scholarly journals Estrogen Actions on Lactotroph Proliferation Are Independent of a Paracrine Interaction with Other Pituitary Cell Types: A Study Using Lactotroph-Enriched Cells

Endocrinology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 148 (7) ◽  
pp. 3131-3139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maho Ishida ◽  
Wakaba Takahashi ◽  
Susumu Itoh ◽  
Shigetaka Shimodaira ◽  
Shuichiro Maeda ◽  
...  

The mitogenic action of estrogen on estrogen-responsive tissues is suggested to be mediated by paracrine growth factors secreted from neighboring estrogen receptor-positive cells. Using pituitary lactotrophs in primary culture, on which estrogen exerts both mitogenic and antimitogenic actions in a cell context-dependent manner, we investigated whether a paracrine cell-to-cell interaction with other pituitary cell types was required for estrogen action. In pituitary cells, enriched for lactotrophs by 85% using differential sedimentation on a discontinuous Percoll gradient, 17β-estradiol (E2) showed an antimitogenic action on lactotrophs in the presence of IGF-I, which was similar to that in control unenriched cells. Mitogenic actions were also seen in lactotroph-enriched cells when E2 was administered alone, in combination with serum, or in combination with the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin. Similar results were obtained in 90% lactotroph-enriched cells collected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting from transgenic rats expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein under the control of the prolactin promoter. The putative role of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) as a paracrine factor mediating the mitogenic action of estrogen was not supported by the results that: 1) bFGF inhibited lactotroph proliferation; 2) immunoneutralization of bFGF failed to block E2-induced proliferation; and 3) cellular bFGF levels were not altered by E2 treatment. These results suggest that the antimitogenic and mitogenic actions of estrogen on lactotrophs do not require paracrine signals from other pituitary cell types and that estrogen directly influences lactotroph proliferation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Mehdi Kabani

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae hosts an ensemble of protein-based heritable traits, most of which result from the conversion of structurally and functionally diverse cytoplasmic proteins into prion forms. Among these, [PSI+], [URE3] and [PIN+] are the most well-documented prions and arise from the assembly of Sup35p, Ure2p and Rnq1p, respectively, into insoluble fibrillar assemblies. Yeast prions propagate by molecular chaperone-mediated fragmentation of these aggregates, which generates small self-templating seeds, or propagons. The exact molecular nature of propagons and how they are faithfully transmitted from mother to daughter cells despite spatial protein quality control are not fully understood. In [PSI+] cells, Sup35p forms detergent-resistant assemblies detectable on agarose gels under semi-denaturant conditions and cytosolic fluorescent puncta when the protein is fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP); yet, these macroscopic manifestations of [PSI+] do not fully correlate with the infectivity measured during growth by the mean of protein infection assays. We also discovered that significant amounts of infectious Sup35p particles are exported via extracellular (EV) and periplasmic (PV) vesicles in a growth phase and glucose-dependent manner. In the present review, I discuss how these vesicles may be a source of actual propagons and a suitable vehicle for their transmission to the bud.


1988 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-316
Author(s):  
W. T. Mason ◽  
S. R. Rawlings ◽  
P. Cobbett ◽  
S. K. Sikdar ◽  
R. Zorec ◽  
...  

Normal anterior pituitary cells, in their diversity and heterogeneity, provide a rich source of models for secretory function. However, until recently they have largely been neglected in favour of neoplastic, clonal tumour cell lines of pituitary origin, which have enabled a number of studies on supposedly homogeneous cell types. Because many of these lines appear to lack key peptide and neurotransmitter receptors, as well as being degranulated with accompanying abnormal levels of secretion, we have developed a range of normal primary anterior pituitary cell cultures using dispersion and enrichment techniques. By studying lactotrophs, somatotrophs and gonadotrophs we have revealed a number of possible transduction mechanisms by which receptors for hypothalamic peptides and neurotransmitters may control secretion. In particular, the transduction events controlling secretion from pituitary cells may differ fundamentally from those found in other cell types. Patch-clamp recordings in these various pituitary cell preparations have revealed substantial populations of voltage-dependent Na+, Ca2+ and K+ channels which may support action potentials in these cells. Although activation of these channels may gate Ca2+ entry to the cells under some conditions, our evidence taken with that of other laboratories suggests that peptide-receptor interactions leading to hormone secretion occur independently of significant membrane depolarization. Rather, secretion of hormone and rises in intracellular calcium measured with new probes for intracellular calcium activity, can occur in response to hypothalamic peptide activation in the absence of substantial changes in membrane potential. These changes in intracellular calcium activity almost certainly depend on both intracellular and extracellular calcium sources. In addition, strong evidence of a role for multiple intracellular receptors and modulators in the secretory event suggests we should consider the plasma membrane channels important for regulation of hormone secretion to be predominantly agonist-activated, rather than of the more conventional voltage-dependent type. Likewise, evidence from new methods for recording single ion channels suggests the existence of intracellular sites for channel modulation, implying they too may play an important role in secretory regulation. We shall consider new data and new technology which we hope will provide key answers to the many intriguing questions surrounding the control of pituitary hormone secretion. We shall highlight our work with recordings of single ion channels activated by peptides, and recent experiments using imaging of intracellular ionized free calcium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederique Murielle Ruf-Zamojski ◽  
Michel A Zamojski ◽  
German Nudelman ◽  
Yongchao Ge ◽  
Natalia Mendelev ◽  
...  

