Blockage of K+ channels reverses the inhibitory action of atriopeptin on secretagogue-stimulated ACTH release by perifused isolated rat anterior pituitary cells

1990 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Antoni ◽  
G. Dayanithi

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to investigate how atriopeptin inhibits secretagogue-stimulated ACTH secretion in vitro. Perifused isolated rat anterior pituitary cells were used throughout; the ACTH content of the perifusate was measured by radioimmunoassy. In the presence of a constant (0·05 nmol/l) concentration of 41-residue corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), arginine vasopressin (AVP; 0·05–50 nmol/l) stimulated ACTH secretion in a concentration-dependent manner, the combination of 0·05 nmol CRF/l and 0·5 nmol AVP/l (CRF/AVP) stimulated ACTH release to six- to eightfold above baseline. The effect of CRF/AVP was not modified by tetrodotoxin, but was abolished by CoCl2 and reduced to about 70% of the control stimulus by nifedipine. Application of 103–126 residue atriopeptin for 10 min before and 2·5 min during the CRF/AVP stimulus strongly suppressed the evoked release of ACTH, the maximal inhibition was 75–90% at 10 nmol atriopeptin/l. The calcium ionophore ionomycin (200 nmol/l) reversed the effect of atriopeptin while it had no secretagogue activity of its own, and did not enhance the response to CRF/AVP. A variety of blockers of K+ channels, 4-amino pyridine, tetraethylammonium, apamine, quinine, but not tolbutamide, effectively antagonized the inhibitory action of atriopeptin (10 nmol/l). None of these drugs altered ACTH release evoked by CRF/AVP. In concentration–response experiments, the half effective concentration of 4-aminopyridine and tetraethyl-ammonium were around 1 mmol/l and 10 nmol/l for apamine. Finally, tetraethylammonium and apamine also antagonized the inhibition of CRF/AVP-evoked ACTH release by 8-Br-cGMP. These data suggest that (1) at least two types of K+ channels, a delayed rectifier and the apamine-sensitive Ca2+-activated channel, are functionally important in pituitary corticotroph cells; (2) atriopeptin inhibits CRF/AVP-stimulated ACTH secretion by hyperpolarizing the plasma membrane and thus reducing the uptake of Ca2+ into the cells; (3) cGMP is the intracellular mediator of the action of atriopeptin on corticotroph cells. Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 126, 183–191

1985 ◽  
Vol 248 (1) ◽  
pp. E15-E19
Author(s):  
I. S. Login ◽  
A. M. Judd ◽  
M. J. Cronin ◽  
T. Yasumoto ◽  
R. M. MacLeod

Reserpine exerts direct effects on several tissues, including inhibition of hormone release from rat anterior pituitary cells. To test the hypothesis that reserpine may be acting as a calcium channel antagonist, normal or GH3 rat anterior pituitary cells were preincubated in reserpine or the conventional calcium channel blocker, D-600, followed by exposure to 45Ca2+ together with stimulants of calcium uptake: maitotoxin, a potent calcium channel activator; A23187, a calcium ionophore; or 50 mMK+. After incubation, the cells were harvested by vacuum filtration and cell-associated radioactivity determined. In normal cells, reserpine blocked both basal and K+-stimulated calcium uptake. Reserpine selectively blocked maitotoxin but not A23187-induced calcium uptake. In GH3 cells 9 microM reserpine and 30 microM D-600 were equally effective in blocking maitotoxin-stimulated calcium uptake. Reserpine appears to block voltage-dependent calcium channels in pituitary cells in a concentration-dependent manner but not calcium uptake caused nonspecifically by A23187.


1991 ◽  
Vol 261 (5) ◽  
pp. C793-C798 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Schwartz ◽  
S. Gibson ◽  
A. White

Although chloroquine, an agent that disrupts regulated protein secretion, has previously been shown to decrease the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretory response to adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in AtT-20 and rat anterior pituitary cells, respectively, it has no effect on the response to vasopressin. The present study extended experiments with chloroquine to cultured sheep anterior pituitary cells, which have a greater maximum response to vasopressin. Chloroquine (200 microM) had no effect on basal ACTH secretion or on stimulation by vasopressin. In contrast to the rat, the net response to CRF was tripled by chloroquine in ovine cells. The effect of chloroquine on the response to CRF was more effective by coexposure of cells to CRF and chloroquine than by pretreatment with chloroquine. Monensin or vinblastine did not increase the ACTH response to CRF. The results indicate ACTH release in response to vasopressin is chloroquine insensitive in this way, can be dissociated from the mechanism that responds to CRF, and would be consistent with the CRF response mechanism involving pathways that can alter the secretory pool of ACTH. When chloroquine acts to increase the response to CRF, it is likely not to act by stabilizing the CRF-receptor complex.


