Constitutive activation of stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding protein (G(S)alphaQL)-mediated signaling increases invasiveness and tumorigenicity of PC-3M prostate cancer cells.

An abnormal stimulation of cAMP signaling cascade has been implicated in various human carcinomas. Since the agents activating G(S)alpha-mediated signaling pathways have been shown to increase in vitro proliferation of prostate cancer cells, present studies examined the G(S)alpha-mediated signaling in tumorigenicity and invasiveness of PC-3M prostate cancer cells. PC-3M cells were stably transfected with plasmids containing either wild type (G(S)alpha-WT) or constitutively active (gsp mutant of G(S)alpha or G(S)alpha-QL) cDNAs. The stable transfectants were then tested for: (1) colony formation in soft agar; (2) cell migration and penetration of basement matrix in an in vitro invasion assay; and (3) the ability to form tumors and metastases in nude mice. PC-3M cells expressing G(S)alpha-QL protein displayed 15-fold increase in their ability to migrate and penetrate the basement membrane as compared to parental PC-3M cells or those expressing G(S)alpha-WT. G(S)alpha-QL transfectants also displayed a dramatically greater rate of growth in soft agar, and greater tumorigenicity and metastasis forming ability when orthotopically implanted in nude mice. All mice receiving PC-3M cells produced primary tumors within 5 weeks after implantation. However, the cells expressing G(S)alpha-QL displayed a significantly faster tumor growth as assessed by prostate weight (greater than 20-fold as compared to PC-3M cells), and produced metastases in kidneys, lymph nodes, blood vessels, bowel mesentery and intestine. Interestingly, expression of G(S)alpha-WT reduced the ability of PC-3M cells to form tumors in nude mice. These results suggest that persistent activation of G(S)alpha-mediated signaling cascade can dramatically accelerate tumorigenesis and metastasizing ability of prostate cancer cells.

3,5 cyclic adenosine monophosphate mediates the salmon calcitonin-induced increase in hypothalamic tyrosine hydroxylase activity.

This study examined the effect of salmon calcitonin (sCT) on hypothalamic tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity and evaluated the cellular signaling mechanisms involved in the response. Fetal hypothalamic cells were cultured in a defined medium and treated with sCT and/or specific protein kinase inhibitors on day 14 in vitro. sCT (0.1-10 nM) increased both TH activity and cellular cAMP content in a concentration-dependent manner. sCT (10 nM) increased TH activity to 150-175% of control values and resulted in a 10-fold increase in cellular cAMP content. Both the C1a and C1b CT receptor isoforms were present in the cultures, as assessed by RT-PCR. Rp-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate (Rp-cAMPS), a cAMP antagonist, and H-8, a cyclic nucleotide kinase inhibitor, blocked the sCT-induced increase in TH activity, with complete abolition of the response observed at concentrations of 1 mM and 5 microM, respectively. sCT (10 nM) increased radiolabeled phosphate incorporation into TH protein to 169% of control values and 1 mM Rp-cAMPS completely blocked this effect. In contrast, neither Calphostin C, a protein kinase C inhibitor, nor U-73122, a phospholipase C inhibitor, significantly altered the ability of sCT to increase TH activity. Likewise, the sCT-induced increase in TH activity was observed after pretreating the cells with either BAPTA/AM, an intracellular calcium chelator, or thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum calcium pump. These data indicate that sCT has a profound stimulatory effect on TH activity in fetal hypothalamic cells and that enhanced phosphorylation of TH coincides with the sCT-induced increase in enzyme activity. Moreover, CT receptors, which are linked to cAMP production, are expressed in the hypothalamic cells and a cAMP-dependent mechanism mediates the sCT-induced activation and phosphorylation of TH.

Synthesis and release of calcitonin-like immunoreactivity by anterior pituitary cells: evidence for a role in paracrine regulation of prolactin secretion.

