Role of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate and the Ri-receptor Gi-coupled adenylate cyclase inhibitory pathway in the mechanism whereby adrenalectomy increases the adenosine antilipolytic effect in rat fat cells.

The aim of this study was to establish the mechanism by which adrenalectomy promotes the antilipolytic effect of the adenosine analog (-)-N6-(R-phenyl-isopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA) in rat fat cells. This action of adrenalectomy was not specific for R-PIA, since it was also observed with nicotinic acid and was prevented by phosphodiesterase inhibitors. In contrast, the inhibitory effect of R-PIA and nicotinic acid toward isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP accumulation was unaltered by adrenalectomy regardless of whether phosphodiesterase inhibitors were present. Whatever the conditions used, however, the cAMP levels in adrenalectomized rat adipocytes were one quarter to one third of those in sham-operated rats and remained below the limit over which variations in cAMP had no more influence in lipolysis. Both total and particulate low Km cAMP phosphodiesterase activities per adipocyte were decreased in adrenalectomized rats, but the stimulatory responses of the particulate enzyme to R-PIA remained unchanged. Pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP ribosylation studies revealed a marked decrease in the total amount of the alpha-subunits of Go and the adenylate cyclase inhibitory regulatory protein Gi after adrenalectomy. However, the inhibitory dose-response curves of adenylate cyclase to R-PIA, nicotinic acid, GTP, guanylylimidodiphosphate, and guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) were unaltered by adrenalectomy, indicating that the inhibitory function of Gi is unimpaired by adrenalectomy. Lastly, adrenalectomy resulted in a 60% reduction of the Mn2+-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity/adipocyte, which indicates that adrenalectomy causes a defect in adenylate cyclase catalytic activity. Thus, enhanced antilipolytic effects of R-PIA induced by adrenalectomy do not involve increased function of the adenosine receptor Gi-coupled adenylate cyclase inhibitory pathway, but are related to abnormally low intracellular cAMP levels due to defective adenylate cyclase catalytic activity.