1984 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. R1-R3 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.C. Hale ◽  
J. Price ◽  
J.F. Ackland ◽  
I. Doniach ◽  
S. Ratter ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The remission of Cushing's syndrome following surgical removal of a tumour containing bombesin-like immunoreactivity (BLI), but insignificant levels of ACTH, is described. However, an acid extract of the tumour tissue caused the release of ACTH from isolated rat anterior pituitary cells in vitro. These observations led to an investigation of the effects of synthetic C-terminal gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP(14-27)) on ACTH release from isolated rat anterior pituitary cells. GRP(14-27) (10-1000 ng/ml) directly stimulated the release of ACTH in vitro, whereas lower doses (10-1000 pg/ml), ineffective themselves in eliciting ACTH release, potentiated the CRF-mediated in-vitro release of ACTH.


1990 ◽  
Vol 125 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Antoni ◽  
G. Dayanithi

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to characterize the inhibitory action of atriopeptin on secretagogue-evoked ACTH release in vitro. Perifused isolated rat anterior pituitary cells were exposed to repeated pulses of 41-residue corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF-41) or arginine vasopressin (AVP). The net ACTH secretory response to both neurohormones increased progressively with the number of pulses applied, until a maximum hormonal response was reached which was stable for the subsequent period of observation (2–3 h). The maximal secretagogue-evoked hormone release eventually achieved was 4 and 1·7 times greater than the initial response to AVP and CRF-41 respectively. The size of the ACTH response elicited by 50 pmol CRF-41/1 and 500 pmol AVP/1 (CRF/AVP) given together also underwent progressive enhancement. The number of secretagogue pulses required to reach the maximal response to a particular stimulus depended upon the concentration of the secretagogue peptides, higher concentrations favoured a more rapid development of the stable secretory response. The potency of 103–126 residue atriopeptin to inhibit CRF/AVP-induced ACTH release varied by about 1000-fold depending upon the prior treatment of the cells. In general, cells not previously exposed to secretagogues appeared largely resistant, those under a moderate secretagogue drive were strongly inhibited, and those under intense stimulation were again refractory to inhibition by atriopeptin. In contrast, corticosterone suppressed stimulated ACTH release regardless of the state of the cells. The data demonstrate that the conditions of cell maintenance are pivotal determinants of the inhibitory effect of atriopeptin on secretagogue-stimulated ACTH release in vitro. The in-vivo correlate of these findings may be that the sensitivity of corticotrophs towards atriopeptin is determined by requirements encoded through the pattern of release of hypothalamic CRF-41 and AVP. Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 125, 365–373


1997 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Ogiwara ◽  
C L Chik ◽  
A K Ho

Abstract In this study, the role of tyrosine phosphorylation in agonist-stimulated cAMP accumulation and GH release in rat anterior pituitary cells was investigated. It was found that genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, while having no effect on its own, potentiated GHRH-stimulated cAMP accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner. In comparison, daidzein, an inactive analogue of genistein, was ineffective and vanadate, a phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, reduced GHRH-stimulated cAMP accumulation. Additional structurally unrelated tyrosine kinase inhibitors, erbstatin and tyrphostins, also potentiated GHRH-stimulated cAMP accumulation. To determine the site of action of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), cholera toxin and forskolin were used to increase cAMP accumulation. Genistein enhanced the PACAP-, cholera toxin- or forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation, suggesting that the site of action is at the post-receptor level. However, when the phosphodiesterase was inhibited by isobutylmethylxanthine, genistein did not potentiate and vanadate did not inhibit GHRH-stimulated cAMP accumulation, indicating that phosphodiesterase is a probable site of action for the inhibitor. Genistein and erbstatin also enhanced GHRH-stimulated GH release and the effect of vanadate was inhibitory. These results indicate that tyrosine kinase inhibitors enhance cAMP accumulation through their action on phosphodiesterase activity in rat anterior pituitary cells and the tyrosine kinase pathway appears to be involved in the control of GH release. Journal of Endocrinology (1997) 152, 193–199


2003 ◽  
Vol 178 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Hassan ◽  
S Chacko ◽  
D Mason

Following repeated or prolonged exposure to either corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) or arginine vasopressin (AVP), pituitary adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) responsiveness is reduced. This study compared the characteristics of desensitization to CRH and AVP in perifused ovine anterior pituitary cells. Desensitization to AVP occurred at relatively low AVP concentrations and was both rapid and readily reversible. Treatment for 25 min with AVP at concentrations greater than 2 nM caused significant reductions in the response to a subsequent 5 min 100 nM AVP pulse (IC(50)=6.54 nM). Significant desensitization was observed following pretreatment with 5 nM AVP for as briefly as 5 min. Desensitization was greater following a 10 min pretreatment, but longer exposures caused no further increase. Resensitization was complete within 40 min following 15 min treatment with 10 nM AVP. Continuous perifusion with 0.01 nM CRH had no effect on AVP-induced desensitization. Treatment with 0.1 nM CRH for either 25 or 50 min caused no reduction in the response to a subsequent 5 min stimulation with 10 nM CRH. When the pretreatment concentration was increased to 1 nM significant desensitization was observed, with a greater reduction in response occurring after 50 min treatment. Recovery of responsiveness was progressive following 50 min treatment with 1 nM CRH and was complete after 100 min. Our data show that in the sheep AVP desensitization can occur at concentrations and durations of AVP exposure within the endogenous ranges. This suggests that desensitization may play a key role in regulating ACTH secretion in vivo. If, as has been suggested, CRH acts to set corticotroph gain while AVP is the main dynamic regulator, any change in responsiveness to CRH may significantly influence the overall control of ACTH secretion.


