Biomedical subjects

D N Orth

Publications and source records attributed to D N Orth.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1990

Roles of intracellular and extracellular calcium in the kinetic profile of adrenocorticotropin secretion by perifused rat anterior pituitary cells. I. Corticotropin-releasing factor stimulation.

We examined the effects of removing extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+e), depleting intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i), inhibiting Ca2(+)-dependent calmodulin, blocking voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels, and combining Ca2+i depletion with exposure to glucocorticoid on the secretion of ACTH by perifused dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells stimulated with ovine CRF and 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP). A time-course analysis of the effect of perifusing the cells for 60 min with Ca2(+)-free medium on 10 nM CRF-stimulated ACTH release revealed that inhibition required about 3 min to begin and about 40 min to reach maximal effect. Within 2 min of restoring Ca2+ to the medium, ACTH secretion rebounded for about 5 min before falling to the pre-Ca2+e removal rate. A similar pattern and time course were observed when Ca2+e was more completely removed by perifusing the cells with Ca2(+)-free medium containing 2 mM EGTA, except that greater suppression was observed. Removing Ca2+e reduced CRF- and 5 mM 8-Br-cAMP-induced ACTH release by 54% and 49%, respectively, and delayed by 1 min the response to 8-Br-cAMP, but not that to CRF. Perifusing 0.2 mM nimodipine, a dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel blocker, before and after restoration of Ca2+ to the Ca2(+)-free medium inhibited ACTH release by 40-48%, and the blockade persisted for at least 70 min after nimodipine was removed from the medium. When intracellular Ca2+ was depleted by perifusing the cells with Ca2(+)-free/EGTA medium containing the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 to facilitate the efflux of Ca2+i, CRF- and 8-Br-cAMP-stimulated ACTH release were reduced by 70% and 71%, respectively, and the responses to both agents were delayed by 1 min. Preperifusion of the cells with 5 microM penfluridol, a calmodulin inhibitor, reduced CRF- and 8-Br-cAMP-induced ACTH release by 54% and 41%, respectively. The combination of Ca2+i depletion and perifusion with 100 nM dexamethasone, a maximally inhibitory concentration, inhibited CRF- and 8-Br-cAMP-stimulated ACTH release by 82% and 83%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗

PubMed1990

Roles of intracellular and extracellular calcium in the kinetic profile of adrenocorticotropin secretion by perifused rat anterior pituitary cells. II. Arginine vasopressin, oxytocin, and angiotensin-II stimulation.

We examined the effects of removing extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+e), depleting intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i), inhibiting cAMP-dependent calmodulin, and blocking voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels on the secretion of ACTH by perifused dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells. The cells were stimulated with synthetic arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin (OT), and angiotensin-II (AII), all of which are thought to act via the Ca2+/inositol phosphate-dependent protein kinase-C pathway, with synthetic ovine CRF, which acts via the cAMP-dependent protein kinase-A pathway, and with dioctanoylglycerol, which directly activates protein kinase-C. All three secretagogues elicited an initial spike phase ACTH secretory response that peaked within 1 or 2 min and ended within 6 min. AVP and OT also elicited a sustained plateau phase response that lasted for as long as the cells were exposed to the secretagogue, but AII did not. Removal of Ca2+e diminished the initial spike phase by 30-50%, but depletion of Ca2+i virtually abolished it. In contrast, the sustained phase of the response to AVP and OT was abolished by removal of Ca2+e. The effect of dioctanoylglycerol, which elicits a sustained progressive increase in ACTH release, but no initial spike phase, was also greatly inhibited by Ca2+e removal; no greater effect was observed when Ca2+i was depleted. Blockade of L-type voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels with nimodipine, a dihydropyridine drug, had the same effect as Ca2+e removal on both the initial spike and sustained plateau phases of the response to AVP. Inhibiting cAMP-dependent calmodulin with penfluridol had no effect on the initial spike phase, but reduced the sustained plateau phase of the response to AVP. Removal of Ca2+e or depletion of Ca2+i did not abolish the synergistic ACTH secretory response to the combination of AVP and CRF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMed1990

