GRF elevates cytosolic free calcium concentration in rat anterior pituitary cells

Growth hormone-releasing hormone stimulates cAMP release in superfused rat pituitary cells

The release of growth hormone (GH) and cAMP was studied in superfused rat pituitary cells by infusing growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) at different doses or a combination of GHRH and somatostatin 14 (SS-14). Three-minute pulses of GHRH caused a dose-dependent GH and cAMP release (effective concentration of 50% of the maximal biological effect is 0.21 nM and 52.5 nM, respectively). The lowest effective doses of GHRH in the superfusion system were 0.03 nM for GH release and 0.3 nM for cAMP discharge when 3-min pulses were applied. The amount of cAMP liberated from the cells was not proportional to GH release: cAMP responses to low doses of GHRH were disproportionally small, and the gradual increase in the release of cAMP after high doses of GHRH was not followed by a parallel rise in GH release. The desensitization induced by repeated pulses or prolonged infusion of GHRH resulted in a greater reduction in GH release than in cAMP liberation. A simultaneous infusion of SS-14 completely blocked GH release stimulated by GHRH but did not inhibit the immediate release of cAMP caused by GHRH. An abrupt decrease in GHRH-stimulated GH release induced by SS-14 was followed by only a minimal reduction in cAMP liberation 9 min later. Our findings indicate that a discharge of cAMP is stimulated after a GHRH pulse, but this effect alone cannot maintain the release of GH. Other steps of the signal transduction mechanisms that are independent of the cAMP route may participate in the process of GH release. The nature of the mechanisms involved in the mediation of GH release may vary with the doses of GHRH used.

Measurement of intracellular Ca2+ in single aequorin-injected and suspensions of fura-2-loaded ROS 17/2.8 cells and normal human osteoblasts. Effect of parathyroid hormone

It is known that parathyroid hormone (PTH) activates the cyclic AMP (cAMP) signalling pathway in osteoblasts. In recent years it has been suggested that an elevation of the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) may also be involved in the regulation of osteoblast function by PTH. However, this remains controversial. Here we investigated the effect of PTH on the [Ca2+]i of ROS 17/2.8 cells and normal human osteoblasts. The [Ca2+]i was measured in single aequorin-injected cells and in suspensions of cells loaded with fura-2. Human PTH-(1-38)-peptide (1-300 nM) had no effect on the [Ca2+]i in single aequorin-injected ROS 17/2.8 cells (n = 17) measured at various times after injection (1-20 h), or in suspensions of fura-2-loaded ROS 17/2.8 cells (n = 9). Ionomycin (1 microM) increased the [Ca2+]i in fura-2-loaded and single aequorin-injected ROS 17/2.8 cells by 285 +/- 60 nM (n = 9) and 312 +/- 99 nM (n = 6) respectively, indicating that both methods detect changes in [Ca2+]i with equal sensitivity. In contrast, human PTH-(1-38) (10-100 nM) markedly stimulated cAMP accumulation in ROS 17/2.8 cells. In single aequorin-injected normal human osteoblasts there was no change in the [Ca2+]i in response to 100 nM human PTH-(1-38) or 100 nM bovine PTH-(1-84) (n = 18). In contrast, in suspensions of normal human osteoblasts loaded with fura-2, an increase in [Ca2+]i in response to human PTH-(1-38) (100 nM) was found (60 +/- 28 nM; n = 6). Considerable variation in the magnitude of the response was observed between individual preparations and donors. These data indicate that PTH activates cAMP accumulation without affecting [Ca2+]i in ROS 17/2.8 cells and that PTH causes a rise in [Ca2+]i only in a small subset of normal human osteoblasts. We suggest that the Ca2+ response to PTH in osteoblasts is limited by the state of differentiation of the cells, and may be due either to the presence of a distinct Ca2(+)-mobilizing receptor or to a cAMP-mediated Ca2+ response.

cAMP- and diacylglycerol-mediated pathways elevate cytosolic free calcium concentration via dihydropyridine-sensitive, omega-conotoxin-insensitive calcium channels in normal rat anterior pituitary cells

The effect of 8-bromocyclic AMP (8-Br-cAMP) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a protein kinase C activator, on cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in normal rat anterior pituitary cells was examined. [Ca2+]i was monitored directly by the fluorescent indicator fura-2. 8-Br-cAMP as well as PMA elevated [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner. Forskolin (10 mumol/l), which activates adenylate cyclase, and 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol (10 mumol/l), another activator of protein kinase C, also increased [Ca2+]i. Both the 8-Br-cAMP (2 mmol/l)- and the PMA (100 nmol/l)-induced increase in [Ca2+]i was dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium and could be inhibited by the calcium channel blockers Mg2+ and nifedipine, but not by omega-conotoxin (100 nmol/l). The half-maximally inhibitory concentrations of Mg2+ and nifedipine were about 12 mmol/l and 160 nmol/l, respectively, for the [Ca2+]i response to 8-Br-cAMP (2 mmol/l), and were about 6 mmol/l and 400 nmol/l, respectively, for the PMA (100 nmol/l)-induced increase in [Ca2+]i. The sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin (5 mumol/l) or PMA (100 nmol/l) on [Ca2+]i. After pretreatment for 3 min with PMA (100 nmol/l), the subsequent K+ (100 mmol/l)- or arachidonic acid (3 mumol/l)-induced increase in [Ca2+]i was decreased by about 50%. By contrast, pretreatment (3 min) with 8-Br-cAMP (2-10 mmol/l) markedly enhanced the subsequent [Ca2+]i response to K+ (100 mmol/l), and left the effect of arachidonic acid (3 mumol/l) on [Ca2+]i unimpaired.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)