Showing papers on "Cyclase published in 1990"

Stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity in cultured endothelial cells subjected to cyclic stretch

Abstract: While vascular endothelial cells are repeatedly stretched by the pulsatile nature of cardiac output, in vitro models traditionally used to study vascular biology involve static culture techniques. We have recently shown that pulsatile stretching of endothelial cells in culture will increase their rates of proliferation and regulate their secretion of macromolecules. The aim of this study was to determine whether membrane adenylate cyclase is involved in intracellular signalling during pulsatile stress. Bovine aortic endothelial cells were seeded on flexible-bottomed culture wells (3 x 10(5) cells/25 mm well) and allowed to attach for 48 hours. The culture wells were placed in a vacuum-operated stress providing instrument and subjected to 0.5 s of 24% strain, 0.5 s relaxation (60 cycles/min) for 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 minutes (N = 24 wells/time point). Cells were homogenized and a crude membrane preparation (27,000 x g) was assayed for adenylate cyclase under basal and forskolin (100 microM) stimulated conditions. The results indicate that there is a time-dependent increase in both basal and stimulated adenylate cyclase with cyclic deformation and suggest that there may be a "stretch receptor" coupled to adenylate cyclase which can modulate endothelial cell function with hemodynamic changes.

Molecular basis of the synergistic inhibition of platelet function by nitrovasodilators and activators of adenylate cyclase: inhibition of cyclic AMP breakdown by cyclic GMP.

Abstract: We investigated the roles of cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP in the inhibition of rabbit platelet aggregation and degranulation by two nitrovasodilators, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1; the active metabolite of molsidomine), with particular reference to the synergistic interaction of these drugs with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). Changes in platelet cyclic [3H]GMP and cyclic [3H]AMP were measured by rapid and sensitive prelabeling techniques, the validity of which were confirmed by radioimmunoassays. Incubation of the platelets with 0.1 to 10 microM SNP alone for 0.5 min caused progressively greater inhibitions of platelet function associated with large dose-dependent increases in cyclic [3H]GMP and 1.4- to 3.0-fold increases in cyclic [3H]AMP. However, addition of SNP with the adenylate cyclase activator, PGE1, at a concentration of the latter that had little effect alone, caused much larger increases in cyclic [3H]AMP and greatly enhanced the inhibition of platelet aggregation. SIN-1 had effects similar to those of SNP, although it was less active. The adenylate cyclase inhibitor 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine (DDA) diminished the increases in cyclic [3H]AMP caused by SNP or SIN-1 in both the presence and absence of PGE1 but reduced the inhibition of platelet function caused by the nitrovasodilators only in the presence of PGE1. These results suggest that, although cyclic GMP may mediate the inhibition of rabbit platelet function by high concentrations of nitrovasodilators added alone, the synergistic interaction of lower concentrations with PGE1 depends on an enhanced accumulation of cyclic AMP. Synergistic effects on cyclic [3H]AMP accumulation were also observed on incubation of platelets with SNP and adenosine, another activator of adenylate cyclase. Hemoglobin, which binds nitric oxide, blocked or reversed the increases in both cyclic [3H]GMP and cyclic [3H]AMP in platelets caused by the nitrovasodilators added either alone or with PGE1. Cilostamide, a selective inhibitor of platelet low Km cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, had effects on platelet cyclic [3H]AMP accumulation identical to those of SNP, suggesting that the action of the latter depends on inhibition of the same enzyme. MB this relationship was not affected by addition of M&B 22,948. The results strongly suggest that the increases in platelet cyclic [3H]AMP caused by nitrovasodilators in the presence or absence of activators of adenylate cyclase are mediated by the inhibition by cyclic GMP of cyclic AMP breakdown.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Characterization and Distribution of Binding Sites for the Hypothalamic Peptide, Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide

Abstract: A novel bioactive peptide was recently isolated from ovine hypothalamus and was named PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide). PACAP was present in two bioactive, amidated forms, PACAP27 and PACAP38 (27 and 38 amino acids, respectively), and showed a 68% sequence homology with vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the Nterminal 28 residues. PACAP38 was at least 1000 times more potent than VIP in stimulating adenylate cyclase in pituitary cells, but both peptides exhibited comparable vasodepressor activity. Thus, we sought to determine whether PACAP acts on specific binding sites in the anterior pituitary or other tissues and whether these binding sites are different from those of VIP. Binding of [125I] PACAP27 to freshly prepared rat anterior pituitary membranes in the presence and absence of 212 nM unlabeled PACAP27 was specific, saturable, and more rapid at 22 C than at 4 C. Scatchard analysis of this binding site using increasing doses of unlabeled PACAP27 revealed a single high aff...

