Adenylate cyclase activity in rat corpora lutea evidence for a rapid development of the regulatory Ns-protein.

Adenylate cyclase activity was studied in membranes from isolated corpora lutea of defined ages obtained from pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin treated rats and the effects of luteinizing hormone (LH), isoproterenol, guanylylimidodiphosphate (Gpp (NH)p), fluoride and forskolin were compared. The effect of LH on adenylate cyclase activity increased with the luteal age up to nine days of age, while the effect of isoproterenol increased dramatically during the first days, reaching a maximum at 2-3 days of age and then declined. Forskolin potentiated the effects of both LH and isoproterenol without affecting the patterns of age-dependency. The effect of forskolin itself was fairly constant during the luteal phase, indicating a relatively constant amount of the catalytic unit in the corpus luteum. The effects of fluoride and Gpp(NH)p on the other hand increased markedly during the first days and then remained constant for the rest of the period studied. These results suggest that the regulatory Ns-protein develops during the first days of luteal life. It is speculated that the close correlation between the development of beta-adrenergic response and the development of Ns-protein are causally related.