Role of protein kinase-C in the adrenocorticotropin secretory response to arginine vasopressin (AVP) and the synergistic response to AVP and corticotropin-releasing factor by perifused rat anterior pituitary cells.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) stimulates biphasic release of ACTH from anterior pituitary corticotrophs. The response consists of an initial transient spike phase lasting less than 3 min and a subsequent sustained plateau phase that persists for as long as AVP is present. AVP also acts synergistically with CRF on ACTH release. We have previously shown that the initial spike phase of the response mainly requires release of intracellular Ca2+ and is independent of calmodulin, whereas the sustained plateau phase, like the monophasic sustained response elicited by CRF, involves the influx of extracellular Ca2+ via L-type voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels and activation of calmodulin. We have also shown that the synergism between AVP and CRF does not require extracellular Ca2+ influx. In this study we examined the role of Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase-C (PKC) in the two phases of the response to AVP and in the synergism between AVP and CRF. We exploited the observation that prolonged exposure to phorbol esters down-regulates PKC. Dispersed adult male rat anterior pituitary cells were incubated in static suspension culture for 4-5 days, 0.5 microM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or 0.0005% dimethylsulfoxide vehicle alone was added, and the incubation was continued for 24 h. The cells were preperifused with PMA-free perifusion medium for 3 h and then perifused with various agents for 10-20 min. Effluent fractions were collected every 30 sec or 1 min and subjected to ACTH RIA. Pretreatment with PMA inhibited the subsequent response to 100 nM PMA and 100 microM dioctanoylglycerol, but not to 5 microM forskolin or to depolarization with 56 mM KCl, demonstrating specific down-regulation of PKC. PMA pretreatment had no effect on the initial spike phase of the response to AVP, but inhibited the sustained plateau phase by 57% (P less than 0.005) and, consequently, the integrated total response by 33% (P less than 0.05). Pretreatment had no effect on the response to CRF. However, pretreatment with PMA completely blocked both phases of the synergistic response to the combination of AVP and CRF. These results indicate that activation of PKC is required for the sustained phase of the response to AVP and both phases of its synergistic interaction with the protein kinase-A pathway, but is not involved in the initial spike phase of the response to AVP, which presumably is mediated by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-stimulated mobilization of intracellular Ca2+, or in the independent activation of the protein kinase-A pathway by CRF.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMed1989

Immunoreactive human epidermal growth factor concentrations in amniotic fluid, umbilical artery and vein serum, and placenta in full-term and preterm infants.

Immunoreactive human epidermal growth factor (IR-hEGF) was measured in samples taken from 27 full-term and 14 preterm infants. The samples included amniotic fluid, amniotic membranes, fetal and maternal sides of the placenta, and matched umbilical artery and umbilical vein serum. Our results demonstrated the presence of IR-hEGF in the human placenta, amniotic fluid and cord blood during the second half of gestation. The increase in placental tissue, amniotic fluid, and cord blood concentration with progressive gestation suggests a possible functional role for EGF during perinatal development.

Amniotic Fluid↗

PubMed1989

Kinetic actions and interactions of arginine vasopressin, angiotensin-II, and oxytocin on adrenocorticotropin secretion by rat anterior pituitary cells in the microperifusion system.

