title: In vivo evidence that lithium inactivates Gi modulation of adenylate cyclase in brain.
abstract: In vivo microdialysis of cyclic AMP from prefrontal cortex complemented by ex vivo measures was used to investigate the possibility that lithium produces functional changes in G proteins that could account for its effects on adenylate cyclase activity. Four weeks of lithium administration (serum lithium concentration of 0.85 +/- 0.05 mM; n = 11) significantly increased the basal cyclic AMP content in dialysate from prefrontal cortex of anesthetized rats. Forskolin infused through the probe increased dialysate cyclic AMP, but the magnitude of this increase was unaffected by chronic lithium administration. Inactivation of the inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein Gi with pertussis toxin increased dialysate cyclic AMP in control rats, as did stimulation with cholera toxin (which activates the stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding protein Gs). The effect of pertussis toxin was abolished following chronic lithium, whereas the increase in cyclic AMP after cholera toxin was enhanced. In vitro pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP ribosylation of alpha i (and alpha o) was increased by 20% in prefrontal cortex from lithium-treated rats, but the alpha i and alpha s contents (as determined by immunoblot) as well as the cholera toxin-catalyzed ADP ribosylation of alpha s were unchanged. Taken together, these results suggest that chronic lithium administration may interfere with the dissociation of Gi into its active components and thereby remove a tonic inhibitory influence on adenylate cyclase, with resultant enhanced basal and cholera toxin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity.
authors.affiliation: Section on Clinical Pharmacology, Experimental Therapeutics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Masana
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bitran
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: W Z
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Potter
mesh_terms: D037361:Adenylate Cyclase Toxin; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D003956:Dialysis / Q000379:methods; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D037361:Adenylate Cyclase Toxin; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; D005576:Colforsin; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D008094:Lithium; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases