Superior cavopulmonary anastomosis suppresses the activity and expression of pulmonary angiotensin-converting enzyme.

BACKGROUND: Superior cavopulmonary anastomosis is widely used for palliation of various forms of univentricular heart defects. However, clinically significant pulmonary arteriovenous malformations develop in 15% to 25% of patients after surgery. OBJECTIVE: To assess altered regulation of pulmonary vascular tone caused by superior cavopulmonary anastomosis in an ovine model. METHODS: Lambs, aged 35 to 45 days, underwent an end-to-end anastomosis of the superior vena cava to the right pulmonary artery. In age-matched controls, a sham operation was performed. Arteriovenous malformations were detectable by contrast echocardiography by 8 weeks after surgery. Animals (n = 24) were studied at various time points after the operations. Expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme messenger RNA, protein levels, and enzyme activity were measured in lung homogenates. Levels of angiotensin II were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme messenger RNA and protein was significantly reduced at 1 to 5 weeks after superior cavopulmonary anastomosis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in the right lung of animals subjected to superior cavopulmonary anastomosis was reduced 86% +/- 1% (standard deviation) compared with control values at 1 week (P =.003) and 77% +/- 8.5% at 2 weeks (P <.001) after surgery. This correlated with a 59% +/- 3.5% (P =.007) reduction in angiotensin II levels up to 5 weeks after cavopulmonary anastomosis. By 15 weeks after the operations, angiotensin II levels were equivalent to control levels (P =.19). CONCLUSIONS: Superior cavopulmonary anastomosis causes an early reversible reduction in activity and expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme, resulting in decreased circulating levels of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II. These results suggest that the ability of the pulmonary endothelium to regulate vascular tone is inhibited after superior cavopulmonary anastomosis. Dilation of the affected vasculature induced by cavopulmonary anastomosis may contribute to the disordered vascular remodeling observed in this setting.

Regulation of uterine smooth muscle function during gestation.

The uterus is unique among smooth muscular organs in that, during pregnancy, it undergoes profound, largely reversible, changes orchestrated by the ovarian hormones. These changes facilitate uterine adaptation to the stretch induced by the growing fetus such that a state of myometrial contractile quiescence can be maintained. This quiescent state usually is maintained until fetal development is sufficient for extrauterine life, at which point unknown mechanisms precipitate conversion to a highly contractile state. Throughout pregnancy, signaling mechanisms for myometrial contractility are altered--first to promote quiescence and then again to promote contractions. The mechanisms responsible for these changes are only partially understood. This review attempts to summarize salient features of many of the changes in uterine contractile signaling and the current state of ongoing investigations of their mechanisms. We have also highlighted some newer information and concepts from nonuterine tissues, which we believe may provide insight into the control of uterine smooth muscle function. Some detail has been omitted, and can be found in the many excellent reviews cited. We hope that this discussion may stimulate the interests of other investigators. The diverse areas of inquiry offer hope that this decade will lead to a fuller understanding of myometrial function and the development of vastly improved approaches for the control of preterm labor.

Regulation of ductus arteriosus patency by nitric oxide in fetal lambs: the role of gestation, oxygen tension, and vasa vasorum.

We hypothesized that nitric oxide (NO) production by the fetal ductus arteriosus is limited because of low fetal PO2, but that at neonatal PO2, NO might be an important regulator of ductus arteriosus tone. We exposed isolated rings of fetal lamb ductus arteriosus to elevated PO2. L-NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and methylene blue and 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione (LY83583), inhibitors of guanylate cyclase, produced constriction of the ductus arteriosus. When ductus arteriosus rings were exposed to low PO2, L-NAME had no effect, and methylene blue and LY83583 had only a small effect on ductus arteriosus tone. Sodium nitroprusside and calcium ionophore A23187 relaxed ductus arteriosus rings more than aortic rings, and relaxed ductus arteriosus rings from immature fetuses more than those from late gestation fetuses. In contrast, ductus arteriosus rings from both early and late gestation were equally sensitive to 8-bromo-cGMP. By both reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, endothelial cell NOS and inducible calcium-independent NOS, but not nerve cell NOS, were detected in the ductus arteriosus. Inducible NOS was expressed only by endothelial cells lining the ductus arteriosus lumen; in contrast, endothelial cell NOS was expressed by both luminal and vasa vasorum endothelial cells. The role of inducible NOS in the ductus arteriosus is uncertain because the potency of a specific inducible NOS inhibitor in constricting the ductus arteriosus was negligible compared with that of an endothelial cell NOS inhibitor. We speculate that NO may be an important regulator of ductus arteriosus tone at high but not low PO2. The endothelial cell NOS isoform found in vasa vasorum may be an important source of NO because removal of ductus arteriosus luminal endothelium only partially blocks the effects of L-NAME, methylene blue, and LY83583.