We have examined the actions and interactions of arginine vasopressin (AVP), angiotensin-II (AII), and oxytocin (OT) on the ACTH secretory response of dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells in a microperifusion system. There was a dose-dependent ACTH secretory response to a 3-min perifusion of AII which reached its maximum 10 sec after the cells were exposed to AII and fell rapidly to baseline within 2 min, despite continued infusion of AII. This brief spike type of pattern is similar to that produced by AVP, but different from the sustained plateau response induced by CRF. The threshold stimulating concentration of AII was about 10(-9) M; the maximally stimulating concentration was not defined, but was 10(-6) M or more. The initial ACTH response to OT was similar, but fell to a plateau 2 min after the cells were exposed to OT and remained constant until perifusion with OT was stopped, after which it fell rapidly to baseline. The threshold stimulating concentration of OT was 10(-8) M; the maximally stimulating concentration was not defined, but was 10(-6) M or more. The ACTH secretory response to 10(-8) M AII was greatly diminished when cells were exposed to 10(-6) AVP or 10(-6) M OT before AII infusion. However, prior exposure to AII had no effect on the magnitude of the ACTH secretory response to either AVP or OT. The effects of simultaneous perifusion of AII and AVP and of AII and OT were additive. When AVP and OT were perifused sequentially, the ACTH secretory response to the peptide that was infused second was completely abolished. Furthermore, the combination of AVP and OT stimulated no greater response than either agent alone. When cells were perifused with the combination of 10(-7) M OT and 10(-7)- to 10(-5)-M concentrations of two potent AVP V1 receptor antagonists, [1-(beta-mercapto-beta,beta-cyclopentamethylenepropionic acid),2-(O-methyl)tyrosine]-Arg8-vasopressin and [1-deaminopenicillamine-2-(O-methyl)tyrosine]-Arg8-vasopressin, both phases of the response to OT were progressively and almost completely inhibited. The initial spike phase was inhibited at lower antagonist concentrations than the sustained plateau phase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMed1989

Effects of ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone on adrenocorticotropin secretion in the absence of glucocorticoid feedback inhibition in man.

We studied 1) the nature of the plasma ACTH response to ovine CRH (oCRH) in the absence of normal glucocorticoid negative feedback inhibition and 2) the cause of the diminished circadian peak in plasma ACTH in normal men the morning after 3-30 micrograms/kg BW doses of oCRH. Placebo or oCRH (3 micrograms/kg BW, iv) was administered as iv injections to five normal men given metyrapone to produce acute glucocorticoid deficiency. Four studies were performed: 1) placebo oCRH plus placebo hydrocortisone (HC), 2) oCRH plus placebo HC, 3) placebo oCRH plus HC, and 4) oCRH plus HC. HC was given as a variable rate iv infusion to mimic the plasma cortisol response to the same dose of oCRH in normal men. Plasma cortisol levels rose only slightly after oCRH, indicating nearly complete blockade of cortisol biosynthesis. Plasma cortisol levels during the HC infusion were similar to those in normal men given 3 micrograms/kg oCRH. There was an exaggerated rise in both the first and second peaks of the plasma ACTH response to oCRH in the metyrapone-treated men. HC infusion did not alter the plasma ACTH response during the first 60 min after oCRH, but markedly attenuated the response thereafter; however, it did not affect the timing of the second peak. This inhibitory effect continued for up to 11 h, which was 2-3 h longer than the period that plasma cortisol levels were increased. Thus, cortisol secreted in response to ACTH released by oCRH modulates, after about a 60-min delay, the continuing release of ACTH. Despite the greater oCRH-induced release of pituitary ACTH in the metyrapone-treated men, the magnitude of their next morning's circadian plasma ACTH peak was similar to that after they received placebo oCRH. Thus, depletion of pituitary ACTH did not appear to explain the diminished circadian peak. Its magnitude was reduced by the combination of oCRH and HC, but not by HC alone. Administration of oCRH, alone or in combination with HC, delayed the onset of the circadian rise, while oCRH, HC, or the combination thereof delayed the time of the circadian peak. Thus, it appears that both the glucocorticoid response to oCRH and direct or indirect effect(s) of oCRH are required to produce these two phenomena.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMed1989

Adrenocorticotropin-independent bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia: an unusual cause of Cushing's syndrome.

