BIOCHEMICAL
Vol. 55, No. 3, 1973
AND BIOPHYSICAL
RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
REGULATION BY B-ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR ANDMUSCARINICCHOLINERGIC RECEPTOR ACTNATION OF INTRACELLULAR CYCLICAMP ANDCYCLICGMPLEVELS IN RAT LUNGSLICES* J. F. Kuot and Wu-NanKuo Department of Pharmacology, Emory University, Received
October
Atlanta,
Georgia
30322
15,1973
Susnnary The effects of adrenergic and cholinergic agents, present singly or in combination, on the levels of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMPin slices of rat lung were studied. It was found that isoproterenol increased pulmonary cyclic AMP levels about 3-fold, and this increase was abolished by propranolol, but not by phenoxybenzamine. Acetylcholine increased the cyclic GMPlevels also about 3-fold (thus raising its tissue content above that of cyclic AMP), and this increment was largely reduced by atropine, but not by hexamethonium. While without effects on the cyclic GMPlevels when present alone, isoproterenol antagonized acetylcholine in increasing cyclic GMPlevels. Acetylcholine, while lacking effects on the basal levels of cyclic AMP, on the other hand, depressed the augmented levels caused by isoproterenol. The data presented indicate that cyclic Gl@ may mediate the cholinergic action in lung and that the pulmonary cyclic GMP levels are also closely regulated by g-adrenergic receptor activation. Recent studies indicate levels,
with little
(1,2) 9 intestinal appears to exist
or no effects
agonists increase cyclic
on the basal levels of cyclic
between the activation
nucleotides
abilities
of $-adrenergic
and muscarinic cholinergic levels of
(1,Z). materials so far examined, lung is one
of the few tissues that has been shown to have an exceptionally
an especially
AMP, in heart
to regulate the intracellular
Comparedto many other biological
cyclase activity
GMP
smooth muscle (2), and brain (Z), and that a mutual antagonism
receptors in terms of their these two cyclic
that cholinergic
(3) and cyclic
GMPcontent (4,5).
prominent role for cyclic
high guanylate
These findings
GMPin lung function
tend to suggest
and metabolism.
The
*This work was supported by Grants RR-05364 and HL-15696 from USPHS,and by a grant from Georgia Heart Association. This is publication number 1163 of the Division of Basic Health Sciences, Emory University. hecipient Copyright0 1973by
of Research Career Development Award (GM-50165) from USPHS.
Academic Press, Inc. AI1 rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
660
BIOCHEMICAL
Vol. 55, No. 3,1973
TABLE I.
AND BIOPHYSICAL
RESEARCH C@vVWNlCATlONS
Regulation by adrenergic agonist and antagonists of intracellular cyclic
AMP and cyclic
GMP levels in rat lung slices
Cyclic ABP* Cyclic GMP* (paoles/mg protein)
Addition None (control) Isoproterenol,
1 PM
Isoproterenol, 1 PM + propranolol, 1 pM Isoproterenol, 1 IJ.M + phenoxybenzamine, 5 PM Propranolol,
1 PM
Phenoxybenzamine, 5 @
Cyclic AMP to cyclic GMPratio
6.4 f 0.3
4.8 + 0.4
1.3
21.6 + 1.5
4.1 f 0.2
5.3
9.5 * 0.9
4.8 f 1.0
2.0
20.8 5 1.2
5.0 + 0.6
4.2
6.1 f 0.8
4.6 + 0.5
1.3
6.3 f 0.5
4.9 + 0.6
1.3
*Each value represents mean + S. R. of triplicate
incubations.
data presented in this communication show that the cyclic
AMP and cyclic
in lung tissue are regulated in part by the adrenergic and cholinergic similar
to those shown earlier
Materials
for certain
GMPlevels mechanisms
tissues mentioned above.
and Methods
Three to six Sprague-Dawley rats, decapitation
each weighing about 160 g, were killed
and the lungs were quickly
bicarbonate medium (room temperature), 5%co2'95% o2 (v/v). Riggs tissue slicer tissue chopper.
excised and placed in Krebs-Ringer the mediumbeing previously
The lungs were first and were further
The resulting
by
sliced (0.5 nunthick)
gassed with with a Stadie-
diced into 0.5 mmcubes, using a McIlwain
tissue slices were then pooled, were suspended in
the medium, and were washed three times with the medium. The slices were finally transferred ylline
to an appropriate
and were stirred
volume of the fresh medium containing 3 mMtheoph-
constantly
to yield
aliquots of the suspension (containing the incubation
tubes containing
a near-homogeneoussuspension.
about 20-25 mg protein)
were transferred
the agents whose actions were to be studied.
