Determination of the turn-off reaction for the epinephrine-inhibited human platelet adenylate cyclase

Gi protein mediates adenylate cyclase inhibition by neurohypophyseal hormones in fish gill

Adenylate cyclase activity was measured on membrane fractions from the gill epithelium of rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri. Basal and glucagon-stimulated activities responded negatively to homologous neurohypophyseal peptides (arginine-vasotocin and isotocin). This inhibitory effect was totally abolished in the presence of pertussis toxin (IAP). The guanine nucleotide dependence of the enzyme was further explored by using GTP, GDP, and their stable analogs Gpp(NH)p, GTP gamma S, and GDP beta S. The results suggest that neurohypophyseal peptides at low concentrations inhibit the adenylate cyclase system directly by way of a Gi-protein, thus implying the intervention of a new type of membrane receptor for these hormones in fish gills.

Modulation of cardiac sodium channels by cAMP receptors on the myocyte surface

The phosphorylation of the cardiac sodium channel by adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A leads to its inactivation. It was shown that extracellular cAMP can also modulate the sodium channel of rat, guinea pig, and frog ventricular myocytes in a rapid (less than 50 milliseconds), reversible, and dose-dependent manner. The decrease in the sodium current was accompanied by a 10- to 15-millivolt shift in the steady-state availability of the sodium channel toward more negative potentials and was inhibited by guanosine-5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) or pertussis toxin, suggesting that the extracellular modulation of the sodium channel by cAMP is mediated by a membrane-delimited mechanism that includes a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein.

Characterization of high affinity GTPase activity correlated to beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation of adenylyl cyclase in rat parotid membranes

beta-Adrenergic receptor stimulation of adenylyl cyclase involves the activation of a GTP-binding regulatory protein (G-protein, termed here Gs). Inactivation of this G-protein is associated with the hydrolysis of bound GTP by an intrinsic high affinity GTPase activity. In the present study, we have characterized the GTPase activity in a Gs-enriched rat parotid gland membrane fraction. Two GTPase activities were resolved; a high affinity GTPase activity displaying Michaelis-Menten kinetics with increasing concentrations of GTP, and a low affinity GTPase activity which increased linearly with GTP concentrations up to 10 mM. The beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (10 microM) increased the Vmax of the high affinity GTPase component approx. 50% from 90 to 140 pmol/mg protein per min, but did not change its Km value (approximately 450 nM). Isoproterenol also stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in parotid membranes both in the absence or presence of GTP. In the presence of a non-hydrolyzable GTP analogue, guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate (GTP gamma S), isoproterenol increased cAMP formation to the same extent as that observed with AlF-4. Cholera toxin treatment of parotid membranes led to the ADP-ribosylation of two proteins (approximately 45 and 51 kDa). Cholera toxin also specifically decreased the high affinity GTPase activity in membranes and increased cAMP formation induced by GTP in the absence or the presence of isoproterenol. These data demonstrate that the high affinity GTPase characterized here is the 'turn-off' step for the adenylyl cyclase activation seen following beta-adrenergic stimulation of rat parotid glands.

Changes of ADP-ribosylation of GTP-binding protein by pertussis toxin in human platelets during long-term treatment of manic depression with lithium carbonate

1. The study was done to determine whether long-term treatment with lithium carbonate affected the guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein in platelet membranes from patients with manic depression. 2. It was found that adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribosylation of inhibitory G-proteins (40-41 kDa) by pertussis toxin, islet-activating protein in the cell membranes increased about 45% when long-term treatment with lithium carbonate was stopped. 3. These results support the idea that one site for the therapeutic effects of lithium ions is G-proteins.

