GMP Phosphodiesterase Activity Research Articles

Effect of hypophysectomy on cyclic 3',5'-nucleotidemetabolizing enzymes in the rat thyroid gland.

Adenylate cyclase and cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activities in the thyroid gland were significantly reduced after hypophysectomy, followed by a gradual restoration of the enzyme activities to the levels seen in sham-operated rats whereas a slight and persistent reduction was evident in guanylate cyclase and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activities in the same tissue. These changes in enzyme activities were restored by TSH administration but not by ACTH. The recovery of activity produced by TSH administration was inhibited by cycloheximide. Hypophysectomy, or TSH and cycloheximide administration, did not produce any significant changes in the concentrations of calmodulin, suggesting that the alteration of these enzyme activities is not induced by a decrease in the concentration of calmodulin. Since forskolin activation of adenylate cyclase did not restore the reduced activity in the hypophysectomized rat thyroid to the level found in the sham-operated control rat thyroid, we conclude that there is a reduction of the amount of enzyme after hypophysectomy rather than a change of the active site on adenylate cyclase. The spontaneous restoration of adenylate cyclase and cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activities after hypophysectomy implies that cyclic AMP-metabolizing enzymes are responsive to an autoregulatory mechanism in thyroid follicular cells.

Genetic locus (stmF) associated with cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity in Dictyostelium discoideum maps in linkage group II.

Previous attempts to map the stmF locus in Dictyostelium discoideum, by using only clone morphology as a marker, have led to equivocal results. Since strains carrying mutations at the stmF locus possess very low cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity, we have remapped this locus using both morphological and biochemical markers. Our results indicate that mutations producing a stable "streamer" phenotype and reduced cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity are located in linkage group II, probably centromere distal to acrA.

Effects of aging and morphine administration on calmodulin and calmodulin-regulated enzymes in striata of mice.

Male ICR mice, young (25-days old), mature (3-months old), and old (22 months), were injected with morphine sulfate (10 mg/kg, s.c.) or were implanted with morphine pellets (75 mg). Controls received saline injections or placebo pellets. One hour after injections and 72 h after pellet implantations, the mice were decapitated and striatal regions were removed for the following analyses: calmodulin (CaM) levels via radioimmunoassay and activities of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, adenylate and guanylate cyclases, and Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase. Acute morphine treatment produced the following: (1) increases in calmodulin levels in the young and old mice while having no effect on mature levels; (2) increases in activities of guanylate cyclase of mature mice while decreasing those of the old mice; (3) no effects on activity of adenylate cyclase; (4) decreased activity of cyclic AMP-phosphodiesterase in young mice only; (5) decreased activity of Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase in the old mice only. The only changes found in striata from morphine-tolerant mice when compared with age-matched controls were elevations in cyclic GMP-phosphodiesterase activities in all three age groups. Differences in control values of the three age groups were as follows: CaM levels, mature greater than old greater than young; Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase activity, old greater than mature-young. The results indicate age-induced changes in cellular regulation and biochemical responses to morphine.

Serum cyclic 3',5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase in patients with various thyroid disorders.

Previous observations that cyclic 3',5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity exists in mammalian sera including human serum prompted us to investigate the phosphodiesterase levels in sera of patients with various thyroid disorders. Both serum cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (cAMP-PDE) and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (cGMP-PDE) activities measured in a low substrate concentration were elevated 3-fold in subacute thyroiditis and slightly in hyperthyroidism, compared to the normal. Slight decreases of these enzyme activities were observed in primary hypothyroidism. PDE activities were positively correlated with the value of T3-RSU and serum thyroid hormone levels in hyper- and hypothyroidism. Altered enzyme activities returned to normal during the course of recovery. Identical results were obtained when plasma was tested. These results suggest that serum PDE activities may be partly related to the thyroid function.

Cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase and guanylate cyclase activities in rabbit ovaries and the effect of in-vivo stimulation with LH.

The activities of guanylate cyclase and cyclic GMP (cGMP) phosphodiesterase, enzymes that are responsible for maintaining tissue levels of cGMP, were determined in the ovaries of rabbits killed without treatment or 4 h after administration of LH. Ovarian activities of the two enzymes were determined in the 100 000 g supernatant fraction (cytosol) and the resulting pellet (particulate fraction). Significant phosphodiesterase and cyclase activities were detected in both the cytosol and particulate fractions. Administration of LH had no significant effect on phosphodiesterase activity in either of the tissue fractions. On the other hand, LH caused a significant drop in guanylate cyclase activity in the cytosol and particulate fractions. This drop in the cyclase activity may be the cause of the decreased rabbit ovarian concentrations of cGMP that we have previously observed after LH stimulation.

