibition was mixed, suggesting that product release is likely random sequential. Although MgPPi enhanced inhibition in the presence of P-site agonist, it did not affect the dissociation constant for P-site agonist. The uncompetitive character of P-site-mediated inhibition and the independence of inhibition by MgPPi and P-site agonist imply that the P-site binding domain is distinct from the substrate binding domain. Given the structural requirements for catalysis and for P-site-mediated inhibition, these domains would be expected to be homologous. Sensitivity to P-site-mediated inhibition was also dependent on the structure of ATP, with the following IC50 values for 2'-d3'-AMP: ATP approximately 2'-dATP (approximately 1 microM); adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (approximately 5 microM); App(NH)p (approximately 30 microM); adenosine 5'-(beta gamma-methylene)triphosphate (approximately 300 microM). The differing effectiveness of the ATP analogs to support P-site inhibition was not due to their binding at the P-site. This effect of substrate was also observed with the platelet enzyme and was independent of the means by which the enzyme was activated, whether by Mn2+ or proteolytically by ninhibin/GTP gamma S, suggesting it is a general characteristic of P-site-mediated inhibition. The data suggest a structure for activated adenylyl cyclase such that one nucleotide binding domain, selective for ATP vis-à-vis other ATP analogs, allosterically modulates a proximate P-site domain.     

A novel mechanism for the inhibition of adenylate cyclase via inhibitory GTP-binding proteins. Calmodulin-dependent inhibition of the cyclase catalyst by the beta gamma-subunits of GTP-binding proteins

The adenylate cyclase catalytic protein partially purified from rat brain membranes was activated by the stimulatory GTP-binding protein (Gs), forskolin, and Ca2+-calmodulin. The Ca2+-calmodulin-stimulated activity was markedly, but the Gs- or forskolin-stimulated activity was essentially not, inhibited by low concentrations of the beta gamma-subunits of the inhibitory GTP-binding protein (Gi). The inhibition appeared to be competitive with calmodulin. On the other hand, the association of increasing amounts of beta gamma with the alpha of Gi, which was measured based on the ADP-ribosylation by islet-activating protein, pertussis toxin, was apparently competed by Ca2+-calmodulin. Furthermore, beta gamma bound to calmodulin-Sepharose in the presence of Ca2+, but not in its absence. Thus, the direct interaction of beta gamma with calmodulin is a likely mechanism involved in beta gamma-induced inhibition of the calmodulin-stimulated adenylate cyclase.     

Inhibition of adenylate cyclase by the 2',3'-dialdehyde of adenosine triphosphate

The periodate-oxidized analog of ATP, 2',3'-dialATP, competitively inhibited bovine brain and rat liver adenylate cyclase. The apparent Ki for inhibition of brain adenylate cyclase by 2',3'-dialATP was 196 microM in the presence of Mg2+ and 37 microM in the presence of Mn2+. The Ki values for inhibition of rat liver adenylate cyclase by 2',3'-dialATP were 48 and 30 microM in the presence of Mg2+; and Mn2+, respectively. Adenylate cyclase activity was irreversibly inactivated by 2'3'-dialATP in the presence of NaCNBH3 and the kinetics for loss in enzyme activity were pseudo-first order. Both ATP and Tris protected adenylate cyclase from irreversible inhibition by 2',3'-dialATP and NaCNBH3. It is proposed that 2',3'-dialATP forms a Schiff's base with an amino group at the active site of the enzyme and that Na-CNBH3 reduction of this Schiff's base causes irreversible modification of the catalytic subunit. The Km for 2',3'-dialATP inactivation, the maximal rate constant of inactivation, and protection of the enzyme by ATP were not affected by the presence or absence of free Mg2+. These data indicate that a divalent cation is not required for binding of 2',3'-dialATP to the active site of adenylate cyclase.     

Stimulation and inhibition of rat basophilic leukemia cell adenylate cyclase by forskolin

The influence of the diterpene, forskolin, was studied on adenylate cyclase activity in membranes of rat basophilic leukemia cells. Forskolin increased basal adenylate cyclase activity maximally 2-fold at 100 microM. However, adenylate cyclase activity stimulated via the stimulatory guanine nucleotide-binding protein, Ns, by fluoride and the stable GTP analog, guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate), was inhibited by forskolin. Half-maximal and maximal inhibition occurred at about 1 and 10 microM forskolin, respectively. The inhibition occurred without an apparent lag phase, whereas the enzyme stimulation by forskolin was preceded by a considerable lag period. The inhibition was not affected by treating intact cells or membranes with pertussis toxin and proteolytic enzymes, respectively, which have been shown in other cell types to prevent adenylate cyclase inhibition mediated by the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory component, Ni. The forskolin inhibition of the stable GTP analog-activated adenylate cyclase was impaired by increasing the Mg2+ concentration and was reversed into a stimulation by Mn2+. Under optimal inhibitory conditions, forskolin even decreased basal adenylate cyclase activity. Finally, forskolin largely reduced the apparent affinity of the rat basophilic leukemia cell adenylate cyclase for its substrate, MgATP, which reduction resulted in an apparent inhibition at low MgATP concentrations and a loss of the inhibition at higher MgATP concentrations. The data indicate that forskolin can cause both stimulation and inhibition of adenylate cyclase and, furthermore, they suggest that the inhibition may not be mediated by the Ni protein, but may be caused by a direct action of forskolin at the adenylate cyclase catalytic moiety.     

