scholarly journals Reproductive Regulation of PrRPs in Teleost: The Link Between Feeding and Reproduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuanhui Xia ◽  
Xiangfeng Qin ◽  
Lingling Zhou ◽  
Xuetao Shi ◽  
Tianyi Cai ◽  
...  

Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP), a sort of vital hypothalamic neuropeptide, has been found to exert an enormous function on the food intake of mammals. However, little is known about the functional role of PrRP in teleost. In the present study, two PrRP isoforms and four PrRP receptors were isolated from grass carp. Ligand-receptor selectivity displayed that PrRP1 preferentially binds with PrRP-R1a and PrRP-R1b, while PrRP-R2a and PrRP-R2b were special receptors for PrRP2. Tissue distribution indicated that both PrRPs and PrRP-Rs were highly expressed in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis and intestine, suggesting a latent function on food intake and reproduction. Using grass carp as a model, we found that food intake could significantly induce hypothalamus PrRP mRNA expression, which suggested that PrRP should be also an anorexigenic peptide in teleost. Interestingly, intraperitoneal (IP) injection of PrRPs could significantly induce serum luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion and pituitary LHβ and GtHα mRNA expression in grass carp. Moreover, using primary culture grass carp pituitary cells as a model, we further found that PrRPs could directly induce pituitary LH secretion and synthesis mediated by AC/PKA, PLC/IP3/PKC, and Ca2+/CaM/CaMK-II pathways. Finally, estrogen treatment of prepubertal fish elicited increases in PrRPs and PrPR receptors expression in primary cultured grass carp hypothalamus cells, which further confirmed that the PrRP/PrRPR system may participate in the neuroendocrine control of fish reproduction. These results, taken together, suggest that PrRPs might act as a coupling factor in feeding metabolism and reproductive activities in teleost.

Endocrinology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 158 (6) ◽  
pp. 1776-1797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangfu Hu ◽  
Mulan He ◽  
Wendy K. W. Ko ◽  
Anderson O. L. Wong

Abstract Tachykinin-1 (TAC1) is known to have diverse functions in mammals, but similar information is scarce in fish species. Using grass carp as a model, the pituitary actions, receptor specificity and postreceptor signaling of TAC1 gene products, namely substance P (SP) and neurokinin A (NKA), were examined. TAC1 encoding SP and NKA as well as tachykinin receptors NK1R and NK2R were cloned in the carp pituitary. The newly cloned receptors were shown to be functional with properties similar to mammalian counterparts. In carp pituitary cells, SP and NKA could trigger luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), and somatolactin α (SLα) secretion, with parallel rises in PRL and SLα transcripts. Short-term SP treatment (3 hours) induced LH release, whereas prolonged induction (24 hours) could attenuate LHβ messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. At pituitary cell level, LH, PRL, and SLα regulation by TAC1 gene products were mediated by NK1R, NK2R, and NK3R, respectively. Apparently, SP- and NKA-induced LH and SLα secretion and transcript expression were mediated by adenylyl cyclase/cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA), phospholiphase C (PLC)/inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate/protein kinase C (PKC), and Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)/CaM-dependent protein kinase-II pathways. The signal transduction for PRL responses was similar, except for the absence of a PKC component. Regarding SP inhibition of LHβ mRNA expression, the cAMP/PKA- and PLC/PKC-dependent (but not Ca2+/CaM-dependent) cascades were involved. These results, as a whole, suggest that TAC1 gene products play a role in LH, PRL, and SLα regulation via overlapping postreceptor signaling coupled to different subtypes of tachykinin receptor expressed in the carp pituitary.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiongyao Hu ◽  
Shaohua Xu ◽  
Cheng Ye ◽  
Jingyi Jia ◽  
Lingling Zhou ◽  
...  