Calcitonin (CT) is a potent and specific inhibitor of basal and TRH-induced PRL release and PRL mRNA levels in rat anterior pituitary (AP) cells, an action mediated through specific inhibition of the Ca(2+)-inositol phosphate messenger system. Because CT and CT-like peptides have been reported to be present in the AP, the present studies investigated 1) whether 35S-labeled CT-like substances can be precipitated from rat AP cell lysates, 2) whether immunoreactive CT is secreted from rat AP cells, as assessed from a cell blot assay and from RIA of spent medium from cultured AP cells, and 3) whether the release of PRL from cultured rat AP cells can be influenced by immunoneutralization of endogenous CT. Dispersed rat AP cells were labeled with [35S]cysteine, CT-like substances were immunoprecipitated from the lysate with antihuman CT (anti-hCT) and antisalmon CT (anti-sCT) immunoglobulin G conjugated to protein-A-Sepharose beads, and the immunoprecipitates were fractionated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identified by fluorography. The results revealed that both anti-sCT and anti-hCT sera precipitated three major bands of 35S-labeled material from AP cell lysates, with approximate molecular masses of 23, 6.5, and 3.5 kilodaltons. Synthetic sCT completely displaced anti-sCT-precipitable bands and partially displaced anti-hCT precipitates. The cell blot assay revealed the presence of CT-immunopositive AP cells, and secretion of this substance was indicated by zones of secretion surrounding these cells. Immunoreactive CT was also detected in spent medium from cultured rat AP cells, and the average rate of release over 4 days of culture was approximately 1 ng sCT eq/3 million AP cells.24 h. Both anti-sCT and anti-hCT sera significantly stimulated PRL release from rat AP cells, and the stimulatory effect of anti-sCT serum was dose dependent up to a concentration of 1:50. The present findings demonstrate that CT-like peptide(s) is synthesized and released from cultured AP cells and suggest that this peptide may participate in the regulation of PRL secretion via paracrine or autocrine actions.

Calcitonin inhibits thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced increases in cytosolic Ca2+ in isolated rat anterior pituitary cells.

Calcitonin (CT) and related peptides, such as CT gene-related peptide and salmon CT (sCT)-like peptide, are present in the rat nervous system and the pituitary gland, and sCT markedly inhibits basal and TRH-stimulated PRL release from anterior pituitary (AP) cells. Because TRH-induced PRL release is known to involve increases in cytosolic free Ca2+ derived from both extracellular and intracellular sources, the objective of the present study was to test whether sCT interferes with this effect. Secretogogue-induced elevations of cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in acutely dispersed AP cells were monitored using the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator Indo-1 AM and flow cytometry. AP cells were enzymatically dispersed to single cell suspensions and loaded with 20 microM Indo-1 AM for 30 min. Indo-1-loaded AP cells were scanned at a rate of approximately 500 cells/sec for 200-300 sec in a flow cytometer, and the ratio of fluorescence due to Ca2+ bound to Indo-1 to free Indo-1 (Indo-1 ratio), which is an index of [Ca2+]i, was determined for each cell. Under basal conditions, AP cells showed stable Indo-1 ratios during the scans, and 100% of the cells responded to the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin with increases in the Indo-1 ratio. Approximately 25-30% of the AP cells responded to a 1 microM pulse of TRH with marked increases in the Indo-1 ratio, indicative of increases in [Ca2+]i, with the response consisting of two phases, an initial rapid rise that was unaffected by the presence of EGTA in the extracellular environment, followed by a decrease to a sustained secondary phase that was completely eliminated by EGTA. In a normal extracellular Ca2+ environment, pretreatment with 100 nM sCT almost totally inhibited the response to 1 microM TRH. In EGTA-pretreated AP cells, the initial EGTA-insensitive phase of the TRH-induced [Ca2+]i increase was also abolished by prior exposure to sCT. These results suggest that sCT inhibits TRH-stimulated PRL release in AP cells by attenuating the TRH-induced increase in [Ca2+]i, an effect that probably occurs as a consequence of inhibition of the stimulatory effect of TRH on the Ca2+/phospholipid messenger system.