Inappropriate ACTH secretion with bilateral diffuse or macronodular adrenal hyperplasia is the most common cause of Cushing's syndrome. This report describes a patient with Cushing's syndrome and feminization due to ACTH-independent bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia. A 47-yr-old black man presented with Cushingoid features, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, impotence, and gynecomastia. Urinary cortisol and 17-hydroxycorticosteroid excretion were 94 nmol/mmol creatinine (normal, less than 32) and 5.8 mumol/mmol creatinine (normal, 0.6-3.6), respectively. Both decreased by less than 30% after administration of dexamethasone (8 and 16 mg/day), and urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroid excretion did not increase after metyrapone (750 mg, orally, every 4 h for six doses). Plasma ACTH was undetectable (less than 1 pmol/L) and was not stimulated by administration of metyrapone or ovine CRH. Serum testosterone was 5.2 nmol/L (normal, 7-30), FSH was 5 U/L (normal, 3-18), LH was 2.8 U/L (normal, 1.5-9.2), and estrone was 767 pmol/L (normal, 55-240). Both adrenal glands were enlarged, with a total weight of 86 g (normal, 8-10), and contained multiple nodules (diameter, greater than 0.5 cm) composed of two active cell types, one of which was also observed between the nodules. Cushing's syndrome with feminization due to ACTH-independent bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia is an unusual process of unknown etiology that should be included with the other known causes of Cushing's syndrome.

Adrenal Glands↗

PubMed1989

Immunocytochemical localization of epidermal growth factor in the developing human respiratory system and in acute and chronic lung disease in the neonate.

Cells staining for immunoreactive human epidermal growth factor were sought in the lungs and tracheas of human fetuses from 8 to 24 weeks of gestation. Lungs of liveborn infants from 25 to 40 weeks of gestation (stillborn to 7 months postnatal life), both with and without lung pathology, were also studied. In the early fetal trachea (12 to 15 weeks), many nonciliated cells immunostained for immunoreactive human epidermal growth factor in the lining epithelium. By 16 weeks of gestation this widespread staining was replaced by stained nonciliated single cells or small clusters of cells which were identifiable until 24 weeks. In the few tracheas which were available from liveborn infants who died without evidence of lung disease, stained cells were seldom identified in the lining epithelium after 24 weeks of gestation. In contrast, from 18 weeks until term, tracheal submucosal glands contained scattered cells which immunostained for immunoreactive human epidermal growth factor but which did not appear to be classical mucous cells. Beginning at 20 weeks of gestation, positively staining cells were found occasionally in bronchial lining epithelium, but more often in bronchial submucosal glands. Immunostained cells were never identified in bronchiolar epithelium in normal fetal or newborn lungs. In liveborn infants from 24 weeks onward who developed lung disease, many tracheas were severely damaged. In the presence of extensive denudation of the mucosa or the development of squamous metaplasia, immunostained cells were rarely seen in the lining epithelium. However, even under these conditions stained glandular cells could usually be identified. Stained cells were also present in the necks of those tracheal glands from which new epithelial lining cells appeared to be migrating onto denuded surfaces. Immunostained cells in the bronchial lining epithelium of infants with chronic lung disease were infrequent, just as they were in the fetus, but bronchial submucosal glands contained positively stained cells similar to those in tracheal glands. The appearance and distribution of immunostained cells were similar in the tracheal and bronchial submucosal glands in both normal subjects and those with all stages of lung disease. In contrast to the bronchioles of fetuses and infants without lung pathology, the bronchiolar epithelium of infants with chronic lung disease contained immunostained cells. Immunostained cells were found in areas of migrating dysplastic cells in relining conducting airways.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1988

Proopiomelanocortin gene expression in a pheochromocytoma using upstream transcription initiation sites.

The proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene is expressed in many normal nonpituitary tissues, in addition to the pituitary. POMC-derived peptides have also been detected in many pheochromocytomas. We examined poly(A)+ RNA from 5 pheochromocytomas with a POMC exon 3 riboprobe and show that 3 tumors contained POMC-like mRNAs that were 50 to 350 bases longer than pituitary POMC mRNA. S1 nuclease analyses of tumor poly(A)+ RNA demonstrate that some of the POMC-like mRNAs contain additional segments of 238, 318 or 374 nucleotides derived from the region immediately upstream from the normal transcription initiation site. We conclude that pheochromocytomas express the POMC gene and that the long POMC-like mRNAs in these tumors and, probably, those in normal adrenal and testis arise from transcription initiating at sites upstream from the normal site used in pituitary.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

PubMed1988

Variant forms of rat epidermal growth factor present in the urine of nude rats bearing human tumors.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor-binding peptides from the urine of tumor patients have been reported to differ in molecular weight and relative hydrophobicity from those of normal individuals. Nude rats bearing human large cell lung carcinomas or chondrosarcomas and non-tumor-bearing sibling control rats were used to investigate the contributions of tumor and host to urinary EGF-related peptide growth factors. Peptides were adsorbed from urine onto methyl-bonded silica and eluted according to their relative hydrophobicity by a stepwise gradient of aqueous acetonitrile. Total EGF receptor-binding activity relative to urinary creatine was elevated in the urine of only one group of tumor-bearing rats. However, the proportion of relatively hydrophilic activity was increased markedly in all three groups of tumor-bearing rats. Rats bearing a large cell lung cancer excreted unusually hydrophilic Mr 6000 peptides that were chromatographically similar to transforming growth factor alpha on reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography but proved to be rat EGF by radioimmunoassay (RIA). EGF receptor-binding activity that was common to the urine of tumor-bearing animals regardless of tumor type, but more hydrophilic than that from control rats, had Mr 60,000, 30,000, 12,000, and 4,000 to 7,000 components. All reacted fully in the rat EGF RIA and were negative for human EGF and transforming growth factor alpha by RIA. A more hydrophobic fraction of EGF receptor-binding activity, common to control and tumor-bearing animals, contained Mr 33,000, 5,000 to 7,000, and 2,000 to 5,000 components. High performance liquid chromatography and gel electrophoresis of the Mr 33,000 activity revealed a high molecular weight rat EGF comparable to that reported in human urine. No human EGF or transforming growth factor alpha was detected by RIA in any of the active fractions from tumor-bearing rat urine. Thus, all EGF receptor-binding activity appeared to derive from rat EGF produced by the rat host and not by the xenografted tumors.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Ectopic ACTH syndrome caused by a bronchial carcinoid tumor responsive to dexamethasone, metyrapone, and corticotropin-releasing factor.

Cushing's syndrome due to bronchial carcinoid tumors that secrete adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) may be difficult to distinguish from pituitary Cushing's disease, since the responses to dexamethasone and metyrapone are sometimes similar. Recently, the ACTH and cortisol responses to ovine corticotropin-releasing factor (oCRF) have been shown to be different in pituitary Cushing's disease than in Cushing's syndrome due to other causes. It is not known if the response to oCRF can distinguish pituitary Cushing's disease from those ACTH-secreting bronchial carcinoid tumors that respond to dexamethasone and metyrapone. A case of Cushing's syndrome due to an ACTH-secreting bronchial carcinoid is described in which the responses to dexamethasone, metyrapone, and oCRF were indistinguishable from the responses observed in pituitary Cushing's disease. A bronchial carcinoid tumor should be considered even when responses to dexamethasone, metyrapone, and oCRF suggest pituitary Cushing's disease.

ACTH Syndrome, Ectopic↗

PubMed1988

Plasma immunoreactive proopiomelanocortin peptides and cortisol in normal dogs and dogs with Cushing's syndrome: diurnal rhythm and responses to various stimuli.

We have studied the diurnal rhythm of pars distalis and pars intermedia-type immunoreactive (IR)-POMC peptides and cortisol in 3 normal dogs and 1 dog with Cushing's syndrome and have documented the responses to a variety of agents in 42 dogs with Cushing's disease, 2 of which were known or presumed to have pars intermedia tumors and another of which had both pars distalis and pars intermedia adenomas, and in 20 dogs with adrenocortical adenomas causing Cushing's syndrome. The normal dogs did not have a diurnal plasma POMC peptide rhythm; the dog with Cushing's disease appeared to have a similar number of secretory episodes of increased amplitude. Plasma POMC peptides and cortisol in animals with Cushing's disease did not suppress normally with low dose dexamethasone. Five animals with Cushing's disease did suppress with high dose dexamethasone, the dog with dual adenomas suppressed only partially, and 1 dog with a pars intermedia adenoma did not suppress at all. The response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia was similar in normal dogs and 4 dogs with Cushing's disease, but 3 animals with adrenal tumors did not respond. The response to metyrapone was normal in 6 dogs with Cushing's disease and, surprisingly, in 1 with adrenal tumor. Arginine vasopressin stimulated POMC peptide secretion in normal and 6 Cushing's dogs, as well as alpha MSH, a pars intermedia-type POMC peptide, in a dog presumed to have a pars intermedia tumor. Ovine CRF stimulated pars distalis-type POMC peptide secretion in normal dogs and 17 dogs with Cushing's disease, but not in 15 dogs with adrenal tumor; IR-alpha MSH was unaffected. TRH appeared to stimulate IR-ACTH in normal animals, but not in those with Cushing's disease. Dopamine had no apparent effect in 2 normal and 1 Cushing's dogs. Initial plasma disappearance t1/2 values of IR-ACTH and lipotropin were 22-27 min. In summary, responses in normal and Cushing's dogs were generally what would be predicted from previous human and animal studies, but some of those in animals with pars intermedia tumors and even in normal dogs were different from what had been anticipated. Canine Cushing's syndrome provides an interesting model for an uncommon human disorder.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Effects of several in vitro systems on the potencies of putative adrenocorticotropin secretagogues on rat anterior pituitary cells.

We examined the effects of several in vitro experimental systems on the apparent potencies of putative secretagogues for stimulating ACTH release from rat anterior pituitary cells. Cells were prepared by trypsin digestion and gentle mechanical dispersion. Aliquots of the same cell preparations were tested in 1) a microperifusion system immediately after dispersion (day 0), 2) the same microperifusion system after 4 days of static suspension culture on a layer of Sephadex G-10 gel particles (day 4), 3) a static suspension system after 4 days of static suspension culture, and 4) a static monolayer system after 4 days of monolayer culture. Ovine CRF stimulated release of similar amounts of ACTH in all of the systems on days 0 and 4, except in one experiment, in which the response was less on day 4. Arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin, and angiotensin II all appeared to be more potent in day 4 than in day 0 cells in the perifusion system, and the synergism of AVP with ovine CRF was also increased. Dioctanoylglycerol, which directly activates protein kinase-C, and forskolin, which directly activates adenylate cyclase, both stimulated greater release in day 4 cells. The mechanism(s) responsible for the difference in the responses of day 0 and day 4 cells is unknown. Epinephrine had only a small effect in the microperifusion system, but both epinephrine and norepinephrine had potencies comparable to AVP in the static suspension and monolayer systems. This was not due to prolonged exposure to the catecholamines, suggesting that these agents may act on other anterior pituitary cells to release metabolic products that secondarily stimulate the corticotrophs to release ACTH. The same situation appears to be true for atrial natriuretic factor. Gastrin-releasing peptide, its bioactive COOH-terminal half, which was active in a rat urinary bladder smooth muscle assay, its amphibian analog, bombesin, and cholecystokinin (26-33) were devoid of ACTH-releasing activity in all of the systems, in contrast to the findings of others. Since 4-day culture of dispersed cells improved most of their responses and diminished none, we postulate that they may more closely resemble normal pituitary cells in function, and since cellular metabolites are unlikely to accumulate in the interstitial fluid of the pituitary gland, we propose that the secretory functions of cells in perifusion systems may more closely resemble those in the pituitary gland in situ than they do in static incubation systems.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1988

Immunoreactive proopiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides and POMC-like messenger ribonucleic acid are present in many rat nonpituitary tissues.