2005 ◽  
Vol 184 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Hassan ◽  
D Mason

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) stimulates adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion from corticotroph cells of the anterior pituitary via activation of the V1b vasopressin receptor, a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family. Recently, we have shown that treatment of ovine anterior pituitary cells with AVP for short periods results in reduced responsiveness to subsequent stimulation with AVP. The aim of this study was to investigate mechanisms involved in this desensitization process. Among the GPCR family, rapid desensitization is commonly mediated by receptor phosphorylation, with resensitization being mediated by internalization and subsequent dephosphorylation of the receptors by protein phosphatases. Since desensitization of V1a vasopressin receptors is mediated by protein kinase C-mediated receptor phosphorylation, we investigated the involvement of this enzyme in desensitization of the ACTH response to AVP. Treatment of perifused ovine anterior pituitary cells with the specific protein kinase C (PKC) activator 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (300 μM) did not induce any reduction in response to a subsequent 5-min stimulation with 100 nM AVP, despite potently stimulating ACTH secretion. Likewise, the results obtained using the PKC inhibitor Ro 31-8220 were not consistent with involvement of PKC in AVP desensitization: 2 μM Ro 31-8220 did not reduce the ability of a 10 nM AVP pretreatment to induce desensitization to a subsequent stimulation with 100 nM AVP. Pharmacologic blockade of receptor internalization by treatment with 0.25 mg/ml concanavalin A significantly impaired the ability of a 15-min pretreatment with 10 nM AVP to induce desensitization, rather than affecting resensitization. Treatment with 10 nM okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 and 2A, had no effect on either resensitization or desensitization. In contrast, inhibition of protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B) with 1 μM FK506 decreased the rate of resensitization: complete recovery from desensitization took 40 min, whereas in controls recovery was complete 20 min after termination of the pretreatment. These results indicate that desensitization of the ACTH response to AVP is not mediated by PKC-catalyzed phosphorylation, suggesting subtype-specific differences in the regulation of V1a and V1b vasopressin receptors. The data demonstrate that desensitization was dependent, at least in part, upon receptor internalization and that resensitization was dependent upon PP2B-mediated receptor dephosphorylation.


1993 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Evans ◽  
N. E. Kitson ◽  
J. H. Livesey ◽  
R. A. Donald

ABSTRACT Perifused equine anterior pituitary cells were used to investigate the effect of cortisol on the ACTH response to pulses of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH; 0·01 nmol/l) and arginine vasopressin (AVP; 100 nmol/l), given for 5 min every 30 min for 690 min and ACTH measured in 5-min fractions. At the fourth pulse of secretagogue (0 min), a constant perifusion with cortisol began (0 nmol/l (control), 100, 200, 500, 5000 and 50 000 nmol/l) and continued until the ninth pulse (150 min). For each pulse of secretagogue, the amount of ACTH (pmol) secreted in response to each pulse (ACTH response area), the highest concentration of ACTH (μg/l) measured after each pulse (peak height) and the mean ACTH in the three prepulse fractions (ACTH baseline) were determined. Data from control columns in each experiment were fitted by least squares to an exponential function to produce a mean control value for each end-point; results in all columns were expressed as a percentage of the mean control values. The addition of cortisol had a highly significant negative effect on ACTH response area, peak height and baseline at all times from + 30 to + 240 min (columns given cortisol compared with the mean of control column values by t-test). Analysis of variance of the data showed that the higher the cortisol concentration, the quicker the ACTH response area (P = 0·0072) and peak height (P = 0·002) decreased to < 50% of mean control, and the greater the maximum percentage change (suppression) in ACTH response area (P <0·0001) and peak height (P <0·0001). The maximum percentage change (suppression) in base-line was independent of cortisol concentration. At + 30 min after the start of cortisol perifusion, the ACTH response area in CRH columns was significantly lower than in AVP columns (P = 0·0088), and remained lower 90 min after the end of perifusion (P = 0·0084) but the maximum percentage change (suppression) was not different between secretagogues. ACTH peak height was significantly (P < 0·0268) lower in CRH than in AVP columns (from + 30 min until 180 min after the end of cortisol perifusion) and the maximum percentage change (suppression) was also greater (P = 0·0011) in CRH columns. This study shows the effect of different concentrations of cortisol on CRH- and AVP-induced ACTH secretion by equine anterior pituitary cells, and the time-course for ACTH responses to be inhibited by, and recover from, cortisol perifusion. The highly significant inhibitory effect of cortisol on stimulated ACTH secretion was more apparent when CRH was the secretagogue than when AVP was the secretagogue. The significant inhibitory effect of cortisol on unstimulated baseline secretion of ACTH has not been described previously. These effects occur at physiological concentrations of secretagogues and cortisol. This suggests that, in vivo, circulating cortisol may have an important role in the control of ACTH secretion at pituitary level. Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 137, 403–412


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