Involvement of protein kinase C in the regulation of adrenocorticotropin release from rat anterior pituitary cells

The involvement of protein kinase C in normal corticotroph function was studied by analysis of the effects of the phorbol ester derivative phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and the synthetic diacylglycerol dioctanoylglycerol (DOG) on basal and stimulated ACTH release in cultured rat anterior pituitary cells. Incubation of rat pituitary cells with increasing concentrations of PMA or DOG caused dose-related increases in ACTH release up to 13.4 +/- 2.1- and 10.1 +/- 0.9-fold, respectively, similar to that caused by CRF (9.8 +/- 1.6-fold). Also, stimulation of endogenous diglyceride formation by phospholipase C (100 mU/ml) stimulated ACTH release by 2.5 +/- 0.1-fold. In cells incubated with maximum stimulatory concentrations of CRF (10 nM) or 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP; 5 mM), addition of either 100 microM DOG or 100 nM PMA caused significantly higher ACTH responses than those obtained with CRF, 8-Br-cAMP, DOG, or PMA alone. 8-Br-cAMP (5 mM) and 10 nM CRF significantly increased the effect of 100 nM PMA by 1.4 +/- 0.2- and 1.5 +/- 0.1-fold, respectively. Combinations of 10 nM CRF with either vasopressin (VP) or angiotensin II (AII) increased ACTH secretion to values higher than those produced by CRF, VP, or AII alone. However, addition of maximal stimulatory concentrations of VP or AII (10 nM) did not further increase the effects of either PMA alone or PMA/CRF combinations, indicating that their mechanisms of action may be similar to that of PMA. These results indicate that in addition to the established cAMP-dependent mechanism, stimulation of ACTH release in normal pituitary cells may be elicited by activation of protein kinase C. The evidence also suggests that protein kinase C is involved during stimulation of ACTH release by the cAMP-independent regulators VP and AII and in the synergistic effects of VP and AII with CRF on the corticotroph.     

Calcium-dependent control of corticotropin release in rat anterior pituitary cell cultures

The role of calcium in the stimulation of ACTH secretion by CRF and other regulators was studied in rat anterior pituitary cells. Incubation of cultured pituitary cells in normal calcium with CRF, vasopressin, angiotensin II, or norepinephrine increased the rate of ACTH release for up to 45 min and then became constant for up to 3 h. In the absence of extracellular calcium, the initial rate of stimulated secretion was unaffected, but after 45 min the secretion rate decreased by 40% for CRF and to a greater extent for the other stimuli. Addition of calcium after 90 min in calcium-free medium restored the CRF-stimulated ACTH release rate to the control value. The absence of extracellular calcium had no effect on CRF-stimulated cAMP accumulation, but intracellular calcium depletion by preincubation of the cells with EGTA completely inhibited CRF-stimulated cAMP production and ACTH release. The voltage-dependent calcium channel antagonist nitrendipine and the calcium channel agonist BK 8644 had little effect on the CRF-stimulated ACTH release rate, while they, respectively, inhibited and enhanced the stimulation by vasopressin and high potassium. In calcium-depleted cells incubated with the calcium ionophore A23187, CRF stimulation of cAMP production and ACTH release were dependent upon extracellular calcium concentrations from 0.1-100 microM. These findings have defined two phases in the stimulation of ACTH release by CRF and cAMP-independent stimuli in cultured pituitary cells: an early phase with a rapid increase in the ACTH release rate which is independent of extracellular calcium, and a late phase of constant secretion rate, with partial extracellular calcium dependence for the stimulation by CRF and complete calcium dependence for the stimulation by non-cAMP-mediated stimuli.     

