Characteristics of beta-adrenergic-agonist binding to rat adipocyte membranes. Evidence that (+/-)-[3H]hydroxybenzylisoproterenol interacts selectively with the adipocyte beta-adrenergic receptors

Regional variation of white adipocyte lipolysis during the annual cycle of the alpine marmot

During winter, hibernating animals rely on their lipid stores for survival. In vitro lipolytic activity of isolated adipocytes from gonadal and subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) was studied in captive alpine marmots (Marmota marmota) at two different times of their yearly cycle. During the summer, when marmots were eating, adipocyte responsiveness and sensitivity to isoprenaline and noradrenaline were higher in gonadal than in subcutaneous WAT. During hibernation, when marmots were spontaneously fasting. both the response and sensitivity to catecholamines decreased in gonadal WAT to the level of subcutaneous WAT. A similar pattern of response was also observed when lipolysis was stimulated with glucagon but the lipolytic rate was three times lower than with catecholamines. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) had a marked stimulatory effect on lipolysis, especially during the 'feeding' period, suggesting that adenosine may be a potent lipolytic modulator in marmot adipocytes. It is concluded that in marmots, lipolysis could be differentially regulated between fat depots during the annual cycle possibly to optimize either the building-up or the use of fat reserves.

Beta 1-adrenergic selectivity of the new cardiotonic agent denopamine in its stimulating effects on adenylate cyclase

Effects of the new selectively beta 1-adrenergic cardiotonic drug denopamine (TA-064), (-)-(R)-1-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-[(3,4-dimethoxyphenethyl)amino]ethanol, on the adenylate cyclase-adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (c-AMP) system of various tissues and cells in rats and guinea pigs were investigated in comparison with those of isoproterenol. Denopamine at concentrations above 10(-6) M stimulated lipolysis in vitro, and, above 10(-5) M, elevated the c-AMP level in isolated rat fat cells. The c-AMP level of guinea-pig heart ventricular muscle was also elevated when the heart was perfused with 3 X 10(-6) M denopamine or when slices of ventricular muscle were incubated with 10(-6) M denopamine. These changes were abolished in the presence of beta-adrenergic antagonists. Incubation with denopamine did not cause substantial elevation of c-AMP levels in rat reticulocytes and diaphragm. Denopamine activated adenylate cyclase of the rat cell membranes in a concentration-dependent manner. Although dose dependence was less apparent, denopamine also activated adenylate cyclase of the membrane fraction from guinea pig cardiac muscle, but it hardly activated the same enzyme from rat reticulocytes. Isoproterenol, on the other hand, showed marked concentration-dependent activation of adenylate cyclase in all these preparations. Denopamine did not inhibit c-AMP phosphodiesterase of both particulate and supernatant fractions of guinea-pig cardiac muscle. The stimulation of lipolysis by denopamine was observed even when elevation of the c-AMP level was not detected, while the stimulation of lipolysis by isoproterenol was always accompanied with an elevation of c-AMP. When guinea-pig hearts were perfused with 3 X 10(-6) M denopamine or 10(-7) M isoproterenol, their cardiotonic effects were of the same magnitude whereas the degree of c-AMP elevation in the ventricular tissue by denopamine was significantly less than that by isoproterenol. It was concluded that stimulation of the adenylate cyclase-c-AMP system by denopamine was restricted to the tissues whose receptors were predominantly of the beta 1-type, and that the elevation of c-AMP levels in these tissues by denopamine was less marked than by isoproterenol, suggesting that the stimulation of lipolysis and heart by denopamine may be mediated by a special pool of c-AMP or some other unknown factor(s).

Lipolysis and beta-adrenergic receptor binding on adipocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Adipocytes from spontaneously hypertensive rats demonstrated a blunted lipolytic response to isoproterenol and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. (-)-[3H]Dihydroalprenolol binding was examined in adipocytes from normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Increasing concentrations of isoproterenol decreased total (-)-[3H]dihydroalprenolol binding to intact cells from normotensive rats, and the efficacy of competition was decreased in adipocytes from spontaneously hypertensive rats. Scatchard analysis indicated that the number of (-)-[3H]dihydroalprenolol binding sites and the affinity of dihydroalprenolol binding were comparable between normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Isoproterenol- and Gpp(NH)p-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was consistently depressed in adipocyte membranes from spontaneously hypertensive rats as compared to normotensive rats. No difference in fluoride-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was observed. The blunted lipolytic and cyclic AMP response to isoproterenol in these cells suggest a postreceptor lesion of the lipolytic pathway (possibly the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein) in adipocytes from spontaneously hypertensive rats. The blunted lipolytic response to dibutyryl cyclic AMP suggests defective regulation of lipolytic enzymes at the protein kinase-hormone-sensitive lipase level.

Direct assessment of beta-adrenergic receptors in intact rat adipocytes by binding of [3H]CGP 12177. Evidence for agonist high-affinity binding complex and for beta 1 and beta 2 receptor subtypes