Delta-opioid-receptor-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase is transduced specifically by the guanine-nucleotide-binding protein Gi2.

Abstract: Mouse neuroblastoma x rat glioma hybrid cells (NG108-15) express an opioid receptor of the delta subclass which both stimulates high-affinity GTPase activity and inhibits adenylate cyclase by interacting with a pertussis-toxin-sensitive guanine-nucleotide-binding protein(s) (G-protein). Four such G-proteins have now been identified without photoreceptor-containing tissues. We have generated anti-peptide antisera against synthetic peptides which correspond to the C-terminal decapeptides of the alpha-subunit of each of these G-proteins and also to the stimulatory G-protein of the adenylate cyclase cascade (Gs). Using these antisera, we demonstrate the expression of three pertussis-toxin-sensitive G-proteins in these cells, which correspond to the products of the Gi2, Gi3 and Go genes, as well as Gs. Gi1, however, is not expressed in detectable amounts. IgG fractions from each of these antisera and from normal rabbit serum were used to attempt to interfere with the interaction of the opioid receptor with the G-protein system by assessing ligand stimulation of high-affinity GTPase activity, inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity and conversion of the receptor to a state which displays reduced affinity for agonists. The IgG fraction from the antiserum (AS7) which specifically identifies Gi2 in these cells attenuated the effects of the opioid receptor. This effect was complete and was not mimicked by any of the other antisera. We conclude that the delta-opioid receptor of these cells interacts directly and specifically with Gi2 to cause inhibition of adenylate cyclase, and that Gi2 represents the true Gi of the adenylate cyclase cascade. The ability to measure alterations in agonist affinity for receptors following the use of specific antisera against a range of G-proteins implies that such techniques should be applicable to investigations of the molecular identity of the G-protein(s) which interacts with any receptor.

Haem‐Dependent Activation of Guanylate Cyclase and Cyclic GMP Formation by Endogenous Nitric Oxide: A Unique Transduction Mechanism for Transcellular Signaling

Abstract: The interaction between nitric oxide (NO) synthesized in one cell and the haem group of cytosolic guanylate cyclase located in target cells to form NO-haem-guanylate cyclase represents a unique signal transduction mechanism that links extracellular stimuli to the synthesis of cyclic GMP in nearby target cells. Autacoids, neurotransmitters, and macrophage- and neutrophil-activating factors interact with selective extracellular receptors to trigger formation of NO from L-arginine. NO may be viewed as a second messenger. The NO diffuses into adjacent target cells and causes haem-dependent activation of guanylate cyclase, thereby stimulating cyclic GMP accumulation. Guanylate cyclase-bound haem serves as a transducer in transferring the signal from NO to guanylate cyclase. Cyclic GMP acts as a third messenger in causing vascular smooth muscle relaxation, inhibition of platelet aggregation and adhesion, and modulation of macrophage, neutrophil, and other phagocytic cell functions. The unique physical and chemical properties of NO allow it to function as an intercellular modulator within a localized environment. This intercellular or transcellular signaling mechanism involving a common signal transduction mechanism permits the rapid initiation of localized complementary cellular functions leading to increased local blood flow, inhibition of local thrombosis, and modulation of phagocytosis and cytotoxicity.

Mechanism of cytokine inhibition of beta-adrenergic agonist stimulation of cyclic AMP in rat cardiac myocytes. Impairment of signal transduction.