Abstract The pituitary gland is a critical regulator of the neuroendocrine system. To further our understanding of the classification, cellular heterogeneity, and regulatory landscape of pituitary cell types, we performed and computationally integrated single cell (SC)/single nucleus (SN) resolution experiments capturing RNA expression, chromatin accessibility, and DNA methylation state from mouse dissociated whole pituitaries. Both SC and SN transcriptome analysis and promoter accessibility identified the five classical hormone-producing cell types (somatotropes, gonadotropes (GT), lactotropes, thyrotropes, and corticotropes). GT cells distinctively expressed transcripts for Cga, Fshb, Lhb, Nr5a1, and Gnrhr in SC RNA-seq and SN RNA-seq. This was matched in SN ATAC-seq with GTs specifically showing open chromatin at the promoter regions for the same genes. Similarly, the other classically defined anterior pituitary cells displayed transcript expression and chromatin accessibility patterns characteristic of their own cell type. This integrated analysis identified additional cell-types, such as a stem cell cluster expressing transcripts for Sox2, Sox9, Mia, and Rbpms, and a broadly accessible chromatin state. In addition, we performed bulk ATAC-seq in the LβT2b gonadotrope-like cell line. While the FSHB promoter region was closed in the cell line, we identified a region upstream of Fshb that became accessible by the synergistic actions of GnRH and activin A, and that corresponded to a conserved region identified by a polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Although this locus appears closed in deep sequencing bulk ATAC-seq of dissociated mouse pituitary cells, SN ATAC-seq of the same preparation showed that this site was specifically open in mouse GT, but closed in 14 other pituitary cell type clusters. This discrepancy highlighted the detection limit of a bulk ATAC-seq experiment in a subpopulation, as GT represented ~5% of this dissociated anterior pituitary sample. These results identified this locus as a candidate for explaining the dual dependence of Fshb expression on GnRH and activin/TGFβ signaling, and potential new evidence for upstream regulation of Fshb. The pituitary epigenetic landscape provides a resource for improved cell type identification and for the investigation of the regulatory mechanisms driving cell-to-cell heterogeneity. Additional authors not listed due to abstract submission restrictions: N. Seenarine, M. Amper, N. Jain (ISMMS).


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (1) ◽  
pp. E39-E43 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Wang ◽  
T. Inukai ◽  
M. A. Greer ◽  
S. E. Greer

All four different K(+)-channel blockers [tetraethylammonium (TEA), a nonselective K(+)-channel blocker; tolbutamide, an ATP-sensitive K(+)-channel blocker; quinine and 4-aminopyridine, both primarily voltage-dependent K(+)-channel blockers] stimulated prolactin (Prl) secretion by acutely dispersed anterior pituitary cells but had no effect on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) secretion. TEA stimulated Prl secretion in a dose-dependent manner between 1 microM and 20 mM, but even as high as 20 mM, TEA did not induce TSH secretion. Valinomycin (2 microM), a K+ ionophore, inhibited both basal and TEA-induced Prl secretion. TEA-stimulated Prl secretion was abolished by using a Ca(2+)-depleted medium or adding 10 microM dopamine. TEA did not reverse the inhibitory effect of dopamine on thyrotropin-releasing hormone-induced Prl secretion. Our data indicate that K+ channels may play a role in the secretion of adenohypophysial hormones that is idiosyncratic for each hormone. Differences in the role of K+ channels may reflect differences between the various pituitary cell types in plasma membrane ion channel composition, membrane potential, or the mechanism of exocytosis.


2005 ◽  
Vol 387 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra MILASTA ◽  
Nicholas A. EVANS ◽  
Laura ORMISTON ◽  
Shelagh WILSON ◽  
Robert J. LEFKOWITZ ◽  
...  

