Hormonal changes and adenylate cyclase system in rat bearing 7800 Morris hepatoma

Adenylate cyclase activity was measured in plasma membranes isolated from Morris Hepatoma 7800 and from control and host livers. The only difference found in tumor enzyme activity was the lack of response to glucagon. The membrane-binding capacities for the pancreatic hormones insulin and glucagon were measured. Hepatoma membranes did not bind glucagon. Insulin-binding parameters could not be determined because of high non-specific binding. The plasma levels of insulin in the tumor-bearing animals were approximately half of those found in controls, whereas the glucagon levels in plasma were 50% higher in tumor-bearing animals. Thyroxine and triiodothyronine plasma levels were reduced in tumor-bearing rats, while the thyroid-stimulating hormone level was within normal limits. The amount of cAMP (275 pmol g-1) and cGMP (3.6 pmol g-1) in the tumor were lower than in the host and control livers, but the ratio of cGMP to cAMP in the tumor was increased by a factor of 2. These results are discussed with respect to control mechanisms of cell proliferation in comparison with other hepato-proliferative states.