Role of nitric oxide in the metabolism of arachidonic acid in the rat anterior pituitary gland

Nitric oxide (NO) affects cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipooxygenase (LOX) activities in several tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of NO on the AA metabolism in the anterior pituitary. LOX and COX products from anterior pituitaries of Wistar male rats were determined by [14C]-AA radioconversion method. Sodium nitroprusside (NP, 0.5 mM) and DETA NONOate (1 mM), NO donors, decreased 5-hydroxy-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) synthesis (P<0.05), effects that were reversed by hemoglobin. L-arginine also inhibited LOX activity. To the contrary, the inhibition of NO synthase by L-NAME (0.5 mM) or aminoguanidine (0.5 mM) increased 5-HETE production (P<0.05). COX activity was slightly stimulated by NP and L-arginine. However, DETA NONOate induced a stimulation of the synthesis of all prostanoids (P<0.05), this effect being reversed by hemoglobin. Neither NOS inhibitors nor hemoglobin modified basal prostanoids synthesis. These results indicate that NO inhibits LOX activity and stimulates COX activity in the anterior pituitary gland. The inhibition of LOX by NO may be another mechanism involved in the effects of NO on hormone release in the anterior pituitary.     

Transmembrane signals mediating adrenocorticotropin release from mouse anterior pituitary cells

The effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) an adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion, phosphatidylinositol breakdown and cAMP accumulation was examined in primary cultures of mouse anterior pituitary cells. AVP and CRF added alone stimulated ACTH secretion in a dose-dependent manner. At 10(-8) M concentration of peptide, AVP and CRF stimulated ACTH secretion 2.8- and 4.6-fold, respectively. AVP and CRF added in combination at equal doses gave an additive effect. CRF enhanced cAMP accumulation, but AVP had no effect on basal or CRF-induced cAMP accumulation. Both forskolin (10(-5) M) and 8-bromo-cAMP (10(-3) M) increased ACTH secretion in these cells by 2.8- and 1.7-fold, respectively. AVP induced the breakdown of phosphoinositides, and CRF alone, or in combination with AVP did not modify this effect. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (10(-7) M), dioctanoylglycerol (10(-4) M) and phospholipase C (100 mU/ml) also stimulated ACTH secretion in these cells by 4.2-, 2.4-, and 3.7-fold, respectively. Depletion of intracellular and extracellular Ca2+ decreased ACTH secretion, but had no significant effect on CRF-induced cAMP accumulation. However, AVP-induced phosphoinositide breakdown was dependent on extracellular Ca2+. These results indicate that CRF stimulates ACTH secretion via the cAMP-dependent pathway and AVP via the phosphoinositide breakdown-phospholipase C pathway. In the presence of AVP and CRF, both pathways appear to operate independently to produce an additive effect on ACTH secretion.     

Mechanism of release of beta-endorphin from rat pituitary cells. Role of lipoxygenase products of arachidonic acid

We investigated the effects of metabolites of arachidonic acid on the release of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity (beta-end-IR) from rat anterior pituitary cells. Anterior pituitary cells from female rats cultured with arachidonic acid released beta-end-IR in a dose- and time-dependent manner. To determine which metabolites of arachidonic acid stimulated the release of beta-end-IR, we examined the effects of an inhibitor of the cyclooxygenase, indomethacin, and an inhibitor of the 5-lipoxygenase, 2,3,5-trimethyl-6-(12-hydroxy-5,10-dodecadiynyl)-1,4-benzoquinone (AA-861). beta-end-IR release from pituitary cells induced by arachidonic acid was inhibited about 37% by AA-861, but was not affected by indomethacin. Other lipoxygenase inhibitors (eicosatetraynoic and nordihydroguaiaretic acid) also reduced the release of beta-end-IR induced by arachidonic acid. The effects of the 5-lipoxygenase products 5-hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) and leukotrienes (LTA4, B4, C4, and D4) on the release of beta-end-IR from rat pituitary cells were also examined. 5-HETE (1-50 microM) elicited a dose-dependent release of beta-end-IR from cultured pituitary cells, and 50 microM 5-HETE induced beta-endorphin release time dependently. LTA4 and LTB4 also significantly stimulated the release of beta-end-IR, but LTC4 and LTD4 had no effect. Other lipoxygenase products (12-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid, 12-HETE; 15-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid, 15-HETE) were also secretagogues at concentrations of above 1 microM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Interferon-gamma inhibits stimulated adrenocorticotropin, prolactin, and growth hormone secretion in normal rat anterior pituitary cell cultures

