Stimulatory and inhibitory effects of protein kinase C activation and calcium ionophore on cultured pig Leydig cells
Authors: BERNIER Michel , CLERGET Magali , BERTHELON Marie‐Claude , SAEZ José M. 
Published: March 2005

The acute and the long‐term (24 h) effects of protein kinase C activators, phorbol 12 myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) and 1‐olcoyl‐2‐acetyl‐sn‐glycerol, and the calcium ionophore A23187 on cultured pig Leydig cell functions were investigated. None of these drugs modified basal cAMP production, but they induced a small (3–4‐fold) increase in testosterone secretion. The stimulatory effects of human choriogonadotropin (hCG; 1 nM) on both cAMP and testosterone productions were inhibited by short‐term incubation with these drugs. In addition, they suppressed the stimulation of testosterone output by forskolin and 8‐bromo‐adenosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate, whereas the forskolin‐dependent cAMP production was unaffected. The inhibitory effects of PMA on hCG stimulation of both cAMP and testosterone were due mainly to a decrease of the Vmax without modification of the ED50. Moreover, PMA did not modify the binding of 125I‐hCG. Pretreatment of Leydig cells with the three drugs for 24 h induced more pronounced modifications, such as a reduction in the number of hCG binding sites and a decreased responsiveness to hCG and forskolin, the testosterone production being drastically reduced. The effects of PMA were dose‐ and time‐dependent; however, the concentration of PMA required to induce half‐maximal effects on hCG receptors (10 nM) was about one order of magnitude higher than those required to reduce cAMP and testosterone productions. Further, the inhibitory effects on cAMP and testosterone secretions appeared within the first 3 h, whereas the hCG receptor number remained constant for at least 8 h. It appears therefore, that the main alteration responsible for the steroidogenic refractoriness of PMA‐treated Leydig cells is located beyond cAMP formation. Moreover, since conversion of exogenous pregnenolone to testosterone by control and PMA‐treated cells was similar, the alteration was probably located before pregnenolone formation. Kinetic studies with 125I‐hCG showed that the rate of internalization of the hormone‐receptor complexes was similar in control cells and in PMA‐treated cells, suggesting that the decline in receptor number observed in the latter group after an 8‐h delay is not due to an increased rate of internalization nor to sequestration of the internalized receptors inside the cells. Since cycloheximide blocked the effects of PMA on hCG down‐regulation, it is likely that the phorbol esters and 1‐oleoyl‐2‐acetyl‐sn‐glycerol induce the synthesis of some proteins which blocked the recycling of internalized receptors. A similar hypothesis has been put forward recently to explain the hCG‐induced down regulation. Taken together, these results indicate that activation of protein kinase C probably plays a minor role in the acute regulation of testosterone secretion by pig Leydig cells. However, protein kinase C, as well as cAMP‐dependent protein kinase activation, might play a role in the regulation of Leydig cell responsiveness to luteinizing hormone/human choriogonadotrophin.