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R J Denver

Publications and source records attributed to R J Denver.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Modulation of neuropeptide-stimulated pituitary hormone secretion in hatchling turtles.

Neuropeptides that have relatively narrow actions on mammalian pituitary secretion may have divergent effects on pituitary hormone secretion in ectothermal vertebrates. In turtles, secretion of both thyrotropin (TSH) and growth hormone (GH) can be stimulated in vitro by thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and by members of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) peptide families. To determine if these neuropeptides share common modes of action, and to study other potential regulators of the turtle pituitary, somatostatin-14 (SRIH) and monoamines were tested for direct effects on in vitro basal and neuropeptide-stimulated TSH and GH secretion. Pituitary glands from young turtles (Pseudemys scripta) were cultured in the presence of 25 nM TRH, ovine CRH, or rat GHRH with or without SRIH. Glands were incubated for several 2-hr periods in medium alone or in medium containing peptides. Preincubation for 4 hr with SRIH (6 or 60 nM) significantly reduced basal and TRH-stimulated TSH and GH output (SRIH present during entire incubation). In another experiment, basal hormone secretion was reduced when SRIH (60 nM) was present only during the 2-hr basal period; however, reduction of TSH and GH responses to TRH required the presence of SRIH (60 nM) during the basal period and the period of stimulation. TSH responses to 25 nM oCRH and rGHRH and GH responses to rGHRH were significantly reduced by preincubation with 60 nM SRIH. The biogenic amines, dopamine (DA), serotonin (5HT), and norepinephrine (NE) (50 or 500 nM) were tested for possible direct actions on basal and neuropeptide-stimulated pituitary TSH and GH secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Regulation of pituitary thyrotropin secretion.

The pituitary thyrotropin secreting cells of tetrapods share a common responsiveness to TRH, but the specificity of this response may differ among species. TSH responses in amphibians and reptiles appear to be somewhat less specific than in mammals, but each group differs in responsiveness to particular neuropeptides, and it is not clear that TRH is the main regulator of TSH in nonmammalian species. It is not yet known whether these diverse peptides are acting directly on the thyrotrope or possibly through a paracrine mechanism. A CRH-like peptide may be a common neuroregulator of the anuran thyroid and interrenal in metamorphosis. Inhibitory regulation including effects of neuropeptides and thyroid feedback at the pituitary level is evident in reptiles, but is not known for other nonmammalian groups. In ectotherms, the potential actions of temperature on TSH secretion must also be considered. In this regard, it is important to recognize that the thermal relations of the thyrotropin response may be distinct from other pituitary hormones, as well as other components of the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis (Licht et al., 1989).

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Temperature dependence of in vitro pituitary, testis, and thyroid secretion in a turtle, Pseudemys scripta.

In vitro culture was used to examine the direct actions of temperature at the level of pituitary hormone [luteinizing hormone (LH), thyrotropin (TSH), growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL)] responses to neuropeptides and two related peripheral endocrine responses [thyroid hormone (T4) and testicular androgen secretion] to pituitary hormones (TSH and gonadotropins) in a turtle, Pseudemys scripta. All these responses were fully suppressed at very low temperatures (5-6 degrees) and maximal near the species' preferred body temperature (28 degrees), but sensitivities differed markedly in intermediate ranges. At the pituitary level, the response of TSH, GH, and PRL to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) was considerably more temperature sensitive than the response of LH to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation. TSH, GH, and PRL were unresponsive at 20 degrees or below, whereas LH secretion was stimulated almost equally between 12 and 28 degrees; the main effect of cooling on LH secretion was to reduce the duration of the response to GnRH. There was no clear effect of previous thermal history on temperature sensitivity of pituitary neuropeptide responsiveness although the general responsiveness of the gland was altered; however, these latter effects may also be related to variations in other factors such as photoperiod, season, and nutrition. Temperature sensitivities of the thyroid and testes also differed, but in the opposite way from the related pituitary cell types. Thyroid glands were relatively insensitive to temperature and responded to TSH between 12 and 32 degrees, with no difference between 20 and 28 degrees. In contrast, testicular androgen secretion showed an abrupt decline in gonadotropin responsiveness below 28 degrees; dose sensitivity, response rate, and maximal output were affected. Results were similar for sea turtle LH, snapping turtle LH, and ovine follicle-stimulating hormone. Thus, the temperature dependence of the two endocrine systems may have a different rate-limiting component.

