Decreased activity of adrenal S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase in rats subjected to dopamine agonists, metabolic stress, or bodily immobilization

The activity of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAM-DC) has been measured in the adrenal gland of rats given treatments that are known to result in increased activity of ornithine decarboxylase in this organ. In contrast to the effects of the dopamine agonists piribedil and apomorphine on the latter enzyme, the administration of these drugs caused decreases of SAM-DC in both parts of the gland. After piribedil the activity decreased rapidly to a minimum at 2-4 h, with recovery by 6 h. The stress of immobilization or the administration of insulin or 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) also decreased adrenal SAM-DC activity. The results contrast with those observed in other rat tissues where SAM-DC is generally induced by treatments that induce ornithine decarboxylase. Denervation of the adrenal gland did not clearly affect the reduction in adrenomedullary SAM-DC after 2-DG. Hypophysectomy resulted in reduced SAM-DC activity in both adrenal medulla and cortex; the activity could be restored by giving the animals 2 IU ACTH daily for 4 days. These changes in activity were parallelled by changes in immunoreactive protein. 2-DG did not decrease SAM-DC in hypophysectomized rats receiving maintenance ACTH dosage. This indicates the presence of hormonal control over the activity of SAM-DC in the adrenal medulla and cortex. Acute administration of an additional 10 IU ACTH to hypophysectomized rats on maintenance dosage of ACTH resulted in decreased SAM-DC activity in both adrenal medulla and cortex. These decreases were not abolished by inhibition of corticosteroid synthesis with metopirone. PRL and GH had no significant effect on adrenal SAM-DC activity of hypophysectomized rats. The reduction of SAM-DC activity in both parts of the gland of hypophysectomized rats with administration of (Bu)2cAMP suggests that cAMP may mediate the decreases in SAM-DC caused by the above treatments.     

Nature of the increase in renal ornithine decarboxylase activity after cycloheximide administration in the rat.

The present study was designed to determine whether the increase in rat renal ornithine decarboxylase (L-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) activity after cycloheximide administration was a primary effect on the kidney or was a secondary effect of adrenal or pituitary hormones released in response to the drug. Renal ornithine decarboxylase activity was reduced approximately 70% 1 hr after intraperitoneal administration of doses of cycloheximide that also inhibited renal protein synthesis by 68-95% within 1 hr. Protein synthesis began to recover by the second hour, accompanied by a rise in decarboxylase activity that reached a peak about six times greater than pretreatment values at 8 hr, then gradually declined to preinjection levels by 16 hr. Peak ornithine decarboxylase activity was directly proportional to cycloheximide doses up to 250 mug; larger doses, which almost abolished protein synthesis for 8 hr, where inhibitory. Plasma corticosterone rose rapidly after cycloheximide, reached a peak at 2 hr, then fell to baseline by 8 hr. Corticosterone response was also dose-dependent up to 250 mug, but larger doses were inhibitorymadrenalectomy did not reduce decarboxylase activity response to cycloheximide, nor did cortisol administration enhance it. Hypophysectomy greatly reduced baseline renal decarboxylase activity within 9 hr and all but abolished the increase in enzyme activity normally seen after cycloheximide administration to the intact rat. The hypophysectomized animal exhibited apparent increased sensitivity to cycloheximide, since a smaller dose of the drug caused a reduction in renal protein synthesis similar to that seen with a larger dose in the intact rat. As protein synthesis was recovering in the hypophysectomized animals, renal decarboxylase activity responded adequately to the injection of a crude pituitary extract. These data suggest that renal ornithine decarboxylase turnover is rapid, that baseline activity is.maintained by new protein synthesis, and that the increase in renal enzyme activity after cycloheximide is in larger part dependent upon pituitary hormone action.     

In vivo hormonal induction of ornithine decarboxylase in rat kidney.

