A Ca2+ calmodulin dependent kinase rather than protein kinase C is involved in up-regulation of the LHRH receptor

Modulation of gonadotropin levels by peptides acting at the anterior pituitary gland

There are several lines of evidence that point to peptides participating in the regulation of LH and/or FSH levels by action at the pituitary. This evidence includes altered secretion of gonadotropins from the anterior pituitary cells or tissue in vitro when exposed to the peptide. Additionally, modification of GnRH-stimulated LH/FSH secretion has been observed. Furthermore, there is potential for a separately modulated interaction with the primed response. Another potential of action is by interaction among non-GnRH peptides on gonadotropin-regulating processes, although there are no good data available on this aspect. Other observations, consistent with a pituitary role for the peptides in modulation of LH, include detection of the peptides in portal blood, detection of high-affinity receptors or receptor mRNA in the pituitary, and detection of intrapituitary peptide or peptide mRNA in the pituitary. The modulation by steroids of both concentrations and type of activities provides a further level of physiological refinement. There is, however, some confusion regarding the involvement of these peptides in gonadotropin control. The reasons can be seen by considering aspects of investigations. There are experimental variations such as 1) species studied, e.g., NPY has been reported to have an effect on LH secretion from rat cells (168) but not on sheep anterior pituitary tissue (64), and substance P inhibits GnRH-stimulated release from rat cells (182) but potentiates the response in prepubertal porcine cells (92); 2) the steroidal conditions under which the study is performed, e.g., NPY has opposite effects in certain endocrine environments, augmenting GnRH-stimulated LH release in proestrus-like conditions (168), and inhibiting in metestrus-like environment (66); 3) the type of cell preparation, e.g., responsiveness to substance P might depend on whether cells in overnight culture were in separated or clustered state (91); 4) the time course considered, e.g., oxytocin that might induce marked LH release from pituitary cells after a longer length of incubation than GnRH requires (68); 5) length of exposure to peptide, e.g., endothelin that augmented or inhibited GnRH-stimulated LH release (50); 6) In addition, it is possible that the traditional endpoint selected in such studies, namely, observation of gonadotropin secretion, is not necessarily the most important for these peptides (56, 81, 117). Unfortunately, at this stage a definitive answer to the question "What do the peptides actually do?" cannot be provided and we remain tantalized by the glimpses of potential roles. Perhaps in a few years an updated review will be able to include a more complete answer. It is necessary for the full understanding of LH control that not only the properties of the peptides in isolation be characterized but also their interactions.

Cryptic gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors of rat pituitary cells in culture are unmasked by epidermal growth factor

Protein kinase activators as well as several neuropeptides are able to increase the GnRH-binding capacity of cultured adenohypophyseal cells. To determine whether such up-regulation of GnRH-binding sites can be achieved by a substance(s) endogenous to the pituitary, binding experiments were performed after exposure of cells to increasing amounts of medium conditioned by incubation with primary cultures of adenohypophyseal cells for 4 days. Addition of the conditioned medium elicited a 50% increase in GnRH binding. Characterization of the agent(s) responsible for the effect was attempted by submitting the conditioned medium to molecular sieve filtration, adding or immunoprecipitating endogenous substances, and comparing the susceptibilities of the responses to various inhibitors of transduction processes. Fractionation of the medium indicated that active molecules were of a proteic nature, with M(r) ranging from 5,000-10,000. Among major endogenous moieties corresponding to these criteria [epidermal] growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor-alpha, and insulin-like growth factors I and II), only the first two exhibited properties similar to those of the conditioned medium. EGF stimulated binding with an EC50 of 3.6 +/- 0.8 pM. Immunoprecipitation of EGF, but not transforming growth factor-alpha, inactivated the conditioned medium. The effects of both conditioned medium and EGF were inhibited by herbimycin, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor; U73122, a phospholipase C inhibitor; and prior desensitization of protein kinase C. In contrast, both were insensitive to pertussis toxin pretreatment. In parallel, EGF did not increase LH secretion by itself, but potentiated its response to GnRH in a concentration range of 1 pM to 1 nM, resulting in a shift of the curve toward lower values of GnRH. It is concluded that EGF is able to control the accessibility of binding sites to GnRH and to potentiate the responsiveness of gonadotropes to the decapeptide.

Staurosporine inhibits inositol phosphate formation in bovine adrenal medullary cells

The effect of protein kinase C activators and inhibitors on histamine-stimulated phospholipase C in bovine adrenal medullary cells has been investigated. The protein kinase C activators, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB) or sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol (DOG), inhibited histamine-stimulation of phospholipase C. This inhibition was prevented by the protein kinase C-selective inhibitor Ro 31-8220 (3-[1-[3-(2-isothioureido) propyl]indol-3-yl]-4-(1-methylindol-3-yl)-3-pyrrolin-2,5-dio ne) but not the broad spectrum protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine. Indeed staurosporine on its own inhibited both the histamine-stimulated response and, in permeabilized cells, phospholipase C activated by Ca2+. Staurosporine inhibition of phospholipase C is unlikely to be mediated via protein kinase A or Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase because it was not reproduced by selective inhibition of these kinases. Staurosporine treatment, however, reduced inositol phospholipid levels in stimulated cells. Thus staurosporine and Ro 31-8220, two widely used protein kinase C inhibitors, have quite different effects on phospholipase C activation. Furthermore, staurosporine may cause this inhibition through a reduction in the level of phospholipase C substrate.

Neuropeptide Y enhances LHRH binding to rat gonadotrophs in primary culture

Incubation of dispersed adenohypophyseal cells from intact male rats with Neuropeptide Y (NPY) or Peptide YY (YY) at 21 degrees C increased maximal 125I LHRHa binding (Bmax) by about 50%. In presence of 10(-7) M NPY, Bmax calculated from saturation isotherm curves was 15.3 +/- 1.9 fmoles x mg-1 proteins, as compared to 10 +/- 1 fmoles x mg-1 in control incubates. The increase was dose dependent with an EC50 of 6.3 +/- 1.8 10(-10) M NPY. Preincubation of the cells with pertussis toxin (PT, 15 ng/ml) for 24 h abolished the effect, suggesting coupling of NPY receptors to G alpha o or G alpha i proteins. NPY 10(-7) M inhibited basal and Forskolin 10(-5) M stimulated intracellular cyclic AMP formation by 31.9 +/- 3.4% and 30.6 +/- 2.3% respectively. Desensitization of protein kinase C by overnight preincubation of the cells with 10(-6) M phorbol ester (PMA) did not interfere with the effect of NPY. In contrast, W7, a calmodulin inhibitor, as well as H7, a protein kinase C inhibitor with a relatively wide spectrum, suppressed the effect of NPY with IC50 of 1.4 +/- 0.6 10(-6) M and 2.2 +/- 0.5 10(-5) M, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that NPY is able to control unmasking of a cryptic LHRH receptor pool in pituitary cells by a process dependent upon both GTP binding proteins and calmodulin dependent protein kinase.