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a member of the EGF-like ligands family, which plays a vital role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and folliculogenesis through binding with EGF receptors, including ErbB1 (EGFR/HER1), ErbB2 (HER2), ErbB3 (HER3), and ErbB4 (HER4). In mammals, many functional roles of EGF have been reported in the ovaries and breasts. However, little is known about the functions of EGF in the pituitary, especially in teleost. In this study, using grass carp pituitary cells as the model, we try to examine the direct pituitary actions of EGF in teleost. Firstly, transcriptomic analysis showed that 599 different expressed genes (DEGs) between the control and EGF-treatment group were mainly involved in cell proliferation, cell migration, signal transduction, and transcriptional regulation. Then, we further confirmed that EGF could significantly induce UTS1, EGR1, and MMP13 mRNA expression in a time-and dose-dependent manner. The stimulatory actions of EGF on UTS1 and EGR1 mRNA expression were mediated by the MEK1/2/ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways coupled with both ErbB1 and ErbB2 in grass carp pituitary cells. The receptor specificity and signal transductions for the corresponding responses on MMP13 mRNA expression were also similar, except that the ErbB2 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were not involved. As we know, MMP13 could release EGF from HB-EGF. Interestingly, our data also showed that the MMPs inhibitor BB94 could suppress EGF-induced UTS1 and EGR1 mRNA expression. These results, taken together, suggest that the stimulatory actions of EGF on UTS1 and EGR1 mRNA expression could be enhanced by EGF-induced MMP13 expression in the pituitary.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangfeng Qin ◽  
Cheng Ye ◽  
Xiaoyun Zhou ◽  
Jingyi Jia ◽  
Shaohua Xu ◽  
...  

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a potent regulator of cell function in many cell types. In mammals, the EGF/EGFR system played an important role in both pituitary physiology and pathology. However, it is not clear about the pituitary action of EGF in lower vertebrates. In this study, using grass carp as a model, we found that EGF could stimulate NK3R mRNA and protein expression through pituitary ErbB1 and ErbB2 coupled to MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways. In addition, EGF could also induce pituitary somatolactin α (SLα) secretion and mRNA expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner in vivo and in vitro. The stimulatory actions of EGF on SLα mRNA expression were also mediated by PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MEK/ERK pathways coupled to ErbB1 and ErbB2 activation. Our previous study has reported that neurokinin B (NKB) could also induce SLα secretion and mRNA expression in carp pituitary cells. In the present study, interestingly, we found that EGF could significantly enhance NKB-induced SLα mRNA expression. Further studies found that NK3R antagonist SB222200 could block EGF-induced SLα mRNA expression, indicating an NK3R requirement. Furthermore, cAMP/PKA inhibitors and PLC/PKC inhibitors could both abolish EGF- and EGF+NKB-induced SLα mRNA expression, which further supported that EGF-induced SLα mRNA expression is NK3R dependent.


2017 ◽  
Vol 233 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengyuan Lin ◽  
Xue Jiang ◽  
Mulan He ◽  
Ling Zhao ◽  
Tao Huang ◽  
...  

In mammals, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a pleiotropic hormone with diverse functions but its role in prolactin (PRL) regulation is highly controversial. To shed light on Prl regulation by PACAP in fish model, grass carp pituitary cells was used as a model to examine the receptor specificity and signal transduction for PACAP modulation of prl gene expression in the carp pituitary. Using RT-PCR, PACAP-selective PAC1 receptor was detected in carp lactotrophs. In carp pituitary cells, nanomolar doses of PACAP, but not VIP, could elevate Prl secretion and protein production with concurrent rise in prl mRNA and these stimulatory effects were blocked by PACAP antagonist but not VIP antagonist. PACAP-induced prl mRNA expression could be mimicked by activating adenylate cyclase (AC), increasing cAMP level by cAMP analog, or increasing intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) by Ca2+ ionophore/voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel (VSCC) activator. PACAP-induced prl gene expression, however, was attenuated/abolished by suppressing cAMP production, inhibiting PKA activity, blocking [Ca2+]i mobilization and VSCC activation, calmodulin (CaM) antagonism, and inactivation of JNK and CaM Kinase II (CaMK-II). Similar sensitivity to CaM, JNK, and CaMK-II blockade was also noted by substituting cAMP analog for PACAP as the stimulant for prl mRNA expression. These results, as a whole, provide evidence for the first time that (i) PACAP activation of PAC1 receptor expressed in carp lactotrophs could induce Prl synthesis and secretion, and (ii) Prl production induced by PACAP was mediated by upregulation of prl gene expression, presumably via functional coupling of cAMP/PKA-, Ca2+/CaM-, and MAPK-dependent cascades.


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hu ◽  
He ◽  
Ko ◽  
Ye ◽  
Hu ◽  
...  