Effect of pentobarbital dependence on adenylate cyclase activity and calmodulin levels in rat cerebral cortex

The effect of calcium (Ca2+) on the adenylate cyclase activity and calmodulin level of cerebral cortex was determined in pentobarbital dependent rats and age matched controls. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were made dependent and maintained on pentobarbital by eating a mixture of pentobarbital and rat chow (350 mg pentobarbital/30 g chow). Ca2+ activated then inhibited the adenylate cyclase activity associated with a 20,000 X g particulate fraction from pentobarbital dependent and age matched control rats. The values for one-half maximal stimulation and inhibition by Ca2+ did not differ significantly in either cortical preparation. However, the ability of Ca2+ to activate adenylate cyclase from pentobarbital dependent animals was significantly decreased (p less than 0.05) when compared to control animals. Pentobarbital (10(-4) - 10(-3) added to particulate fractions from naive control rats did not alter the ability of Ca2+ to activate adenylate cyclase. The calmodulin levels in the particulate fraction from pentobarbital dependent animals (30.2 +/- 6.7 ng calmodulin/mg protein) did not differ significantly when compared to control (33.0 +/- 4.7 ng/mg). By contrast, the calmodulin levels (37.9 +/- 5.9 ng/mg) in the 20,000 X g supernatant from cortex of pentobarbital dependent animals was significantly greater than the level in the supernatant from control animals (28.6 +/- 2.6 ng/mg). The ability of forskolin, dopamine, GTP or forskolin plus GTP (all at a concentration of 100 microM) to activate adenylate cyclase was significantly decreased in particulate preparations from pentobarbital dependent animals. In summary, our data show that alterations in calmodulin levels and a decreased responsivity of adenylate cyclase occur in animals physically dependent on pentobarbital.     

Adenylate cyclase from bovine brain cortex: purification and characterization of the catalytic unit.

The non-stimulated (basal) adenylate cyclase from bovine brain cortical membranes was purified 10 000-fold to apparent homogeneity by Lubrol PX extraction and two cycles of affinity chromatography on forskolin-agarose. The final product appears as one major band (mol. wt. 115 000) on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Further identification was achieved by affinity cross-linking using Gs (stimulatory GTP-binding protein) that was [32P]ADP-ribosylated by cholera-toxin/[32P]NAD: cross-linking with disuccinimidyl suberate gave products with mol. wts. of 160 000, approximately 270 000 and higher. The distribution of these products was dependent on the concentration of cross-linker, suggesting aggregation of two or more adenylate cyclase complexes. In contrast, photo-affinity cross-linking with 4-azidobenzoyl-[32P]Gs yielded a single product with a mol. wt. of 160 000. Purified adenylate cyclase was completely unresponsive towards stimulators (GTP-analogs, NaF) acting via Gs suggesting that this component was removed during purification. On the other hand, stimulation by forskolin and by added activated Gs was preserved but to a smaller degree as compared with the crude enzyme. In contrast, the stimulation of Ca2+/calmodulin was only marginal. Purified adenylate cyclase reversibly bound to wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose. This suggests that bovine brain adenylate cyclase is a glycoprotein.     

Biphasic Ca2+ response of adenylate cyclase. The role of calmodulin in its activation by Ca2+ ions

The Ca2+-dependent regulation of human platelet membrane adenylate cyclase has been studied. This enzyme exhibited a biphasic response to Ca2+ within a narrow range of Ca2+ concentrations (0.1-1.0 microM). At low Ca2+ (0.08-0.3 microM) adenylate cyclase was stimulated (Ka = 0.10 microM), whereas at higher Ca2+ (greater than 0.3 microM) the enzyme was inhibited to 70-80% control (Ki = 0.8 microM). Membrane fractions, prepared by washing in the presence of LaCl3 to remove endogenous calmodulin (approximately equal to 70-80% depletion), exhibited no stimulation of adenylate cyclase by Ca2+ but did show the inhibitory phase (Ki = 0.4 microM). The activation phase could be restored to La3+-washed membranes by addition of calmodulin (Ka = 3.0 nM). Under these conditions it was apparent that calmodulin reduced the sensitivity of adenylate cyclase to Ca2+ (Ki = 0.8 microM). Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) did not alter Ki or Ka values for Ca2+. Calmodulin did not alter the EC50 for PGE1 stimulation of adenylate cyclase but increased the Vmax (1.5-fold). The calmodulin antagonist trifluoperazine potently inhibited adenylate cyclase in native membranes (80%) and to a much lesser extent in La3+-washed membranes (15%). This inhibition was due to interaction of trifluoperazine with endogenous calmodulin since trifluoperazine competitively antagonized the stimulatory effect of calmodulin on adenylate cyclase in La3+-washed membranes. We propose that biphasic Ca2+ regulation of platelet adenylate cyclase functions to both dampen (low Ca2+) and facilitate (high Ca2+) the haemostatic function of platelets.     