Calcitonin inhibits basal and thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced release of prolactin from anterior pituitary cells: evidence for a selective action exerted proximal to secretagogue-induced increases in cytosolic Ca2+.

Salmon calcitonin (sCT)-like peptide is present in the central nervous system and pituitary gland of the rat, and this peptide inhibits basal and TRH-stimulated PRL release from cultured rat anterior pituitary (AP) cells. The present studies were designed to examine further the inhibitory actions of sCT on basal and TRH-stimulated PRL release and investigated 1) the temporal dynamics of the responses, 2) the effects of sCT on PRL release induced by other secretogogues, and particularly those acting via elevations of cytosolic Ca2+, and 3) the selectivity of sCT action on basal and stimulated AP hormone release. The inhibition of basal PRL release by sCT (0.1-10 nM) was dose-dependent and was characterized by a rapid onset with a gradual recovery to normal rates of release after the period of sCT inhibition. The inhibitory effect of sCT on basal PRL release was reversed by treatment with either the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 or with the phorbol ester, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). sCT infusion did not affect the basal release of GH, TSH, FSH, or LH by perifused AP cells. When administered in short pulses, TRH, at concentrations from 1-100 nM, elicited a dose-dependent increase in PRL release. When coadministered with short 10 nM TRH, sCT (1-100 nM) inhibited TRH-induced PRL release in a dose-dependent manner, with a maximal inhibition of 78% at a concentration of 10 nM, and an ED50 concentration of approximately 3 nM. During longer (30 min) pulses of TRH (100 nM), PRL release increased sharply over 4-fold within 2 min, followed within 12 min by a rapid decline to a level 1.5-2-fold higher than basal, and this level was maintained for the remainder of the stimulation period. sCT pretreatment inhibited the overall PRL response to TRH. In contrast to its inhibition of TRH-induced PRL release, sCT failed to prevent the stimulation of PRL release by either ionophore A23187, PMA, vasoactive intestinal peptide, or forskolin. In addition, sCT failed to block TRH-induced TSH release or GnRH-induced LH release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Hyperprolactinemia after neonatal prolactin (PRL) deficiency in rats: evidence for altered anterior pituitary regulation of PRL secretion.

Previous findings from this laboratory suggest a role for milk-borne PRL in the development of the inhibitory neuroendocrine controls over PRL secretion. Thus, rats that consumed milk deficient in PRL on days 2-5 postpartum show reduced concentrations and turnover of DA in the median eminence and elevated serum levels of PRL at 30-35 days of age. The present experiments were undertaken to investigate whether these consequences of neonatal PRL deficiency persist beyond puberty, and whether alterations in pituitary responsiveness to hypothalamic hormones may be involved. Lactating rats received sc injections of either saline or the dopamine (DA) agonist bromocriptine (125 micrograms/rat.day) on each of days 2-5 postpartum, a treatment that reduces the amount of PRL in milk without abolishing lactation. Blood samples were obtained from male and female offspring at various postnatal ages, and PRL concentrations were determined by RIA. Serum PRL concentrations in offspring from both groups were low until after weaning, but the female offspring of bromocriptine-treated mothers showed significantly elevated serum PRL between days 30 and 90 postpartum. Male offspring of bromocriptine-treated mothers also had transiently increased serum PRL levels, which returned to control levels by day 40. The turnover rate of DA in the median eminence, calculated from the rate of decline after synthesis inhibition, was reduced on day 35 in neonatally PRL-deficient offspring, as shown previously. However, no differences in DA turnover between the two groups were apparent on day 60, indicating a recovery of normal dopaminergic activity. Anterior pituitary cells of 100-day-old control and neonatally PRL-deficient animals were dispersed, cultured for 3 days, and then exposed to either TRH, to stimulate PRL release, or to the DA agonist bromocriptine, which inhibits PRL release. Pituitary cells of neonatally PRL-deficient offspring were almost completely unresponsive to bromocriptine with regard to suppression of PRL release and cytoplasmic PRL mRNA levels. In contrast, pituitary cells of neonatal PRL-deficient offspring were somewhat more responsive to TRH in stimulating PRL release and increasing the levels of PRL mRNA. These results suggest that a brief period of PRL deficiency during the neonatal period may result in long-lasting alterations in control of PRL secretion. The resultant hyperprolactinemia may be initiated by a reduction in the release of DA from the hyothalamus, perhaps reflecting a role for milk-derived PRL in the functional development of this neurosecretory system, and maintained in part by a reduction in pituitary responsiveness to DA.

