Effect of bacterial toxins on spermine-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity of cultured heart cells.

The exposure of quiescent cultures of cardiac cells to 1 microM spermine for 2 hours leads to an increase of the content of intracellular polyamines and to a 40% decrease of basal adenylate cyclase activity. The response of adenylate cyclase to stimulation by PGE1 is reduced by about 50% after spermine treatment. The effects of the amine on adenylate cyclase are completely prevented by pretreating the cells with pertussis toxin which blocks the activation of the inhibitory guanine binding protein (Gi). In vitro experiments with adenylate cyclase from cells pre-treated with pertussis toxin show that spermine fails to reduce basal enzyme activity and to counteract the stimulation by PGE1 or forskolin. Cholera toxin, which blocks the deactivation of the stimulatory protein (Gs), does not influence the effects of spermine either in vivo or in vitro. The results suggest that spermine acts through the activation of Gi. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that, in vitro, the inhibition of stimulated adenylate cyclase by the amine is synergistic with that of a stable analog of GDP, GDP beta S, which causes deactivation of Gs.