title: Effects of prostaglandins on cyclic AMP levels in isolated cells from developing chick limbs.
abstract: Effects of prostaglandins (PGs) on accumulation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor were investigated in cells isolated from avian limb buds at various stages of development. Cells were responsive to PGE2 at the earliest stage investigated (stage 20-21) which was well in advance of specific cytodifferentiation of limb tissues. At three later stages (24-25; 26-28; 30-32), the responsiveness of cells isolated from the developing skeletal anlagen of the limb progressively increased coincident with the differentiation and maturation of the cartilage phenotype. Cells isolated from stage 26-28 cartilage rods were responsive also to prostacyclin (PGI2); however, the response produced was only about 50% of the response to an equivalent concentration of PGE2. Cells were not responsive to either PGF2 alpha or 6-keto PGF1 alpha, at concentrations of 30-33 micrograms/ml demonstrating a degree of specificity for PGE2 and PGI2. In the absence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, PGE2 increased cAMP accumulation two-fold over the controls and produced a concentration-dependent response between 0.3-30 micrograms/ml. The results demonstrate that PGs are capable of modulating cAMP levels of undifferentiated limb mesenchymal cells as well as embryonic cartilage cells and suggest a role for these compounds in limb chondrogenesis.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002642:Chick Embryo / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D015232:Dinoprostone; D005121:Extremities / Q000196:embryology; D007700:Kinetics; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011458:Prostaglandins E / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D011453:Prostaglandins; D011458:Prostaglandins E; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D015232:Dinoprostone