Preincubation of rat anterior pituitary (AP) cells with homologous interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) caused a dose-dependent inhibition of ACTH secretion stimulated by CRF. The effect was seen in both monolayer and aggregate AP cell cultures and was not due to cytotoxicity. In monolayer cultures IFN-gamma also inhibited PRL and GH release stimulated by various hypothalamic releasing factors. IFN-gamma did not affect the time kinetics of the ACTH response to CRF. The dose needed for half-maximal inhibition amounted to approximately 1 (antiviral) U/ml. The effect of IFN-gamma was abrogated by an IFN-gamma-neutralizing monoclonal antibody. Furthermore, ACTH secretion by the AP cells was not affected by the anti-IFN-gamma antibody added alone, indicating that in the culture system no endogenous IFN-gamma is operational in regulating the ACTH response studied. Of the other cytokines tested [interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interferon-alpha/beta (IFN-alpha/beta)] only TNF-alpha and IL-6 were found to inhibit CRF-stimulated ACTH release, although this inhibition was less pronounced than that caused by IFN-gamma. Lipopolysaccharide, even at high doses, did not significantly inhibit the ACTH response to CRF. These results identify IFN-gamma as one of the inflammatory cytokines that, like IL-1, TNF-alpha, and IL-6, have the potential to regulate pituitary function.     

5-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid increases prolactin release from rat anterior pituitary cells

The enzymatic breakdown of phospholipids to form arachidonic acid and its subsequent conversion to metabolites produced via the lipoxygenase pathway in anterior pituitary cells may contribute to the process of PRL release. The incubation of primary cultures of pituitary cells from female rats with the lipoxygenase product 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE; 5-100 microM) significantly increased PRL release in a concentration-dependent manner. The release of PRL induced by 45 microM 5-HETE was completely blocked by 1 microM dopamine. Penfluridol, an agent that binds to and inactivates several Ca+2-binding proteins, including calmodulin, decreased (P less than 0.01) basal and 5-HETE-stimulated PRL release. Similarly, 50 microM D-600, a Ca+2 channel antagonist, significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced basal and 5-HETE-induced PRL release. BW755c or RHC 80267, both of which reduce the production of arachidonic acid metabolites, including 5-HETE, significantly reduced basal PRL release. The inhibitory effects of BW755c and RHC 80267 on PRL release, however, could be overcome by the addition of 5-HETE. In conclusion, 5-HETE or similar lipoxygenase metabolites may be important cellular components in the process of PRL release, and the inhibitory action of dopamine on PRL would seem to be mediated at some step after stimulation by these metabolites.     

Multiple mechanisms of somatostatin inhibition of adrenocorticotropin release from mouse anterior pituitary tumor cells

The release of ACTH from a clonal cell line of the mouse anterior pituitary (AtT-20/D16-16) can be stimulated by forskolin, 8-bromo-cAMP, and K+. SRIF and its structurally related analogs are very potent inhibitors of the ACTH release response to these secretagogues. The potency of SRIF, its analogs, and somatostatin-28 to inhibit stimulated ACTH release is relatively the same for each of these three secretagogues. The mechanisms by which SRIF regulates the secretion of ACTH can be differentiated by various pharmacological manipulations. Pretreatment of AtT-20 cells with SRIF (10(-7) M) desensitizes SRIF's inhibition of forskolin but not K+ or 8-bromo-cAMP-stimulated ACTH release. Pertussis toxin pretreatment abolishes SRIF's inhibition of forskolin-stimulated ACTH release but not SRIF's inhibition of the ACTH release response to K+ or 8-bromo-cAMP. In contrast, increasing the calcium concentration in the medium reduces SRIF's inhibition of K+ but not forskolin or 8-bromo-cAMP-stimulated ACTH release. These results suggest that SRIF regulates ACTH release from AtT-20 cells through multiple mechanisms. If SRIF acts through a single receptor to produce its effects on ACTH release, then the data imply that the SRIF receptor is coupled to more than one second messenger system.     