Presence of calcitonin-like peptide in rat milk: possible physiological role in regulation of neonatal prolactin secretion.

Previous results have shown that salmon calcitonin (sCT), a peptide in rat brain and pituitary gland, inhibits basal and TRH-stimulated PRL release and reduces PRL mRNA levels in isolated anterior pituitary cells of adult rats in culture. Rat milk contains a variety of neuropeptides and hormones, some of which are absorbed in bioactive form to exert endocrine influences in the developing offspring. The present studies were undertaken to investigate whether a CT-like peptide is present in rat milk. Circulating PRL levels in neonatal rats are low, and there is an abrupt increase in the basal secretion of this hormone at weaning. A second objective was to examine whether CT plays a role in the regulation of PRL secretion in neonatal animals. A sensitive and specific RIA for sCT was developed and used to assay rat milk on various days of lactation for sCT-like immunoreactivity. sCT-like activity was present in the water-soluble (infranatant) fraction of milk throughout lactation in concentrations as high as 1589 pg/ml. There were no statistically significant differences in immunoreactive levels of the peptide in milk samples from different days of lactation. sCT-like immunoreactivity in rat milk infranatant coeluted with synthetic sCT on reverse phase HPLC, and these HPLC fractions inhibited basal PRL release when added to cultures of anterior pituitary cells. This inhibition of PRL release by the sCT-immunoreactive HPLC fractions was comparable to that exerted by equivalent concentrations of synthetic sCT. Newborn rats were injected sc with 10 microliters normal rabbit serum or anti-sCT serum from the day of birth until postpartum day 10. The rats were killed on day 11, and their sera were analyzed for PRL. Anti-sCT-injected rats showed a significant increase in serum PRL levels compared to those in untreated or normal serum-treated rats. These results demonstrate that a CT-like peptide, which is a potent inhibitor of PRL release, is present in rat milk throughout lactation, and that passive immunization with a highly specific anti-sCT serum leads to an increase in serum PRL levels in neonatal rats. CT, possibly of milk origin, may be a physiologically relevant PRL-inhibiting factor during the neonatal period.

Calcitonin inhibits anterior pituitary cell proliferation in the adult female rats.

Previous studies have shown that CT-like immunoreactive peptide(s) (pit-CT) is synthesized by the anterior pituitary (AP) gland, and exogenously added salmon(s) CT inhibits PRL release and PRL gene transcription in cultured AP cells. Anti-sCT serum, which immunoreacts with pit-CT, stimulates PRL secretion, suggesting pit-CT is a physiologically relevant PRL-inhibiting hormone. Using proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) staining and 5-bromo-2'deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation into newly replicated DNA, the effect of calcitonin (CT) on cellular proliferation in the rat anterior pituitary gland (AP) was examined. CT significantly attenuated PCNA-immunopositive as well as BrdU-positive AP cell populations in dispersed rat AP cells. A second series of experiments tested the effects of CT on AP cell proliferation in vivo. OVX + E2 rats were injected with 200 microg CT (iv), the rats killed at various time points, and the APs were processed for BrdU staining. CT inhibited BrdU incorporation at all time points up to 15 h after the injection, and this inhibitory effect was reversed at later time points. The effect of CT was concentration dependent, and a maximal inhibition was observed 10 h after the CT injection. Subsequent experiments identified CT-responsive AP cell populations using double immunofluorescence for BrdU and either PRL or FSH. The number of BrdU-labeled lactotropes in the AP gland declined by 74% in the CT-treated rats. Neutralization of endogenous pit-CT by passive immunization with anti-sCT serum caused a 2-fold increase in AP cell proliferation. These results suggest an important role for the endogenous pit-CT in regulation of lactotrope population of the AP gland.