Single pharmacological doses of parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, vasopressin, d-aldosterone, or L-triiodothyronine produced a significant increase in the ornithine decarboxylase activity of rat kidney. The activity of kidney ornithine decarboxylase was also enhanced by other hormones, such as pentagastrin and serotonin, which, although they are not known to modify kidney physiology, are secreted by cells having close relationships to the calcitonin-secreting parafollicular cells. The induction of the enzyme was observed in hypophysectomized rats, with or without some other hormone-secreting glands remaining. However, the magnitude of the stimulation elicited by the hormones was somewhat diminished in animals still having the endocrine gland whose hormone was being tested. The maximal stimulation of kidney ornithine decarboxylase activity by parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, vasopressin, L-triiodothyronine, pentagastrin, and serotonin occurred at 4 h after the hormone injection. The enhancement in ornithine decarboxylase activity produced by d-aldosterone was maximal at 3 h after the injection of the hormone. The content of ornithine in the kidney was found to be virtually unchanged whatever the type of hormone treatment. No statistically significant increases in renal ornithine decarboxylase activity of hypophysectomized animals were observed after injection of melatonin or of vitamin D3. Since the stimulating hormones possess clearly different mechanisms of action, the role of cyclic AMP as a general mediator of ornithine decarboxylase induction is questioned.     

Hormonal regulation of renal ornithine decarboxylase activity in the rat.

The regulation of the activity of the renal enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (L-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) was examined in the rat. In the intact animal adapted to a light/dark cycle of 14 hours and 10 hours, respectively, the level of renal ornithine decarboxylase activity was rhythmical and paralleled the diurnal rhythm in plasma corticosteroid concentration. Renal ornithine decarboxylase activity and plasma corticosterone were highest during the early hours of darkness and lowest during the hours of light. Following hypophysectomy, the level of renal ornithine decarboxylase activity declined rapidly and remained low and without a demonstrable diurnal rhythm. When pituitary hormone levels were temporarily restored in the hypophysectomized rat by the injection of pituitary extract, renal ornithine decarboxylase activity increased rapidly, reached a peak within 8 hours, and returned toward pre-injection levels by 12 hours. Exogenous growth hormone, ACTH and cortisol each increased renal ornithine decarboxylase activity in the hypophysectomized rat, with the highest levels of activity being achieved with growth hormone. Other pituitary hormones (FSH, LH, TSH and prolactin) were ineffective. After bilateral adrenalectomy, renal ornithine decarboxylase activity retained a rhythmical pattern similar to that observed in the intact rat, but the levels were increased. Growth hormone and cortisol increased renal ornitine decarboxylase activity in the adrenalectomized-hypophysectomized animal to the same extent as in the hypophysectomized animal, but ACTH was almost totally ineffective. These data suggest that the pituitary plays a major role in the regulation of renal ornithine decarboxylase activity in the rat, primarily through the rhythmical secretion of growth hormone and ACTH.     

Effect of hypophysectomy on cyclic 3',5'-nucleotidemetabolizing enzymes in the rat thyroid gland

Adenylate cyclase and cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activities in the thyroid gland were significantly reduced after hypophysectomy, followed by a gradual restoration of the enzyme activities to the levels seen in sham-operated rats whereas a slight and persistent reduction was evident in guanylate cyclase and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activities in the same tissue. These changes in enzyme activities were restored by TSH administration but not by ACTH. The recovery of activity produced by TSH administration was inhibited by cycloheximide. Hypophysectomy, or TSH and cycloheximide administration, did not produce any significant changes in the concentrations of calmodulin, suggesting that the alteration of these enzyme activities is not induced by a decrease in the concentration of calmodulin. Since forskolin activation of adenylate cyclase did not restore the reduced activity in the hypophysectomized rat thyroid to the level found in the sham-operated control rat thyroid, we conclude that there is a reduction of the amount of enzyme after hypophysectomy rather than a change of the active site on adenylate cyclase. The spontaneous restoration of adenylate cyclase and cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activities after hypophysectomy implies that cyclic AMP-metabolizing enzymes are responsive to an autoregulatory mechanism in thyroid follicular cells.     