Characterization of cyclic nucleotide metabolism during human monocyte differentiation.

Cyclic nucleotide metabolism was studied during human monocyte differentiation. Intracellular cAMP increased 17-fold during in vitro differentiation. This increase was due to an increase in the specific activity of adenylate cyclase and a concomitant decrease in the specific activity of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. Monocyte adenylate cyclase activity was stimulated by guanine nucleotide, prostaglandin E1, isoproterenol, and epinephrine. Macrophage adenylate cyclase demonstrated less responsiveness to guanine nucleotide and was refractory to stimulation by prostaglandin E1, and to beta-adrenergic receptor agonists. In contrast to cAMP, total intracellular cGMP levels remained constant. Guanylate cyclase was found predominately in the cytosol of monocytes. The specific activity of soluble guanylate cyclase decreased during differentiation, while particulate activity increased more than 40-fold. Cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity remained stable during monocyte differentiation. The ratio of cAMP:cGMP increased dramatically from 2:1 in monocytes to 9:1 in macrophages suggesting that cAMP may be an important mediator of differentiation, while cGMP metabolism decreases in the fully differentiated nonproliferating macrophage.

Cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activities of rat mammary tissue.

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity in mammary tissue from rats in midlactation was resolved by DEAE-cellulose chromatography into three functionally distinct fractions: a Ca2+/calmodulin-stimulated cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase, a cyclic GMP-stimulated low-affinity cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, and a high-affinity cyclic AMP-specific phosphodiesterase. The absolute activities and relative proportions of high- and low-affinity enzymes resemble those found, for example, in liver, as distinct from those in excitable tissues. Three functional characteristics are described which are peculiar to mammary-tissue phosphodiesterases. Firstly, the concentration of free Ca2+ required to achieve half-maximal activation of the Ca2+/calmodulin-stimulated phosphodiesterase is somewhat higher than for the analogous enzyme in other tissues; secondly, the activity of this enzyme towards cyclic AMP relative to that towards cyclic GMP is unusually low, and thirdly, the low-affinity cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase is inhibited by low concentrations of free Ca2+.

Activation of the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from rat heart cytosol by phospholipase C

Phospholipase C (clostridium perfringens) significantly increased the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity of a crude 105 000 g supernatant from rat heart. This activation only concerned the basal activity of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase determined with 0.25 μM cyclic GMP as substrate, in the presence of EGTA, whereas stimulation was found to be independent of EGTA when phosphodiesterase activity was measured with 0.25 μM cyclic AMP. Similar qualitative results were found for the three cytosolic forms of phosphodiesterase separated from rat heart supernatant by isoelectric focusing. Supplementary experiments provided evidence that the activation of the cyclic AMP-specific phosphodiesterase was attributable to Phospholipase C activity and not to contaminating protease(s). In contrast, the stimulation of the cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity appeared to be largely dependent on the proteolytic activity of commercial Phospholipase C. Phosphatidic acid also significantly increased the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity of the rat heart cytosol. These results suggest that the activation of cardiac cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase may be related to changes in phospholipid metabolism, notably the accumulation of phosphatidate, and relevant to physiological regulatory processes.

Decreased glucagon-stimulated cyclic AMP production by isolated liver cells of rats with type 2 diabetes

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of experimental type 2 diabetes in the rat on the insulin and glucagon receptors and on the early steps of glucagon action. The binding of insulin and glucagon and the glucagon-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (IBMX, 0.1 mmoles/l) were studied in liver cells isolated from 7–9-month-old rats with chronic type 2 diabetes and from control rats. No significant change was observed in [ 125I]insulin binding and [ 125I]glucagon binding of diabetic liver cells as compared to controls. Scatchard analysis of the competition experiments indicated that affinity and number of insulin and glucagon receptors were not significantly changed in the liver cells of diabetic rats. The basal cyclic AMP level was significantly lower in the diabetic hepatocytes (2.3 ± 0.9 pmoles/10 6 cells) than in the controls (4.0 ± 0.6 pmoles/10 6 cells). Cyclic AMP response to physiological concentrations of glucagon (0.1–1 nmoles/l) was about 2 times lower in the diabetic hepatocytes than in the controls. Furthermore, the basal liver membrane adenylate cyclase activity and the fluoride-activatable adenylate cyclase activity were about 2 times lower in the diabetics as compared to control rats, while the liver cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activities were unchanged. The ability of glucagon to stimulate liver membrane adenylate cyclase over a 10 −12-10 −6 M concentration range was decreased in diabetic rats. Taken together, these data are consistent with the thesis that the impairment of the liver cyclic AMP response to glucagon in rats with type 2 diabetes is caused by a decrease in the amount of adenylate cyclase in the liver plasma membranes.

