Cloning and characterization of cDNAs encoding human gastrin-releasing peptide

We have prepared and cloned cDNAs derived from poly(A)+ RNA from a human pulmonary carcinoid tumor rich in immunoreactivity to gastrin-releasing peptide, a peptide closely related in structure to amphibian bombesin. Mixtures of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides corresponding to amphibian bombesin were used as hybridization probes to screen a cDNA library prepared from the tumor RNA. Sequencing of the recombinant plasmids shows that human gastrin-releasing peptide (hGRP) mRNA encodes a precursor of 148 amino acids containing a typical signal sequence, hGRP consisting of 27 or 28 amino acids, and a carboxyl-terminal extension peptide. hGRP is flanked at its carboxyl terminus by two basic amino acids, following a glycine used for amidation of the carboxyl-terminal methionine. RNA blot analyses of tumor RNA show a major mRNA of 900 bases and a minor mRNA of 850 bases. Blot hybridization analyses using human genomic DNA are consistent with a single hGRP-encoding gene. The presence of two mRNAs encoding the hGRP precursor protein in the face of a single hGRP gene raises the possibility of alternative processing of the single RNA transcript.

Neuroendocrine effects of caffeine in normal subjects

In double-blind crossover experiments, we examined the effects of oral caffeine (250 or 500 mg) added to decaffeinated coffee on plasma hormone levels in adults who normally consume one to three cups of coffee a day. In one experiment, 250 mg (about 4 mg/kg) caffeine was given to men; in two other experiments, 500 mg (8 mg/kg) was given to both sexes. Caffeine, 500 mg, elevated plasma levels of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity in both men and women but had no significant effect on plasma levels of cortisol, thyroid-stimulating hormone, growth hormone, prolactin, or triiodothyronine in men nor on plasma levels of prolactin or cortisol in women. The 250-mg dose induced no significant changes in plasma levels of any of the hormones measured. We conclude that the threshold for caffeine's endocrine effects is higher than that for its behavioral effects.

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) content of rat striatum: modification by drugs and lesions

Two hours after injection, D-amphetamine sulfate (10 mg/kg, i.p.) lowered thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) levels in rat striatum by 50%, but produced no significant changes in the TRH contents of hypothalamus, septum, brain stem or preoptic area. The effect peaked 2 h after amphetamine injection and declined slowly thereafter. The amphetamine-induced decrease in striatal TRH could be blocked by pretreatment with haloperidol or alpha-methyltyrosine, or by production of a 6-hydroxy-dopamine lesion in the ipsilateral substantia nigra. Amphetamine did not act by inhibiting protein synthesis in as much as cycloheximide did not similarly decrease striatal TRH. Kainic acid injected into the striatum lowered TRH by 30% after 5 days. In contrast, partial deafferentiation of the striatum (by cerebral hemitransection at mid-hypothalamic level) increased striatal TRH 2-3-fold, while lesions of the dorsal raphe did not significantly change striatal TRH. Thus TRH levels in rat striatum are closely regulated by dopaminergic and other neurotransmitter systems.

Formation and degradation of deamido-TRH (pyroglutamyl-histidyl-proline) in rat brain after intraventricular injection of TRH

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) injected into the lateral ventricle of the rat's brain was rapidly metabolized to deamido-TRH (DA-TRH). Brain levels of TRH decreased with a half-life of 7 min, while the DA-TRH formed from its disappeared with a half-life of 2.5 min. To prevent the post-mortem degradation of DA-TRH it was necessary to sacrifice rats by directing focused microwave irradiation towards the brain. The short half-lives determined for TRH and DA-TRH in vivo were much shorter than those obtained using in vitro techniques. The in vivo formation and accumulation of DA-TRH was inhibited by bacitracin and unaffected by probenicid.