Naturally occurring opioid receptor agonists stimulate adenylate cyclase activity in rat olfactory bulb

In homogenate of rat olfactory bulb, the opioid receptor agonists beta-endorphin, Leu-enkephalin, and dynorphin A stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in a concentration-dependent manner, with half-maximal effects displayed at 22, 63, and 176 nM, respectively. The maximal stimulation of the enzyme activity corresponded to about a 40% increase of basal activity for all three peptides. Naloxone antagonized the stimulation of beta-endorphin, Leu-enkephalin, and dynorphin A, with pA2 values of 8.0, 7.7, and 8.1, respectively. Kinetic analysis performed with Leu-enkephalin showed that the opioid peptide increased the Vmax of the enzyme, without changing the Km for the substrate Mg-ATP. Moreover, the opioid stimulation was associated with a significant increase of the affinity of the enzyme for Mg2+ activation and occurred in membranes incubated in a Ca2(+)-free medium. Addition of exogenous GTP at micromolar concentrations was absolutely necessary for the detection of the opioid effect. Treatment of olfactory bulbs with cholera toxin did not alter the stimulation of adenylate cyclase by Leu-enkephalin. However, the opioid stimulation disappeared in membranes obtained from bulbs injected with pertussis toxin. These results demonstrate the presence in the brain of a new functional class of opiate receptors coupled to stimulation of adenylate cyclase via a transduction mechanism that is Ca2+ independent and seems to involve a pertussis toxin-sensitive GTP-binding protein.