Studies on norepinephrine-containing afferents to Purkinje cells of rat cerebellum. 3. Evidence for mediation of norepinephrine effects by cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate

Failure to confirm cyclic AMP as second messenger for norepinephrine in rat cerebellum

Microiontophoretic applications of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) to spontaneously active, electrophysiologically identified Purkinje cells of the rat cerebellum failed to mimic the strong depressant action of norepinephrine on the same cells. These findings, in combination with a reevaluation of other studies, cast doubt on the hypothesis that cyclic AMP mediates the depressant actions of norepinephrine in the cerebellum.

Protein kinase activity in membrane preparations from ox brain. Stimulation of intrinsic activity by adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate

1. Properties of the stimulation by cyclic AMP of the intrinsic protein kinase activity of membrane fragments from ox brain were studied. 2. Stimulation of activity declined from about 100% at 1min to less than 20% at 10min. The time-course was explained by the observation that cyclic AMP did not stimulate turnover of protein-bound serine phosphate once the membrane protein was fully phosphorylated. 3. Cyclic AMP accelerated the activity of a component of the basal activity rather than activating a different kinase. 4. The pH optimum for both the stimulated and basal activities was 7.2-7.4. NaCl (100mm) and KCl (10-100mm) inhibited the stimulated activity but did not affect the basal activity. 5. Strychnine and theophylline inhibited both activites equally, but the stimulated activity was more sensitive to inhibition by adenosine, bicuculline, vinblastin, veratrine, N-ethylmaleimide and cysteine. 6. No firm evidence for a role for endogenous cyclic AMP in the basal activity was found, but the possibility was not excluded. 7. Some 90% of both the stimulated and basal activities remained in an insoluble form after treatment of the membrane fragments with Triton X-100 (0.5%).

Noradrenergic stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate in rat Purkinje neurons: an immunocytochemical study

A specific immunofluorescent histochemical method for cyclic adenosine monophosphate was used to study rat cerebellum. After topical treatment with norepinephrine or stimulation of norepinephrine-containing afferents from locus coeruleus, there was a striking increase in the number of Purkinje cells with strong cyclic adenosine monophosphate reactivity. Other putative inhibitory transmitters had no significant effect on staining of Purkinje cells. The results provide the first histochemical support for the hypothesis that cyclic adenosine monophosphate can be generated postsynaptically in central neurons in response to noradrenergic stimuli.

Effects of catecholamines and adenosine derivatives given into the brain of fowls

1. Adult fowls (Gallus domesticus) with cannulae chronically implanted into the IIIrd cerebral ventricle and various other sites of the brain received microinfusions or injections of catecholamines, adenosine, 3',5'-cyclic AMP or its dibutyryl derivative. The effects of these substances on behaviour, electrocortical activity and body temperature were studied.2. Behavioural and electrocortical sleep with fall in body temperature were obtained with intraventricular noradrenaline, alpha-methylnoradrenaline and isoprenaline; dopamine was ineffective. The doses required to elicit sleep were smaller than those affecting body temperature. Following mebanazine, the effects of noradrenaline were prolonged and doses of dopamine, previously ineffective, lowered body temperature and induced behavioural and electrocortical sleep.3. Noradrenaline, alpha-methylnoradrenaline, isoprenaline and dopamine infused into the hypothalamus induced sleep and lowered body temperature. Effective doses of noradrenaline, alpha-methylnoradrenaline and isoprenaline infused into the hypothalamus were one-twentieth to one-fifth those for intraventricular injection. Tachypnoea developed with isoprenaline and dopamine. Additionally with dopamine, there was deviation of the head to the contralateral side, together with repetitive jerking movements of the head. These effects were prolonged and intensified by mebanazine, whereas the involuntary movements with dopamine were greatly reduced by haloperidol.4. Involuntary movements, but without sleep, were induced by infusing dopamine into the paleostriatum augmentatum; noradrenaline infused into this site was ineffective.5. In three of five fowls pretreated with aminophylline, 3',5'-cyclic AMP infused into the hypothalamus induced behavioural and electrocortical sleep; without aminophylline pretreatment, 3',5'-cyclic AMP was ineffective. Adenosine infused into the hypothalamus, following pretreatment of fowls with aminophylline, consistently induced behavioural and electrocortical sleep. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP infused into the hypothalamus of intact fowls elicited behavioural arousal, followed by bursts of electrocortical spikes (6 Hz) over both cerebral hemispheres, spikes subsequently becoming regular at 1 Hz. Clonic limb and body movements occasionally accompanied the bursts of spike activity, infrequently developing into convulsions. In fowl encéphale isolé preparations, in which dibutyryl cyclic AMP was infused into the hypothalamus, spike activity was confined to the ipsilateral hemisphere.

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate and norepinephrine: effects on transmembrane properties of cerebellar Purkinje cells

Electrical properties of Purkinje cells were recorded by intracellular microelectrode during extracellular electrophoretic application of gamma aminobutyrate, norepinephrine, cyclic adenosine monophosphate, and dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate. All these substances hyperpolarized Purkinje cells. Transmembrane resistance decreased during gamma aminobutyrate hyperpolarization. In contrast, norepinephrine and the cyclic nucleotides generally elevated resistance. These results show that cyclic nucleotides mimic the unique effects of norepinephrine on the bioelectric properties of neuronal membranes.