Steroid hormone modulation of cAMP production in response to beta adrenergic receptor stimulation in genital tract myocytes.

beta-Adrenergic receptor stimulation results in smooth muscle relaxation through activation of adenylyl cyclase and subsequent cyclic AMP (cAMP) production. The present study was performed to evaluate the effects of steroid hormones (i.e. testosterone and hydrocortisone) on beta 2-adrenergic receptors and their signal transduction in the DDT1 MF-2 genital tract myocyte. Radioligand binding studies demonstrated that these two steroid hormones produced a 70 to 80% increase in the density of beta 2-adrenergic receptors in these myocytes. Stimulation of the beta 2-adrenergic receptors with isoproterenol resulted in a significant increase of cAMP in control myocytes; cells treated with testosterone for 24 h demonstrated a comparable response to isoproterenol, whereas hydrocortisone for 24 h resulted in a 50% greater cAMP response. In contrast to the response at 24 h, stimulation of myocytes after testosterone treatment for 48 h resulted in a cAMP response comparable to that seen in response to hydrocortisone at 24 h. Studies performed using theophylline demonstrated similar cAMP responses at 24 h between the control and testosterone-treated myocytes, thereby ruling out the possibility that the delayed increase of the cAMP response after testosterone was caused by stimulation of phosphodiesterase. Direct stimulation with forskolin resulted in greater cAMP production in the testosterone-treated myocytes compared to controls, thereby refuting the possibility that testosterone directly suppresses adenylyl cyclase activity at 24 h. These findings suggest that although both testosterone and hydrocortisone produce a twofold increase in beta 2-adrenergic receptor density in the DDT1 myocytes, beta 2-adrenergic receptors expressed in response to hydrocortisone appear functional at 24 h resulting in increased cAMP production, whereas those expressed in response to testosterone require 48 h to demonstrate increased functional activity.