Abstract: Studies conducted in our laboratory have demonstrated that activated immune cells produce a soluble inhibitor(s) of cardiac myocyte contractile and cyclic AMP (cAMP) responses to beta-adrenergic stimulation. To examine the mechanism of this effect, metabolic assays were conducted on cultured rat cardiac myocytes incubated in the presence and absence of supernatants harvested from rat activated splenocyte cultures. Intracellular cAMP accumulation in response to isoproterenol was inhibited by up to 74% in a dose-dependent fashion by conditioned media containing soluble cytokines from activated immune cells. By use of myocyte cultures in which contaminating nonmyocyte proliferation was inhibited by nonlethal irradiation, this phenomenon was shown to be independent of mitogenic effects. Isobutylmethylxanthine, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, did not ablate cytokine-induced inhibition of cAMP accumulation. Parameters of beta-adrenergic receptor binding and affinity were also unaffected. cAMP suppression was maintained after cholera toxin stimulation of cAMP production via stimulatory G protein ADP-ribosylation. cAMP inhibition was not apparent when cells were stimulated with forskolin, a direct adenylate cyclase activator. Importantly, pertussis toxin treatment significantly ablated cytokine-induced cAMP inhibition. Thus, interference with agonist-occupied beta-adrenergic receptor coupling to adenylate cyclase to produce cAMP and subsequent contractile responses is induced by a factor(s) elaborated by activated immune cells. This interference occurs at the level of signal transduction across the membrane, can be overridden by pertussis toxin, and may involve changes in the coupling of the stimulatory/inhibitory G proteins to adenylate cyclase. These results demonstrate a novel mechanism of cytokine-induced myocyte dysfunction and may have important pathophysiological ramifications in immune-mediated myocardial diseases.

Ethanol and guanine nucleotide binding proteins: a selective interaction.

Abstract: Guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) play key roles in signal transduction, including the coupling of hormone and neurotransmitter receptors to adenylate cyclase, ion channels, and polyphosphoinositide metabolism. One member of this family of proteins, Gs, appears to represent a specific site of action of ethanol in the central nervous system. Ethanol is often perceived as a nonspecific drug, and its anesthetic effects may in fact arise from relatively nonspecific interactions with cell membrane lipids. However, recent investigations point to a selective effect of low concentrations of ethanol to promote the activation of Gs, and thus to enhance adenylate cyclase activity. Ethanol seems to have little or no effect on the function of other identified G proteins. After chronic ingestion of ethanol by animals, or chronic exposure of cells in culture to ethanol, the sensitivity of adenylate cyclase to stimulation by guanine nucleotides and agonists that act via Gs is decreased. The mechanism of th...

The function of ras genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes the function of RAS genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the components of the pathway in which it acts. Yeast RAS proteins share considerable homology with the mammalian RAS proteins. A short sequence including an invariant cysteine residue is always found at the carboxyl end of all RAS proteins. Deletion of either RAS1 or RAS2 alone has no deleterious effects on the growth of yeast strains in rich media, while deletion of both the genes is lethal. This shows that RAS1 and RAS2 are functionally interchangeable for growth in rich medium. Purified adenylate cyclase can be stimulated by purified RAS protein in vitro. The purified RAS2 protein can be phosphorylated in vitro by mammalian A kinase and the phosphorylated RAS protein is ∼2-fold less active in stimulating adenylate cyclase in vitro than is dephosphorylated protein. In addition, both RAS1 and RAS2 proteins are phosphorylated in vivo.

Pharmacological characterization of 5-hydroxytryptamine4(5-HT4) receptors positively coupled to adenylate cyclase in adult guinea pig hippocampal membranes: effect of substituted benzamide derivatives.

Abstract: Adult guinea pig hippocampal membranes contain two 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors positively coupled with an adenylate cyclase. One is a typical 5-HT1A receptor and the second is a nonclassical 5-HT receptor that we previously proposed to call 5-HT4. Here, we show that 4-amino-5-chlor-2-methoxy-benzamide derivatives are agonists of 5-HT4 receptors in guinea pig hippocampal membranes. Their effects on the adenylate cyclase of these membranes are not additive with those of 5-HT but are additive with those of RU 24969, a typical 5-HT1 agonist. The effects of benzamides, as well as those of 5-HT, on 5-HT4 receptors are not blocked by 5-HT1, 5-HT2, or 5-HT3 antagonists except ICS 205 903, which does so with a low affinity (1 microM). The potency of benzamides (cisapride greater than BRL 24924 greater than zacopride greater than BRL 20627 greater than metoclopramide) is similar to their effect of 5-HT4 receptors positively coupled with an adenylate cyclase of fetal mouse colliculi neurons.