Increased expression of nitric oxide synthase in the myometrium of the pregnant rat uterus.

Nitric oxide (NO) relaxes uterine smooth muscle and is produced by the pregnant uterus. Our previous studies revealed an increase in rat uterine NO synthase (NOS) activity in pregnancy and a decline at term. In the present study, we have examined the distribution of NOS isoform expression to determine whether their regulation is consistent with a role in the inhibition of uterine contractions before term. At day 17-18 of pregnancy, NOS immunohistochemistry revealed expression of two isoforms: endothelial constitutive form of NOS (ecNOS) in vascular endothelium and inducible form of NOS (iNOS) in myometrial and vascular smooth muscle and in decidual epithelium. Immunoblotting revealed that expression of iNOS declined nearly fivefold, whereas ecNOS declined twofold in laboring rats at term. We conclude that iNOS is expressed in myometrium of pregnant rat uterus but not the virgin rat and that iNOS expression declines at term when labor is present. The pattern of changes in myometrial iNOS expression with advancing gestation suggests that NO could act in an autocrine and/or paracrine manner to inhibit uterine contractions before term.

A decline in myometrial nitric oxide synthase expression is associated with labor and delivery.

The mechanisms that maintain relative uterine quiescence during pregnancy remain largely unknown. A possible role for nitric oxide has recently emerged, however, the expression of nitric oxide synthase within human myometrium at midgestation, a time when the uterus is normally quiescent, has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to identify cell types in human myometrium that contain inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and to examine changes in its expression during pregnancy and labor. We found that iNOS is expressed in smooth muscle cells of pregnant myometrium. Expression of iNOS was highest in myometrium of preterm not-in-labor patients. At term, iNOS expression fell by 75%, and was barely detectable in preterm in-labor or term in-labor specimens. There was no staining in the myocytes of nonpregnant myometrium. Western blotting also revealed a similar pattern of changes in iNOS expression. In summary, iNOS expression in the myocytes of human myometrium is increased greatly during pregnancy, and declines towards term or with labor. Significantly, preterm inlabor patients also had a large decline in iNOS expression. These data suggest that changes in myometrial iNOS expression may participate in the regulation of uterine activity during human pregnancy.

Growth factor induction of nitric oxide synthase in rat pheochromocytoma cells.

Previous work has suggested that nerve growth factor treatment of PC12 cells induces neuronal nitric oxide synthase, and possibly also endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and inducible NOS. To further analyze this process we exposed rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells to increasing concentrations of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF). Changes in NOS expression were then analyzed by Western blotting, using antisera generated against the three isoforms of NOS. Our results demonstrate that neuronal NOS was induced by growth factors that promote both differentiation (bFGF, NGF) and proliferation (EGF). nNOS levels were unaffected by VEGF treatment. In contrast, the levels of endothelial and inducible NOS were undetectable in these same cells, suggesting that different clonal lines of PC12 cells have different isoform complements.

Response of guinea pig smooth and striated urethral sphincter to cromakalim, prazosin, nifedipine, nitroprusside, and electrical stimulation.

Prazosin (an alpha-1-adrenergic blocker) and cromakalim (potassium channel opener), given alone, induced significant fatigue of the urethral sphincter at a concentration of 10(-4) M; both drugs combined achieved a significant sphincteric fatigue at a concentration of 10(-5) M each. To 10(-4) M hexamethonium (ganglionic smooth muscle blocker) and 10(-4) M decamethonium (nicotinic blocker of striated muscle) the striated urethral sphincter responded like striated muscle with no detectable function of its smooth muscle component. Therefore, the striated component seems to play a dominant role in sphincteric function. With calcium depletion or in the presence of a calcium channel blocker (10(-4) M nifedipine) the urethral sphincter showed a relative enhancement of response to electrical field stimulation when compared with smooth and skeletal muscle, whose responses were both significantly reduced. This phenomenon could not be explained with calcium-dependent, inhibitory, nitric oxide-releasing nerves, as the NO-synthase blocker N-nitro-L-arginine (10(-5) M to 5 x 10(-5) M) failed to induce the enhancement of sphincter contraction during electrostimulation found with calcium depletion. Still, NO-releasing nerves might play a role in sphincteric relaxation because sodium nitroprusside (10(-5) M) induced a significant relaxation of the urethral sphincter precontracted with 80 mM potassium. The potential to weaken sphincteric closure with drugs, exemplified by the results obtained in response to prazosin and cromakalim, would represent a therapeutic advance in the patient with neurogenic bladder dysfunction.