The characteristics of the binding of the hydrophilic beta-adrenergic antagonist [3H]CGP 12177 to intact rat adipocytes were studied at 37 degrees C and 6 degrees C. At both temperatures and at 90% saturation, the non-specific binding was less than 30% of the total binding. At 37 degrees C, specific [3H]CGP 12177 binding was rapid, reversible of high affinity (1.8 +/- 0.4 nM) and saturable. The number of specific binding sites per adipocyte increased with the fat cell size (about 35 000 and 115 000 sites per cell in adipocytes with diameters of 60 microns and 88 microns, respectively) but remained constant when expressed per unit fat cell surface area. Displacement of [3H]CGP 12177 bound to adipocytes by unselective and selective beta-antagonists was stereospecific, had the same characteristics as those found in adipocyte membranes and showed a heterogeneous specificity for beta 1 and beta 2 adrenergic subtypes. In contrast, beta agonist competition curves, which modeled to two affinity-states of binding, showed high-affinity-state Kd values for agonists 10-25-times higher than those found in membranes under the same experimental conditions. At 6 degrees C, although the number and affinity of the specific binding sites for [3H]CGP 12177 were the same as those found at 37 degrees C, the Kd value for (-)-isoproterenol binding to the high affinity state of these sites (3.0 +/- 0.5 nM) was 25-times lower than at 37 degrees C and similar to the value found in membrane preparations (1.5-4 nM). These results show that the [3H]CGP 12177 specific binding sites detected on intact adipocytes represent the physiological beta-adrenergic receptors. Moreover, this study extends to the adipocyte the validity of the model recently proposed for other cell lines, according to which in intact cells, but not in membranes, agonist-binding promotes a rapid and temperature-dependent conformational change of the beta-adrenergic receptors, leading to a progressive loss of capacity of agonists to form a high-affinity complex.

Adrenergic control of lipolysis in adipocytes of several mammalian species

The effects of alpha- and beta-adrenergic drugs on catecholamine- and theophylline-induced lipolysis were studied in isolated adipocytes of hamsters, mice, guinea-pigs, gerbils and cats. The ability of the beta-blocker propranolol to diminish the lipolytic rate indicates the presence of beta-adrenergic receptors. Lipolysis was also decreased by the alpha-agonists clonidine and phenylephrine, suggesting the existence of alpha-adrenergic receptors.

In vitro interactions of agonists and antagonists with beta-adrenergic receptors

Neurotransmitters and hormones mediate their effects through interaction with specific receptors. A complete understanding of the effects of these chemical signals requires detailed knowledge, at the molecular level, of agonist/receptor interactions. It is likely that agonists and antagonists interact with the same site on a receptor. Agonists, however, are by definition different from antagonists in that agonists are responsible for transducing information across the cell membrane, ultimately resulting in a biological response, while antagonists appear to act through passive occupancy of receptors. Implicit in this concept is the idea that these fundamental differences between agonists and antagonists arise from the sequelae induced by agonist-specific interactions with receptors.

Comparison of changes in the characteristics of beta-adrenoceptors and responsiveness of human circulating lymphocytes during and after chronic administration of pindolol and propranolol

The characteristics of the beta-adrenoceptors (3H-dihydroalprenolol binding) and the beta-adrenergic responsiveness (cyclic AMP response to isoproterenol) were studied in circulating lymphocytes from healthy volunteers before (D 0), on the 22nd day of treatment (D 22) and on the fifth day (D 30) following discontinuation of pindolol 15 mg/day or propranolol 160 mg/day. During pindolol therapy (D 22) the beta-adrenoceptor-affinity towards dihydroalprenolol was unchanged and the beta-adrenoceptor density decreased by 50%, an effect which persisted after drug administration ceased (D 30). The receptor "down-regulation" was accompanied by a parallel decrease in the maximal lymphocyte response to isoproterenol on D 22 and 30, by a shift to the right of the concentration-response curves to isoproterenol on D 22 and 30. In contrast, no significant modification in beta-adrenoceptor density or in the maximal response to isoproterenol was observed during (D 22) or after discontinuation (D 30) or propranolol therapy; the beta-adrenoceptor affinity for dihydroalprenolol and the sensitivity of the lymphocyte response to isoproterenol were markedly reduced on D 22 but not on D 30. It is concluded that the lymphocyte beta-adrenoceptor "down regulation" and the parallel beta-adrenergic desensitization induced by chronic pindolol therapy are both due to the intrinsic sympathomimetic activity of this drug.

Characterization of the beta-adrenergic receptors of hamster white fat cells. Evidence against an important role for the alpha 2-receptor subtype in the adrenergic control of lipolysis

The binding characteristics of the beta-adrenergic antagonist, [3H]dihydroalprenolol, to hamster white adipocyte membranes were studied. This binding occurred at two classes of sites, one having high affinity (Kd = 1.6 +/- 1.3 nM) but low capacity (32 +/- 17 fmol/mg membrane protein) and one having low affinity but high binding capacity. While the binding at the high-affinity sites was competitively and stereoselectively displaced by both beta-antagonists and beta-agonists, competition at the low-affinity sites occurred only with beta-antagonists and was non-stereoselective. Thus, the beta-agonist (-)-isoproterenol was further used to define nonspecific binding. Under these conditions, saturation studies showed a single class of high-affinity (Kd = 1.6 +/- 0.5 nM) binding sites with a binding capacity of 53 +/- 13 fmol/mg membrane protein (corresponding to 4000 +/- 980 sites per cell), and independent kinetic analysis provided a Kd value of 1.9 nM. Competition experiments showed that these binding sites had the characteristics of a beta 1-receptor subtype, yielding Kd values in good agreement with the Kact and the Ki values found for agonist-stimulation and for antagonist-inhibition of adenylate cyclase in membranes and of cyclic AMP accumulation and lipolysis in intact cells. Furthermore, the ability of beta-agonists to compete with this binding was severely depressed by p[NH]ppG. These results thus support the contention that the specific [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding sites defined as the binding displaceable by (-)-isoproterenol represent the physiologically relevant beta-adrenergic receptors of hamster white adipocytes. Finally, studies of the lipolytic response of these cells to (-)-norepinephrine showed that the inhibitory effect of the alpha 2-component of this catecholamine was apparent only when the effects of endogenous adenosine were suppressed, a result which argues against an important regulatory role for the alpha 2-receptors in the adrenergic control of lipolysis in hamster white adipocytes.