A G Protein Mediates the Inhibition of the Voltage-Dependent Potassium M Current by Muscarine, LHRH, Substance P and UTP in Bullfrog Sympathetic Neurons

The involvement of G proteins in the transduction mechanism of M current (Im) inhibition by extracellular ligands in bullfrog sympathetic neurons was examined using the hydrolysis resistant nucleotide analogues GTPgammaS and GDPbetaS. Im was recorded in large (40 - 60 microm) isolated neurons using the patch-clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration, as well as in neurons from the intact ganglion impaled with conventional microelectrodes. In whole-cell recordings Im could be recorded without significant loss for 1 h or more provided ATP was present in the patch pipette. Muscarine, D-Ala6-LHRH, substance P and UTP reversibly inhibited Im in isolated control neurons, with full and rapid recovery of the current following agonist washout. Dialysis of isolated neurons with various concentrations of GTPgammaS (1 - 100 microM) affected, in a dose-dependent manner, the recovery of Im after its inhibition by brief agonist application. With 50 microM GTPgammaS, Im inhibition became completely irreversible. Similarly, the reversibility of Im inhibition by muscarine was reduced or abolished by the iontophoretic injection of GTPgammaS through a second microelectrode into neurons of the intact ganglion. GTPgammaS by itself caused a slow, agonist-independent suppression of Im in dialysed neurons, thus mimicking agonist action. Dialysis of isolated neurons with GDPbetaS (100 - 500 microM) attenuated by half or more the magnitude of Im inhibition by agonist as compared to control neurons. In addition, GDPbetaS attenuated the response of a given neuron to muscarine and D-Ala6-LHRH, and caused slow increase of Im, as a function of dialysis time. Incubation (2 - 72 h, 4 - 36 degrees C) of isolated neurons or intact ganglions with activated pertussis toxin had no effect on the response to muscarine. Toxin injections to experimental animals were equally ineffective. In contrast to Im, the additional inward current with increase in conductance induced by muscarine and D-Ala6-LHRH reversed with agonist washout in GTPgammaS-dialysed neurons, although more slowly than in control neurons. The results in this study indicate that a G protein, possibly pertussis toxin-insensitive, provides a common coupling step linking muscarinic, substance P, D-Ala6-LHRH and UTP receptors to the inhibition of M current.

Guanosine-5'-O-thiodiphosphate functions as a partial agonist for the receptor-independent stimulation of neural adenylate cyclase

GTP-binding proteins (G proteins) have been implicated as mediators of several aspects of neuronal signal transduction including ion channels, phosphatidyl inositol turnover and the stimulation or inhibition of adenylate cyclase. Several investigators have employed the stable guanosine diphosphate (GDP) analog, guanosine 5'-O-thiodiphosphate (GDP beta S) to block putative G protein-mediated processes. Although GDP beta S is assumed to block G protein function, some investigators have reported partial activation of G protein-mediated processes by this compound. In this study we demonstrate that GDP beta S functions as a partial agonist for the adenylate cyclase system. In rat cerebral cortex membranes, GDP beta S activates adenylate cyclase with an EC50 similar to the hydrolysis resistant GTP analog, guanylylimidodiphosphate (GppNHp), but to a far lower extent. Further, GDP beta S antagonizes the activation of adenylate cyclase by high doses of GppNHp or GTP gamma S (another stable GTP analog) but potentiates adenylate cyclase activation by low doses of these nucleotides. High doses of GDP beta S provoke, only partially, exchange of nucleotides among G proteins, as measured by the transfer of the photoaffinity GTP analog, azidoanilido-GTP, between the inhibitory and stimulatory GTP-binding proteins. In the presence of the beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, GDP beta S fails to support stimulation of C6 glioma membrane adenylate cyclase and inhibits GppNHp- or GTP gamma S-mediated stimulation of that enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Involvement of Ni protein in the functional coupling of the atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) receptor to adenylate cyclase in rat lung plasma membranes

