Alpha 2-adrenergic receptors regulate generation of cyclic AMP in the pineal gland, but not in cerebral cortex of chick.

A beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline potently stimulated cyclic AMP formation in chick cerebral cortical slices. L-Noradrenaline (10-1000 microM) also increased cortical nucleotide synthesis, the effect being antagonized by beta-adrenoceptor blocker propranolol, and not affected by alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor blockers, prazosin and yohimbine, respectively. Clonidine, a selective alpha 2-agonist, had no effect on cerebral cyclic AMP production stimulated by both isoprenaline and forskolin. However, clonidine (0.001-10 microM) concentration-dependently suppressed forskolin-driven cyclic AMP synthesis in intact chick pineal glands. In living chicks clonidine suppressed the nocturnal activity of cyclic AMP-dependent serotonin N-acetyltransferase, a rate-limiting enzyme in melatonin biosynthesis, the effect being prevented by yohimbine. The data suggest that the cyclic AMP generating system of the pineal gland, but not that of cerebral cortex in chick, is negatively regulated by alpha 2-adrenergic receptor-mediated signal.