Signal transduction in rat adrenal fasciculata cells stimulated by ACTH1-39 and ACTH5-24: role of the phosphoinositide response in steroidogenesis.

Changes in the soluble inositol-containing metabolites of phosphoinositides have been measured in rat adrenal fasciculata reticularis cells stimulated by ACTH1-39 and ACTH5-24 (an analogue which is able to elicit maximal steroidogenesis in the absence of any discernible increase in cyclic AMP output). Small but significant increases in the total inositol-containing metabolites were found in response to stimulation with both ACTH analogues. For ACTH5-24 this effect on phosphoinositide (PI) metabolism occurred over the same dose range as that for the stimulation of steroidogenesis (with an ED50 of 10(-8) M ACTH5-24 for both effects). It is concluded that in the absence of cyclic AMP generation, ACTH5-24 increased the total inositol-containing metabolites in direct accordance with its steroidogenic capabilities. For ACTH1-39, the effect on PI metabolism reached a maximum with 10(-12) M ACTH1-39 and declined at higher concentrations, i.e., precisely those associated with increased cyclic AMP accumulation. These and the previous observations suggest that the cyclic AMP generated by ACTH1-39 may influence and inhibit the ACTH1-39 effect on PI metabolism. HPLC identification of the phosphoinositide metabolites of the adrenal cells showed that they include glycerophosphoinositol and glycerophosphoinositol phosphate (which would arise by sequential action of phospholipase A1 or A2 and lysophospholipase). Stimulation with ACTH1-39 elicited small but significant increases in glycerophosphoinositol levels, indicating that a phospholipase A may have been activated.