Calmodulin activation of rat lung adenylate cyclase is independent of the cytoplasmic factors modulating the enzyme.

Adenylate cyclase activity in the rat lung membranes washed with 150 microM-EGTA was stimulated by calmodulin in the presence of 100 microM-Ca2+. The calmodulin activation of the enzyme was concentration-dependent; however, at high concentrations the activation was diminished. Activation of adenylate cyclase by calmodulin was immediate, reversible and due to an increase in the Vmax. without apparent effect on the affinity of the enzyme for ATP. The rat lung supernatant produced additive activation of the adenylate cyclase that was already maximally stimulated by calmodulin, indicating that either calmodulin and cytoplasmic factors act at different sites on adenylate cyclase or different adenylate cyclases may be involved. The data further support our previous conclusion that calmodulin is not involved in the activation of adenylate cyclase by cytoplasmic factors in rat lungs.     

Cyclic AMP mediates EDHF-type relaxations of rabbit jugular vein.

Isolated rings of rabbit jugular vein have been used to test the hypothesis that formation of cAMP within the endothelial cell contributes to relaxations that are attributable to the endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor, EDHF. Relaxations induced by acetylcholine under conditions of combined NO synthase and cyclooxygenase blockade were almost abolished by inhibition of adenylate cyclase with the selective P-site agonist 2', 3'-dideoxyadenosine (2',3'-DDA). They were similarly attenuated by the gap junction inhibitors 18alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid (18alpha-GA) and Gap 27 peptide which interrupt direct endothelium-smooth muscle communication without themselves affecting smooth muscle tone. By contrast, stimulation of adenylate cyclase with forskolin promoted gap junction-dependent relaxations, with concentration-relaxation curves to this agent exhibiting an equivalent rightward shift in the presence of 18alpha-GA and following endothelial denudation. The findings suggest that cAMP may cross from the endothelium to smooth muscle via gap junction channels and/or enhance the endothelial hyperpolarization normally associated with agonist stimulation. Both mechanisms may contribute to EDHF/gap junction-dependent relaxations.     

Forskolin activation of adenylate cyclase in mouse parotid membranes

In mouse parotid membranes forskolin activated adenylate cyclase four-fold; maximal activation of the enzyme occurred with 10 microM forskolin. Activation was not dependent on the guanyl nucleotide GTP nor on the inhibitory guanine nucleotide 5'-0-(2-Thiodiphosphate), GDP beta S. In contrast, stimulation of adenylate cyclase by isoproterenol required GTP and was antagonized by GDP beta S in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that the guanyl-binding protein of mouse parotid adenylate cyclase is not a requisite for forskolin activation and lends support for direct interaction of forskolin at the catalytic subunit.     

Activation and stabilization of the catalytic unit of adenylate cyclase.

The requirements for stability and activity of the catalytic unit (C) of adenylate cyclase were investigated. After solubilization of bovine brain membranes in the zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]propane-1-sulphonate (Chaps), the catalytic unit was separated from the stimulatory guanine-nucleotide-binding protein (Gs) by gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA-34. The partially purified C unit was rapidly inactivated at 30 degrees C; 0.25 mM-ATP stabilized activity. Although C-unit activity was dependent on Mg2+ or Mn2+, stabilization by ATP did not require bivalent cations. Activity of the Ultrogel-AcA-34-purified C unit was increased by Ca2+ plus calmodulin and by phosphatidylcholine plus lysophosphatidylcholine; activity in the presence of both activators was significantly greater than with each alone. Calmodulin plus Ca2+ and phospholipids also stabilized C unit. The column-purified C unit was activated by forskolin; the effect of forskolin was additive to those of calmodulin plus Ca2+ and phospholipids. p[NH]ppG-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was reconstituted by mixing samples from the gel-filtration column containing Gs with C unit. Activation by Ca2+ plus calmodulin and Gs plus p[NH]ppG was additive; Ca2+ plus calmodulin did not alter the concentration of p[NH]ppG required for half-maximal activation. Results were similar with forskolin and Gs plus p[NH]ppG; the presence of one activator did not alter the effect of the other. These studies define conditions for separation of C unit and Gs from brain adenylate cyclase and demonstrate that ATP (in the absence of bivalent cations), phospholipids, calmodulin plus Ca2+, and forskolin all interact with C unit in a manner that is independent of functional Gs.