Electrical behaviour in a line of anterior pituitary cells (GH cells) and the influence of the hypothalamic peptide, thyrotrophin releasing factor

Anterior pituitary cells of the GH line, which secrete prolactin spontaneously, showed spontaneous action potential activity. Thyrotrophin releasing factor, which increases secretion in these cells, caused a prompt increase of action potential frequency. Potassium, another secretagogue, depolarized the cells and sometimes initiated a burst of action potentials at the onset of this effect. The action potentials persisted in tetrodotoxin-containing and Na-free media, but were suppressed by the Ca-channel blocker, methoxyverapamil. Moreover, elevating the extracellular Ca²⁺ concentration increased the amplitude of the action potentials. These action potentials therefore have a prominent Ca component. This endows them with a particular interest since secretory activity of these cells is known to be dependent on extracellular Ca²⁺. Ba²⁺, which can substitute for Ca²⁺ in maintaining secretion, also substituted for Ca²⁺ in the maintenance of the action potentials. In addition, Ba²⁺ prolonged action potentials remarkably: tetraethylammonium was less effective in this regard.The several parallels between known secretory behaviour and electrical phenomena encourage the view that analysis of electrical activity in anterior pituitary cells may provide useful clues to events involved in stimulus-secretion coupling and in the secretory control exerted by the brain.