Effects of benzyl alcohol on PTH receptor-adenylate cyclase system of canine kidney.

In many systems, perturbations of membrane architecture by changes of lipid and phospholipid composition have been shown to alter the activity of membrane-bound enzymes. The present studies examined the effect of benzyl alcohol, an agent that has been shown to increase membrane fluidity, on the parathyroid hormone (PTH)-sensitive adenylate cyclase system of canine kidney. Benzyl alcohol progressively increased basal adenylate cyclase activity up to fourfold and maximal enzyme activity in the presence of PTH, GTP, guanylimidodiphosphate, and sodium fluoride by four- to sixfold. In the presence of 20 mM Mn2+ (no Mg2+), conditions under which enzyme activity is devoid of influence of guanine nucleotides or hormones, benzyl alcohol was without effect. PTH binding was increased by 25% in the presence of benzyl alcohol without a change in binding affinity. Fluorescent polarization studies using diphenylhexatriene showed a decrease in fluorescence anisotropy in the presence of benzyl alcohol. The results suggest that benzyl alcohol facilitates the interaction of the components of the adenylate cyclase system, presumably by increasing membrane fluidity. Alterations of membrane fluidity may be a potent means of regulating hormone sensitive adenylate cyclase activity.