AJP - Cell Physiology, Vol 259, Issue 1 C41-C46, Copyright © 1990 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Beta-adrenoceptor metabolism in wild-type, Gs, and protein kinase A-variant S49 cells

J. R. Jasper, H. J. Motulsky, L. C. Mahan and P. A. Insel
Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.

To determine the role of the stimulatory guanine nucleotide-binding protein, Gs, and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase in the basal metabolism of beta-adrenergic receptors in S49 lymphoma cells, we measured the return of receptor number and function after irreversible blockade of receptors. After inactivation of receptors with the irreversible ligand N8-(bromoacetyl)-N'-[3-(4-indolyoxy)-2-hydroxypropyl]-(2)-1,8-diam ino-p- methane (BIM), beta-adrenergic receptors (defined as [125I]iodocyanopindolol binding sites) reappeared in a biphasic manner, the faster phase having a half-time (t 1/2) of 3-8 h (approximately 50% of the sites) and the slower phase greater than 40 h. Although the slow phase is not readily explained, recovery of binding sites during the first 10 h matched recovery of receptor function after BIM treatment (as measured by stimulation of cAMP accumulation) and recovery of receptor sites after downregulation induced by the agonist isoproterenol. Thus quantifying receptor recovery during the first 10 h after BIM treatment appears to be a reasonable method for examining basal receptor metabolism in S49 cells. Measured in this way, metabolism of beta-adrenergic receptors is very similar in wild-type S49 and the following variant clones: cyc- (absent Gs alpha), UNC and H21a (defective Gs alpha), and kin- (lacking cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity). Although previous data have demonstrated that agonist-promoted downregulation of beta-adrenergic receptors requires functional receptor-Gs coupling, the current data suggest that neither Gs nor cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity plays an important role in the regulation of basal metabolism of beta-adrenergic receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)