Effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide on the cyclic AMP level of isolated mouse diaphragm

The effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on the cyclic nucleotide level in isolated mouse diaphragm was investigated. CGRP at concentrations of up to 1 microM caused dose-dependent increases in cyclic AMP levels but had no effect on cyclic GMP levels. At 1 microM, CGRP increased cyclic AMP levels by about 2.7-fold. Moreover, in the presence of phosphodiesterase inhibitor (Ro 20-1724), CGRP still caused even greater dose-dependent increases in cyclic AMP levels. Even in the presence of propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist, CGRP stimulated increased cyclic AMP levels. In addition, specific binding of CGRP was observed in mouse diaphragm. All these results suggest that CGRP increases intracellular cyclic AMP levels via a CGRP receptor but not the beta-adrenergic receptor.