Adrenal steroidogenic actions of cyclic nucleotide derivatives in the rat.

Fifteen 3',5'-cyclic nucleotides and related compounds were studied for ability to mimic the steroidogenic action of ACTH in rats in which secretion of ACTH and corticosterone were suppressed by treatment with betamethasone, or by hypophysectomy. Subcutaneous administration of 8-chloro-cAMP, at doses of 40 mg/kg or greater, elicited the secretion of corticosterone to normal plasma levels in both betamethasone-treated and hypophysectomized animals. Cyclic AMP, dbcAMP, 8-methylthio-cAMP, 8-hydroxy-cAMP and the 6-chloro-8-aminopurine cyclic ribotide analog of cAMP also displayed steroidogenic activity in the betamethasone-treated rat; cGMP, 8-bromo-cGMP and 8-benzylthio-cGMP were inactive. Each of the steroidogenic derivatives of cAMP also displayed ability to activate steroidogenesis in isolated rat adrenal cells. These experiments demonstrate that various derivatives of cAMP mimic the adrenal steroidogenic action of ACTH, in vivo. Structure-activity comparisons support a steroidogenic mechanism involving direct activation by the nucleotides of cAMP-dependent protein kinase of the adrenal cortex.     

Regulation of diazepam binding inhibitor in rat adrenal gland by adrenocorticotropin.

Diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) is a 9-kDa polypeptide that was initially isolated from rat brain and subsequently found to be present in several peripheral tissues. DBI is particularly abundant in steroidogenic tissues, such as the adrenal glands and testes, which also contain a high concentration of peripheral/mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptors (MBRs). Because occupancy of adrenal MBRs with DBI results in increased steroidogenesis, we have investigated the relation between ACTH, DBI, and the MBR in the rat adrenal glands. Evidence presented here indicates that both the amount of DBI and its rate of synthesis in the adrenal cortex are under the control of ACTH. Seven and 9 days after hypophysectomy, the amount of DBI-like immunoreactivity (DBI-LI) in rat adrenal glands decreased dramatically from approximately 80 to 15 ng/mg tissue. The administration of single dose of ACTH (ACTH residues 1-39; 200 mU/kg, iv) or repeated doses of ACTH-R (ACTH in saline containing 16% gelatin; 15 U/kg, sc, twice daily) reduced the decrease in adrenal DBI-LI caused by hypophysectomy. In hypophysectomized rats (7 days after hypophysectomy) the increases in both adrenal DBI-LI and plasma corticosterone induced by ACTH 1 h after a single injection (200 mU/kg, iv) were inhibited by injection of cycloheximide (40 mg/kg, ip) 10 min after ACTH. However, cycloheximide at this dose had no effect on the ACTH-induced increase in adrenal cAMP concentration or the number of affinity of MBRs for 4'-[3H]chlorodiazepam.     

Effects of ACTH and its O-nitrophenyl sulphenyl derivative on adrenocortical function in vivo.

Both ACTH and NPS-ACTH in which the single tryptophan residue of the hormone is modified were able to stimulate adrenal corticosterone concentration to the same extent in hypophysectomized rats, although a higher dose of NPS-ACTH was required. ACTH stimulated adrenal cyclic AMP levels 120-fold in hypophysectomized rats whereas NPS-ACTH caused a marginal increase. In the case of ACTH, low doses of the hormone capable of producing maximal stimulation of corticosterone synthesis did not produce any detectable change in cyclic AMP concentration. The rates of secretion of corticosterone induced by ACTH and NPS-ACTH in vivo were the same. NPS-ACTH was found to be 1.2% as potent as ACTH. The role of cyclic AMP in adrenal repair was investigated by administering equipotent doses of ACTH or NPS-ACTH to hypophysectomized rats. In adult rats both failed to produce a significant increase in adrenal weight. Adrenal function (measured by responsiveness to exogenous ACTH in vitro) was restored by NPS-ACTH but not to the same degree as ACTH. In hypophysectomized weanling rats, ACTH produced a small but significant increase in adrenal weight but NPS-ACTH did not. These results suggest that an increase in adrenal cyclic AMP may not be obligatory for the stimulation of steroidogenesis by ACTH and that some of the trophic actions of the hormone may be mediated by cyclic AMP.     

Regulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity by corticotropin in adrenocortical tumor cell clones: roles of cyclic AMP and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.

In Y1 adrenocortical tumor cells, corticotropin (ACTH), cyclic AMP, and 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (8BrcAMP) stimulated ornithine decarboxylase activity (L-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) and steroidogenesis. The concentrations required for half-maximal activation of ornithine decarboxylase were 60 pM for ACTH and 1 mM for 8BrcAMP; the concentrations required for half-maximal activation of steroidogenesis were 50 pM for ACTH and 0.2 mM for 8BrcAMP. Ornithine decarboxylase activity increased 1.5 hr after the addition of these agents, reached a maximum between 4 and 6 hr, and then declined. Mutant clones with impaired ACTH-responsive adenylate cyclase systems [ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1]did not respond to ACTH with increased ornithine decarboxylase activity, but they responded normally to added cyclic AMP. These results indicate that adenylate cyclase and cyclic AMP are necessary for the stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity by ACTH. In a series of Y1(Kin) mutants with altered cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activities (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37), the effects of ACTH on ornithine decarboxylase also were attenuated. These findings suggest that cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase also plays a necessary role in the stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity by ACTH. The effects of ACTH on ornithine decarboxylase in the Kin mutants, however, were quantitatively different from the effects on steroidogenesis and did not closely reflect the degree of defect in cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity. These differences suggest that the pathways of ACTH action leading to stimulation of steroidogenesis and ornithine decarboxylase activity diverge subsequent to activation of the protein kinase.     

Temporal changes in ovarian ornithine decarboxylase and cyclic AMP in immature rats stimulated by exogenous or endogenous gonadotrophins.

Pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin given intravenously to immature rats caused a maximal (x 70) increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity (ODC) at 3 h; enzyme activity declined to about ten times the control levels by 9 h and a second rise began after about 20 h. Anti-PMSG given 30 min after PMSG reduced the peak response by 70%. Actinomycin D, or cycloheximide, completely prevented an increase in ODC when given with PMSG, but only cycloheximide lowered the enzyme activity when given 18 h later. Ovine FSH plus LH also produced a peak in ODC at 3 h but the activity decreased quickly and by 9 h it was at the control level. Secretion of endogenous FSH and LH, induced by hourly injections of LH releasing hormone (LH-RH) increased ODC to the same extent as did the exogenous hormones; ODC was still higher than in the controls 4 h after the last dose of LH-RH. Increased endogenous levels of FSH and LH did not consistently raise ovarian cyclic AMP content and the increases found were much less than those obtained after injection of PMSG or FSH+LH. The results indicate that increased ODC is induced and maintained by the continual presence of gonadotrophin. The dependence of increased ODC upon increased cyclic AMP cannot be unequivocally determined because of important differences in the timing of the responses and the difficulty in determining biologically significant changes in cyclic AMP.     

Intraventricular administration of nerve growth factor induces ornithine decarboxylase in peripheral tissues of the rat.

Intraventricular administration of nerve growth factor causes an increase in the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (L-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) in liver, kidney, and adrenal as well as in brain itself. An increase in the concentration of corticosterone in the blood was also observed. Adrenalectomy, hypophysectomy, or pituitary stalk section inhibits the increase of ornithine decarboxylase activity in the peripheral tissues. Ornithine decarboxylase activity in the brain, however, responds to nerve growth factor in these animals. The data indicate that nerve growth factor causes an acitivation of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal endocrine system.     