Biphasic inhibition of adrenocorticotropin release by corticosterone in cultured anterior pituitary cells

The inhibition of ACTH secretion by glucocorticoids in vivo is biphasic, with rapid early suppression followed by transient recovery and a late inhibitory phase. To evaluate whether this biphasic effect of glucocorticoids occurs at the pituitary level, the effects of corticosterone (B) on stimulated ACTH release were analyzed in rat anterior pituitary cell cultures. Preincubation with 1 microM B inhibited the ACTH response to 10 nM CRF in a biphasic manner, with rapid inhibition after 10-40 min of preincubation, followed by partial recovery between 40-80 min, and a later phase of inhibition after 80-140 min. Preincubation with B for 40 or 120 min caused a dose-dependent suppression of CRF-stimulated ACTH release, with ED50 values of 416 +/- 21 and 45 +/- 12 nM B, respectively. Pretreatment with B also caused a biphasic inhibitory effect on the stimulatory action of vasopressin, angiotensin II, and norepinephrine on ACTH release. However, addition of these stimuli in combination with CRF surmounted B inhibition of CRF-stimulated ACTH release. B also inhibited the ACTH-releasing effects of postreceptor stimuli, including 8-bromo-cAMP, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, and 1,2-dioctanoylglycerol. In the presence of cycloheximide (10 microM), the early inhibitory effect of B was unchanged, but the delayed effect was decreased. Whereas preincubation with B for 40 min inhibited ACTH release, but not total intracellular plus released ACTH, preincubation for 120 min decreased both released and total ACTH. These findings demonstrate that the two inhibitory effects of B on ACTH release differ in their kinetics, steroid sensitivity, and dependence on protein synthesis. The inhibitory effect of B on ACTH responses to stimuli with different mechanisms of action suggests that the suppressive effects of B are mainly exerted at a site distal to the formation of the second messengers involved in hormonal activation of ACTH release.     

Specific inhibition by glucocorticoids of the alpha 2-adrenergic stimulation of adrenocorticotropin release in rat anterior pituitary cells

Previous studies have shown that a specific alpha 1-adrenergic receptor leads to a 7- to 12-fold stimulation of ACTH release in rat adenohypophyseal cells in culture. The ACTH response to epinephrine is inhibited by 65% after a 3-h incubation with the glucocorticoid agonist dexamethasone, whereas a complete suppression of the response is observed when the steroid is added 4 h earlier. Upon placing the inhibited cells in steroid-free medium, a 50% reversal of the inhibition of the ACTH response is observed after 10 h, whereas normal responsiveness is obtained after 36 h. Glucocorticoid agonists lead to a complete inhibition of epinephrine-induced ACTH secretion with the following order of potencies (ED50 values): triamcinolone acetonide (0.2 nM) much greater than dexamethasone (1.5 nM) much greater than cortisol (11 nM) greater than corticosterone (22 nM). Preincubation with dexamethasone for 4 h leads to an 85% decrease in the maximal ACTH response to epinephrine, whereas the ED50 value of catecholamine action is only slightly increased. Although the activity of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis is highly sex dependent in the rat, 17 beta-estradiol, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, and the pure progestin R5020 have no detectable effect on either basal or epinephrine-induced ACTH release, thus suggesting that sex steroids exert their action in the intact animal at sites other than in corticotrophs. The finding of a specific inhibitory effect of glucocorticoids on epinephrine-induced ACTH secretion lends further support to the suggestion of a physiological role for the pituitary alpha 1-adrenergic receptor in the control of ACTH secretion (at least in the rat). The complete lack of effect of sex steroids indicates the high degree of specificity of the feedback mechanisms controlling ACTH secretion.     

