Effects of guanine nucleotides on vasopressin-induced water flow and sodium transport of the frog bladder.

In the present study, we examined the effects of guanine nucleotides on vasopressin-induced osmotic water flow and sodium transport in the 14-h preincubated frog bladder. We also examined the effects of the adenylate cyclase-cyclic AMP and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase system in the bladder's epithelial cells. Gpp(NH)p significantly enhanced vasopressin-induced water flow while it did not affect cyclic AMP-induced water flow. However, Gpp(NH)p did not enhance the vasopressin-induced increment of sodium transport across the frog bladder. The adenylate cyclase activity of the crude homogenate was enhanced by vasopressin, Gpp(NH)p and NaF. The effects of Gpp(NH)p and vasopressin, at their maximum doses, on the enzyme activities were additive, while other combinations were not. Specific Gpp(NH)p binding sites were found in the pellet fraction after 2,400 X g centrifugation. No direct effect on the protein kinase activity was observed in the presence of 10(-6) M nucleotides, such as GTP, GDP, GMP, CTP, UTP, ITP and Gpp(NH)p. Cyclic AMP stimulated the phosphorylation of discrete protein bands, however, Gpp(NH)p did not influence cyclic AMP-dependent protein phosphorylation of crude homogenate of the bladder's epithelial cells. These results suggest the guanine nucleotides stimulate the vasopressin-induced osmotic water flow in frog bladder by enhancing the vasopressin-mediated adenylate cyclase activity, so that accumulated cyclic AMP might activate cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.