Prolonged somatostatin pretreatment desensitizes somatostatin's inhibition of receptor-mediated release of adrenocorticotropin hormone and sensitizes adenylate cyclase.

Addition of somatostatin-14 (SRIF) inhibits corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) and forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP formation and ACTH release from tumor cells of the mouse anterior pituitary (AtT-20/D16-16). After long-term pretreatment of these cells with SRIF, the ability of SRIF to inhibit CRF and forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation or ACTH secretion is markedly reduced. SRIF pretreatment also increases the formation of cyclic AMP in response to forskolin. This increase is delayed in onset, slow to recover, and blocked by the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide. SRIF pretreatment did not affect basal cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP levels or phosphodiesterase activity. It is proposed that prolonged treatment of AtT-20 cells with SRIF desensitizes SRIF receptors and induces a compensatory sensitization of adenylate cyclase through a process requiring protein synthesis.

Purification and kinetic properties of two soluble forms of calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from rat pancreas.

The calmodulin-dependent cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.17) activity of rat pancreas was purified 280-fold by affinity chromatography on calmodulin-Sepharose 4B. It then accounted for 15% of the total cytosol cyclic GMP nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity, in the presence of Ca2+, and represented a minor component of proteins specifically adsorbed by the column. This activity was resolved on a DEAE-Sephacel column into two fractions, termed PI and PII, on the basis of their order of emergence. After this step, PI and PII were purified 5650- and 3700-fold respectively. The molecular weight of PI was 175 000 and that of PII was 116 000, by polyacrylamide-gradient-gel electrophoresis. Both forms of phosphodiesterase could hydrolyse cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP, although PII displayed a higher affinity toward cyclic GMP than toward cyclic AMP. PI and PII exhibited negative homotropic kinetics in the absence of calmodulin. Upon addition of calmodulin, both enzymes displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics and a 5-9-fold increase in maximal velocity, at physiological concentrations of cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP. When a pancreatic extract freshly purified by affinity chromatography was immediately analysed by high-performance gel-permeation chromatography on a TSK gel G3000 SW column, PII represented as much as 78% of the eluted activity. This percentage decreased to 52% when the sample was stored at 0 degrees C for 20 h before analysis, suggesting that PII, possibly predominant in vivo, was converted into the heavier PI form upon storage.

Tolerance towards nitroglycerin, induced in vivo, is correlated to a reduced cGMP response and an alteration in cGMP turnover

Rats were made tolerant towards nitroglycerin (GTN) by subcutaneous injections of 50 mg/kg GTN, 3 times daily for 3 consecutive days. The effects of a test dose of GTN on tension and on the cGMP response were studied in aortic preparations. The activities of the enzymes regulating cGMP turnover were also investigated. In noradrenaline (2.5 μM)-contracted tissue from GTN-treated animals, the relaxant response towards the test dose of GTN (44 μM) was reduced by about 75% as compared to the ethanol-treated control rats. The cGMP-elevating action of GTN was reduced by 55%, while no significant effect on the cAMP level could be detected. The cyclic GMP-phosphodiesterase (G-PDE) activity was increased from 770 pmol/min × mg prot (ethanol-pretreated rats) to 1340 pmol/min × mg prot (GTN-pretreated animals). The guanylate cyclase activity, stimulated with 1 mM nitroprusside, was determined with both MnGTP and MgGTP as substrate and found to be reduced by about 75% in aortic homogenates from the GTN-pretreated animals. A slight depression in cGMP-dependent protein kinase activity was detected in aortas from GTN-treated animals. However, this depression seemed to be due to an increased breakdown of the activator (cGMP) since the inclusion of 2.5 mM theophylline in the assay solution abolished the difference. These results strongly support the suggestion that cGMP acts as a mediator of GTN-induced vascular smooth muscle relaxation. The tolerance towards the pharmacological action of GTN after repeated exposure could well be explained by the reduced formation and increased rate of breakdown of cGMP as demonstrated in this study.