Role of adrenal 5alpha-reductase activity in determining the responsiveness of hypophysectomized rats to ACTH.

Studies were conducted to examine the contribution of adrenal 5alpha-reductase to the phenomenon of diminished adrenal "responsiveness" to ACTH after hypophysectomy in rats. Rats hypophysectomized for 1 week secreted small amounts of corticosterone (B), 5alpha-dihydrocorticosterone (DHB) and 3beta,5alpha-tetrahydrocorticosterone (R) acutely after ACTH. Adrenal reductase activity in vitro at that time was high. After replacement with ACTH for 24 h, B,DBH, and R secretion increased slightly. Reductase activity remained high. Treatment with ACTH for 2 days further stimulated secretion of DHB and R but not B. Reductase activity was unaffected. Enzyme activity declined at 3 days concomitant with a proportionately greater increase in B than DHB and R secretion. Only after 7 days of ACTH did B secretion exceed DHB and R output. At that time, reductase activity was still lower. The results establish the functional significance of 5alpha-reductase activity as a regulatory site for the action of ACTH in determining the composition of adrenocortical secretory products in hypophysectomized rats.     

Corticosteroid and ribonucleic acid synthesis in isolated adrenal cells: Inhibition by actinomycin D

Both adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cyclic AMP rapidly stimulate corticosterone synthesis in isolated adrenal cells prepared by collagenase disaggregation of decapsulated rat glands. This steroidogenic response is not accompanied by any acute increase in the incorporation of [³H]uridine into acid insoluble RNA; indeed a slight decrease is observed during the incubations. A wide variety of different effects of actinomycin D on adrenal steroidogenesis have previously been reported. The effects of a range of actinomycin D concentrations (1–50 μmol/l) on the steroidogenesis brought about by different concentrations of ACTH (0.1–100. mi.u./ml) and cyclic AMP (1–5 mmol/l) were therefore examined. Actinomycin D (1 μmol/l) inhibits overall RNA synthesis by over 91% but has little or no effect on the cellular response to low concentrations of ACTH, although both basal (non-stimulated) corticosterone output and cyclic AMP stimulated steroidogenesis are appreciably inhibited (by 29–54%). Even at very high doses of actinomycin D (50 μmol/l), which inhibit RNA synthesis by 96% a substantial steroidogenic stimulation is obvious at all concentrations of ACTH and cyclic AMP studied. There is a greater inhibition of stimulated steroidogenesis not only with increasing actinomycin D concentrations, but also with increasing time of cellular exposure to actinomycin D. It is concluded that the acute steroidogenic ACTH mechanism does not require newly synthesized RNA and that if the inhibition by actinomycin D is simply due to an effect on synthesis of various RNA species, then the shortest estimate of the half-life of any RNA involved is 70 min.     

CRF activity in fetal rat hypothalamus, in late pregnancy.

The corticosterone content of the adrenal glands was determined in 21-day-old rat fetuses: (1) before and after encephalectomy or decapitation (hypophysectomy); (2) after ACTH treatment of the encephalectomized or decapitated (hypophysectomized) fetuses; and (3) after administration of crude extracts (0.1 N HCl) of hypothalamic or cortical tissue from 20-day-old rat fetuses. A peak in the corticosterone content of the adrenals was observed 10 min after ACTH injection to enceaphlectomized or decapitated fetuses. A rise in corticosterone concentration was noted 5 and 10 min after the encephalectomized fetuses were given an injection of hypothalamic extract. This extract was devoid of appreciable ACTH activity when tested in decapitated fetuses. Cortical extract was inactive in encephalectomized or decapitated fetuses. These data suggest that fetal hypothalamic extract contains some CRF activity and that the fetal pituitary gland is responsive to the CRF.     

