[Concentration and metabolism of cyclic AMP during the early stages of hepatoma 22a growth].

Intracellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP), adenylate cyclase, and cAMP-phosphodiesterase activities at lag-period, exponential and stationary growth phases of hepatoma 22a were determined. It was shown that the transition of tumour cells from the lag-period to the exponential phase of growth was accompanied by the two-fold decrease of intracellular cAMP level on account of drastic activation of cAMP phosphodiesterase. Subsequently the cAMP level lowered more slowly until the cells entered the stationary phase of growth. In view of the fact that the adenylate cyclase activity failed to change at different growth phases of hepatoma 22a, it seems very proballe that the rise of cAMP phosphodiesterase activity could be a signal for the exit of tumour cells from the lag-period and their entrance into the mitotic cycle.