Induction of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase subunits during adipogenesis in vitro

Fatty acid metabolism in adipocytes is known to be regulated by the intracellular transducer cAMP. This study was undertaken to determine the temporal and hormonal regulation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase during the differentiation of preadipocyte mesenchymal cells to adipocytes. For this we have used a stable cell line (TA1) in which the undifferentiated preadipocyte acquires adipocyte functions and morphology after growth to confluence. We observed that synthesis of type I and II cAMP-dependent protein kinases was induced during the adipogenic conversion of growth-arrested TA1 cells. In preconfluent cells, neither mRNAs encoding regulatory subunits (RI, RII beta) and catalytic subunit (C alpha) nor the peptides themselves were detectable. Within several days of growth arrest at high cell density, mRNAs for RI, RII beta, and C alpha were detectable in total RNA extracted from cell populations. The subunits themselves were detectable in some, but not all, of the cells by indirect immunofluorescence. Immunoblotting of cytosolic extracts indicated that RI and the beta-isoform of RII (mol wt = 52,000) were expressed in these cells. Analysis of subunit presence or absence in single cells by immunofluorescence also indicated that kinase subunit expression preceded the accumulation of lipid droplets within the cells. Further, the subunits were predominantly associated with a reticular cytoplasmic structure (Golgi apparatus?) abutting the nucleus. Conversion of TA1 cells to adipocytes can be accelerated by indomethacin (125 microM) or dexamethasone (1 microM) treatment, compounds that also enhanced the accumulation of RII beta and C alpha mRNAs. Within 2-3 days of addition of indomethacin to confluent cultures, RII beta message content is increased about 20-fold, and protein content is increased about 5-fold relative to those in untreated cultures. C alpha mRNA content is increased about 5-fold relative to that in untreated cells. The response to dexamethasone requires 6-7 days, and changes in RII beta message levels were the most pronounced. We also observed the induction of mRNAs for the functionally relevant mRNA lipoprotein lipase in indomethacin-treated cells. In addition to this apparent transcriptional regulation of kinase subunit expression, we provide evidence for regulation at the posttranscriptional level. Within a differentiated culture, there exist stem cells that can be selected, will repopulate the dish, and will again differentiate into adipocytes upon growth arrest at high cell density. In preconfluent populations of these stems cells, unlike the preconfluent TA1 cells originally plated, both RII beta and C alpha messages were present.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)