The effects of ACTH, aminoglutehimide and hypophysectomy on the rat adrenal lipids (author's transl)]

The lipid patterns in the adrenal glands of rats with the adrenocortical steroidogenesis stimulated by ACTH or inhibited by hypophysectomy or by aminoglutehimide (AGT) were compared with those in intact rats. The administration of ACTH caused the gradual decrease in the concentration of cholesteryl ester with the preferential decrease in the proportion of arachidonic acid. The deposition of cholesteryl ester was observed in the adrenal glands of both hypophysectomized and AGT treated rats. Hypophysectomy was accompained by the increase in the proportion of 16:0 and 18:0 and the decrease of 18:2 and 20:3, while AGT administration caused the increase in the proportion of 20:4 and the decrease of 22:6 in the cholesteryl fraction, ACTH and AGT treatments or hypophysectomy resulted in minor alterations of the concentrations and fatty acid compositions of triglyceride and phospholipid. The marked differences in the concentration as well as fatty acid compositions of cholesteryl ester under the stimulated or inhibited adrenal steroidogenesis suggest the important role of fatty acids esterified with cholesterol in the steroid hormone synthesis.     

In vitro stimulation of thyroid ornithine decarboxylase activity and polyamines by thyrotropin.

Thyrotropin (TSH) stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and polyamine levels was studied in vitro in rat thyroids. The elevation in ODC activity was related to the concentration of TSH in the incubation medium with peak activity at a concentration of 25mU/ml. ODC activity with 50 mU/ml of TSH was 3 to 5-fold higher than control activity at 5 h of incubation; this stimulation was enhanced by the addition of 0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-l-methyl xanthine (MIX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DbcAMP) also stimulated ODC activity with a dose response up to 2.0 mm. The increase in ODC activity with TSH and MIX was prevented by incubation with actinomycin D (10 microgram/ml) or puromycin (0.2 mM). Putrescine concentrations in rat thyroids rose to three times basal levels after 6 h of incubation with TSH and MIX; no significant elevation in spermidine or spermine was observed after up to 7 h incubation. The increase in tissue putrescine preceded a rise in [3H]uridine incorporation into acid-soluble material that occurred at 7 h. The results suggest that stimulation of thyroid ODC activity by TSH is mediated by a cyclic AMP; the data further are consistent with a role for polyamines in the control of RNA synthesis in the thyroid.     

Alteration in the expression of genes for cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme and 21-hydroxylase by hypophysectomy and ACTH administration in the rat adrenal

The changes in steady-state levels of mRNA for cholesterol side-chain cleavage cytochrome P-450 (P-450scc) and steroid 21-hydroxylase cytochrome P-450 (P-450c21) caused by hypophysectomy and ACTH treatment were determined in rat adrenals. Hypophysectomy caused marked decreases in adrenal weight and total RNA per gland. Administration of ACTH resulted in increases in adrenal weight and total RNA. A significant correlation between the amount of RNA and adrenal weight was observed. Both P-450scc and P-450c21 mRNAs were decreased by hypophysectomy and increased by ACTH treatment. P-450scc mRNA decreased to 20% and P-450c21 mRNA to 76% of control values 1 day after hypophysectomy. ACTH caused a significant increase in P-450scc mRNA after 3 h. However, a significant increase in P-450c21 mRNA was observed 12 h after administration of ACTH. These results are concordant with previous studies in vitro utilizing cultured adrenocortical cells. Moreover, the induction of steady-state levels of P-450scc mRNA was faster than that observed by other investigators in studies in vitro. These results may indicate that integrity of the adrenal gland in vivo is important for the action of ACTH.     

