Rapid desensitization of parathyroid hormone dependent adenylate cyclase in perifused human osteosarcoma cells...

The pulsatile but not the continuous application of parathyroid hormone (PTH) increase bone mass in vivo. To study the effects of intermittent hormonal administration on bone-derived cells in vitro, we established a perifusion system using the human osteosarcoma cell line SaOS-2. Cells were grown in suspension culture attached to collagen beads and were then loaded into a 3 ml syringe for perifusion experiments. The application of PTH(1-34) resulted in a dose-dependent increase of cAMP release by SaOS-2 cells into the effluent medium. Cyclic AMP accumulation was rapidly desensitized by approx. 80% after 30 min of continuous exposure to PTH(1-34) (10(-7) M), while cells remained responsive to forskolin. The recovery of PTH responsiveness required at least 2 h of hormone-free perifusion. Desensitization in the experimental setting was dose-dependent (EC50 = 1 x 10(-10) M PTH(1-34)). Neither 8Br-cAMP (2 x 10(-4) M) nor PMA(1 x 10(-7) M) had an effect on the PTH(1-34)-induced desensitization of the adenylate cyclase. Radioreceptor assays showed that [125I]-[Tyr36]hPTHrP(1-36)amide binding to SaOS-2 cells was decreased by 60-70% by PTH(1-34) (1 x 10(-6) M), bPTH(1-84) (1.8 x 10(-6) M) and bPTH(3-34) (2 x 10(-6) M), whereas 8Br-cAMP (2 x 10(-4) M) had no effect on radioligand binding. PMA (1 x 10(-7) M) appeared to slightly increase [125I]PTHrP binding. This observation is consistent with a small (3-fold) increase in PTH-induced cAMP release as a result of PMA pre-treatment. Receptor internalization was dose-dependent EC50 = 3 x 10(-7) M PTH(1-34)). The maximal effect occurred after 10-30 min and was largely reversible within 2 h. Monensin (3 x 10(-5) M) inhibited the recovery from receptor internalization. We conclude that a perifusion system using SaOS-2 cells is a suitable model to study the effect of discontinuous application of PTH on cAMP release. A rapid, homologous desensitization of PTH(1-34) stimulated cAMP accumulation has been observed that does not appear to involve protein kinase A or C.