Angiotensin II promotes prolactin release from normal human anterior pituitary cell cultures in a calcium-dependent manner

Renin and angiotensin II (AII) have been demonstrated in the mammalian central nervous system, and AII has been found to promote PRL release in the rat and monkey. We added AII to monolayer cultures of human anterior pituitary cells and found significant PRL release by 30 min with concentrations of AII as low as 10(-10) M. This AII-induced PRL release was inhibited by the specific AII antagonist saralasin. AII-induced PRL release was a calcium-dependent process, since the calcium channel blockers verapamil and nifedipine as well as the calcium-calmodulin antagonist R2471 significantly inhibited AII-induced PRL release. Prostaglandins E2, A2, and F2 alpha also inhibited AII-induced PRL release. The significance of this latter observation is not clear, however, as indomethacin, an inhibitor of the cyclo-oxygenase prostaglandin metabolic pathway, had no effect on AII-induced PRL release. In light of recent immunohistochemical evidence of the presence of renin, angiotensinogen, and converting enzyme in human lactotrophs, our data support the concept that AII may be an important autocrine regulator of PRL secretion.     

Direct stimulation of beta 2-adrenergic receptors in rat anterior pituitary induces the release of adrenocorticotropin in vivo.

Previous work in our laboratory has shown that stimulation of beta 2-adrenergic receptors on mouse anterior pituitary tumor cells causes the secretion of immunoreactive adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that catecholamines can cause the release of ACTH in vivo by the direct stimulation of beta 2-adrenergic receptors in the rat anterior pituitary. Systemic administration of a beta-adrenergic receptor agonist (-)-isoproterenol resulted in an increase in plasma ACTH levels in intact animals and in rats with transected pituitary stalks. This effect could be blocked by the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, propranolol, but not by the specific beta 1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, practolol. Salmefamol, a beta 2-adrenergic receptor agonist also elevated plasma ACTH levels in stalk-sectioned animals. Dexamethasone, a glucocorticoid that inhibits the synthesis and release of ACTH from the anterior pituitary but not the intermediate lobe, prevented the elevation of ACTH secretion by (-)-isoproterenol in stalk-transected rats. These data indicate that beta 2-adrenergic receptors are present on anterior pituitary cells and suggest that catecholamines can directly stimulate ACTH secretion.     

Possible involvement of lipoxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid in rat pituitary hormone release in vitro

The roles of arachidonic acid (AA) and its lipoxygenase products in control of secretion of anterior pituitary hormones were studied in vitro using cultured cells. AA (10(-4)M) and 5-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5HETE) (5 x 10(-6)M) significantly (p less than 0.05) stimulated the releases of LH, TSH, GH, PRL, ACTH and beta-endorphin (beta-E). Added leukotriene B4 (LTB4) (5 x 10(-6)M) also caused significant increases in the secretions of LH, GH, ACTH and beta-E. The other lipoxygenase metabolites tested, 12HETE, 15HETE, LTA4, LTC4 and LTD4, had no effect on the releases of anterior pituitary hormones. These results suggest that AA and 5-lipoxygenase metabolites may be involved in the control of the releases of anterior pituitary hormones.     

Regulation of adrenocorticotropin/endorphin-related peptide secretion in neonatal rat pituitary cultures

