Cannabinoid receptor activation differentially regulates the various adenylyl cyclase isozymes.

Two cannabinoid receptors belonging to the superfamily of G protein-coupled membrane receptors have been identified and cloned: the neuronal cannabinoid receptor (CB1) and the peripheral cannabinoid receptor (CB2). They have been shown to couple directly to the G(i/o) subclass of G proteins and to mediate inhibition of adenylyl cyclase upon binding of a cannabinoid agonist. In several cases, however, cannabinoids have been reported to stimulate adenylyl cyclase activity, although the mechanism by which they did so was unclear. With the cloning of nine adenylyl cyclase isozymes with various properties, including different sensitivities to alpha(s), alpha(i/o), and betagamma subunits, it became important to assess the signaling pattern mediated by each cannabinoid receptor via the different adenylyl cyclase isozymes. In this work, we present the results of cotransfection experiments between the two types of cannabinoid receptors and the nine adenylyl cyclase isoforms. We found that independently of the method used to stimulate specific adenylyl cyclase isozymes (e.g., ionomycin, forskolin, constitutively active alpha(s), thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor activation), activation of the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 inhibited the activity of adenylyl cyclase types I, V, VI, and VIII, whereas types II, IV, and VII were stimulated by cannabinoid receptor activation. The inhibition of adenylyl cyclase type III by cannabinoids was observed only when forskolin was used as stimulant. The activity of adenylyl cyclase type IX was inhibited only marginally by cannabinoids.