In the presence of 1 microM atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and low (0.1 mM) Mg2+ concentrations, the initial rate of binding of [3H]guanosine 5'-[beta, gamma-imido)triphosphate [( 3H]p[NH]ppG) to rat lung plasma membranes was increased twofold to threefold. ANF-dependent stimulation of the initial rate of [3H]p[NH]ppG binding was reduced at high (5 mM) Mg2+ concentrations. Preincubation of membranes with p[NH]ppG (5 min at 37 degrees C) eliminated the ANF-dependent effect on [3H]p[NH]ppG binding whereas ANF-dependent [3H]p[NH]ppG binding was unaffected by similar pretreatment with guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate (GDP[beta S]). An increase in ANF concentration from 10 pM to 1 microM caused a 40% decrease in forskolin-stimulated or isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities (IC50 5 nM) in rat lung plasma membranes. GTP (100 microM) was obligatory for the ANF-dependent inhibition of adenylate cyclase, which could be completely overcome by the presence of 100 microM GDP[beta S] or the addition of 10 mM Mn2+. Reduction of Na2+ concentration from 120 mM to 20 mM had the same effect. Pertussis toxin eliminated ANF-dependent inhibition of adenylate cyclase by catalyzing ADP-ribosylation of membrane-bound Ni protein (41-kDa alpha subunit of the inhibitory guanyl-nucleotide-binding protein of adenylate cyclase). The data support the notion that one of the ANF receptors in rat lung plasma membranes is negatively coupled to a hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclase complex via the GTP-binding Ni protein.

On the mechanism of histamine induced enhancement of the cardiac Ca2+ current

In guinea pig ventricular myocytes, the effect of histamine on the slow Ca2+ current (ICa) was studied and the following results were obtained: (1) Superfusion of cells with histamine resulted in a dose-dependent enhancement of the amplitude of ICa. The threshold concentration of histamine was 10(-8) M, half maximal increase occurred at 3 X 10(-7) M and maximal enhancement (about 3-4-fold) at 5 X 10(-6) M. (2) The histamine effect was greatly reduced by the H2 antagonist cimetidine (10(-5) M) but only slightly by the H1 antagonist diphenhydramine (10(-5) M). (3) Effects of isoprenaline (ISP) and histamine at maximal effective concentrations on ICa were not additive, suggesting that both agents use the same intracellular pathway. Intracellular infusion of a blocker of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, Rp-cAMPS (10(-4) M), prevented the histamine effect. (4) The involvement of GTP-dependent transducer proteins was studied by cell dialysis with several GTP derivatives. Intracellular application of the stable GDP-analogue, GDP-beta-S, reduced the histamine effect on ICa, whereas the stable GTP analogue, GTP-gamma-S, mimicked the histamine effect.

Inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate-induced granule secretion in platelets. Evidence that the activation of phospholipase C mediated by platelet thromboxane receptors involves a guanine nucleotide binding protein-dependent mechanism distinct from that of thrombin

Phosphoinositide hydrolysis in platelets stimulated by thrombin is thought to be regulated by a pertussis toxin-sensitive guanine nucleotide binding protein (G protein) referred to as Gp. The present studies examine the role of Gp in platelet responses to the thromboxane A2 analogue U46619 and in the pathway by which the phosphoinositide hydrolysis product inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) causes secretion. In permeabilized platelets, U46619 caused phosphatidic acid formation and secretion, which were abolished by the G protein inhibitor, guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiophosphate) (GDP beta S). Unlike thrombin, however, U46619-induced phosphoinositide hydrolysis was unaffected by pertussis toxin, and U46619 was unable to inhibit the [32P]ADP ribosylation of the 42-kD pertussis toxin substrate in platelets. IP3-induced secretion, which is known to depend upon intracellular Ca release and subsequent arachidonic acid metabolism, was also inhibited by GDP beta S, as was Ca-induced secretion. These observations suggest that platelet thromboxane A2 (TxA2) receptors are coupled to a toxin-resistant form of Gp distinct from the one that is coupled to thrombin receptors, and that TxA2-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis may serve as a feedback mechanism by which stimuli for arachidonic acid release, such as IP3 and Ca, amplify responses to agonists.