Calcitonin is a physiological inhibitor of prolactin secretion in ovariectomized female rats.

Calcitonin (CT) inhibits secretion of PRL when administered intravenously in rats and humans. It also inhibits PRL release from cultured rat anterior pituitary (AP) cells. Recent evidence suggests that CT-like immunoreactive peptide is synthesized and released from the AP gland. However, its physiological role in the regulation of PRL secretion has not been understood. Present studies tested the role of endogenous pituitary CT (pit-CT) in the regulation of PRL secretion in vivo by passive immunization. In the first group of experiments, ovariectomized (ovx) adult female rats were administered either preimmune or anti-salmon CT (sCT) serum, and their serum PRL levels were analyzed at various time points up to 3 h. A second group of experiments examined the effects of anti-sCT serum and dopamine on PRL release from cultured rate AP cells. In the next group of experiments, the regional distribution of pit-CT secretion was examined in different sections of the AP gland. In the last set, CT-like activity of AP extract was tested in neonatal rat kidney cells, which respond to CT with an increase in cAMP accumulation. These experiments also tested whether anti-sCT serum reduces AP extract-induced increase in cAMP accumulation. The results suggest that anti-sCT serum dramatically increased serum PRL levels (by 5-fold) of ovx rats within 30 min of administration. The serum PRL levels declined gradually after the peak. However, a significant increase in serum PRL levels was maintained by the anti-sCT serum for the duration of the experiment. The anti-serum also induced a significant increase in PRL release from cultured AP cells when added to the presence or absence of dopamine. The distribution profile of pit-CT within the AP gland suggests that the release of pit-CT immunoreactivity was significantly greater in the inner sections, and anti-sCT serum also caused greater increase in PRL release in these sections. Finally, AP extract and sCT stimulated cAMP accumulation in neonatal rat kidney cells, and anti-sCT serum significantly reduced AP extract-induced cAMP accumulation. These results demonstrate that pit-CT is an important regulator of tonic PRL secretion in female rats and can potently inhibit PRL secretion even in the presence of dopamine.

Calcitonin stimulates growth of human prostate cancer cells through receptor-mediated increase in cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphates and cytoplasmic Ca2+ transients.

Our recent study has shown that a calcitonin (CT)-like immunoreactive substance(s) is secreted by cultured prostate cells, and secretion of this material is significantly higher in malignant than in benign prostate cells. To test the hypothesis that prostatic CT may serve as a paracrine/neuroendocrine factor, the present study investigated for the presence of CT receptors in the prostate gland. Signal transduction mechanisms activated by CT were examined, and the study also tested its effects on prostate cell proliferation, as assessed by [3H]thymidine incorporation. The results show that high affinity binding sites for [125I]salmon CT were present in plasma membrane fractions of human prostate tissue specimens and the prostate cancer LnCaP cell line. The maximal binding for CT receptors was 564 +/- 163 fmol/mg protein, and the apparent dissociation constant (Kd) was 2.89 +/- 0.58 nM. CT induced a dose-dependent increase in cAMP generation in LnCaP cells. The effect of CT on cytoplasmic Ca2+ transients of LnCaP cells was examined by videofluoromicroscopy. CT (100 nM) induced a rapid and sharp increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentrations in LnCaP cells. The CT-induced increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ transients appeared to be biphasic (spike and plateau), and this increase was 4- to 10-fold during the initial phase. The profile of this response is characteristic of the activated Ca2+/phospholipid second messenger system. CT also caused a dose-dependent increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation by LnCaP cells. These results suggest that a locally secreted CT-like peptide(s) induces mitogenic responses in prostate cancer cells. This action seems to be mediated through activation of signaling mechanisms, leading to the accumulation of two different second messengers, cAMP and calcium. Activation of dual second messenger systems by CT receptors suggests that the peptide hormone may play an important role in rapidly growing cell populations during the process of tumor formation.

