Abstract
Isolated cells were prepared from normal human adrenal and adrenocortical secreting tumors, the latter were : A) sensitive to ACTH and PGE1 ; B) ACTH insensitive, PGE1 sensitive ; C) ACTH sensitive, PGE1 insensitive ; D) ACTH and PGE1 insensitive. In vitro production of cortisol (F) and cAMP and activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PK) were measured. After 1 h incubation of normal adrenal and tumor A with increasing amounts of ACTH and PGE1, PK activation and F production showed a good correlation but cAMP and F production did not at low hormonal concentration. ACTH was unable to stimulate PK and F of tumor B but it responded to PGE1 and dibutyryl cAMP (DbcAMP). Tumor C responded to ACTH and DbcAMP but did not to PGE1. Tumor D only responded to DbcAMP. The results implicated that the hormonal activation of PK and stimulation of steroidogenesis require very small changes of cAMP levels. The lack of such increase in tumors with abnormal membrane receptors would explain the insensitivity of these tumors to ACTH and PGE1.
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Saez, J., Evain, D. & Gallet, D. Responsiveness of normal and tumoral human adrenal cells to ACTH and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1): Role of the cAMP-protein kinase system. Pediatr Res 12, 1095 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197811000-00081
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197811000-00081