GTP-binding proteins mediate transmitter inhibition of voltage-dependent calcium channels

The modulation of voltage-dependent calcium channels by hormones and neurotransmitters has important implications for the control of many Ca2+-dependent cellular functions including exocytosis and contractility. We made use of electrophysiological techniques, including whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones, to demonstrate a role for GTP-binding proteins (G-proteins) as signal transducers in the noradrenaline- and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced inhibition of voltage-dependent calcium channels. This action of the transmitters was blocked by: (1) preincubation of the cells with pertussis toxin (a bacterial exotoxin catalysing ADP-ribosylation of G-proteins); or (2) intracellular administration of guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP-beta-S), a non-hydrolysable analogue of GDP that competitively inhibits the binding of GTP to G-proteins. Our findings provide the first direct demonstration of the G-protein-mediated inhibition of voltage-dependent calcium channels by neurotransmitters. This mode of transmitter action may explain the ability of noradrenaline and GABA to presynaptically inhibit Ca2+-dependent neurosecretion from DRG sensory neurones.

Adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imino)triphosphate and guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) do not necessarily provide non-phosphorylating conditions in adenylate cyclase studies

Commercial preparations of adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imino)triphosphate (App(NH)p) were found to be contaminated with a GTP-like substance(s) as well as a phosphate donor(s) for GDP. Thus, when these preparations were used as substrate with no purification, GDP was as effective as GTP in promoting PGE1 stimulation of human platelet adenylate cyclase. With purified App(NH)p as substrate, the effect of PGE1 with GDP was reduced but still observable, while that with GTP was unaltered. PGE1 also caused a stimulation in the presence of guanosine 5'-o-(2-thiodiphosphate)(GDP beta S) with ATP as substrate. Both of the PGE1-stimulated activities observed with GDP and its analog were completely lost by the addition of UDP, thereby, inhibiting GTP formation catalyzed by membrane-associated nucleoside diphosphate kinase. The results demonstrate that the stimulatory effects of PGE1 observed with GDP and App(NH)p, and with GDP beta S and ATP were transphosphorylation dependent and, therefore, the analogs must be used with special caution in adenylate cyclase studies.

Characterization of dog platelet alpha-adrenergic receptor: lack of in vivo down regulation by adrenergic agonist treatments

The dog platelet alpha-adrenergic receptor was characterized using [3H]clonidine and [3H]yohimbine. The binding of both radioligands was rapid and reversible at 25 degrees C; saturation and kinetic experiments revealed a single population of binding sites. The number of [3H]yohimbine sites was 2-3-fold higher than the number of [3H]clonidine sites as reported in other tissues containing alpha2-adrenoceptors. The various alpha-agonists and antagonists displaced [3H]clonidine and [3H]yohimbine with an order of potency indicating alpha2-adrenoceptor specificity. Neither (-)adrenaline nor clonidine infusions (0.5 micrograms/min/kg during 3 hr) modified the number of [3H]yohimbine and [3H]clonidine sites or the affinity of the ligands for the alpha2-sites of the dog platelet. Oral administration of clonidine (3 X 150 micrograms/day) did not alter the binding parameters of either ligand.

Opiates stimulate low Km GTPase in brain

Low Km GTP hydrolysis in rat brain is stimulated in a concentration-dependent manner by the opiate alkaloid etorphine, and by the opioid peptide D-Ala2-leucine-enkephalinamide. The opiate antagonist naloxone inhibits the maximal D-Ala2-leucine-enkephalinamide stimulation of the GTPase, also with concentration dependency. The magnitude of maximally stimulated, opioid-sensitive, GTP hydrolysis is differentially distributed across brain regions. Opioid-stimulated GTPase may represent one means of identifying a specific type of opioid receptor.

Guanine nucleotides decrease the free [Ca2+] required for secretion of serotonin from permeabilized blood platelets. Evidence of a role for a GTP-binding protein in platelet activation

Human platelets containing granule-bound [14C]serotonin were permeabilized, equilibrated at 0 degrees C with ATP and with various Ca2+ buffers and guanine nucleotides, and then incubated at 25 degrees C with or without a stimulatory agonist. Ca2+ alone induced the ATP-dependent secretion of [14C]serotonin (50% at a pCa of 5.1) but the sensitivity of secretion to Ca2+ was greatly enhanced by guanine nucleotides [6-fold by 100 microM GTP, 100-fold by 100 microM guanyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate and greater than 500-fold by 100 microM guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate)] or by stimulatory agonists (10-fold by 2 units thrombin/ml and 4-fold by 1 microM 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine). When both GTP and a stimulatory agonist were added, they had synergistic effects on secretion. Cyclic GMP and GMP acted similarly to GTP. The effects of all these guanine nucleotides were inhibited by guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate), whereas those of stimulatory agonists were not. Our results demonstrate the presence in platelets of guanine nucleotide-dependent and independent mechanisms regulating the sensitivity of secretion to Ca2+.