Nitric oxide synthase activity in the pregnant uterus decreases at parturition.

The mechanisms that mediate changes in uterine activity from a quiescent state during pregnancy to active labor at parturition are unknown. Nitric oxide (NO), a potent mediator of smooth muscle relaxation, and its presence in the uterus is the subject of this report. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was demonstrated in nerves, blood vessels and decidua of gravid rat uterus by the NADPH-diaphorase staining method. Uterine tissue fixed during labor demonstrated markedly less NOS. Quantitation of NOS activity in subcellular fractions of pregnant and laboring uterus revealed its presence in both the cytosolic and the membranous compartments of uterine homogenates. In both cellular subfractions the enzyme activity decreased significantly from pregnancy to term. We conclude NOS is present in multiple structures within the uterus. Its presence in two cellular compartments suggests more than one form of NOS may be present in the uterus. Reduction in NOS activity at parturition suggests NO may contribute to the maintenance of uterine contractile quiescence during gestation.

Myometrial characteristics of the Syrian hamster uterine smooth muscle cell line, SHM.

We describe several characteristics of a novel smooth muscle cell line, SHM (Syrian hamster myometrium) derived from a primary uterine leiomyosarcoma which was induced by chronic estrogen plus androgen treatment of a female Syrian (golden) hamster. To determine the usefulness of the SHM cell line as a model for understanding myometrial function and its regulation, we have examined the morphologic and immunocytochemical properties of these cells, and the ability of uterotonic agonists to activate transmembrane signaling via phosphoinositide hydrolysis. The SHM cells exhibited a spindle-shape, smooth musclelike morphology when subconfluent, and a more compact, stellate shape at confluence. Like primary myocytes, SHM cells expressed the intermediate filament desmin and the contractile protein alpha smooth muscle actin, but not the epithelial antigen cytokeratin. Norepinephrine and bradykinin, which stimulate contraction and inositol polyphosphate production in the uterus, also stimulated inositol polyphosphate production in SHM cells. The maximal phosphoinositide signaling responses were lower in SHM cells compared with primary hamster uterine myocytes. We conclude that the SHM cell line exhibits primary uterine myocyte characteristics, and may therefore be a useful system for examining the mechanisms through which myometrial functions are regulated.

Restoration of estrogen-dependent progesterone receptor expression in a uterine myocyte cell line.

Although the in vivo effect of estrogen on myometrial differentiation is well documented, estrogen effects on primary myocytes in vitro have been difficult to demonstrate. To construct a stable uterine myocyte system, capable of direct estrogen responsiveness, we used a transformed hamster myometrial cell line. Since these cells expressed a low level of estrogen receptors (ERs), we have stably transfected them with a vector for the human ER. After transfection, ER concentration increased from less than 300 sites per cell to 17,000 +/- 2,000 sites per cell (mean +/- SEM). To test the functional integrity of the transfected receptors, a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene linked to an estrogen response element upstream of thymidine kinase promoter was transiently transfected, and the amount of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity, an indicator of estrogen responsiveness, was found to increase 20-fold in response to 17 beta-estradiol (1 nM for 48 h). Furthermore, we tested the ability of estrogen to activate endogenous genes by measuring progesterone receptor (PR) induction. PR concentration in the transfected cells was 3,700 +/- 800 and increased 9-fold to 33,000 +/- 6,000 with 17 beta-estradiol (2 nM). This receptor density increase was confirmed by immunoblotting. PR induction was maximal at 16 h, was concentration dependent, and was not elicited by tamoxifen or ICI 164,384. We conclude that transformed hamster myocytes transfected with an ER gene are capable of estrogen-dependent PR expression in vitro and may serve as a useful system to study estrogen effect on myocytes.

Quantification of prostaglandin E1 receptors in cavernous tissue of men, monkeys and dogs.