In neonatal rat anterior and neurointermediate pituitary lobe explant cultures maintained in complete serum-free medium for up to 3 weeks, the ACTH/endorphin-related peptide content rose about 3-fold. The basal secretion rates of the ACTH/endorphin-related peptides were 0.2-0.3% and 0.6-0.7% of the cell content secreted/h in the anterior and neurointermediate pituitary lobe explants, respectively. Acute treatment of anterior pituitary explants with 10 nM CRF or 0.5 mM (Bu)2-cAMP-0.5 mM isobutylmethylxanthine resulted in about 6- and 9-fold increases in the basal secretion rates, respectively. Pretreatment of the anterior pituitary cultures with 100 nM dexamethasone for 3 days did not alter the basal secretion rate, but drastically reduced both CRF- and cAMP-stimulated release of peptides. In the anterior pituitary explants, chronic CRF treatment resulted in a dose-dependent increase in secreted ACTH/endorphin-related peptides measured in the medium, and this elevation in secretion rate was maintained throughout 12 days of chronic exposure to CRF. Total hormone produced by neonatal anterior pituitary explant cultures was increased 2- to 4-fold by chronic CRF treatment (10 and 100 nM CRF) after 12 days in culture. Compared to the anterior pituitary lobe explants, the neurointermediate pituitary lobe explants were not very responsive to acute or chronic CRF treatment; exposure to 100 nM CRF resulted in about a 2-fold stimulation of the basal secretion rate. Acute exposure of the neurointermediate pituitary lobe explants to 1 microM isoproterenol or cAMP resulted in about 2- and 7-fold increases in the basal secretion rate, respectively. Dexamethasone pretreatment had little effect on either the basal or stimulated release of the ACTH/endorphin-related peptides. These studies demonstrated that some of the tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms involved in ACTH/endorphin-related peptide synthesis and secretion were present in developing explant cultures of anterior and neurointermediate pituitary lobes.     

Epidermal growth factor stimulates luteinizing hormone and arachidonic acid release in rat pituitary cells

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) directly enhanced luteinizing hormone (LH) release from dispersed rat pituitary cells in monolayer cultures as well as in superfusion columns. This 2.3-fold stimulatory effect was dose and time dependent and was also reconfirmed in a superfusion system. Retinal, a protein kinase C inhibitor, counteracted the EGF effect only partially. Further experiments were therefore carried out to investigate alternate EGF mechanisms. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid and chloroquine suppressed the stimulatory effect of EGF in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, EGF (10(-7) M) stimulated [3H]arachidonate release from pre-labelled rat pituitary cells. This indicates that phospholipase A2 and arachidonic acid may be involved in EGF action on LH release from rat pituicytes.     

4-Acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid inhibits adrenocorticotropin secretion from anterior pituitary cells

Mouse clonal ACTH-secreting corticotrophs (AtT-20 cells) possess a membrane Ca2+-activated Cl- conductance which is partially blocked by the disulfonic stilbene derivative 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (SITS). In the current study the effect of SITS on the ACTH secretory process was evaluated. SITS markedly blocked basal and forskolin-stimulated ACTH secretion from AtT-20 cells (IC50 = 2.7 x 10(-4) M). Both CRF-induced ACTH secretion and forskolin-stimulated GH secretion from acutely dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells were inhibited by SITS (IC50 = 2.4 and 1.3 x 10(-4) M, respectively). SITS did not alter unstimulated or forskolin-elicited cAMP synthesis in AtT-20 cells, and in fact, could inhibit ACTH secretion in response to cAMP-independent agonists such as the calcium channel activator BAY-K-8644 or the protein kinase-C activator 12-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (IC50 = 2.6 and 2.4 x 10(-4) M, respectively). SITS did not alter the secretion of amylase from isolated exocrine pancreatic acinar cells. Its action was also fully reversible; after its removal from the incubation medium, cells secreted ACTH without a change in response to forskolin activation. Increasing extracellular Ca2+ or the addition of up to 10(-3) M tetraethylammonium or 4-aminopyridine did not reverse the inhibitory pattern of SITS action, suggesting that its inhibitory effect is most likely not due to hyperpolarization of AtT-20 cell membranes. The inability of amiloride to inhibit ACTH secretion further suggests that inhibition of ACTH secretion provoked by SITS is not due to a blockade of Cl-/HCO3- exchange. On the other hand, SITS was able to block 44% of basal 36Cl uptake by AtT-20 cells. Exchange of incubation medium chloride for gluconate or a reduction in the osmotic strength of the medium reduced both basal and secretagogue-stimulated ACTH secretion. The data suggest that SITS may modulate chloride-dependent, osmotically driven secretion from AtT-20 cells.     