Effect of several hormones on cyclic 3',5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase in rat kidneys

Kidney function is regulated by several hormones which act through adenylate cyclase-cyclic AMP system. The present study was undertaken to investigate cyclic AMP- and cyclic GMP-phosphodiesterase (cAMP-PDE and cGMP-PDE respectively) activities in the rat kidney, and also the effect of several hormones affecting the kidney function on these enzyme activities in vitro. Rat kidneys were separated into cortex and medulla. These were homogenized in 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.5, containing 0.32 M sucrose and fractionated by centrifugation. PDE activity was measured in all fractions, using the two-step assay system. A low substrate concentration (0.5 microM) was used, unless otherwise stated. Substantial activity was present in all of the fractions and most of the activity existed in the soluble fraction (105000 X g supernatant). Cyclic GMP-PDE activity was dominant in both cortex and medulla. The rat kidney contained two forms of cAMP-PDE, one of which had a Km of 2.0 X 10(-4) M and another which had a low Km of 2.5 X 10(-5) M, and one form of cGMP-PDE with a Km of 2.5 X 10(-5) M. These cAMP-PDE and cGMP-PDE were purified by Sepharose-6B column chromatography. Cyclic AMP-PDE activity was found in a broad area associated with two peaks and cGMP-PDE activity had one peak corresponding to the same peak as the high molecular weight cAMP-PDE. Calmodulin was eluted after the peak of cGMP-PDE activity. Both cAMP-PDE and cGMP-PDE activities were inhibited by calcium ion at a concentration of more than 5.0 X 10(-4) M. Cyclic GMP-PDE activity was not activated by calmodulin in the presence of enough calcium ion. The effect of 1 alpha, 25(OH)2 Vit D3, parathyroid hormone (PTH), antidiuretic hormone (ADH), calcitonin (CT), angiotensin II, and trichlormethiazide on the partially purified cAMP-PDE and cGMP-PDE activities were examined. 1 alpha, 25(OH)2 Vit D3 activated cAMP-PDE activity and did not affect cGMP-PDE activity. The concentrations of 1 alpha, 25(OH)2 Vit D3 producing 50% activation of cAMP-PDE activity were 5.0 X 10(-11) M (cortex) and 6.7 X 10(-10) M (medulla). CT and ADH inhibited both cAMP-PDE activities. The concentrations of CT producing 50% inhibition of cAMP-PDE activity were 4.0 X 10(-5) M (cortex) and 3.3 X 10(-7) M (medulla), and those of cGMP-PDE activity were 1.0 X 10(-5) M (cortex) and 1.0 X 10(-4) M (medulla). Concerning ADH, the concentrations required for 50% inhibition of cAMP-PDE activity were 5.3 X 10(-6) M (cortex) and about 1.0 X 10(-3) M (medulla), and those of cGMP-PDE activity were 5.3 X 10(-3) M (cortex) and 5.3 X 10(-8) M (medulla).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Fetal and postnatal development of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity in the rat brain

Cyclic GMP concentration and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity were studied in rat mothers and fetuses at 17, 19 and 21 days of intrauterine life and 0, 1, 4, 10, 15,20, 30 and 45 days after birth. During this developmental period, the increase in cyclic GMP concentration was discrete and the value in 15-day-old rats was already similar to the adult level. Cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity increased from 17- to 19-day fetuses and was significantly reduced in 21-day fetuses, neonates, and 1-day-old rats. This reduction may be a result of fetal endocrine preparation for parturition. During postnatal development, cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity increased in a parallel way in the limbic system, corpora striata, cerebral hemispheres, and diencephalon, reaching maximal level between 20 and 30 days after birth, and then decreasing to the adult value. The highest activity was found in corpora striata and the lowest in diencephalon. Cerebellar cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity was very high in the 4-day-old rat (257% of adult value) and diminished significantly in the 10-day-old rat with no subsequent changes. Kinetic analysis of the enzyme during postnatal forebrain development showed an increase in both the V max and the apparent K m. A decrease in the enzyme's V max was observed only in the cerebellum. The importance of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase regulation of cyclic GMP concentrations in the brain during development is discussed.

Evidence for a messenger function of cyclic GMP during phosphodiesterase induction in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Chemotactic stimulation of vegetative or aggregative Dictyostelium discoideum cells induced a transient elevation of cyclic GMP levels. The addition of chemoattractants to postvegetative cells by pulsing induced phosphodiesterase activity. The following lines of evidence suggest a messenger function for cyclic GMP in the induction of phosphodiesterase: (i) Folic acid and cyclic AMP increased cyclic GMP levels and induced phosphodiesterase activity. (ii) Cyclic AMP induced both cyclic GMP accumulation and phosphodiesterase activity by binding to a rate receptor. (iii) The effects of chemical modification of cyclic AMP or folic acid on cyclic GMP accumulation and phosphodiesterase induction were closely correlated. (iv) A close correlation existed between the increase of cyclic GMP levels and the amount of phosphodiesterase induced, independent of the type of chemoattractant by which this cyclic GMP accumulation was produced. (v) Computer simulation of cyclic GMP binding to intracellular cyclic GMP-binding proteins indicates that half-maximal occupation by cyclic GMP required the same chemoattractant concentration as did half-maximal phosphodiesterase induction.

