Response of adenylate cyclase to parathyroid hormone and prostaglandins by human isolated glomeruli.

A role for hormonal substances and other biochemical messengers in the regulation of the glomerular filtration rate has been inferred from the results of micropuncture studies in the rat and from the demonstration of hormone-responsive adenylate cyclase activity in glomeruli isolated from the renal cortex of rats and rabbits. To investigate whether such hormonal factors may contribute to the regulation of glomerular function in humans, we studied the response of adenylate cyclase activity to the administration of human PTH-(1-34) and prostaglandins (PG) by glomeruli isolated from the renal cortex of four human kidneys. PTH and PGs (PGE2, PGI2, and, to a lesser extent, PGF2 alpha) stimulated human glomerular adenylate cyclase activity. Basal adenylate cyclase activity ranged from 0.2-1.2 nmol 20 min-1 mg-1. For each agonist, the percent increase above basal values (at the maximum concentration tested) and the concentration of the agonist that elicited 50% of the maximum stimulation (ED50) were as follows: for PTH 300-460% (10,000 mIU/ml); ED50, 100-550 mIU/ml; for PGE2, 160-380% (10 microM); ED50, 0.4-1.6 microM; and for PGI2, 180-650% (10 microM); ED50, 0.09-0.46 microM. The synthetic guanylnucleotide 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate [Gpp(NH)p] potentiated the effect of PTH and PGI2, since the combined effects were greater than the sums of the effects of the individual agonists, and there was a significant interaction between Gpp(NH)p and PTH or PGI2, as indicated by three-factor analysis of variance. Additivity, but not potentiation, was observed for PGE2. The effects of PTH plus PGE2 or PGI2 were also additive, a finding that suggests that PTH and PGs are not linked to the same pool of adenylate cyclase. In contrast, the combination of PGE2 and PGI2 resulted in a significantly lower effect than the sum of their individual effects, a finding indicating that these PGs share in part a common pool of adenylate cyclase. Demonstration of PTH- and PG-dependent adenylate cyclase activity in human isolated glomeruli suggests a role for these agonists in the regulation of the glomerular filtration rate in man.