Effect of PGE1 and TSH on cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity in the thyroid.

PGE1, like TSH, can increase cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity in calf thyroid slices. The intracellular levels of cAMP produced by either of these agents alone appeared to correlate well with the degree of kinase activation. PG synthesis did not appear to be necessary for TSH action in this system, since indomethacin, and inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, did not alter either cAMP levels or kinase activity in slices incubated with TSH. Both the cAMP level and kinase activity rose when a submaximally effective dose of TSH was added to a maximal dose of PGE1. However, neither the cAMP levels nor the kinase activity produced by a maximal dose of TSH was affected by the addition of PGE1.