Mode of stimulation by injection of cyclic AMP and external acidification of the sodium efflux in barnacle muscle fibres.

1. A study has been made in single barnacle muscle fibres of the effect of micro-injected pure protein kinase inhibitor (PKI) on the response of the Na efflux to injection of cyclic AMP and external acidification. 2. (i) Injection into fibres of 1.6 x 10(-4) M-pure PKI is without effect on the resting Na efflux. (ii) Injection of 1.6 x 10(4) M-pure PKI before 0.03 M-cyclic AMP causes a marked reduction in the magnitude of the response of the Na efflux to the nucleotide. The same is true when 10(-4) M-cyclic AMP is injected after PKI. (iii) Injection of partially pure catalytic subunits causes a sustained stimulation of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux, which is almost completely reversed by injecting PKI. (iv) Injection of 100 mM-EGTA before PKI fails to alter the lowered response of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux to injection of 10(-4) M-cyclic AMP. (v) Ouabain (10(-4) M) when applied following the injection of 10(-4) M-cyclic AMP causes a drastic fall in the stimulated Na efflux. 3. (i) Injection of 1.6 x 10(-4) M-pure PKI before or after external acidification fails to abolish or reduce the stimulatory response to acidification. (ii) Injection of 1.6 x 10(-4) M-pure PKI before acidification practically abolishes the response of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux to 0.03 M-cyclic AMP in the presence of acidification. (iii) Radioimmunoassay of total cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP content in single fibres before and after acidification shows no appreciable alteration in nucleotide content following acidificiation. (iv) Injection of 100 mM-EGTA before acidification enhances the stimulatory response to acidification. (v) External application of Dantrolene (10(-5) M) fails to alter the size of the stimulatory response to acidification. 4. (i) Prior external application of 5 x 10(-4) M-benzolamide results in a marked reduction in the magnitude of the response of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux to the injection of 3 x 10(-4) M-cyclic AMP. (ii) Benzolamide totally abolishes the response of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux to the injection of catalytic subunits. 5. The evidence brought forward is compatible with the view that (a) The mechanism by which cyclic AMP stimulates the Na efflux involves activation by cyclic AMP of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase system, and hence release of the catalytic subunit, and (b) the mechanism by which external acidification leads to stimulation of the Na efflux involves activation of a benzolamide-sensitive system, possibly carbonic anhydrase, rather than the adenyl cyclase system. The actions of cyclic AMP and catalytic subunits on the Na efflux are closely linked to activation of the benzolamide sensitive system.