Demonstration of [125I]VIP binding sites and effects of VIP on cAMP-formation in rat insulinoma (RINm5F and RIN14B) cells

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide attenuates streptozotocin-induced apoptotic death of RIN-m5F cells through regulation of Bcl-2 family protein mRNA expression

Oxidative stress, followed by the apoptotic death of pancreatic beta cells, is considered to be one of causative agents in the evolution of the type 2 diabetic state; therefore, the protection of beta cells can comprise an efficacious strategy for preventing type 2 diabetes. In the present study, RIN-m5F cells (i.e. the rat insulinoma beta cell line) were stimulated with streptozotocin, resulting in a time- and concentration-dependent release of lactate dehydrogenase. There appeared to be significant apoptotic cell death after 2 h of treatment with streptozotocin at 10 mM, as demonstrated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling staining and 2.6-fold activation of cellular caspase-3, an apoptotic enzyme. By contrast, some neuropeptides of the glucagon-secretin family and coenzyme Q(10), an endogenous mitochondrial antioxidant, could attenuate streptozotocin cytotoxicity, and especially pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), at a concentration of 10(-7) M, exhibited 34% attenuation of lactate dehydrogenase release from streptozotocin-treated RIN-m5F cells. Quantitative RT-PCR experiments indicated the inhibitory effect of PACAP on streptozotocin-evoked up-regulation of pro-apoptotic factor (Noxa and Bax) and a 2.3-fold enhancement of Bcl-2 mRNA expression, a pro-survival protein, was also observed after addition of PACAP. The data obtained suggest the anti-apoptotic role of PACAP in streptozotocin-treated RIN-m5F cells through the regulation of pro-apoptotic and pro-survival factors.

Mouse islets cultured with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide: effects on insulin release and immunoreactivity for tyrosine hydroxylase

Mouse islets cultured for 1 or 4 days with or without 10 nM vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) were stained for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and examined for insulin secretion during culture and in a postculture perifusion system. Exposure to exogenous VIP for 4 days increased the frequency of islet cells expressing TH-like immunoreactivity. Regardless of the culturing conditions, the islets exhibited significant insulin secretory responses to 16.7 mM glucose, the effect being potentiated by 10 nM VIP in the perifusion medium. The insulin-releasing action of glucose and the potentiating effect of VIP were less pronounced in islets cultured for 1 day with VIP than in islets cultured without this neuropeptide. The following conclusions are suggested: (a) VIP stimulates the expression of TH in mouse islet cells; (b) the latency of the VIP-induced TH is a postreceptor phenomenon; (c) islet cultures exposed to VIP represent a new instance of the association between increased functional demands on beta cells and enhanced expression of TH and a new instance of VIP having trophic effects.

Phosphorylation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Type I, II, and III receptors are differentially susceptible to phosphorylation and are phosphorylated in intact cells

The ability of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) to phosphorylate type I, II, and III inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) receptors was examined. The receptors either were immunopurified from cell lines and then phosphorylated with purified PKA or were phosphorylated in intact cells after activating intracellular cAMP formation. The former studies showed that the type I receptor was a good substrate for PKA (0.65 mol Pi incorporated/mol receptor), whereas type II and III receptors were phosphorylated relatively weakly. The latter studies showed that despite these differences, each of the receptors was phosphorylated in intact cells in response to forskolin or activation of neurohormone receptors. Detailed examination of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, which express >/=99% type I receptor, revealed that minor increases in cAMP concentration were sufficient to cause maximal phosphorylation. Thus, VIP and pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating peptide (acting through Gs-coupled pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating peptide-I receptors) were potent stimuli of type I receptor phosphorylation, and remarkably, even slight increases in cAMP concentration induced by carbachol (acting through Gq-coupled muscarinic receptors) or other Ca2+ mobilizing agents were sufficient to cause phosphorylation. Finally, PKA enhanced InsP3-induced Ca2+ mobilization in a range of permeabilized cell types, irrespective of whether the type I, II, or III receptor was predominant. In summary, these data show that all InsP3 receptors are phosphorylated by PKA, albeit with marked differences in stoichiometry. The ability of both Gs- and Gq-coupled cell surface receptors to effect InsP3 receptor phosphorylation by PKA suggests that this process is widespread in mammalian cells and provides multiple routes by which the cAMP signaling pathway can influence Ca2+ mobilization.