The orexin-1 receptor interacts with β-arrestin-2 in an agonist-dependent manner. In HEK-293T cells, these two proteins became co-internalized into acidic endosomes. Truncations from the C-terminal tail did not prevent agonist-induced internalization of the orexin-1 receptor or alter the pathway of internalization, although such mutants failed to interact with β-arrestin-2 in a sustained manner or produce its co-internalization. Mutation of a cluster of three threonine and one serine residue at the extreme C-terminus of the receptor greatly reduced interaction and abolished co-internalization of β-arrestin-2–GFP (green fluorescent protein). Despite the weak interactions of this C-terminally mutated form of the receptor with β-arrestin-2, studies in wild-type and β-arrestin-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts confirmed that agonist-induced internalization of this mutant required expression of a β-arrestin. Although without effect on agonist-mediated elevation of intracellular Ca2+ levels, the C-terminally mutated form of the orexin-1 receptor was unable to sustain phosphorylation of the MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases) ERK1 and ERK2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2) to the same extent as the wild-type receptor. These studies indicate that a single cluster of hydroxy amino acids within the C-terminal seven amino acids of the orexin-1 receptor determine the sustainability of interaction with β-arrestin-2, and indicate an important role of β-arrestin scaffolding in defining the kinetics of orexin-1 receptor-mediated ERK MAPK activation.


Endocrinology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 156 (2) ◽  
pp. 600-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arturo E. Gonzalez-Iglesias ◽  
Patrick A. Fletcher ◽  
José A. Arias-Cristancho ◽  
Ruth Cristancho-Gordo ◽  
Cleyde V. Helena ◽  
...  

The peptide oxytocin (OT) is secreted by hypothalamic neurons and exerts numerous actions related to reproduction. OT stimulation of prolactin secretion in female rats is important during the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and lactation. Here we report that OT also stimulates transients of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in somatotrophs and gonadotrophs as well as the release of GH and LH in a dose-dependent manner with EC50 values that closely correspond to the ligand affinity of the OT receptor (OTR). Remarkably, the hormone-releasing effect of OT in these two cell types is 2 orders of magnitude more sensitive than that in lactotrophs. The specific OTR agonist [Thr4,Gly7]-oxytocin acutely stimulated the release of LH, GH, and prolactin from female rat pituitary cells in primary culture and increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration in gonadotrophs, somatotrophs, and lactotrophs. In these three cell types, the effects on hormone release and intracellular Ca2+ of both OT and [Thr4,Gly7]oxytocin were abolished by the specific OT receptor antagonist desGly-NH2-d(CH2)5[D-Tyr2,Thr4]OVT but not by the highly selective vasopressin V1a receptor antagonist, d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2,Dab5]AVP. Furthermore, 10 nM arginine vasopressin stimulated LH and GH release comparably with a dose of OT that was at least 10 times lower. Finally, the presence of the OTR-like immunoreactivity could be observed in all three cell types. Taken together, these results show that OT directly stimulates gonadotrophs, somatotrophs, and lactotrophs through OT receptors and suggest that OT signaling may serve to coordinate the release of different pituitary hormones during specific physiological conditions.


Endocrinology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 154 (11) ◽  
pp. 3984-3989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett T. Gaskins ◽  
Katarzyna M. Glanowska ◽  
Suzanne M. Moenter

GnRH neurons form the final common pathway for the central control of reproduction. GnRH release occurs from terminals in the external layer of the median eminence (ME) for neuroendocrine control of the pituitary, and near GnRH-GnRH fiber appositions within the preoptic area (POA). Whether or not control of GnRH secretion by neuromodulators is different in these 2 areas is unknown. Mutations in neurokinin B (NKB) or the neurokinin-3 receptor (NK3R) are linked to hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in humans, suggesting that NKB may regulate GnRH secretion. Using fast scan cyclic voltammetry through carbon-fiber microelectrodes, we examined real-time GnRH release in response to the NK3R agonist senktide in the ME and POA. Coronal brain slices were acutely prepared from adult gonad-intact GnRH-green fluorescent protein male mice, and carbon-fiber microelectrodes were placed either within green fluorescent protein-positive terminal fields of the ME or near GnRH-GnRH fiber appositions in the POA. Senktide induced GnRH release consistently in the ME but not the POA, indicating that GnRH release is differentially regulated by NKB in a location-dependent manner. Senktide also induced GnRH secretion in the ME of kisspeptin-knockout (Kiss1 knockout) mice. Interestingly, release amplitude was lower compared with wild-type mice. These data indicate regulation of GnRH release by NK3R agonists is site specific and suggest that kisspeptin is not a required mediator between NK3R activation and GnRH secretion in the ME. This information will be useful for informing future models of afferent regulation of GnRH release.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 3531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudip Dhakal ◽  
Mishal Subhan ◽  
Joshua M. Fraser ◽  
Kenneth Gardiner ◽  
Ian Macreadie

