Inhibitory Coupling of Dopamine Receptors to Adenylate Cyclase in Rat Anterior Pituitary

The MtTW15 transplantable pituitary tumour grown in rats was tested in vitro for the ability of dopamine agonists to affect prolactin secretion and for the existence of dopamine receptors. Prolactin release from enzymatically dispersed cells and non-enzymatically treated tissue fragments of both the tumour and the anterior pituitary gland was determined in a cell perifusion column apparatus. Dopamine (0·1–5 μmol/l), bromocriptine (50 nmol/l) and the dopamine antagonist haloperidol (100 nmol/l) had no effect on prolactin release from the tumour cells. In contrast, dopamine (500 nmol/l) inhibited prolactin secretion from normal anterior pituitary cells in a parallel cell column and haloperidol blocked this inhibition. Although oestrogen treatment in vivo stimulated prolactin release in vitro when the tumour was removed and studied in the cell column, oestrogen had no effect on the inability of dopamine to modify the prolactin secretion. Growth hormone release from the tumour cells was not affected by dopamine. Although MtTW15 cells were refractory to dopaminergic inhibition of prolactin release, the dopamine receptors present in tumour homogenates were indistinguishable from the dopamine receptors previously defined in the normal anterior pituitary gland. The binding of the dopamine antagonist [3H]spiperone to the tumour was saturable (110 fmol/mg protein), of high affinity to one apparent class of sites (dissociation constant = 0·12 nmol/l), reversible and sensitive to guanine nucleotides. The pharmacology of the binding was defined in competition studies with a large number of agonists and antagonists. From the order of potency of these agents, a dopaminergic interaction was apparent. We conclude that the prolactin-secreting MtTW15 tumour cells appear to be completely unresponsive to dopamine or to the potent dopamine agonist bromocriptine, in spite of apparently normal dopamine receptors in the tumour.

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Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide as a novel hypophysiotropic factor in fish

Biochemistry and Cell Biology ◽

10.1139/o00-055 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 78 (3) ◽

pp. 329-343 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Anderson OL Wong ◽

Wen Sheng Li ◽

Eric KY Lee ◽

Mei Yee Leung ◽

Lai Yin Tse ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Hormone ◽

Protein Kinase C ◽

Protein Kinase ◽

Adenylate Cyclase ◽

Protein Kinase A ◽

Anterior Pituitary ◽

Kinase C ◽

Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase ◽

Pacap Receptors ◽

Kinase A

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a novel member of the secretin-glucagon peptide family. In mammals, this peptide has been located in a wide range of tissues and is involved in a variety of biological functions. In lower vertebrates, especially fish, increasing evidence suggests that PACAP may function as a hypophysiotropic factor regulating pituitary hormone secretion. PACAP has been identified in the brain-pituitary axis of representative fish species. The molecular structure of fish PACAP is highly homologous to mammalian PACAP. The prepro-PACAP in fish, however, is distinct from that of mammals as it also contains the sequence of fish GHRH. In teleosts, the anterior pituitary is under direct innervation of the hypothalamus and PACAP nerve fibers have been identified in the pars distalis. Using the goldfish as a fish model, mRNA transcripts of PACAP receptors, namely the PAC1 and VPAC1 receptors, have been identified in the pituitary as well as in various brain areas. Consistent with the pituitary expression of PACAP receptors, PACAP analogs are effective in stimulating growth hormone (GH) and gonadotropin (GTH)-II secretion in the goldfish both in vivo and in vitro. The GH-releasing action of PACAP is mediated via pituitary PAC1 receptors coupled to the adenylate cyclase-cAMP-protein kinase A and phospholipase C-IP3-protein kinase C pathways. Subsequent stimulation of Ca2+ entry through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels followed by activation of Ca2+-calmodulin protein kinase II is likely the downstream mechanism mediating PACAP-stimulated GH release in goldfish. Although the PACAP receptor subtype(s) and the associated post-receptor signaling events responsible for PACAP-stimulated GTH-II release have not been characterized in goldfish, these findings support the hypothesis that PACAP is produced in the hypothalamus and delivered to the anterior pituitary to regulate GH and GTH-II release in fish.Key words: PACAP, VIP, PAC1 receptor, VPAC1 receptor, VPAC2 receptor, growth hormone, gonadotropin-II, cAMP, protein kinase A, protein kinase C, calcium, pituitary cells, goldfish, and teleost.

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