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has been shown to relax the muscles of the corpora cavernosa and inhibit spontaneous activity, and clinical trials have proved its safety and effectiveness when given intracavernously to induce erection. Through use of a specific PGE1 receptor binding assay, we undertook this study to quantify its receptor density and measure binding affinity. The cavernous tissue of normal and impotent men as well as that of monkeys and dogs was studied in an attempt to understand their different responses to the intracavernous injection of PGE1. Our results showed a lower receptor density in impotent men than in normal men and monkeys and a complete absence of receptors in dogs. These findings correlated well with the clinical response to intracavernous injection of PGE1.

Myometrial characteristics of the syrian hamster uterine smooth muscle cell line, SHM.

We describe several characteristics of a novel smooth muscle cell line, SHM (Syrian hamster myometrium) derived from a primary uterine leiomyosarcoma which was induced by chronic estrogen plus androgen treatment of a female Syrian (golden) hamster. To determine the usefulness of the SHM cell line as a model for understanding myometrial function and its regulation, we have examined the morphologic and immunocytochemical properties of these cells, and the ability of uterotonic agonists to activate transmembrane signaling via phosphoinositide hydrolysis. The SHM cells exhibited a spindle-shape, smooth musclelike morphology when subconfluent, and a more compact, stellate shape at confluence. Like primary myocytes, SHM cells expressed the intermediate filament desmin and the contractile protein alpha smooth muscle actin, but not the epithelial antigen cytokeratin. Norepinephrine and bradykinin, which stimulate contraction and inositol polyphosphate production in the uterus, also stimulated inositol polyphosphate production in SHM cells. The maximal phosphoinositide signaling responses were lower in SHM cells compared with primary hamster uterine myocytes. We conclude that the SHM cell line exhibits primary uterine myocyte characteristics, and may therefore be a useful system for examining the mechanisms through which myometrial functions are regulated.

The concentration of estrogen receptors in rabbit uterine myocytes decreases in culture.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the concentration of estrogen receptors in cultured myocytes is preserved after dispersion. STUDY DESIGN: Primary myocytes were prepared from rabbit myometrium by collagenase dispersion after removing the endometrium and were isolated with Percoll density gradients. The cells were assayed for estrogen receptor concentration at intervals after dispersion by means of a whole-cell binding assay. Unpaired t test was used for comparisons. RESULTS: The concentration of estrogen receptors on the first day after dispersion was 12,058 +/- 1096 sites per cell (mean +/- SEM) and decreased to 4389 +/- 1223 site per cell within 9 to 14 days after dispersion (63% decline, p < 0.001). A similar decrease was observed when 2 nmol/L estradiol was present in the medium. CONCLUSION: The concentration of estrogen receptors in isolated rabbit uterine myocytes decreases after dispersion. This may partly explain the difficulty of demonstrating in vitro estrogen effects on myocytes, which are well established in vivo.

Myocardial cholinergic signaling changes with age.

We examined the linkage of cholinergic receptors to the phosphoinositide signaling pathway to elucidate one facet of the autonomic response mechanism in fetal and adult sheep. Cholinergic stimulation with carbachol increases the production of 3H-inositol mono-, bis-, and trisphosphates in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in both fetal and adult myocardium. However, the maximal stimulation of inositol polyphosphates above basal activity was much greater in fetal (120 +/- 11%) than in adult (20 +/- 7%) myocardium (mean +/- SEM). Saturation binding analysis of myocardial muscarinic receptors using 3H-N-methylscopolamine revealed significantly higher receptor concentration in fetal (240 +/- 25 fmol/mg protein) than in adult (78 +/- 15 fmol/mg protein) myocardium (mean +/- SEM). Binding competition studies revealed a pattern of selectivity-atropine less than 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide less than pirenzepine less than or equal to (4-hydroxy-2-butynyl)-1-trimethylammonium m-chlorocarbanilate chloride less than or equal to 11-2[[2-[(diethylamino)-methyl]-1-piperidinyl]acetyl]-5, 11-dihydro-6H-pyrido[2,3-b][1,4]benzodiazepine-6-one 116-compatible with the presence of muscarinic receptor (MR)2, MR3, and/or MR5 subtypes. Receptor subtype determination by Northern blot analysis revealed mRNA specific for the MR2 subtype in both fetal and adult myocardium, although expression was greater in fetal heart. We conclude that decreases in MR2 subtype protein and mRNA levels parallel the age-related decrease in carbachol-stimulated PLC activity. Our studies demonstrate differences between fetal and adult myocardium in the concentration of muscarinic cholinergic receptors and their linkage to a putative calcium mobilizing signaling pathway and suggest that this pathway may play a different role in the fetus than in the adult.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Prostaglandins modulate hormonal effects on rabbit myometrial alpha 1-adrenergic responses.

