Forskolin perturbs cGMP as well as cAMP levels in human thyroid cells

Forskolin, at 10(-11) M, stimulates guanylate cyclase activity in primary human thyroid cell cultures, but does not modify cAMP accumulation. At a 10-fold higher concentration it still stimulates guanylate cyclase activity and becomes an inhibitor of cAMP production. Above 10(-9) M, forskolin stimulation of cGMP decreases, while it also becomes a stimulator of cAMP production. There is an additive effect of TSH and forskolin on cAMP production at concentrations of the diterpene which are stimulatory. Concentrations of forskolin which are inhibitory for cAMP, but stimulatory for cGMP, are inhibitory for TSH stimulation of cAMP. The addition of 8-bromo-cGMP duplicates the forskolin effect at low concentrations.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide stimulation of human thyroid cell function

Neurons containing vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) have been found to reach thyroid follicular cells in man and other mammals. Human thyroid cells in culture were exposed to different concentrations of VIP and TSH, and thyroid cell activation was assessed by measurements of cAMP accumulation. VIP exerted a dose-dependent activation, and this thyroid-stimulating effect was more rapid and short-acting than that of TSH. At low concentrations of the two agents, their effects were additive, but they seemed to initiate their effects via different receptors, since polyphloretin phosphate inhibited the effect of TSH but not that of VIP. Moreover, antiadrenergic and anticholinergic agents did not influence thyroid activation by VIP. In addition to cAMP activation in cell cultures, VIP stimulated T4 release from human thyroid slices. It is possible that, in addition to sympathetic-adrenergic and parasympathetic-cholinergic nerves, VIPergic nerves may participate in the autonomic nervous control of thyroid function.

Effect of prostaglandin E2 on adenylate cyclase system in human kidney cell cultures: interactions with parathormone and arginine-vasopressin

We have used human kidney cortical and medullary cells in primary culture as an experimental model, in order to study the effect of prostaglandin E2 on the adenylate cyclase-cyclic AMP system at renal level, in comparison with that of parathormone and desamino 1-D-arginine 8-vasopressin. Prostaglandin E2 is a more potent stimulator of cyclic AMP accumulation in cortical cells than in medullary ones, the minimal effective dose being 3 nM in the cortex and 20 microM in the medulla. The maximal response was obtained with 30 microM in cortical cells and with 0.3 mM in medullary ones. The effects of combining submaximal and maximal active doses of the three hormones were always additive when tested on cortical cells. On the contrary, prostaglandin E2, at doses effective on the medullary cells adenylate cyclase system, produced an increase of cyclic AMP accumulation significantly lower than expected when incubated with submaximal and maximal amounts of desamino 1-D-arginine 8-vasopressin. Present data provide evidence for the existence of distinct receptors for parathormone, arginine-vasopressin and prostaglandin E2 at cortical level; the possible role of prostaglandin E2 in the counter-regulation of arginine-vasopressin action on medullary cells in unlikely, in view of the high prostaglandin E2 concentration which is necessary to exert this effect.

Evidence for alpha-adrenergic receptors acting through the guanylate cyclase system in human cultured thyroid cells

In order to investigate the presence of alpha-adrenergic receptors in human thyroid, we have studied the effect of alpha-adrenergic agonists and antagonists on cGMP cellular content of human thyroid cells in primary culture. Epinephrine as well as TSH were not able to modify the cGMP cellular levels, while norepinephrine significantly increased cGMP accumulation already at 10 nM, a dose inactive on cAMP accumulation. A non selective alpha-adrenergic antagonist, phentolamine, significantly inhibited cGMP accumulation induced by norepinephrine. Norepinephrine-induced cGMP accumulation was unaffected by prazosin, an alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist, but was abolished by yohimbine, an alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist. Phenylephrine, an alpha-adrenergic agonist, produced an increase of cellular cGMP levels without modifying cAMP content. In the presence of TSH, the cGMP response to norepinephrine was not modified; however, the increase of cAMP levels was inhibited by norepinephrine at doses inactive on cAMP accumulation, but active on cGMP levels. The present results demonstrate the existence in human thyroid cells of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, regulating the guanylate cyclase system. It may be postulated that the counter-regulation exerted by alpha-adrenergic agonists on the response to TSH operates on the TSH-dependent adenylate cyclase.

