The stimulus-sensitive H2O2-generating system present in human fat-cell plasma membranes is multireceptor-linked and under antagonistic control by hormones and cytokines.

Previous work demonstrated that human fat-cells possess a plasma-membrane-bound H2O2-generating system that is activated by insulin. Here we show that this system is under antagonistic control by various hormones and cytokines that typically act through several distinct receptor families. Similarly to insulin, oxytocin and tumour necrosis factor alpha acted as stimulators of NADPH-dependent H2O2 generation, whereas isoprenaline, a beta-adrenergic agonist, had inhibitory effects. Surprisingly, the acidic and basic isoforms of fibroblast growth factor as well as homodimeric platelet-derived growth factor AA and BB had antagonistic stimulatory and inhibitory effects on NADPH-dependent H2O2 generation. The agents tested acted at discrete ligand-specific receptors and their mechanisms of action were membrane-delimited and occurred in the absence of ATP. These findings implied that established pathways of signal transduction, including receptor kinases or second-messenger-dependent protein kinases A and C, were not involved and placed the stimulus-sensitive H2O2-generating system in a position comparable with adenylate cyclase. It was concluded that the stimulus-sensitive H2O2-generating system of human fat-cells meets all criteria of a universal signal-transducing system for hormones and cytokines that may link ligand binding to cell-surface receptors to changes in the intracellular redox equilibrium.