Immunoreactive (IR) POMC peptides have been found in several rat nonpituitary tissues. We found IR-ACTH, IR-beta-endorphin (beta END), and IR-gamma MSH in extracts from the following eight rat nonpituitary tissues, listed in order of decreasing POMC peptide concentrations: testis, duodenum, kidney, colon, liver, lung, stomach, and spleen, but not in adrenal or muscle extracts. Concentrations were very low and ranged from less than 0.00003% to 0.0005% of pituitary levels. In testis, duodenum, and colon, IR-gamma MSH and IR-beta END concentrations were only 5-37% of IR-ACTH levels. Gel filtration chromatography showed that IR-ACTH and IR-beta END coeluted in a major peak of 15,000 daltons, which is slightly larger than expected for a C-terminal peptide containing rat ACTH and beta-lipotropin. There were also a minor higher mol wt peak of IR-ACTH and IR-beta END and a minor IR-beta END peak that eluted in the position of mature beta END. There was no peak of IR-ACTH that corresponded to the size of mature ACTH. To determine whether these nonpituitary tissues also contained a POMC-like mRNA, which would confirm that the peptides were synthesized locally within the tissues, we examined poly(A) RNA prepared from 10 nonpituitary tissues and total RNA from pituitary by Northern blot hybridization for the presence of a POMC-like mRNA with an exon 3 riboprobe. Pituitary contained a single POMC mRNA species of about 1000 nucleotides. A short POMC-like mRNA of about 800 bases was found in all nonpituitary tissues, except spleen and muscle. Compared to POMC mRNA levels in pituitary, the concentration of POMC-like mRNA was 0.5% in testis and 0.03-0.07% in the other tissues. The ratio of POMC-like mRNA to IR-POMC peptide concentrations in nonpituitary tissues was at least 1000 times greater than that in the pituitary. We conclude that the POMC gene is expressed in many nonpituitary tissues and that either the short POMC-like mRNA is translated much less efficiently or POMC peptides are released or degraded much more rapidly in nonpituitary tissues than in the pituitary.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMed1988

Human urinary epidermal growth factor excretion: age, sex, and race dependence.

We measured the urinary excretion of immunoreactive epidermal growth factor (IR-EGF) in random urine specimens obtained from 358 ambulatory patients and normal subjects, aged 18-90 yr, with a homologous EGF RIA. We also measured IR-EGF excretion in 24-h urine collections from 40 additional normal subjects, aged either 20-29 or 60-69 yr, to detect possible artifacts introduced in the analysis of random urine specimens by the age-related decline in the glomerular filtration rate. Urinary IR-EGF excretion decreased in a linear fashion with increasing age. Women excreted more IR-EGF than men, and whites excreted more IR-EGF than blacks of the same age and sex, but the rate of decline with increasing age was similar for all groups. These findings may provide additional insight into the role of EGF in human renal physiology.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Proopiomelanocortin gene is expressed in many normal human tissues and in tumors not associated with ectopic adrenocorticotropin syndrome.