Salmon calcitonin and cGMP production by human kidney: studies in vivo and in vitro

In order to evaluate whether or not the action of salmon calcitonin (sCT) at the kidney level could be mediated through specific receptors for the hormone, we have studied the effects of sCT infusions on urinary excretion of cyclic nucleotides in humans. Parallel in vitro studies have been conducted by evaluating the effects of sCT on cyclic nucleotide levels in primary cultures of cortical and medullary human kidney cells. In vivo experiments showed that sCT induced an increase in cGMP in human urine, which was rapid and short-lasting, being superimposable on the increase of urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium. The increase of inorganic phosphate urinary excretion was delayed and appeared to parallel that of urinary cAMP. On the other hand, our in vitro experiments showed that sCT stimulated the guanylate cyclase-cGMP system of human kidney cortical cells at nanomolar concentrations, while higher concentrations of the hormone were required to activate the adenylate cyclase-cAMP system. In addition, sCT was not able to significantly modify the cellular levels of either nucleotide in human kidney medullary cells. Present data demonstrated a direct effect of sCT on human kidney cortical cGMP production, while the efficacy of sCT on the kidney cortex adenylate cyclase-cAMP system appears to be delayed and/or reduced.

Studies of catecholamine effect on cyclic AMP in human cultured thyroid cells: their interaction with thyrotrophin receptor

Even though adrenergic nerve terminals between and around thyroid follicles and catecholamine stimulation of thyroid adenylate cyclase have been reported, there is no uniform concept on catecholamine interaction with thyrotrophin (TSH) receptors. Therefore, the effect of catecholamines on TSH-stimulated cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation in human follicular thyroid cells has been investigated, to thus eliminating the extrathyroidal actions of catecholamines. Epinephrine, norepinephrine and isoproterenol appeared to be rapid and potent stimulators of intracellular cAMP accumulation, the half maximum increase doses being 4 X 10(-7)M, 1 X 10(-5)M and 5 X 10(-7)M, respectively. While propranolol (1 X 10(-5)M) prevented the stimulatory effect of catecholamines and failed to inhibit the effect of bovine TSH, phentolamine (1 X 10(-5)M) enhanced the potency of norepinephrine and bovine TSH, leaving that of epinephrine unchanged. The effects of epinephrine (2 X 10(-8)M) and isoproterenol (2 X 10(-8)M) were additive to that of bovine TSH (0.5 mU/ml), but the effect of simultaneous stimulation with norepinephrine (5 X 10(-7)M) and bovine TSH (0.5 mU/ml) was lower than expected. Prenalterol, a selective beta 1-agonist, did not stimulate cAMP accumulation, while terbutaline, a selective beta 2-agonist, exerted a potent stimulation. Metoprolol, a selective beta 1-adrenergic blocker, did not affect the response of thyroid follicular cells to isoproterenol. These results demonstrate the existence of beta-adrenergic receptors in human thyroid follicular cells, mainly of the type beta 2, apparently not correlated with TSH receptor. The existence of alpha-adrenergic receptors which counter-regulate TSH functional responses in human thyroid follicular cells is suggested.

Parathyroid hormone bioassay using human kidney cortical cells in primary culture

The biological activity of parathyroid hormone (PTH) has been investigated by measuring intracellular accumulation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) in human kidney cortical cultures. Enzyme dispersed cortical cells from non-invaded kidney poles of patients undergoing nephrectomy for cancer were used after 5 days of primary culture. Bovine PTH (1-84) produced a significant increase of cAMP accumulation in cultured cells at a dose (53.7 ng/ml) 10-fold lower than that found for the minimal stimulatory effect when using preparations of human purified plasma membranes. The action of bovine PTH (1-84) was very rapid, a response was detected after 5 min and a ceiling effect after 30 min. Cortical cells showed a slightly lower sensitivity to synthetic bovine PTH (1-34) (half maximal increase dose: 0.66 microgram/ml), compared to bovine PTH (1-84) (half maximal increase dose: 0.32 microgram/ml), but revealed a higher sensitivity to human PTH purified from the medium of parathyroid cell cultures (half maximal increase dose: 11.2 ng/ml). Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) also increased the cAMP accumulation of kidney cortical cultured cells, with a potency and efficacy lower than that of human 'culture' PTH, while in kidney medullary cells in primary culture AVP exerted a strong response and the effect of PTH was poor or absent. Calcitonin and glucagon were weak stimulators of kidney cortical cell cAMP accumulation.