Endocrinology, Vol 126, 134-141, Copyright © 1990 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Long term treatment with adenosine analogs modifies the responsiveness of immature rat Sertoli cell in culture

S Migliaccio and M Conti
Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.

A1 inhibitory adenosine receptors are present in cultured Sertoli cells. Activation of these receptors by short term exposure to adenosine agonists attenuates the adenylate cyclase activity and reduces FSH stimulation of androgen aromatization to estrogen. In the present study it was investigated how long term activation of the adenosine inhibitory system affects the responsiveness of the Sertoli cell. Sertoli cells from 15- to 17-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were incubated with medium containing adenosine deaminase (1 IU/ml) in the presence or absence of 100 nM N6-2-phenyl-isopropyl-adenosine (PIA) for 24-48 h. At the end of this pretreatment medium was changed, and cell responsiveness was measured in terms of cAMP and estrogen production. In control cells, FSH-stimulated cAMP and estradiol production were inhibited by PIA, with an EC50 of 0.70 +/- 0.13 nM. This inhibitory effect was reduced in cells that had been pretreated for 24-48 h with 100 nM PIA. The PIA concentration-response curve of pretreated cells was shifted to the right, with a 4-fold increase in the EC50. Similar effects were also evident when adenosine itself or nonmetabolizable adenosine analogs other than PIA were used in the pretreatment. In addition to these changes in the inhibitory responses, PIA pretreatment increased the response of the Sertoli cell to FSH and forskolin in terms of both cAMP accumulation and estradiol production. Potentiation of the hormonal response was due to an increase in basal and maximal stimulation without significant changes in the total stimulation. This effect was dependent on the concentration of PIA used during the pretreatment. The increase in estradiol production was also evident when cells were stimulated with (Bu)2cAMP, suggesting that adenosine analog pretreatment affects steps distal to cAMP accumulation. Moreover, the responses to both the PIA inhibitory signal and FSH stimulation were restored to control levels when pretreated cells were incubated in fresh medium in the absence of PIA for 24 h. The long term PIA effects were also blocked by pretreatment in the presence of the A1 receptor antagonist 8-[4-([([ (2-amino- ethyl)amino]carbonyl)methyl]oxy)phenyl]1,3- dipropylxanthine. These results indicate that the A1 adenosine system present in the Sertoli cell becomes refractory after prolonged exposure to adenosine analogs. Furthermore, PIA pretreatment produced a potentiation of the Sertoli cell response to stimulatory signals by affecting several steps of the cAMP-dependent pathway.