Immunoreactive (IR) POMC peptides have been detected in several human nonpituitary tissues and most pheochromocytomas and lung cancers, including those not associated with ectopic ACTH syndrome. We found IR-ACTH, IR-gamma MSH, IR-beta-endorphin (beta END), and IR-lipotropin in extracts from the following 10 normal human tissues, listed in order of decreasing POMC peptide concentrations: adrenal, testis, spleen, kidney, ovary, lung, thyroid, liver, colon, and duodenum. IR-ACTH, IR-gamma MSH, and IR-beta END were detected in all six pheochromocytomas and all 12 lung tumors (six squamous cell carcinomas, five adenocarcinomas, and one small cell carcinoma) we examined, as well as in a squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. None of the patients had clinical evidence of ectopic ACTH syndrome. To determine whether these nonpituitary tissues and tumors actually synthesize POMC, rather than simply absorb POMC peptides from plasma, we examined poly(A) RNA prepared from these tissues and total RNA from pituitary by Northern blot hybridization for the presence of POMC-like mRNA with an exon 3 riboprobe. Pituitary contained a single POMC mRNA species of about 1150 bases. A short POMC-like mRNA of about 900 bases was found in all normal nonpituitary tissues, three of five pheochromocytomas, eight of nine lung cancers, and the laryngeal squamous cell tumor. In addition, larger POMC-like mRNA species between 1200 to 1500 bases were detected in adrenal, testis, ovary, placenta, two pheochromocytomas, and three squamous cell lung tumors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1987

Decreased levels of hepatic epidermal growth factor receptors in obese hyperglycemic rodents.

Stimulation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor autophosphorylation by EGF and phosphorylation of a Mr 52,000 protein endogenous to the membrane extracts were decreased 6-12-fold in liver membrane extracts from mice homozygous for either the ob/ob or db/db mutation when compared to controls. Liver membranes from the mutant mice bound 4-5-fold less 125I-EGF/unit of protein than did their normal littermates, but exhibited normal EGF binding affinity. Similar decreases in EGF binding were noted in liver membranes from homozygous fa/fa Zucker rats, another obese, hyperinsulinemic animal model, when compared to values from control animals. We also immunoprecipitated hepatic EGF receptors from mice injected with [35S]methionine, and found that livers from db/db mice contained approximately 35% of the labeled EGF receptors found in control animals. Both ob/ob and db/db mice had serum immunoreactive EGF levels similar to or lower than those found in unaffected littermates, suggesting that ligand-mediated down-regulation of receptors was not the cause of the decreased EGF binding. In one mutant, db/db, the decreased binding was associated with a 6-fold decrease in the levels of liver EGF receptor mRNA transcripts; in the ob/ob mice, at most a 2-fold decrease in the level of liver EGF receptor transcripts was observed. EGF binding to cultured peritoneal fibroblasts derived from db/db mice was normal, suggesting that the abnormality in the mutant mice might result from altered environmental or tissue-specific factors rather than an abnormal receptor gene. This was supported by Southern blot analysis of DNA from these animals, which showed identical restriction fragment patterns for the EGF receptor gene in both control and mutant animals. These data indicate that three distinct strains of obese hyperglycemic rodents have decreased levels of hepatic EGF receptors, and suggest that this decrease may result from altered environmental stimuli or tissue-specific factors rather than a primary defect in the EGF receptor gene.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Pituitary and hypothalamic hormones in normal and neoplastic adrenal medullae: biologically active corticotropin-releasing hormone and corticotropin.

Six normal and 8 neoplastic adrenal medullae were assayed for several immunoreactive (IR) proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and hypothalamic peptides. IR-POMC peptides were found in normal and tumor tissue in concentrations ranging from 0.0003 to 0.1% of those in pituitary. Their molecular sizes resembled those of pituitary intermediate lobe POMC peptides. No intact POMC was found. One pheochromocytoma contained fully bioactive IR-adrenocorticotropic hormone (IR-ACTH; Mr approximately 4,500) and an intermediate-sized (Mr approximately 10,000) IR-ACTH with approximately 69% bioactivity. Normal and tumorous medullae contained IR-corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 4% of those in hypothalamus except for one pheochromocytoma that contained 40 times that amount of IR-CRH, which was chromatographically indistinguishable from hypothalamic CRH and fully bioactive. IR-somatostatin and IR-growth hormone-releasing hormone were found in both tissue types, but IR-gonadotropin-releasing hormone and IR-thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) were not, although IR-histidyl-proline diketopiperazine, a putative TRH metabolite, was found. IR-arginine vasopressin was found in two normal medullae, but not in pheochromocytomas.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