Hormone metabolism and response of adenylate cyclase to parathyroid hormone in kidney.

1. Incubation of parathyroid hormone with plasma membranes from rat kidney cortex resulted in rapid loss of all hormal activity. 2. Chick kidney membranes showed no ability to inactivate parathyroid hormone even with prolonged incubation. 3. Biologically active, labelled parathyroid hormone was degraded to fragments by rat kidney membranes, but not by chick kidney. 4. Hormone-responsive adenylate cyclase activity in a mixture of rat and chick kidney membranes was additive. 5. Parathyroid hormone bound specifically to chick kidney palsma membranes. 6. It is concluded that hormone in activation during incubation has little relevance to the effectiveness of parathyroid hormone in stimulating adenylate cyclase activity in kidney, and furthermore that failure of chick kidney to metabolize the hormone is not the explanation for the greater sensitivity of this species to the hormone.