Role of adenosine as an endogenous regulator of respiration in hamster brown adipocytes.

The action of endogeneous adenosine on isolated hamster brown adipocytes was examined. Adenosine production from brown adipocytes was measured after labeling of the intracellular nucleotide pool with [3H]adenine. Accumulation of [3H]adenosine in the incubation medium was maximum after 5 min of incubation and was still present after 20 min. When adenosine accumulation was prevented by addition of adenosine deaminase, the stimulatory effects of isoproterenol on oxygen uptake, lipolysis, and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) generation were enhanced. However, basal rates of lipolysis and oxygen consumption and levels of cAMP were not affected on addition of adenosine deaminase. A similar potentiation of isoproterenol responses was produced by the adenosine receptor antagonist, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, present at a concentration (10 microM) which did not change basal levels of respiration or lipolysis. Addition of the adenosine analogue 2-chloroadenosine antagonized isoproterenol-stimulated respiration and lipolysis and prevented potentiation of isoproterenol responses with 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. To localize the site of adenosine action, activity of adenylate cyclase in membrane preparations from brown adipocytes was measured. Isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was partially inhibited by 2-chloroadenosine in a GTP-dependent manner. Addition of Na+ enhanced the inhibitory effect of 2-chloroadenosine, and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine blocked it. The calculated 50% effective dose for 2-chloroadenosine inhibition was between 10 and 15 nM. These data suggest that adenosine produced by brown adipocytes is an endogenous regulator of respiration in these cells acting at the level of the adenylate cyclase enzyme.