Regulation of cAMP metabolism by PGE2 in cortical and medullary thick ascending limb of Henle's loop.

We have examined the regulation by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) of hormone-induced adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation in cells isolated by immunodissection from both the medullary and cortical thick ascending limb of Henle's loop of rabbit kidney. At concentrations greater than 10(-8) M, PGE2, but not sulprostone (16-phenoxy-17,18,19,20-tetranor-PGE2 methylsulfonilamide), caused cAMP accumulation in both cortical and medullary thick limb cells. However, at concentrations of less than or equal to 10(-8) M, both PGE2 and sulprostone inhibited arginine vasopressin (AVP)-, calcitonin-, and glucagon-induced cAMP accumulation in medullary thick ascending limb (mTAL) cells. In cortical thick limb (cTAL) cells, sulprostone also inhibited AVP-, calcitonin-, and parathyroid hormone (PTH)-induced cAMP accumulation. The inhibitory effects of PGE2 and of sulprostone were blocked by pretreatment of mTAL and cTAL cells with pertussis toxin. Membranes prepared from mTAL cells exhibited a [3H]PGE2 binding activity that was stimulated on addition of the stable guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) analogue, 5'-guanosine gamma-thiotriphosphate (GTP gamma S); moreover, sulprostone inhibited [3H]PGE2 binding. Our results suggest that PGE2 can function via a prostaglandin E receptor linked to a guanine nucleotide regulatory protein, Gi, to attenuate hormone-induced cAMP formation in both mTAL and cTAL cells of rabbit kidney.