In mammals, the tachykinin 3 (TAC3)/tachykinin receptor 3 (TACR3) systems have been confirmed to play an important role in the regulation of puberty onset. Using grass carp pituitary cells as the model, our recent study found that the TAC3 gene products could significantly induce somatolactin α (SLα) synthesis and secretion via TACR3 activation. In the present study, we seek to examine if pituitary TACR3 can serve as a regulatory target and contribute to TAC3 interactions with other SLα regulators. Firstly, grass carp TACR3 was cloned and tissue distribution showed that it could be highly detected in grass carp pituitary. Using HEK293 cells as the model, functional expression also revealed that grass carp TACR3 exhibited ligand binding selectivity and post-receptor signaling highly comparable to its mammalian counterpart. Using grass carp pituitary cells as the model, TACR3 mRNA expression could be stimulated by insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and -II via the IGF-I receptor coupled to phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Interestingly, IGF-I/-II cotreatment could also significantly enhance TAC3-induced SLα mRNA expression and the potentiating effect was dependent on TACR3 expression and activation of adenylate cyclase (AC)/cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA), phospholipase C (PLC)/inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3)/protein kinase C (PKC), and Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMK-II) cascades. Besides, IGF-I-induced Akt phosphorylation but not MEK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), and P38MAPK phosphorylation was notably enhanced by TACR3 activation. These results, as a whole, suggest that the potentiating effect of IGFs on TAC3 gene products-induced SLα mRNA expression was mediated by TACR3 upregulation and functional crosstalk of post-receptor signaling in the pituitary.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (2) ◽  
pp. E477-E490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan Jiang ◽  
Mulan He ◽  
Xinyan Wang ◽  
Anderson O. L. Wong

Somatolactin (SL), the latest member of the growth hormone/prolactin family, is a novel pituitary hormone with diverse functions. However, the signal transduction mechanisms responsible for SL expression are still largely unknown. Using grass carp as an animal model, we examined the direct effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) on SL gene expression at the pituitary level. In primary cultures of grass carp pituitary cells, SLα and SLβ mRNA levels could be elevated by PACAP via activation of PAC-I receptors. With the use of a pharmacological approach, the AC/cAMP/PKA and PLC/inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)/PKC pathways and subsequent activation of the Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)/CaMK-II cascades were shown to be involved in PACAP-induced SLα mRNA expression. Apparently, the downstream Ca2+/CaM-dependent cascades were triggered by extracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]e) entry via L-type voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels (VSCC) and Ca2+ release from IP3-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. In addition, the VSCC component could be activated by cAMP/PKA- and PLC/PKC-dependent mechanisms. Similar postreceptor signaling cascades were also observed for PACAP-induced SLβ mRNA expression, except that [Ca2+]e entry through VSCC, PKC coupling to PLC, and subsequent activation of CaMK-II were not involved. These findings, taken together, provide evidence for the first time that PACAP can induce SLα and SLβ gene expression in fish model via PAC-I receptors through differential coupling to overlapping and yet distinct signaling pathways.


Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 279
Author(s):  
Qiongyao Hu ◽  
Qinbo Qin ◽  
Shaohua Xu ◽  
Lingling Zhou ◽  
Chuanhui Xia ◽  
...  

In mammals, epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays a vital role in both pituitary physiology and pathology. However, the functional role of EGF in the regulation of pituitary hormones has rarely reported in teleost. In our study, using primary cultured grass carp pituitary cells as an in vitro model, we examined the effects of EGF on pituitary hormone secretion and gene expression as well as the post-receptor signaling mechanisms involved. Firstly, we found that EGF significantly reduced luteinizing hormone (LHβ) mRNA expression via ErbB1 coupled to ERK1/2 pathway, but had no effect on LH release in grass carp pituitary cells. Secondly, the results showed that EGF was effective in up-regulating mRNA expression of growth hormone (GH), somatolactin α (SLα) and somatolactin β (SLβ) via ErbB1 and ErbB2 and subsequently coupled to MEK1/2/ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways, respectively. However, EGF was not effective in GH release in pituitary cells. Thirdly, we found that EGF strongly induced pituitary prolactin (PRL) release and mRNA expression, which was mediated by ErbB1 and subsequent stimulation of MEK1/2/ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways. Interestingly, subsequent study further found that neurokinin B (NKB) significantly suppressed EGF-induced PRL mRNA expression, which was mediated by neurokinin receptor (NK2R) and coupled to AC/cAMP/PKA signal pathway. These results suggested that EGF could differently regulate the pituitary hormones expression in grass carp pituitary cells.


