A method involving centrifugal elutriation followed by density gradient centrifugation and incubation with a macrophage monoclonal antibody has been investigated to separate and characterize Leydig cells and macrophages from adult rat testes. After dispersion of the testes with collagenase, the isolated interstitial cells were found to contain 18% Leydig cells and 12% macrophages. These cells were then separated by centrifugal elutriation into eight fractions (F1-F8) (9 to 74 ml/min at 386 g). Each of these fractions was then further purified by density gradient centrifugation on 0-90% Percoll gradients. After centrifugal elutriation, the macrophages were mainly eluted in the first three fractions (F1-F3), whereas the Leydig cell percentage increased in each fraction with increasing flow rate. After further purification of each fraction on Percoll gradients, high percentages of macrophages (11-20%) were found in fractions F1-F3 (average density 1.045 g/ml), containing 11-37% Leydig cells. Less than 3% of the cells in fraction F4-F8 (average density 1.075 g/ml) were macrophages and more than 95% were Leydig cells. Heterogeneity of Leydig cells with respect to sedimentation velocities and function was found. Leydig cells from elutriated- and Percoll-purified fractions F4-F8 were heterogeneous with respect to testosterone and cyclic AMP (cAMP) production but showed a similar binding capacity for 125I-labelled human chorionic gonadotrophin. Leydig cells with the highest sedimentation velocity (35.7 mm/h.g) from fractions F7 and F8 were approximately twofold more responsive to LH (3.3 nmol/l) with respect to testosterone and cAMP production compared with Leydig cells with the lowest sedimentation velocity (20.7 mm/h.g).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The homologous and heterologous desensitization of rat Leydig-tumour-cell adenylate cyclase induced by lutropin (LH) was characterized with the aid of forskolin and cholera toxin. Forskolin stimulated cyclic AMP production in a dose-dependent manner, with linear kinetics up to 2h. Forskolin also potentiated the action of LH on cyclic AMP production, but was only additive with cholera toxin. Preincubation of rat Leydig tumour cells with LH (1.0 micrograms/ml) for 1 h produced a desensitization of the subsequent LH (1.0 micrograms/ml)-stimulated cyclic AMP production, whereas the responses to cholera toxin (5.0 micrograms/ml), forskolin (100 microM), LH plus forskolin or cholera toxin plus forskolin were unaltered. In contrast, preincubation with LH for 20h produced a desensitization to all the stimuli tested. When rat Leydig tumour cells were preincubated for 1h with forskolin or dibutyryl cyclic AMP, the only subsequent response that was significantly altered was that to LH plus forskolin after preincubation with forskolin. However, preincubation for 20h with forskolin or dibutyryl cyclic AMP induced a desensitization to all stimuli subsequently tested. LH produced a rapid (0-1h) homologous desensitization, which was followed by a slower (2-8h)-onset heterologous desensitization. Forskolin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP were only able to induce heterologous desensitization. The rate of desensitization induced by either forskolin or dibutyryl cyclic AMP was similar to the rate of heterologous desensitization induced by LH. These results demonstrate that in purified rat Leydig tumour cells LH produces an initial homologous desensitization of adenylate cyclase that involves a cyclic AMP-independent lesion at or proximal to the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (G-protein). This is followed by heterologous desensitization, which can also be induced by forskolin or dibutyryl cyclic AMP, thus indicating that LH-induced heterologous desensitization of rat Leydig-tumour-cell adenylate cyclase involves a cyclic AMP-dependent lesion that is after the G-protein.

No abstract