Pentasubstituted quercetin analogues as selective inhibitors of particulate 3':5'-cyclic-AMP phosphodiesterase from rat brain.

Some penta-O-substituted analogues of quercetin were synthesized and tested for the inhibition of cytosolic and particulate rat brain cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activities. Ten of these compounds are potent and highly selective inhibitors of cAMP hydrolysis with respect to cGMP hydrolysis. They inhibit more potently the particulate enzyme than the cytosolic preparation. The highest selectivity was observed with penta-O-ethylquercetin and analogue 6d, which proved to be more selective and more potent inhibitors than the reference compound Ro 20-1724. Some structure-activity relationships are discussed.

Selective inhibition of separated forms of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from rat heart by some pentasubstituted quercetin analogs

Synthetic analogs of quercetin were evaluated as inhibitors of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in rat heart preparations. Three main enzymatic forms of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase can be resolved from rat heart cytosol by isoelectric focusing. Inhibition studies were performed with the whole cytosolic and particulate preparations and with the cytosolic separated enzymatic forms. All the compounds studied proved more potent as inhibitors of the particulate preparation than as inhibitors of the cytosolic fraction. With the exception of water-soluble derivatives and quercetin, they showed a better potency to inhibit cyclic AMP than cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity of the cytosolic and particulate preparations; likewise, among the three separated enzymatic forms, the cyclic AMP specific form of pI 5.55-6 is the most inhibited by these flavonoid compounds. In all cases, the highest selectivity was observed with pentaethyl quercetin ( 2).

Simultaneous assay of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activities by anion-exchange column chromatography

Simultaneous assay of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activities by anion-exchange column chromatography

Cyclic nucleotide metabolism in inherited retinopathy in collies: A biochemical and histochemical study

Cyclic nucleotide metabolism in collies afflicted with early onset inherited retinal dysplasia was investigated with biochemical and histochemical methods. 3′,5′-Guanosine monophosphate (cyclic GMP) levels in the affected retinas were 10 times higher than those in the control retinas during postnatal development of the normal photoreceptor outer segments (2–8 weeks). Cyclic AMP levels were similar in both affected and control retinas. During this period, cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity was 25% lower in retinal homogenates of the affected animals than in those of the normals. The PDE activity in both normal and affected retinas was found to be calmodulin-independent. Electron microscopically, some of the outer segments of the photoreceptors in affected retinas appeared normal; most showed lamellar breakdown. By ultrastructural histochemistry, little cyclic GMP PDE activity was localized in the abnormal outer segments, while normal-appearing outer segments contained abundant reaction product in both control and affected retinas. The high levels of cyclic GMP in this collie disease are similar to those found in other models of inherited retinal dystrophy and further confirm cyclic nucleotide involvement in photoreceptor degeneration.

Selective inhibition of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterases of cardiac nuclear fraction

Approximately 60% of the total particulate phosphodiesterase activity occurring in cardiac tissue was associated with the nuclear fraction. Cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity of the purified cardiac nuclear fraction was selectively inhibited by trifluoperazine (I 50 = 19 μM) with negligible inhibition (< 15%) of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity. Inhibition of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase by trifluoperazine was calcium-dependent and suppressed by ethylene glycol bis (β-aminoethyl ether)- N, N, N', N'-teiraacetic acid (EGTA). The inhibitory response of both phosphodiesterases to papaverine was similar in the presence of calcium. However, in the presence of EGTA, papaverine inhibition of cyclic GMP but not cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase was reduced significantly. Calmodulin (1–5 μg/ml) readily reversed the inhibition by 25 μM trifluoperazine of membranous cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase, but had no effect on inhibition by papaverine. With imidazolidinone analogues (Ro 7-2956 and Ro 20-1724), EGTA enhanced the inhibition of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase without significantly altering the inhibition of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. Inhibition of cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity by 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine, quinidine, or compound SQ 20,009 was not affected appreciably by calcium or EGTA. The selective inhibitory action of certain pharmacological agents on phosphodiesterases of cardiac nuclear fraction and the modulation of the inhibitory response by calcium suggest an intrinsic and predominant association of calmodulin with cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity of these membranes.