2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Zhou ◽  
Yonghua Jiang ◽  
Wendy K W Ko ◽  
Wensheng Li ◽  
Anderson O L Wong

Growth hormone (GH) is known to stimulate luteinizing hormone (LH) release via paracrine interactions between somatotrophs and gonadotrophs. However, it is unclear if LH can exert a reciprocal effect to modulate somatotroph functions. Here we examined the paracrine effects of LH on GH gene expression using grass carp pituitary cells as a cell model. LH receptors were identified in grass carp somatotrophs and their activation by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) increased ‘steady-state’ GH mRNA levels. Removal of endogenous LH by immunoneutralization using LH antiserum inhibited GH release and GH mRNA expression. GH secretagogues, including gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and apomorphine, were effective in elevating GH mRNA levels but these stimulatory actions were blocked by LH antiserum. In pituitary cells pretreated with actinomycin D, the half-life of GH mRNA was not affected by hCG but was enhanced by LH immunoneutralization. Treatment with LH antiserum also suppressed basal levels of mature GH mRNA and primary transcripts. hCG increased cAMP synthesis in carp pituitary cells and hCG-induced GH mRNA expression was mimicked by forskolin but suppressed by inhibiting adenylate cyclase and protein kinase A. Similarly, the stimulatory actions of hCG and forskolin on GH mRNA expression were blocked by inhibiting Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and MAP kinase (MAPK), including P42/44MAPK and P38 MAPK. These results suggest that LH is essential for the maintenance of GH release, GH gene expression, and somatotroph responsiveness to GH-releasing factors. The paracrine actions of LH on GH mRNA expression are mediated by a concurrent increase in GH gene transcription and GH mRNA turnover, probably through JAK2/MAPK coupled to the cAMP-dependent pathway.


Endocrinology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 145 (12) ◽  
pp. 5548-5559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Zhou ◽  
Xinyan Wang ◽  
Wendy K. W. Ko ◽  
Anderson O. L. Wong

Abstract Gonadotropin (GTH) and GH released from the pituitary are known to interact at multiple levels to modulate the functions of the gonadotrophic and somatotrophic axes. However, their interactions at the pituitary level have not been fully characterized. In this study, autocrine/paracrine regulation of GH synthesis and secretion by local interactions between gonadotrophs and somatotrophs was examined using grass carp pituitary cells as a cell model. Exogenous GTH and GH induced GH release and GH mRNA expression in carp pituitary cells. Removal of endogenous GTH and GH by immunoneutralization with GTH and GH antisera, respectively, suppressed GH release, GH production, and GH mRNA levels. GH antiserum also blocked the stimulatory effects of exogenous GTH on GH release and GH mRNA levels. In reciprocal experiments, GH release and GH mRNA expression induced by exogenous GH was significantly reduced by GTH antiserum. In addition, exogenous GH was found to be inhibitory to basal GTH release and treatment with GH antiserum elevated GTH secretion at low doses but suppressed GTH production at high doses. These results suggest that local interactions between gonadotrophs and somatotrophs may form an intrapituitary feedback loop to regulate GH release and synthesis. In this model, GTH released from gonadotrophs induces GH release and GH production in neighboring somatotrophs. GH secreted maintains somatotroph sensitivity to GTH stimulation, and at the same time, inhibits basal GTH release in gonadotrophs. This feedback loop may represent a novel mechanism regulating GH release and synthesis in lower vertebrates.


2007 ◽  
Vol 195 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Joon Kim ◽  
Mary C Gieske ◽  
Susan Hudgins ◽  
Beob Gyun Kim ◽  
Andree Krust ◽  
...  

Estrogen plays a critical role in inducing LH surge. In the pituitary, estrogen receptor α (ERα) mediates the action of estrogen, while the downstream pathway of ERα activation is yet to be elucidated. Here, we report the finding that cholecystokinin type A receptor (CCK-AR) is an ERα downstream gene in the mouse anterior pituitary. In the cycling mouse pituitary, the expression of CCK-AR mRNA is markedly higher in the afternoon of proestrus compared with metestrus. Both ovariectomy (OVX) and null mutation of the ERα gene completely abolish CCK-AR mRNA expression. Injection of 17β-estradiol to OVX wild-type mice induces recovery of CCK-AR mRNA expression to levels observed at proestrus, but no such recovery is induced in OVX ERα knockout mice. The same pattern of estrogen dependency in inducing CCK-AR mRNA expression was seen in cultured primary anterior pituitary cells, indicating that estrogen directly acts on pituitary cells to induce CCK-AR expression. Immunohistological analysis revealed that more than 80% of gonadotrophs express CCK-AR in the afternoon of proestrus. To test whether CCK-AR mediated the sensitizing effect of estrogen in GnRH-induced LH secretion, primary pituitary cells were primed with estrogen followed by treatment with GnRH in the presence or absence of lorglumide, a CCK-AR antagonist. While both groups secreted LH upon GnRH treatment, lorglumide treatment significantly decreased LH secretion. Taken together, this study finds CCK-AR to be an ERα downstream gene in the pituitary and suggests that CCK-AR may play a role in the estrogen sensitization of the pituitary response to GnRH.


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