Studies on the intracellular cAMP metabolism of tonsillar lymphocytes.

cAMP metabolism, including the intracellular cAMP level and adenylcyclase activity, was studied in tonsillar and peripheral lymphocytes. The basal activity of adenylcyclase was significantly higher in tonsillar lymphocytes than in peripheral lymphocytes, although the basal level of intracellular cAMP did not differ. The responsiveness of the intracellular cAMP level and adenylcyclase activity stimulated by 10(-5) M isoproterenol, or 10(-5) M prostaglandin E1, which was thought to stimulate this enzyme through a specific receptor, was significantly lower in tonsillar lymphocytes than in peripheral lymphocytes. Moreover, the responsiveness of adenylcyclase activity to 10(-2) M NaF, which was thought to stimulate this enzyme directly, was also significantly lower in tonsillar lymphocytes. Tonsillar T lymphocytes represented a lower cAMP basal level than tonsillar B lymphocytes, but no difference was observed in the responsiveness of intracellular cAMP to the above agents. Tonsillar lymphocytes derived from patients with recurrent tonsillitis represented significantly lower cAMP responsiveness than those from patients of other chronic tonsillitis. Furthermore, in the tonsillar lymphocytes from patients with a recent attack of acute tonsillitis, a more depressed responsiveness of the intracellular cAMP level to the above agents was recognized. The cAMP basal level was not changed by these pathological alterations of tonsillitis.