Role of protein kinase C in ethanol-induced activation of adenylyl cyclase.

Ethanol is known to enhance the activity of adenylyl cyclase (AC) in a number of cells and tissues. Recent work has suggested that the various isoforms of AC show differential sensitivity to ethanol, with Type VII AC being most sensitive. However, the mechanism of action of ethanol is unclear. In the present work, we investigated the effect of ethanol on AC activity in the human erythroleukemia (HEL) cell line, platelets, and AC VII-transfected HEK 293 cells. The HEL cells contain abundant amounts of mRNA for Type VII AC. We found that both ethanol and phorbol dibutyrate (PDBu) treatment enhanced agonist (prostaglandin E1; PGE1)-stimulated AC activity in HEL cells, as well as in platelets and HEK 293 cells transfected with AC VII. Inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) blocked the stimulatory effects of both ethanol and PDBu. However, the effects of ethanol and PDBu on AC activity were additive, suggesting that the mechanisms of action of ethanol and PDBu were not identical. Furthermore, a 30-min exposure of HEL cells to ethanol attenuated (desensitized) the ability of ethanol, but not PDBu, to enhance agonist-activated AC activity. On the other hand, a 30-min pretreatment with PDBu attenuated the AC response to the phorbol ester, but not to ethanol; but, after a 20 hr preincubation with phorbol ester, the ability of both PDBu and ethanol to enhance prostaglandin E1-stimulated AC activity was completely eliminated. Finally, pretreatment of HEL cells with pertussis toxin blocked the effect of PDBu, but not ethanol, on AC activity. The results support the involvement of phorbol ester-sensitive PKC(s) in ethanol's enhancement of agonist-activated activity of AC in HEL cells, but suggest that the mechanism of ethanol's action is different from that of PDBu. The findings with pertussis toxin suggest that PDBu activation of PKC(s) may affect AC activity through phosphorylation of a G1 protein, whereas ethanol may act by promoting phosphorylation of a different substrate (e.g., AC VII).