661
One-ml to The
BIOCHEMICAL
Vol. 55, No. 3, 1973
TABLE II.
AND BIOPHYSICAL
Regulation by cholinergic cyclic
RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
agonist and antagonists of intracellular
AMP and cyclic
GMPlevels in rat lung slices
Cyclic AMP* Cyclic GMP* (pnoles/mg protein)
Addition
Cyclic AMP to cyclic GMPratio
5.8 + 0.4
4.2 -+ 0.2
1.4
5.2 + 0.6
12.5 2 0.5
0.4
5.5 k 0.2
4.1 5 0.3
1.3
5.7 f 0.2
5.1 + 0.6
1.1
Hexamethonium, 10 IJ-M
5.1 + 0.6
4.0 + 0.5
1.3
Acetylcholine, 1 pM + hexamethonium, 10 uM
5.8 * 0.3
11.8 + 0.6
0.5
None (control) Acetylcholine, Atropine,
1 uM
1 uM
Acetylcholine, f atropine,
1 @l 1 FM
*Each value represents mean ? S. E. of triplicate
incubations.
tissue was incubated, with shaking, for 2 min at 37O. At the end of the incubation period, the mediumwas rapidly ice-cold
5% tricholoracetic
homogenized directly
removed by centrifugation
tubes fitted
AMP (6) and cyclic
assayed by the protein kinase catalytic the trichloracetic
1 ml of
acid was added to the tubes, and the lung tissue was
in the incubation
The amounts of cyclic
and aspiration,
acid precipitates
with ground glass pestles.
GMP (5) in the tissue extracts
methods as described earlier.
were
Protein in
was measured by the method of Lowry -et al (7).
Results and Discussion Isoproterenol
increased cyclic
AMP levels more than three-fold
in slices of
whole lung of rat (Table 1). This increment in the pulmonary cyclic AMP content by was abolished/an equal concentration (1 p.M) of propranolol (a $-adrenergic receptor blocking agent), but it was not affected
by phenoxybenzamine (an u-adrenergic
receptor blocker) even at a higher concentration been shown to increase cyclic agents had any significant
(5 $f).
Isoproterenol
AMP levels in humanlung (8).
effects
has also
Neither of the above
on the basal levels of pulmonary cyclic
662
GMP.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
Vol. 55, No. 3,1973.
Reciprocal
TABLE III.
cellular
regulation
cyclic
by isoproterenol
AMP and cyclic
GMP levels
Cyclic AMP* (pnoleslmg
Addition None (control)
and acetylcholine in rat
Cyclic protein)
of intra-
lung slices
GMP*
Cyclic cyclic
AMP to GMP ratio
6.2 f 0.4
5.1 + 0.2
1.2
Isoproterenol,
0.1 p.M
12.5 5 0.8
5.2 f 0.4
2.4
Isoproterenol,
1 PM
19.6 f 0.8
4.6 2 0.2
4.3
Acetylcholine,
0.1 IJ.M
6.0 + 0.5
12.6 f 0.2
0.5
Acetylcholine,
1 pM
5.8 t 0.4
18.2 f 0.6
0,3
10.5 + 0.2
9.1 + 0.2
1.2
5.8 k 0.3
12.5 f 1.2
0.5
14.2 + 0.2
4.9 + 0.2
2.9
Isoproterenol, 1 PM + acetylcholine, 1 uM
7.5 + 0.6
8.2 f 0.5
0.9
Ssoproterenol, 1 PM+ acetylcholine, 1 pM, + propranolol 1 p.M
7.0 ?r 0.8
19.2 * 0.6
0.4
18.2 + 1.2
6,2 f 1.1
2.9
Isoproterenol, 0.1 PM, + acetylcholine, 0.1 PM Isoproterenol, 0.1 PM, + acetylcholine, 1 fl Isoproterenol, 1 FM + acetylcholine, 0.1 PM
Isoproterenol, choline, 1 PM
1 uM + acetyl1 @, + atropine,
%ach value
represents
Acetylcholine
mean f S. E. of triplicate
elevated
under the same incubation agonist
was abolished
cholinergic receptor indicating regulated
receptor antagonist) that
conditions
with
cyclic
antagonist)
whereas
was without
effect in cyclic
cholinergic
present
GMP content
of the cholinergic
GMP levels
(a muscarinic
(a nicotinic
even at a much higher
activation.
cholinergic
concentration
in lung tissue
were also obtained
663
about three-fold
(1 @) of atropine
hexamethonium
receptor
lung studies
also
The effect
(Table 2).
by an equal concentration
the increases
by muscarinic
that obtained
the pulmonary
incubations.
are closely
Conclusions earlier
(10 PM),
similar with
heart,
to
“01.55,
BIOCHEMICAL
No. 3, 1973
brain and intestinal
smooth muscle (2).
however, was not affected
RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
The basal levels of pulmonary cyclic
AMP,
by any of the above agents.
