Effects of human thyroid-stimulating hormone and immunoglobulins on adenylate cyclase activity and the accumulation of cyclic AMP in human thyroid membranes and slices.

The activation of adenylate cyclase and the accumulation of cyclic AMP resulting from the action of human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS) or LATS-protector (LATS-P) have been investigated in preparations of human thyroid membranes and slices. Human TSH significantly increased adenylate cyclase activity in membranes from non-toxic goitres whereas LATS and LATS-P had no consistent effect. However, pre-incubation of goitrous membranes with LATS--immunoglobulin G inhibited the effect of TSH on adenylate cyclase. When thyroid membranes were prepared from the glands of patients with Graves's disease neither TSH nor thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSIg) stimulated adenylate cyclase significantly. Whether from non-toxic goitres or thyrotoxic tissue, the concentration of TSH needed to induce half of the maximum response was lower in thyroid slices than in membranes. Both LATS and LATS-P significantly stimulated the accumulation of cyclic AMP in slices of goitrous tissue but thyrotoxic tissue slices did not respond. In goitrous slices, submaximum concentrations of TSH and TSIg caused additive responses in the accumulation of cyclic AMP but TSIg did not increase the maximum response to TSH.