Human adrenocortical NCI-H295 cells express VIP receptors. Steroidogenic effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)

VIP receptors are frequently overexpressed by various endocrine tumors. In this study the expression of VIP receptors in the human adrenocortical carcinoma cell line NCI-H295 and their involvement in the regulation of steroidogenesis was investigated. NCI-H295 cells express VIP1 and VIP2 receptors as demonstrated by RT-PCR, whereas they do not express VIP itself. The receptors are functionally coupled to steroidogenesis since VIP (10(-9) M to 10(-6) M) exerted a dose-dependent stimulatory effect on the release of aldosterone, cortisol, and DHEA. VIP increased ACTH-stimulated releases of aldosterone and cortisol. The proliferation rate of NCI-H295 cells was not affected by VIP. These data show that NCI-H295 cells express both forms of the VIP receptor and that VIP is involved in an ACTH-independent regulation of steroidogenesis in the adrenal tumor cells.

A wortmannin-sensitive signal transduction pathway is involved in the stimulation of insulin release by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide-27 (PACAP-27), and PACAP-38 stimulated insulin release with EC50 values of 0.15, 0.15, and 0.06 nM respectively, as expected for the VIP2/PACAP3 receptor subtype. Secretion was stimulated promptly and peaked at 6-10 min. At 30 min, the secretion rate was still 2-3-fold higher than the control rate. The peptides increased cyclic AMP and [Ca2+]i transiently so that at 30 min they had returned to control values. Therefore, an additional signal is required to explain the prolonged stimulation of release. The prolonged effects, but not the acute effects of VIP and PACAP on insulin release were inhibited by low concentrations of wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor. While wortmannin inhibited PI 3-kinase activity in cell lysates, no activation by the peptides was seen. Therefore, the wortmannin-sensitive pathway is either dependent on basal PI 3-kinase activity, or another target for wortmanin is responsible for inhibition of the peptide-stimulated secretion. It is concluded that the acute stimulation of insulin release by VIP and PACAP is mediated by increased cyclic AMP and [Ca2+]i, whereas the sustained release is mediated by a novel wortmannin-sensitive pathway.

Differential expression of VIP/PACAP receptor genes in breast, intestinal, and pancreatic cell lines

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) are structurally-related neuropeptides that function as trophic factors in addition to their more classical roles as neurotransmitters. Binding and molecular cloning studies have shown that their actions are mediated by receptors encoded by at least three different genes. VIP binding has been demonstrated on many tumor types, and radiolabeled VIP has recently been used as a novel method to localize intestinal tumors in humans and their sites of metastasis. To determine the receptor subtype and level of gene expression, we screened breast, intestinal, and pancreatic, cell lines by Northern blot analysis. Breast lines expressed VIP/PACAP1 receptor mRNA levels comparable to intestinal lines, in agreement with the studies showing particularly high VIP binding in these tumors and their derived cell lines. Pancreatic cell lines expressed mRNA for several receptor types. This extends the potential utility of VIP and PACAP in the localization of tumors, and because VIP and PACAP may regulate the growth rate of some tumors by autocrine or other mechanisms, the identification of receptor subtypes on these lines sets the stage for studies in which the activity of these individual receptors in growth and other processes can be investigated.

Regulation of adenylate cyclase by galanin, neuropeptide Y, secretin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in rat frontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus

This study characterizes regional regulation of adenylate cyclase by galanin, neuropeptide Y (NPY), secretin and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in rat brain frontal cortex, hypothalamus and hippocampus. In our experimental system, galanin caused small detectable activation (10-20%) of basal adenylate cyclase activity in frontal cortex and hippocampus but had no effect on basal adenylate cyclase activity in hypothalamus. Galanin inhibited forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase in all three brain regions-hypothalamus, hippocampus and frontal cortex by 54.5%, 44.3% and 25.7%, respectively. NPY reduced basal and forskolin-stimulated enzyme activities by 35% only in frontal cortex, but not in the other two brain areas. Secretin had no effect in frontal cortex but caused similar adenylate cyclase activation in hypothalamus and hippocampus. VIP had a stimulatory effect of 32.8% and 32.4% in frontal cortex and hippocampus, respectively. The results indicate regional differences in adenylate cyclase modulation by the four peptides and reveal interesting relations in comparison with peptide and receptor densities in the three investigated brain regions.