Neuropeptide-Y enhances luteinizing hormone (LH)-releasing hormone-induced LH release and elevations in cytosolic Ca2+ in rat anterior pituitary cells: evidence for involvement of extracellular Ca2+ influx through voltage-sensitive channels.

The present studies were designed to investigate the mechanism by which neuropeptide-Y (NPY) augments the effect of LHRH to stimulate the release of LH from cultured rat anterior pituitary cells. Anterior pituitary cells from ovariectomized rats were enzymatically dispersed, cultured for 3 days, and then exposed to various secretagogues during 3-h incubations. As reported by this laboratory previously, NPY alone (100 nM) did not affect LH release, but significantly enhanced the LH response to 1 nM LHRH. This facilitatory action of NPY was mimicked by the dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel agonist Bay K 8644 (1 microM), and the enhancement of LHRH-induced LH release by either NPY or Bay K 8644 was prevented by the dihydropyridine antagonist nitrendipine (1 microM). Nitrendipine alone reduced the response to LHRH by approximately 25%, but did not affect basal LH release. In contrast, NPY failed to amplify the release of PRL in response to TRH, another Ca2(+)-mobilizing hormone. To test whether NPY also enhances the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ induced by LHRH, anterior pituitary cells were acutely dispersed into single cell suspensions, loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ probe Indo-1 AM, and analyzed with a UV laser in an EPICS-753 flow cytometer at a rate of 500 cells/sec for 200 sec. The ratio of intracellular fluorescence resulting from Ca2+ bound to the Indo-1 to the fluorescence from Indo-1 alone (Indo-1 ratio), which is an index of the concentration of free cytosolic Ca2+, was determined for each cell. Approximately 7% of anterior pituitary cells responded to LHRH (1 or 10 nM) with significant increases in Indo-1 ratios, indicative of an increase in the concentration of free cytosolic Ca2+. EGTA (2.5 mM) reduced the basal Indo-1 ratios and attenuated, but did not abolish, the initial increase in response to LHRH, consistent with the initial extracellular Ca2+ influx-independent phase of the response to LHRH. NPY alone (100 nM) did not affect the Indo-1 ratios in anterior pituitary cells, but pretreatment with the peptide for 10 min before the scans significantly augmented the Indo-1 ratio response to 10 nM LHRH. This effect of NPY was also blocked by EGTA. Taken together, these biochemical and pharmacological studies suggest that NPY enhances the release of LH stimulated by LHRH by increasing extracellular Ca2+ entry, possibly by selectively affecting that component of the response involving dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels during the initial stages of the cellular response to LHRH.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension causing reversible frontotemporal dementia.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) causes postural headache and neurologic symptoms owing to traction and brain compression. A 66-year-old man with chronic headache and progressive personality and behavioral changes typical of frontotemporal dementia was examined. He had MRI findings of SIH with low CSF pressure. His headache, dementia, and imaging abnormalities abated after treatment with prednisone. SIH can cause reversible frontotemporal dementia, and should be considered when dementia and behavioral changes are accompanied by headache.

Raising of antisera to protein hormones without using Freund's adjuvant.

A new method has been developed to produce antiserum to protein hormones without the use of Freund's complete adjuvant. Antiserum to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was elicited by injecting rabbits with 6 subcutaneous injections of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) coated with hCG. The antiserum produced was observed to be both serologically and biologically active. A small quantity of the hormone (15--20 IU/injection) sufficed to produce hyperimmune sera. This could ensure an overall economy if large amounts of the antisera are required for clinical and diagnostic purposes.

Calcitonin inhibition of prolactin secretion in isolated rat pituitary cells.