Activin-A modulates growth hormone secretion from cultures of rat anterior pituitary cells

Activins, initially identified as FSH-releasing proteins, have now been shown to exert effects on other cell types of the anterior pituitary, including the somatotrophs. In the present study the inhibitory action of activin-A (beta A beta A) on GH secretion was characterized using primary cultures of rat anterior pituitary cells. Activin-A suppressed basal GH secretion for up to 72 h (the longest time tested). Immediately after the treatment period with activin-A, when the cells were thoroughly washed and further incubated with or without rat GH-releasing factor (rGRF), basal and stimulated GH secretion were partially inhibited as well. In parallel, activin-A pretreatment diminished rGRF-stimulated cAMP accumulation. The effects of activin-A were time- and concentration-dependent, with half-maximal inhibition occurring in the range of 20-30 pM activin-A. A minimum pretreatment time of 3 h was required for maximal effect, and when rGRF and activin-A were added simultaneously, no inhibition was evident. Secretory responses of activin-A-pretreated cells to rGRF were influenced by glucocorticoids. When cells were cultured in the presence of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone, pretreatment (72 h) with activin-A attenuated rGRF-stimulated GH secretion only during short (1-h), but not longer (3-h), exposure periods to the neuropeptide. In the absence of dexamethasone, rGRF-stimulated GH secretion was inhibited at all incubation times tested (up to 3 h). A 3-h exposure to the protein factor did not alter total (cellular plus secreted) immunoreactive GH levels, suggesting that the inhibition of secretion with the shorter treatment was not secondary to attenuated GH biosynthesis. However, longer (72-h) treatment with activin-A decreased total GH levels, indicating lower GH biosynthetic rates, as previously shown. Somatostatin is recognized as the primary negative modulator of GH secretion. Activin-A and SRIF inhibited GH secretion additively, suggesting distinct mechanisms of action for each. GH secretion in response to other secretagogues, such as 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate, forskolin, cholera toxin, and 8-bromo-cAMP, was also suppressed after activin-A pretreatment. The presence of the RNA synthesis inhibitor actinomycin-D completely blocked the inhibitory effect of a 3-h activin-A pretreatment on subsequent rGRF-stimulated GH secretion. Pertussis toxin was only partially effective in preventing the inhibition by activin-A. The results of this study indicate that activin-A plays a crucial role as a modulator of somatotropic function, inhibiting GH secretion at the level of the secretory process and secondary to the inhibition of GH biosynthesis.     

Beta-endorphin and adrenocorticotropin release from rat adenohypophysis in vitro: evidence for local modulation by arachidonic acid metabolites of the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathway

This study was performed to examine an involvement of adenohypophysial arachidonic acid metabolites in the local mechanisms controlling the release of peptide hormones from the corticotrope cells of the anterior pituitary gland. Therefore, we investigated the effect of blockers of the lipoxygenase (nordihydroguaiaretic acid, NDGA), cyclooxygenase (indomethacin) or both of these enzyme systems (BW755C; eicosatetraynoic acid, ETYA) on the release of beta-endorphin-like (beta-E-IR) and adrenocorticotropin-like immunoreactivity (ACTH-IR) from rat anterior pituitary quarters incubated in vitro. NDGA and ETYA did not influence the basal release of beta-E- and ACTH-IR. However, upon stimulation by arginine-vasopressin (AVP) or synthetic ovine corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF(1-41], NDGA inhibited beta-E-IR release by 40%. ETYA inhibited AVP-induced release of beta-E- and ACTH-IR by 75%. Indomethacin and BW755C (lower concentration) enhanced beta-E-IR release, induced by AVP, by about 100%, whereas BW755C (higher concentration) had no effect. When indomethacin was present, NDGA, ETYA and BW755C (higher concentration) inhibited AVP-induced release of beta-E- and ACTH-IR. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) inhibited beta-E-IR release in response to AVP but failed to do so in the presence of NDGA. 12-OH-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) had no effect. When anterior pituitary quarters were incubated with 3H-arachidonic acid (3H-AA), NDGA and BW755C (higher concentration) but not indomethacin and BW755C (lower concentration) blocked the formation of a metabolite which co-migrated with 12-HETE on thin-layer chromatography.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)