Regulation of adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in cerebral cortex

Alterations in the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratio in response to putative neurotransmitters and other cyclic AMP-elevating agents in intact cerebral cortical slices and Krebs-Ringer particulate preparations from cerebral cortex were examined. Both norepinephrine (30 microM) and forskolin (20 microM) produced a time-dependent increase in intracellular levels of cyclic AMP in cerebral cortical slices which was paralleled by an increase in both cyclic AMP and the protein kinase activity ratio. The increases were maximal at 5 min. and remained elevated for at least 15 min. Forskolin, norepinephrine, adenosine and isoproterenol produced a concentration-dependent increase in both cyclic AMP and the protein kinase activity ratio, however, the degree of increase observed was dissimilar. Thus, a 5-fold change in intracellular cyclic AMP resulted in only a 2-fold increase in the activity ratio. Of the agents examined, forskolin produced the most marked change in the activity ratio (from 0.23 to 0.78 at 100 microM) while isoproterenol at 100 microM produced only a 50% increase in the activity ratio. The half-time for the decline in forskolin elicited elevations of either the activity ratio or cyclic AMP was about 4-6 min. In the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, Ro 20-1724, both were significantly prolonged being 60-70% of the maximum observed immediately after forskolin stimulation, at 15 min. Potentiation of forskolin elicited increases in the activity ratio by Ro 20-1724 were also observed but the increase in the activity ratio was maximal at 7.5 min. while cyclic AMP accumulations continued to rise during the entire 15 min. incubation. Particulate preparations from cerebral cortex were found to contain a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase which could be activated 2 to 3-fold with either forskolin, norepinephrine, or adenosine. Unlike the intact brain slice the changes in protein kinase activity ratio and intracellular levels of cyclic AMP in cell-free particulate preparations were similar in both time and degree.