It has been shown for the first that the tissue level of cyclic acetylcholine
augmented cyclic
AMP to cyclic
GMPratio
time in the present studies with lung tissues
GMPwere found to exceed those of cyclic
AMP. Thus
GMPlevels to such an extent that the value of cyclic
reached as low as 0.4 (Table 2).
lung, compared to most other tissues, GMPconcentration
AND BIOPHYSICAL
This was possible because
not only contains the highest basal cyclic
but also the lowest ratio
of cyclic
AMP to cyclic
GMPcontent
(Ref. 4, 5 and Table 2). If one assumesthat cyclic for cyclic
GMP-dependent protein kinase is the receptor enzyme
GMP, as shown earlier
for arthropod tissues (9), it is conceivable that,
in view of the high content of cyclic
GMPin lung, one would be likely
an abundant occurrence of protein kinase specifically in this tissue. in contrast
However, only trace amounts of cyclic
to cyclic
GMPin mammaliantissues in general, still
bronchial
by cyclic
causes contraction
smooth muscle.
It
GMP
GMP-dependent protein kinase,
AMP-dependent class of enzyme, have been detected.
question as to the exact mechanismof action of cyclic
Acetylcholine
activated
to detect
The
GMP, or the role of cyclic
remains to be answered.
whereas isoproterenol
is interesting,
causes relaxation
in view of the physiological
antagonism
of these agents, that an antagonism between the actions of the cholinergic adrenergic agonists in modulating the cyclic noted in the lung tissue (Table 3). agents was dose-dependent. acetylcholine pranolol, its ability
in its
ability
GMPand cyclic
and
AMP levels was also
The antagonism between these two groups of
Moreover, the antagonistic to increase cyclic
whereas the antagonistic
of
action of isoproterenol
GMP levels was blocked by pro-
action of acetylcholine
to increase tissue levels of cyclic
on
on isoproterenol
AMPwas blocked by atropine.
in The
actions of these agents on lung slices were also explored by employing the prelabeling technique that allows one to measure the relative cyclic
GMP in lung tissue previously
levels of radioactive
labelled with 3H-guanine (10).
obtained with these two independent methods are comparable.
664
The results
Vol. 55, No. 3,1973
It
AND BIOPHYSICAL
RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
should be emphasized that lung is a heterogeneous tissue consisting of
many different cholinergic
cell
types.
It
is possible, therefore,
reflect
for studying certain
nucleotide
the responses of the smooth muscle constituent
Nonetheless, the lung slice
veniently
that the actions of
and adrenergic receptor agonists on the pulmonary cyclic
levels may not totally lung.
BIOCHEMICAL
preparation
of
described herein may be used con
of the metabolic and functional
properties
of lung.
References 1.
George, W. J., Polson, J. B., O'Toole, A. J., and Goldberg, N. D., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 66, 398 (1970). 2. Lee, T. P., Kuo, J. F., and Greengard, P., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 2, 3289 (1972). 3. Hardman, J. G., Davis, J. W., and Sutherland, E. W., J. Biol. Chem., 244, 6354 (1969). 4. Murad; F.,. Maganiello, V., and Vaughan, M., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 68, 736 (1971). 5. Kuo, J. F., Lee, T. P., Reyes, P. L., Walton, K. G., Donnelly, T. E., and Greengard, P., J. Biol. Chem., 47, 16 (1972). 6. Kuo, J. F., and Greengard, P., J. Biol. Chem., 245, 4067 (1970). 7. Lowry, 0. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L., and Randall, R. J., J. Biol. -., Chem 193, 265 (1951). 8. Orange, R. P., Kaliner, M. A., LaRaia, P. J., and Austen, K. F., Federation 30 1725 (1971). w., -3 ., 246, 7159 (1971). 9. Kuo, J. F., Wyatt, G. R., and Greengard, P., 10. Kuo, W. N., and Kuo, J. F., Federation Proc., 32, 773 (1973). Abstract.
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