Delineation of muscarinic receptor domains conferring selectivity of coupling to guanine nucleotide-binding proteins and second messengers.

Abstract: The cloning and functional expression of five mammalian muscarinic acetylcholine receptor genes (m1-m5) has revealed that m1, m3, and m5 primarily couple to stimulation of phosphoinositide (PI) turnover, whereas m2 and m4 are strongly linked to inhibition of adenylate cyclase, albeit not exclusively. To identify the structural domains responsible for this functional specificity, cDNAs encoding chimeric m2/m3 receptors were constructed. The abilities of these receptors to mediate stimulation of PI hydrolysis and inhibition of prostaglandin E2-stimulated cAMP accumulation, as well as the pertussis toxin (PTX) sensitivity of these responses, were examined after stable expression in mouse A9 L cells. Substitution of the putative third cytoplasmic loop (i3) of m2 with the corresponding m3 sequence resulted in a chimeric receptor that, similar to m3, stimulated PI breakdown by a PTX-insensitive mechanism but did not inhibit adenylate cyclase. Conversely, a chimeric m3 receptor containing the i3 domain of m2 showed the same functional profile as m2 (i.e., inhibition of adenylate cyclase and weak stimulation of PI turnover by a PTX-sensitive mechanism), indicating that the i3 loop is sufficient to determine coupling selectivity. Similarly, exchange of a short N-terminal segment of i3 (16 or 17 amino acids) between m2 and m3 resulted in chimeric receptors that gained the ability to mediate the functional responses of the wild-type receptor from which the segment was derived, although with substantially reduced efficiency. However, the chimeric m2 receptor containing the 17-amino acid m3 sequence in the N-terminal portion of i3 retained its ability to inhibit adenylate cyclase. Carbachol binding studies involving the use of the GTP analog 59-guanylyl imidodiphosphate and PTX-pretreated cells generally correlated well with the functional findings. Our data indicate that the N-terminal portion of i3 is a sufficient but not the exclusive determinant of coupling selectivity displayed by the various muscarinic receptors.

Deletions affecting hemolytic and toxin activities of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase.

Abstract: The Bordetella pertussis cyaA gene encodes a virulence factor which is a bifunctional protein exhibiting calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase and hemolytic activities (P. Glaser, H. Sakamoto, J. Bellahov, A. Ullmann, and A. Danchin, EMBO J. 7:3997-4004, 1988). We characterized the hemolytic and toxin activities of the 200-kilodalton (kDa) bifunctional (CyaA) protein and showed that, whether cell associated or secreted, the 200-kDa CyaA protein carries hemolytic and toxin functions. The catalytically active 45-kDa form of adenylate cyclase released by proteolytic digestion of the 200-kDa CyaA protein displayed neither hemolytic nor toxin activities. We constructed in-phase deletions in the 39 region of the cyaA gene, which presumably carries the hemolytic determinant, and showed that the resulting proteins exhibited wild-type adenylate cyclase activity and were secreted without processing into culture supernatants. The hemolytic activities of these mutant CyaA proteins were severely reduced, and their toxin activities were abolished. These results suggest that the structural integrity of the 200-kDa CyaA protein is necessary for toxin activity and that distinct structural determinants within the CyaA protein are involved in secretion, pore formation, and entry into target cells. Images

Leucine-rich repeats and carboxyl terminus are required for interaction of yeast adenylate cyclase with RAS proteins.

