Phorbol ester activation of protein kinase C inhibits CNP-stimulated cyclic GMP production in the mouse AtT-20 pituitary tumour cell line.

Preincubation of AtT-20 mouse pituitary tumour cells with the phorbol ester PMA resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of CNP-stimulated cyclic GMP production. The phorbol ester analogue 4 alpha phorbol had no inhibitory effect and 24 h preincubations with PMA resulted in a characteristic down-regulation of the response indicating that the inhibitory actions were mediated via the activation of protein kinase C. Forskolin in the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor IBMX stimulated intracellular cyclic AMP concentrations by up to eight fold, but did not alter basal nor CNP-stimulated cyclic GMP production. These results indicate that CNP-stimulated guanylate cyclase activity associated with the GC-B natriuretic peptide receptor expressed in AtT-20 cells is inhibited by protein kinase C.