Subcellular distributions of calcium/calmodulin-stimulated and guanine nucleotide-regulated adenylate cyclase activities in the cerebral cortex.

The subcellular distribution of Ca2+/calmodulin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was studied in comparison with that of guanine nucleotide-stimulated cyclase activity. The distributions of these activities were similar among the crude fractions but differed among the purified subsynaptosomal fractions. The specific activity of Ca2+/calmodulin-stimulated cyclase was highest in a light synaptic membrane fraction, which has few, if any, postsynaptic densities, whereas that of guanine nucleotide-stimulated cyclase was highest in a heavier synaptic membrane fraction rich in postsynaptic densities. These results suggest that the Ca2+/calmodulin-stimulated cyclase has, at least in part, a different cellular or subcellular location than the guanine nucleotide-stimulated cyclase.