Cholera toxin can ADP-ribosylate Gs as well as Gi in ACTH-unresponsive human adrenocortical cancer.

It is well known that cholera toxin (CT) stimulates ADP-ribosylation of Gs and also pertussis toxin (PT) does Gi. Each GTP-binding protein has its own action in the regulation of adenylate cyclase. A human non-functioning adrenocortical cancer tissue showed an unresponsiveness in adenylate cyclase to ACTH although ACTH and CT activated adenylate cyclase in a non-functioning adrenal adenoma tissue. CT ADP-ribosylated 40kDa protein of the plasma membrane of the cancer tissue while CT and PT could ADP-ribosylate 43kDa and 38kDa protein in the adenoma tissue, respectively. Immunoblotting analysis of the cancer tissue demonstrated that 40kDa protein was detected by anti-Gs antibody as well as by anti-Gi antibody. The present experiments demonstrated that CT could ADP-ribosylate Gs which has stimulatory action on adenylate cyclase and also Gi which inhibits adenylate cyclase. Thus it is suggested that CT can activate the ADP-ribosylation of Gs and also Gi in a human adrenocortical cancer tissue, partly resulting in abnormal regulation of adenylate cyclase which may be crossly related to ACTH-unresponsiveness.