A large-scale epidemiology study on statins previously showed that simvastatin was unique among statins in reducing the incidence of dementia. Since amyloid beta (Aβ42) is the protein that is most associated with Alzheimer’s disease, this study has focused on how simvastatin influences the turnover of native Aβ42 and Aβ42 fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP), in the simplest eukaryotic model organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previous studies have established that yeast constitutively producing Aβ42 fused to GFP offer a convenient means of analyzing yeast cellular responses to Aβ42. Young cells clear the GFP fusion protein and do not have green fluorescence while the older population of cells retains the fusion protein and exhibits green fluorescence, offering a fast and convenient means of studying factors that affect Aβ42 turnover. In this study the proportion of cells having GFP fused to Aβ after exposure to simvastatin, atorvastatin and lovastatin was analyzed by flow cytometry. Simvastatin effectively reduced levels of the cellular Aβ42 protein in a dose-dependent manner. Simvastatin promoted the greatest reduction as compared to the other two statins. A comparison with fluconazole, which targets that same pathway of ergosterol synthesis, suggests that effects on ergosterol synthesis do not account for the reduced amounts of Aβ42 fused to GFP. The levels of native Aβ42 following treated with simvastatin were also examined using a more laborious approach, quantitative MALDI TOF mass spectrometry. Simvastatin efficiently reduced levels of native Aβ42 from the population. This work indicates a novel action of simvastatin in reducing levels of Aβ42 providing new insights into how simvastatin exerts its neuroprotective role. We hypothesize that this reduction may be due to protein clearance.


2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 3196-3205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles C. Kim ◽  
Denise Monack ◽  
Stanley Falkow

ABSTRACT Two acidified nitrite-inducible genes of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium were identified with a green fluorescent protein-based promoter-trap screen. The nitrite-inducible promoters were located upstream of loci that we designated nipAB and nipC, which correspond to hcp-hcr (hybrid cluster protein) of Escherichia coli and norA of Alcaligenes eutrophus, respectively. Maximal induction of the promoters by nitrite was dependent on pH. The nipAB promoter was regulated by oxygen in an Fnr-dependent manner. The nipC promoter was also regulated by oxygen but in an Fnr-independent manner. The promoters were upregulated in activated RAW264.7 macrophage-like cells, which produce NO via the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and the induction was inhibited by aminoguanidine, an inhibitor of iNOS. Although the nipAB and nipC mutants displayed no defects under a variety of in vitro conditions or in tissue culture infections, they exhibited lower oral 50% lethal doses (LD50s) than did the wild type in C57BL/6J mouse infections. The lower LD50s reflected an unexpected increased ability of small inoculating doses of the mutant bacteria to cause lethal infection 2 to 3 weeks after challenge, compared to a similar challenge dose of wild-type bacteria. We conclude that these genes are regulated by physiological nitrogen oxides and that the absence of these bacterial genes in some way diminishes the ability of mice to clear a low dose infection.


Endocrinology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 148 (4) ◽  
pp. 1736-1744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy M. Navratil ◽  
J. Gabriel Knoll ◽  
Jennifer D. Whitesell ◽  
Stuart A. Tobet ◽  
Colin M. Clay

The secretion of LH is cued by the hypothalamic neuropeptide, GnRH. After delivery to the anterior pituitary gland via the hypothalamic-pituitary portal vasculature, GnRH binds to specific high-affinity receptors on the surface of gonadotrope cells and stimulates synthesis and secretion of the gonadotropins, FSH, and LH. In the current study, GnRH caused acute and dramatic changes in cellular morphology in the gonadotrope-derived αT3-1 cell line, which appeared to be mediated by engagement of the actin cytoskeleton; disruption of actin with jasplakinolide abrogated cell movement and GnRH-induced activation of ERK. In live murine pituitary slices infected with an adenovirus-containing Rous sarcoma virus-green fluorescent protein, selected cells responded to GnRH by altering their cellular movements characterized by both formation and extension of cell processes and, surprisingly, spatial repositioning. Consistent with the latter observation, GnRH stimulation increased the migration of dissociated pituitary cells in transwell chambers. Our data using live pituitary slices are a striking example of neuropeptide-evoked movements of cells outside the central nervous system and in a mature peripheral endocrine organ. These findings call for a fundamental change in the current dogma of simple passive diffusion of LH from gonadotropes to capillaries in the pituitary gland.


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