Estrogen increases the alpha 1-adrenergic contractile sensitivity of the rabbit uterus. Since estrogen treatment increases prostaglandin (PG) production by the perfused rabbit uterus, and PGs contribute to the alpha 1-adrenergic contractile response, we postulated that estrogen's effects on PG production or response may play a role in the increased alpha 1-adrenergic sensitivity induced by estrogen. We studied the effects of the eicosanoid synthesis inhibitor meclofenamate (60 microM) on the response to epinephrine (10(-9)-10(-5) M) of uterine strips from ovariectomized, mature, and estrogen-treated rabbits in terms of both contractile response and PGE2 and PGF2 alpha production. We also measured the contractile response to PGE2 and PGF2 alpha (both 10(-10)-10(-5) M) and KCl (70 mM) of uterine strips from these groups. We found that in the ovariectomized rabbits, meclofenamate decreased PG production, but did not alter the alpha 1-adrenergic sensitivity. In the mature rabbit uterus, meclofenamate decreased both PGE2 and PGF2 alpha production and reduced the alpha 1-adrenergic sensitivity. In the estrogen-treated rabbit uterus, meclofenamate decreased PGF2 alpha, but not PGE2, production and did not alter the alpha 1-adrenergic sensitivity. Finally, meclofenamate reduced the contractile response to KCl in all three groups, and exposure to PGE2 increased the contractile response to KCl in both the mature and estrogen-treated rabbits. We conclude that PGs play a role in the increase in the alpha 1-adrenergic sensitivity of the uterus in mature rabbits, and that this may be the result of an estrogen-mediated alteration in the postreceptor effects of PGs.

Cocaine directly augments the alpha-adrenergic contractile response of the pregnant rabbit uterus.

Cocaine use in pregnancy is associated with a premature labor rate as high as 50%, but little is known about its effect on uterine contractility. To determine whether cocaine directly augments pregnant uterus contractility, uterine strips from 27-day pregnant New Zealand White rabbits (term, 31 days) were exposed to cocaine alone (30 mumol/L) or cocaine plus epinephrine (10(-9) to 10(-5) mol/L) or oxytocin (10(-10) to 10(-6) mol/L). Cocaine alone produced no contractions, but increased the epinephrine sensitivity by 51% and the maximal response by 33%. When beta-adrenoceptors were blocked with DL-propranolol (2 mumol/L), the contractile response to epinephrine was increased, and cocaine's effect was blocked. In the presence of the stereoisomer D-propranolol (2 mumol/L) with no beta-adrenergic antagonist activity, the contractile response to epinephrine was unchanged, but the effect of cocaine was still blocked. We conclude that cocaine directly augments the alpha-adrenergic contractile response of the pregnant rabbit uterus by a mechanism that is blocked by the non-beta-adrenergic effects of propranolol.

Leukotrienes C4, D4, and E4 in fetal lamb tracheal fluid.

Previously, we demonstrated that either putative leukotriene receptor antagonists or a synthesis inhibitor markedly decreased pulmonary vascular resistance in the near-term fetal lamb and concluded that leukotrienes may play a role in maintaining the high pulmonary vascular resistance in the fetus. To further investigate the role of leukotrienes, we measured concentrations of leukotriene (LT) C4, LTD4, and LTE4 in 17 tracheal fluid samples from 8 of 9 near-term (129-139 days, term = 145 days), chronically-catheterized, fetal lambs during normoxia to evaluate their possible role in regulating resting tone and in seven of the nine before and during hypoxia to evaluate their possible role in hypoxic vasoconstriction. The tracheal fluid samples collected by gravity over 1-3 min, on ice, were immediately treated with cold ethanol, centrifuged, and the supernatant covered with N2 and stored in a -70 degrees C freezer for a maximum of 3 weeks. Purification and separation of leukotrienes was done by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography using a gradient elution method, and fractions corresponding to LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4 standards were quantified immediately by radioimmunoassay. During normoxia (descending aortic PaO2 2.9 +/- 0.3 kPa [21.5 +/- 2.5 mmHg]; mean +/- SD), all 3 leukotrienes were detected in 16 of the 17 samples: LTC4 29 +/- 28 pg/ml (range 0-119 pg/ml); LTD4 66 +/- 51 pg/ml (range 9-177 pg/ml); and LTE4 43 +/- 50 pg/ml (range 0-204 pg/ml).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Progesterone prevents linkage of rabbit myometrial alpha 2-adrenergic receptors to inhibition of adenylate cyclase.