Abstract: A Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene encoding adenylate cyclase has been analyzed by deletion and insertion mutagenesis to localize regions required for activation by the Sa. cerevisiae RAS2 protein. The NH2-terminal 657 amino acids were found to be dispensable for the activation. However, almost all 2-amino acid insertions in the middle 600 residues comprising leucine-rich repeats and deletions in the COOH-terminal 66 residues completely abolished activation by the RAS2 protein, whereas insertion mutations in the other regions generally had no effect. Chimeric adenylate cyclases were constructed by swapping the upstream and downstream portions surrounding the catalytic domains between the Sa. cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe adenylate cyclases and examined for activation by the RAS2 protein. We found that the fusion containing both the NH2-terminal 1600 residues and the COOH-terminal 66 residues of the Sa. cerevisiae cyclase rendered the catalytic domain of the Sc. pombe cyclase, which otherwise did not respond to RAS proteins, activatable by the RAS2 protein. Thus the leucine-rich repeats and the COOH terminus of the Sa. cerevisiae adenylate cyclase appear to be required for interaction with RAS proteins.

Differential coupling of subtypes of the muscarinic receptor to adenylate cyclase and phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the longitudinal muscle of the rat ileum

Abstract: The binding affinities of selective muscarinic antagonists were compared with their ability to block receptor-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase and stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the longitudinal muscle of the rat ileum. When measured by competitive inhibition of the binding of N-[3H]methylscopolamine, the binding properties of selective muscarinic antagonists were consistent with a two-site model. Approximately 84% of the binding sites (major sites) had high affinity for the M2-selective antagonists methoctramine and AF-DX 116 (11[[2-[(diethylamino)methyl]-1- piperidinyl]acetyl]-5,11-dihydro-6H-pyrido [2,3-b][1,4]benzodiazepine-6-one), whereas the remainder of the sites (minor sites) had high affinity for hexahydrosiladifenidol and its para-fluoro derivative. There was good agreement between the estimates of the dissociation constants of muscarinic antagonists for the major binding site and those measured by antagonism of the adenylate cyclase response. There was also good agreement between the dissociation constants of muscarinic antagonists for the minor binding site and those measured by antagonism of the phosphoinositide response and the contractile response. Our data indicate that there are at least two types of muscarinic receptors in the longitudinal muscle of the ileum, the more abundant being an M2 receptor, which mediates an inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity, and the less abundant being an M3 receptor, which triggers contraction and phosphoinositide hydrolysis.

Purification and characterization of an inducible sesquiterpene cyclase from elicitor-treated tobacco cell suspension cultures

Abstract: An elicitor-inducible sesquiterpene cyclase, which catalyzes the conversion of farnesyl diphosphate to 5-epi-aristolochene (IM Whitehead, DR Threlfall, DF Ewing [1989] Phytochemistry 28:775-779) and representing a committed step in the phytoalexin biosynthetic pathway in tobacco, was purified by a combination of hydrophobic interaction, anion exchange, hydroxylapatite, and chromatofocusing chromatography. From 2 kilograms of elicited tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cells, approximately 500 micrograms of cyclase protein was purified, representing greater than a 130-fold increase in the specific activity of the enzyme and a 4% recovery of the starting activity. The purified enzyme resolved as two major polypeptides of 60 and 62 kilodaltons by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Biochemical characterization of the enzyme activity included an absolute requirement for magnesium, an isoelectric point of 4.5 to 4.9, and a Km for farnesyl diphosphate of 2 to 5 micromolar. The purified cyclase protein was used to generate mouse polyclonal antibodies which efficiently inhibited cyclase activity in an in vitro assay. Electrophoresis of extracts from elicitor-treated cells or purified cyclase enzyme on native polyacrylamide gels separated the cyclase enzyme into four polypeptides as shown by immunoblot analysis using poly- and monoclonal antibodies. Proportionate cyclase enzyme activity comigrated with those polypeptides. No cyclase polypeptides were detectable in extracts of control cells by immunoblot analysis. However, immunoblot analysis of proteins from elicitor-treated cells using four independent monoclonal antibody lines and the polyclonal antibodies detected the same polypeptides, regardless of whether the proteins were separated by native or SDS-PAGE. The results suggest an induction of multiple cyclase polypeptides in elicitor-treated cells resulting from either the expression of multiple genes or multiple post-translational processing events.

Beta-carotene induces morphological differentiation and decreases adenylate cyclase activity in melanoma cells in culture.

