Regulation of glycogen metabolism in astrocytoma and neuroblastoma cells in culture.

The regulation of glycogen metabolism in C-6 astrocytoma and C-1300 neuroblastoma cells in culture has been investigated. Two modes of control of glycogen metabolism appear to be operative. The regulation of intracellular glycogen concentrations and the predominant forms of glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase vary with (a) the available energy supply, and (b) altered intracellular concentration of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP). Both cell lines respond to glucose in the medium; when glucose levels are high, glycogen is synthesized, glycogen phosphorylase a decreases, and glycogen synthase a increases. When glucose in the medium decreases to a critical level, the phosphorylase a increases and glycogen concentrations in the cells decrease in aprallel with the medium glucose. The critical glucose concentration is 2.5 mM for the astrocytoma cells and 4 mM for the neuroblastoma cells. Insulin promotes the conversion of phosphorylase to the b form and synthase to the a form in both cell lines. All of these changes occur without alteration in the intracellular cyclic AMP concentrations. When cyclic AMP concentrations are increased in either cell line, phosphorylase a is increased, synthase a is decreased, and glycogen concentrations decrease. Isobutyl methylxanthine is effective in promoting glycogenolysis in both cell lines. Norepinephrine is effective with the astrocytoma cells, and prostaglandin E1 is effective with the neuroblastoma cells.