Receptor-induced diacylglycerol formation in permeabilized platelets; possible role for a GTP-binding protein

Exposure of human platelets to 10 discharges from a 4.5 microF capacitor charged at 3 kV permitted isolation of a stable preparation of permeabilized platelets that, after equilibration with Ca2+ buffers (pCa less than 6) for 15 min at O degrees C, secreted 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) at 25 degrees C. Thrombin enhanced the sensitivity to Ca2+ of the secretion of 5-HT by about 10-fold, whereas Arg -vasopressin and the prostaglandin endoperoxide analogue, U-46619, increased sensitivity to Ca2+ by 3 to 4-fold. This action of thrombin was associated with stimulation of diacylglycerol formation, a marked increase in phosphorylation of protein P47 and a smaller increase in phosphorylation of the P-light chain of myosin. Thrombin exerted these effects at a [Ca2+ free] of 0.1 microM, suggesting that the receptor-activated breakdown of platelet phosphoinositides to diacylglycerol may not require prior Ca2+ mobilization in intact platelets. In both the presence and absence of thrombin, a higher [Ca2+ free] was required for optimal secretion than for maximal phosphorylation of P47 and myosin light-chain, indicating that Ca2+ and possibly diacylglycerol have roles in the secretory mechanism additional to activation of the enzymes that phosphorylate these proteins. Stable GTP analogues such as guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S), and to a lesser extent GTP itself, enhanced the Ca2+ sensitivity of the secretion of 5-HT from permeabilized platelets. Moreover, GTP potentiated the stimulatory action of thrombin. These effects of GTP gamma S and GTP were associated with increased diacylglycerol formation and were inhibited by guanosine-5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP beta S) suggesting that a GTP-binding protein may play a role in the receptor-activated breakdown of phosphoinositides. However, as GDP beta S did not inhibit the potentiation of secretion caused by thrombin alone, a GTP-independent pathway of platelet activation may also exist.

Synergistic inhibition of human platelet adenylate cyclase by stable GTP analogs and epinephrine

Adenylate cyclase inhibition by stable GTP analogs and their interaction with epinephrine were studied in human platelet membranes. Whereas basal enzyme activity was increased by these nucleotides, the stable GTP analogs decreased the adenylate cyclase activity stimulated by fluoride or forskolin by maximally 60 to 70%, with the potency order, guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) greater than guanyl-5'-ylimidodiphosphate greater than guanyl-5'-ylmethylenediphosphate. The inhibition of the forskolin-stimulated enzyme by GTP gamma S was half-maximal at about 4 nM, occurred after a time lag period, which was inversely related to the GTP gamma S concentration, and was resistant to washing of the membranes. Prostaglandin E1-stimulated activity exhibited a biphasic response towards GTP gamma S, with activation occurring at low (1 nM) and inhibition at higher GTP gamma S concentrations. The inhibitory effect of GTP gamma S was competitively antagonized by GTP. This antagonism was prevented by epinephrine, which inhibited the stimulated platelet adenylate cyclase in the presence of GTP to the same degree as observed with GTP gamma S alone. In the absence of GTP, epinephrine largely diminished the time lag required for the inhibitory action of GTP gamma S. Furthermore, the decrease in final activity induced by GTP gamma S was amplified by epinephrine. Whereas the acceleration of the inhibitory action of GTP gamma S was observed at low and high GTP gamma S concentrations, the amplification by epinephrine was observed only at submaximally effective concentrations of GTP gamma S.