Activation of two signal-transduction systems in hepatocytes by glucagon

Abstract

The ability of glucagon to stimulate glycogen breakdown in liver played a key part in the classic identification of cyclic AMP and hormonally stimulated adenylate cyclase¹. But several observations indicate that glucagon can exert effects independent of elevating intracellular cAMP concentrations^2–7. These effects are probably mediated by an elevation^8,9 of the intracellular concentration of free Ca²⁺ although the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. We show here that glucagon, at the low concentrations found physiologically, causes both a breakdown of inositol phospholipids and the production of inositol phosphates. Indeed, we show that the glucagon analogue, (1-N-α-trinitrophenylhistidine,12-homo-arginine)glucagon (TH-glucagon), which does not activate adenylate cyclase or cause any increase in cAMP in hepatocytes yet can fully stimulate glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis and urea synthesis¹⁰, stimulates the production of inositol phosphates. This stimulation of inositol phospholipid metabolism by low concentrations of glucagon provides a mechanism^11,12 whereby glucagon can exert cAMP-independent actions on target cells. We suggest that hepatocytes possess two distinct receptors for glucagon, a GR-1 receptor coupled to stimulate inositol phospholipid breakdown and a GR-2 receptor coupled to stimulate adenylate cyclase activity.