Studies on the dynamics of adrenocortical responses to ACTH in the rat

The transient dynamics of plasma ACTH, adrenal cyclic AMP, adrenal corticosterone and plasma corticosterone were evaluated in male Sprague-Dawley rats, whose endogenous release of ACTH had been blocked by dexamethasone: (1) 40 min after single injections of ACTH ranging from 2 to 300 ng ACTH/100 g B.W., i.V.; (2) at time intervals after single injections of 9, 37 and 300 ng ACTH/100 g B.W.; (3) during and after prolonged infusion of 4 ng ACTH/min/100 g B.W. Plasma corticosterone concentration was still at a nearly maximal level 40 min after the injection of ACTH at a dose level for which the adrenal cyclic AMP content had fallen back to a value that was scarcely above the control one; a narrow window, defined by a 2-fold increase in the dose of ACTH, represents the transition between a minimal and a maximal adrenal cyclic AMP content. The adrenal cyclic AMP transient response after injection of graded doses of ACTH increased rapidly to a peak whose amplitude was dose-dependent; the duration of the cyclic nucleotide response, however, appeared to be independent of the ACTH dose level. The adrenal corticosterone content rose rapidly, and the eventual fall was delayed by increasing doses of ACTH. The time course of the early plasma corticosterone concentrations exhibited a similar rate of increase after any dose of ACTH; in any case, a steady state whose duration was dose-dependent was eventually reached and the ensuing fall therefrom occurred at a time when the adrenal cyclic AMP had fallen to very low levels. The adrenal cyclic AMP content showed an overshoot at a time when ACTH and corticosterone had reached a constant steady state, during a prolonged infusion of ACTH; adrenal cyclic AMP stabilized during the later phase of the infusion. After removal of the infusion, plasma ACTH levels fell relatively slowly as compared with adrenal cyclic AMP, whereas corticosterone remained at a maximal level for at least 120 min.Our results, derived from experiments in vivo, support the recent proposal by Bristow et al. (1980), derived from studies in vitro, that ACTH can act via either of two types of receptor: binding to one receptor elicits steroidogenesis via cyclic AMP production whereas binding to the other receptor elicits steroidogenesis through some other mechanism.     

Responses of rat fetal adrenals to synthetic adrenocorticotrophic hormone and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in-vivo and in-vitro studies

The response of the adrenals from rat fetuses at 16, 18 and 20 days of gestation to 1-24 ACTH and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) was studied in vitro. The response to 1-24 ACTH increased as gestation progressed. By the end of fetal life, corticosterone release induced by ACTH from whole adrenals was greater than that observed with adrenal tissue from non-pregnant adult female rats. High doses of alpha-MSH also stimulated adrenal activity but the response to ACTH was always higher than that to alpha-MSH. The effect of 1-24 ACTH and alpha-MSH on fetal adrenal growth was also compared in vivo. The adrenal atrophy induced by fetal hypophysectomy on day 17 of gestation could be prevented by i.m. administration of 10 microgram 1-24 ACTH or alpha-MSH. However, the adrenal growth was greater in ACTH-treated fetuses than in alpha-MSH treated ones. Later in gestation, between days 19 and 20, 1-24 ACTH but not alpha-MSH was able to prevent atrophy induced by fetal hypophysectomy. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature on levels of ACTH and alpha-MSH in the plasma and pituitary glands of the rat throughout the last third of gestation. High levels of ACTH in the fetal circulation contrast sharply with very weak or undetectable concentrations of alpha-MSH. Since the present data suggest that both trophic and steroidogenic activities of ACTH were greater than those of alpha-MSH, it may be concluded that ACTH but not alpha-MSH plays a major physiological role during gestation in the regulation of both fetal adrenal growth and function in the rat.     

Nerve growth factor increases activity of ornithine decarboxylase in superior cervical ganglia of young rats.

Nerve growth factor produces a rapid increase in the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (L-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) in superior cervical ganglia of young rats in vivo and in vitro. Maximum activity occurs 6-7 hr after the addition of nerve growth factor. The nerve growth factor-mediated increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in vitro can be prevented by the addition of cycloheximide, actinomycin D, or antibody to nerve growth factor. A number of other agents were tested for their ability to increase ornithine decarboxylase were tested for their ability to increase ornithine decarboxylase activity in the ganglia; only nerve growth factor, and, to a slight extent, insulin were able to raise the activity of the enzyme. High concentrations of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (10 mM) were able to mimic the effect of nerve growth factor.