Androgens↗
PubMed1988

Effects of TRH on hormone release from pituitaries of the lizard, Anolis carolinensis.

The ability of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) to stimulate thyrotropin (TSH) from pituitaries of adult male lizards, Anolis carolinensis, was tested in vivo and in vitro. TSH output by pituitaries in vitro was determined by bioassay of the incubation medium using in vitro T4 output by thyroids from the same lizards. Pituitaries incubated without TRH had no detectable TSH secretion during two consecutive (2 or 3 hr) periods of incubation. Incubation in 10 or 100 ng/ml TRH for 2 or 3 hr significantly augmented release of TSH bioactivity in a dose-dependent manner. Pituitaries taken from goitrogen (100 micrograms methimazole/day for 10 days)-treated lizards had elevated basal TSH secretion but did not respond to TRH. TRH injection in vivo (5 micrograms/hr for 10 hr) appeared to stimulate acute release of MSH activity as judged by darkening of skin color after each injection, and plasma T4 was significantly elevated at the end of treatment. These results provide additional evidence that the reptilian thyrotrope has functional TRH receptors and the TSH-stimulating activity of the tripeptide along with its effects on other pituitary cells was present at an early stage of reptilian evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Several hypothalamic peptides stimulate in vitro thyrotropin secretion by pituitaries of anuran amphibians.

The effects of several hypothalamic peptides on hormone secretion by pituitaries of three species of anuran amphibians were investigated using in vitro techniques. Secretion of thyrotropic bioactivity (designated thyrotropin or TSH) was quantified by bioassay of the pituitary incubation medium using thyroxine (T4) production by paired thyroids from the same animals. Pituitaries from adult male Rana pipiens were cultured in medium alone, 10 or 100 ng/ml thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), 1000 ng/ml ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (oCRH), or 300 ng/ml synthetic mammalian gonadotropin-releasing hormone (mGnRH) (these represent approximately equimolar doses) for two 2-hr incubation periods. TSH secretion by control glands was nondetectable, but glands exposed to TRH increased their secretion of TSH in a dose-dependent manner. Both oCRH and mGnRH also stimulated significant increases in TSH. oCRH produced greater output of TSH than did the other two peptides and mGnRH was less active than TRH. Secretion of immunoreactive gonadotropin (GtH) was increased by mGnRH, but not by the other two peptides. Pituitaries from two other anuran species, Hyla regilla and Xenopus laevis, also responded to 100 ng/ml TRH by releasing TSH. These results provide the first unequivocal evidence that TRH can act directly on the anuran amphibian pituitary to stimulate the secretion of TSH, and suggest that the presence of functional TRH receptors on pituitary thyrotropes may be of greater phylogenetic antiquity than has been assumed previously. Furthermore, these data suggest the potential for multihormonal control of TSH secretion in frogs.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Effect of thyroid hormones on growth hormone secretion in broiler chickens.

Plasma concentrations of growth hormone (GH) were observed to be significantly elevated following the administration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in young (4- to 12-week-old) but not in adult (20-week-old) broiler chickens. However, adult sex-linked (dw) dwarf hens did respond to TRH. Treatment with triiodothyronine (T3) but not thyroxine (T4) (at 1 ppm in the diet from hatch) consistently and significantly reduced the growth rate and decreased the plasma concentrations of GH following TRH injection in normal (DwDw males or Dw-females), hemizygous dwarf (dw-) female, and heterozygous (Dwdw) male lines of broiler chickens. Similarly, T3 was significantly more effective than T4 in inhibiting the increase in plasma concentrations of GH following TRH injection in broiler chicks made hypothyroid by methimazole administration.

Animals↗