Salmon calcitonin inhibited TRH-stimulated release of prolactin in isolated pituitary cells from untreated female rats. These cells were still capable of responding to the fresh addition of TRH after the removal of calcitonin. Calcitonin gene-related peptide had only a weak effect in inhibiting prolactin release in these cells. Pituitary cells isolated from female rats which had been treated with weekly s.c. injections of 1 mg oestradiol dipropionate for 4 weeks, exhibited a marked increase in the magnitude of the inhibition of prolactin release by salmon calcitonin. Both basal and TRH-stimulated release of prolactin were inhibited by concentrations of 0.1 nmol salmon calcitonin/l or higher. Prolactin release from these cells was also inhibited at somewhat higher concentrations by calcitonin gene-related peptide. Our results demonstrate that calcitonin can directly inhibit basal as well as TRH-stimulated prolactin release by acting directly at the pituitary. The results strongly suggest that the peptide may be involved in the regulation of prolactin release in certain physiological conditions.

Calcitonin is expressed in gonadotropes of the anterior pituitary gland: its possible role in paracrine regulation of lactotrope function.

Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that salmon (S) calcitonin (CT)-like immunoreactive peptide (CTI) is synthesized and secreted by the anterior pituitary (AP) gland. These studies also co-localized CTI to gonadotropes, and demonstrated that SCT is a potent inhibitor of lactotrope function. However, the molecular structure of putative gonadotrope-derived CTI that inhibits lactotrope function has not been defined. The present studies cloned CT cDNA (pit-CT cDNA) from a mouse gonadotrope L beta T2 cell line using RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) techniques. Alignment of nucleotide sequences of pit-CT and mouse CT revealed greater than 99% homology between the sequences. The pit-CT cDNA was ligated into a mammalian expression vector, and the construct was transfected into L beta T2 cells. Two stable transfectant cell lines (CT.U6/A and B) were obtained by selection in G418. Subsequent S1-nuclease protection assay and immunocytochemistry results have shown that: (1) pit-CT peptide expressed by CT.U6 cell lines immunoreacted with GCT1-anti-SCT serum; (2) secretions of CT.U6 cells inhibited prolactin (PRL) release, PRL mRNA abundance and DNA synthesis of PRL-secreting GGH3 cells; and (3) CT.U6-induced inhibition was abolished by GCT1-anti-SCT serum. The studies also generated a riboprobe from the cloned pit-CT cDNA, and localized CT mRNA expression in gonadotropes of rat AP gland by in situ hybridization histochemistry. These results demonstrate that pit-CT mRNA is closely homologous to mouse CT mRNA; it is expressed by gonadotropes of the rat AP gland, and the peptide may significantly affect lactotrope function by inhibiting PRL release and cell proliferation.

Conformational determinants in receptor recognition of peptide hormones: interaction of parathyroid hormone with the glucagon receptor.

Receptor binding assays demonstrate that bovine parathyroid hormone (PTH) and human PTH(1-34) can displace [125I]iodoglucagon from binding to its receptor in rat liver plasma membranes. The displacement of [125I]iodoglucagon requires several thousand-fold more bovine PTH or human PTH(1-34) than glucagon. However, the PTH peptides are more effective than secretin, which up to a concentration of 10(-5) M exhibits no ability to displace [125I]iodoglucagon. The greater potency of PTH compared with secretin occurs despite the fact that secretin shows a great deal of sequence homology with glucagon while PTH shows none. We demonstrate by circular dichroism that in the presence of 3 mM SDS glucagon and hPTH(1-34) have similar secondary structure contents, while secretin is more helical. Our results suggest that receptors can recognize gross conformational features of a peptide hormone in addition to interacting with a specific amino acid sequence. The ability of PTH to interact with glucagon receptors can be modulated by incorporation of charged amphiphiles into the plasma membrane. Negatively charged taurodeoxycholic acid increases the binding of the more cationic PTH while positively charged myristyltrimethylammonium bromide decreases this interaction. These effects demonstrate that receptor specificity can be modulated by its lipid environment and that electrostatic interactions between the hormone and the membrane surface can contribute to receptor binding.