Abstract: Several studies suggest that beta-carotene reduces the risk of some cancers. Except for its function as an antioxidant, the effect of this vitamin on mammalian cells remains poorly defined. This study was performed to show whether beta-carotene treatment of murine B-16 melanoma cells in culture induces differentiation and alters the adenylate cyclase (AC) system. The AC system mediates the action of agents which regulate cell differentiation and transformation. Results showed that beta-carotene treatment for a period of 24 hours or more caused morphological differentiation without changing the level of melanin, and reduced basal and melanocyte-stimulated hormone (MSH)-, sodium fluoride (NaF)-, and forskolin-stimulated AC activity in vitro. Retinol, a metabolite of beta-carotene, inhibited growth without morphological differentiation and reduced basal and MSH- and NaF-stimulated AC activity. However, butylated hydroxyanisole, a lipid-soluble antioxidant, also reduced growth without morphological differenti...

Guanylate cyclase from bovine rod outer segments: solubilization, partial purification, and regulation by inorganic pyrophosphate.

Abstract: In spite of its pivotal role in visual transduction, very little is known about guanylate cyclase of retinal photoreceptor cells. The enzyme has not yet been purified principally because of the difficulty in solubilizing it. We report here a simple method for solubilization of 67% of the cyclase activity from the retinal rod disk membranes (RDM). With Nonidet P-40 as detergent, the solubilization of cyclase is favored by a high concentration of KCl and exclusion of manganese. The solubilized and the residual insoluble enzymes are both highly unstable but could be partially stabilized by dithiothreitol. They were both insensitive to calcium, calmodulin, and atrial natriuretic factor. They also responded similarly to varying the manganese concentration in the assay. For the activity in both fractions, the Km for GTP was about 230 microM, Line-weaver-Burk plots showed that substrate binding was cooperative, and Hill plots suggested that there are two substrate binding sites. Cumulatively, these observations showed that while the entire activity could not be solubilized, the solubilized and the residual insoluble activities probably belonged to the same enzyme. Partial purification resolved the solubilized enzyme into two activities refered to as enzymes 1 and 2. Both had substrate saturation kinetics similar to the solubilized enzyme and were inhibited competitively by inorganic pyrophosphate, one of the products of the cyclase reaction. The Ki for PPi for enzyme 1 was 70-100 microM and 150-200 microM for enzyme 2. cGMP at concentrations up to 800 microM had no influence on the activity of either enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Olfactory transduction : cross-talk between second-Messenger systems

Abstract: Chemosensory cilia of olfactory receptor neurons contain an adenylate cyclase which is stimulated by high concentrations of odorants. Cyclic AMP produced by this enzyme has been proposed to act as second messenger in olfactory transduction. Here we report that olfactory cilia contain calmodulin and that calmodulin potently activates olfactory adenylate cyclase by a mechanism additive to and independent from direct stimulation by odorants. Activation by calmodulin is calcium dependent and enhanced by GTP. Thus, olfactory transduction may involve a second-messenger cascade in which an odorant-induced increase in intracellular calcium concentration leads to activation of adenylate cyclase by calmodulin.

Induction of oligodendrocyte differentiation by activators of adenylate cyclase.

Abstract: Oligodendrocyte differentiation is accelerated by analogs of cyclic AMP (cAMP), such as N6,2-'O-dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (dbcAMP) or 8-bromo cAMP, in developing rat glial cell cultures (Raible and McMorris, 1989). However, it is not known whether the immature developing oligodendrocytes have G protein-coupled adenylate cyclase capable of generating cAMP, as would be required if development of the cells is normally regulated by endogenous cAMP. In the present study, we demonstrate that the diterpene forskolin, a potent activator of adenylate cyclase, or cholera toxin, which activates adenylate cyclase through G protein modification, can induce a precocious increase in oligodendrocyte number. When both forskolin and cholera toxin are added together, oligodendrocyte differentiation is induced to a level similar to that observed in response to cAMP analogs. These results establish for the first time that modulation of the endogenous cAMP regulatory system alters the schedule of oligodendrocyte differentiation.