Further evidence for a cAMP dependent regulation of tyrosine-3-monoxygenase induction in adrenal medulla: effect of denervation.

Unilateral adrenal denervation caused a gradual decrease of adenylate cyclase activity in rat adrenal medulla. The extent of the increase in adrenal medullary 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) content elicited by injections of carbamylcholine declined gradually folling adrenal denervation. Three or nine days after denervation carbamylcholine caused rise of cAMP and a delayed increase of tyrosine-3-mono-oxygenase (TH) activity of similar magnitude in intact and denervated adrenal medullae. However, after an interval of 15 days or longer following denervation the increase in TH activity elicited by carbamylcholine was greatly reduced. These results support previous proposals that cAMP is involved as a second messenger in the trans-synaptic induction of TH.