[Concentration of cyclic nucleotides, activity of adenylate cyclase, 3',5'-AMP phosphodiesterase and guanylate cyclase in plasma membranes from liver and hepatomas of different degrees of malignancy].

Adenylate cyclase activity as well as intracellular content of sAMP were decreased 2.5-4-fold, as compared with normal state, in plasmatic membranes (PM) of hepatoma 22 and of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma--the tumors characterized by high level- of malignancy. Activity of cAMP phosphodiesterase exceeded distinctly the normal value in all the tumors studied. In less malignant hepatoma 48 the adenylate cyclase activity and content of cAMP were similar to those found in normal liver cells. The guanylate cyclase activity did not differ markedly from values found in normal liver cells in PM of all the tumors studied and in liver tissue of the tumor-bearing animals. Distinct alterations were not found in content of cGMP in the tumors, except of hepatomas 60 and 22, in which the nucleotide level exceeded 2-fold the normal value. The ratio cAMP/cGMP was decreased in the most malignant tumors. At the same time, the ratio was distinctly elevated in tumors with the middle level of malignancy (hepatomas 60 and 61).