Effects of Neonatal Exposure to Estradiol on Prolactin Secretion and Activity of the Tubero-lnfundibular Dopamine System in Young Adulthood: Comparison with Neonatal Prolactin Deficiency*.

Abstract Previous results from this laboratory indicate that female rats who consume milk deficient in prolactin (PRL) during the neonatal period subsequently display hyperprolactinemia, associated with decreased activity in the tubero-infundibular dopamine (DA) system and decreased lactotrope responsiveness to DA receptor stimulation. The present studies tested whether these neuroendocrine consequences of neonatal PRL deficiency can be mimicked by exposure of neonatal rats to estradiol. Female rats were injected sc with 1 mUg estradiol benzoate or oil vehicle on postpartum Days one to 3, while in other experiments, females were made neonatally deficient in PRL through treatment of their mothers with the DA agonist bromocriptine, a treatment that reduces the levels of PRL in milk. Females treated neonatally with estradiol benzoate, as well as offspring of the bromocriptine-treated mothers, displayed hyperprolactinemia as young adults, as compared to their respective vehicle-matched controls, and in both cases, this was abolished by ovariectomy, indicating dependence upon ovarian secretions. As reported previously in neonatal PRL-deficient females, neonatal estradiol benzoate-treated animals also exhibited reduced steady state levels and decreased turnover rates of DA in the median eminence when 35 days of age. DA levels and turnover rates in this region were still significantly reduced on postpartum Day 60. The DA agonist bromocriptine suppressed PRL release to a similar extent in cultured anterior pituitary cells from neonatal estrogen-treated and control rats, suggesting normal responsiveness of DA receptors on lactotrope cells in both groups. The present results confirm the ability of estradiol treatment or induction of a PRL deficiency during the early neonatal period to induce subsequent hyperprolactinemia in female rats, and further indicate that the hyperprolactinemic conditions resulting from either neonatal manipulation are dependent on the ovary and are associated with decreased levels and turnover of DA in the median eminence during the prepubertal period. Although these findings suggest that increased exposure to estradiol during the neonatal period may underlie the similar effects of neonatal PRL deficiency, the further observations in neonatal estrogen-treated rats that 1) decreased DA turnover in the median eminence persists at Day 60, and 2) lactotrope responsiveness to DA is normal, differ from results obtained previously in PRL-deficient rats. Thus, enhanced exposure to estrogen during the neonatal period does not appear to account for all of the neuroendocrine consequences of neonatal PRL deficiency.

Effect of prolactin on tetracycline binding to human spermatozoa.

The effect of different concentrations of prolactin (0 to 60 ng) on the release of tetracycline from human spermatozoa labeled with 7-3H-tetracycline hydrochloride was studied. Prolactin significantly enhanced the release of bound tetracycline, indicating that prolactin may influence the processes associated with sperm capacitation.

Levels of luteinizing hormone in semen of fertile and infertile men and possible significance of luteinizing hormone in sperm metabolism.

Luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were measured in the seminal plasma of 68 fertile and infertile men. LH levels in the seminal plasma were severalfold higher than those normally found in serum and were significantly higher in oligospermic and normospermic samples than in azoospermic samples. However, no significant difference was observed in LH levels of oligospermic and normospermic men. The effects of LH on fructose utilization, glucose oxidation, and adenyl cyclase activity of spermatozoa were also examined. The results indicate a possible role of seminal plasma LH in sperm motility and metabolism.

Effect of prolactin on metabolism of human spermatozoa.

The effect of prolactin on adenyl cyclase, rate of fructose utilization, and glucose oxidation by human spermatozoa was studied. Prolactin stimulated all of these processes at a concentration generally available in seminal plasma. These results suggest that prolactin plays an important role in the energy metabolism of human spermatozoa.