Heterologous desensitization by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 of cyclic AMP response to parathyroid hormone in osteoblast-like cells and the role of the stimulatory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein

The influence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 on the cAMP response to parathyroid hormone was studied in the osteoblast-like rat osteosarcoma cells ROS 17/2.8. The stimulation by parathyroid hormone of cAMP production in intact cells and of adenylate cyclase activity in isolated plasma membranes was attenuated by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 treatment. This was associated with a reduction of the stimulatory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein, as demonstrated by a lower response to NaF and guanosine 5'-beta, gamma-imido]triphosphate, and by a lower activity of solubilized plasma membrane extracts in the reconstitution assay. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 blunted also the cAMP response to parathyroid hormone in cells incubated with the glucocorticoid dexamethasone, where a higher activity of the adenylate cyclase catalytic unit was observed. Thus, the two steroids appear to affect distinct levels of the adenylate cyclase system. Furthermore, the two hormones also showed an antagonistic effect upon the production of osteocalcin, an osteoblast-specific extracellular matrix protein. The release of this non-collagenous matrix protein by ROS 17/2.8 cells was increased by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 and decreased by dexamethasone.