The uterine response to adrenergic stimulation is determined by the hormonal milieu. This response is particularly well characterized in the rabbit. In this species, as in humans, the response of the uterus to sympathetic stimulation is alpha-adrenergically mediated contraction with elevated circulating estrogen. However, with progesterone predominance, similar stimulation inhibits uterine contractions, a response mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors acting through their second message, cyclic adenosine monophosphate. We studied the mechanisms by which sex steroids regulate myometrial adrenergic responses. In this study, we questioned whether part of the effect of sex steroids could be explained by an alteration of the coupling of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor to the inhibition of adenylate cyclase. We found that in the progesterone-treated rabbit, although alpha 2-receptors are present, they are not linked to inhibition of cyclic adenosine monophosphate synthesis. The net synthesis of cyclic adenosine monophosphage in response to endogenous catecholamines is determined by their activation of beta-adrenergic receptors to increase and alpha 2-receptors to decrease cyclic adenosine monophosphate formation. Thus the uncoupling of alpha 2-receptors contributes to increased intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate in myometrium of progesterone-treated animals consistent with the reported predominance of beta-adrenergic contractile responses in this setting.

Hormonal regulation myometrial adrenergic responses: the receptor and beyond.

The contractile response of the uterus is modified by sex steroids. In rabbit uterus, oestrogen promotes alpha-adrenergically-mediated contraction, whilst progesterone treatment results in beta-adrenergic relaxation. Examination of the mechanisms responsible for these changing adrenergic responses with sex steroids reveals multiple sites of regulation. Oestrogen increases alpha 1-receptor concentration and the linkage of the receptor to phospholipase C. In addition to this direct effect to promote contraction, oestrogen also uncouples the beta-receptor from adenylate cyclase. Progesterone, conversely, promotes relaxation through beta-receptors by uncoupling alpha 2-receptors from inhibition of adenylate cyclase. Thus sex steroids can regulate specific agonist responses at and beyond the receptor.

Estrogen reduces beta-adrenoceptor-mediated cAMP production and the concentration of the guanyl nucleotide-regulatory protein, Gs, in rabbit myometrium.

The uterine contractile response to adrenergic agonists or sympathetic stimulation is influenced dramatically by the hormonal milieu. Rabbit uterine contraction is mediated by alpha 1-adrenoceptors, whereas relaxation in response to the same stimulus is mediated by beta 2-adrenoceptors. Whether uterine contractility is increased or decreased by adrenergic stimulation is determined by the gonadal steroids estrogen and progesterone: uterine contraction prevails in the estrogen-dominant or the ovariectomized animal, but in the progesterone-dominant rabbit, uterine relaxation is observed. In previous studies, we have demonstrated that changes in the concentration or agonist affinity of these adrenoceptors cannot account for the changes in contractile response. In the present studies, we tested whether sex steroids might alter beta-adrenergic response by acting on events distal to receptor occupancy, and whether this could explain the conversion of contractile response. We found that myometrial cAMP generation is potently stimulated by beta-agonists in progesterone-treated and also in ovariectomized animals, but this stimulation is absent after estrogen treatment. Similar, but smaller, changes were observed for cAMP generation in response to prostaglandin E2 and forskolin. Stimulation of adenylate cyclase in uterine particulates by agents which act on the guanyl nucleotide-sensitive stimulatory transducer, Gs, is unchanged after estrogen treatment. However, specific labeling of Gs catalyzed by cholera toxin is reduced in membrane particulates from estrogen-treated animals. Recombination of extracts of uterine membranes from the differently treated animals also suggested qualitative differences in Gs. We conclude that at least one component of the adenylate cyclase cascade beyond the beta-adrenoceptor, i.e., Gs, is a target for ovarian steroids; estrogen reduces Gs labeling and beta-adrenoceptor-mediated cAMP production. However, uterine Gs labeling and cAMP production are similar in ovariectomized and in progesterone-treated rabbits. Since these uteri exhibit different contractile responses, the observed changes are not sufficient to explain sex steroid-mediated conversion of myometrial contractile response.