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Appraising the nature of luteinizing hormone secretory events in men.

We have appraised the nature of spontaneous luteinizing hormone (LH) secretory events in normal men by analyzing immunoactive LH concentrations in blood samples withdrawn at 5-min intervals for 24 h in eight healthy individuals. A novel discrete deconvolution algorithm was applied to determine apparent instantaneous LH secretory rates from these LH concentration series. These analyses unmasked unique attributes of spontaneous LH secretory events, which were represented as delimited momentary augmentations in endogenous LH secretory rates interspersed among intervals of relative secretory quiescence. For three different peak-detection thresholds (P = 0.02, = 0.01, and = 0.005), the frequency of LH secretory episodes was significantly greater than that of LH "pulses" judged from concentration data alone. Moreover, the total mass of LH released within discrete secretory episodes could account for approximately 90% of LH secreted during the day. This model of distinct, short-lived, burst-like secretion of LH has important implications for further investigations of the neuroendocrine regulation of gonadotropin secretion in humans.

Adult↗

Testosterone and oxandrolone, a nonaromatizable androgen, specifically amplify the mass and rate of growth hormone (GH) secreted per burst without altering GH secretory burst duration or frequency or the GH half-life.

We investigated the mechanisms by which androgens increase mean circulating GH concentrations in boys. We tested two hypotheses: 1) testosterone increases serum GH concentrations at least in part via an androgen receptor-mediated mechanism, rather than exclusively by way of aromatization to estrogen; 2) androgen augments one or more specific features to GH secretion (secretory burst number, amplitude, and/or duration) and/or prolongs the half-life of GH removal. To examine these hypotheses, prepubertal boys with constitutionally delayed development and/or growth were given injections of testosterone (100 mg monthly; n = 7) or treated with oral oxandrolone, a nonaromatizable androgen (1.25 mg twice daily; n = 5). Pulsatile GH release was studied before and during androgen administration by sampling blood at 20-min intervals for 24 h. The immunoreactive GH time series were subjected to a novel deconvolution technique, which revealed that 1) testosterone and oxandrolone each increased mean (24-h) serum GH concentrations significantly; 2) both androgens augmented the daily endogenous GH secretory rate significantly; 3) increased GH production resulted from a higher mass of GH secreted per burst and a higher maximal rate of GH secretion within each burst; and 4) androgens amplified the magnitude of the nyctohemeral rhythm in the mass (but not frequency) of GH secretory pulses. The observed effects of androgen were specific, since the number and duration of GH secretory bursts and the subject-specific GH half-life were unaltered by androgen treatment. We conclude that androgen acting apart from conversion to estrogen is capable of specifically activating the somatotropic axis via distinct neuroendocrine secretory mechanisms.

Adolescent↗

[Production and metabolism of corticosteroids in the marsh frog, Rana ridibunda Pallas (author's transl)].

Aspects of corticosterone and aldosterone metabolism have been studied in the marsh frog Rana ridibunda Pallas, kept in breeding conditions at a temperature of 16 degrees C. The effects of hypophysectomy on corticosteroid dynamics were also assessed. Two methods, single injection and continuous infusion, were adapted to measure the Metabolic Clearance Rate (MCR), the Secretion Rate (SR) and the half-time (T1/2) of these two hormones, using 3H-corticosterone and 3H-aldosterone as tracers. 10 The two methods provided similar values for the metabolic clearance rate (MCR) when, after the single injection, the MCR was estimated by integrating the area under each disappearance curve of radioactive corticoid. Estimates of MCR by compartmental analysis were not satisfactory. 20 The method of continuous infusion, although carried out in anesthetized animals, is more satisfactory than the single injection in unanesthetized frogs, as the plasma corticosterone in the latter increases significantly during the measurements time. On the contrary, the corticosterone concentration is constant during the infusion, at a little higher than basal level. 30 When measured at the temperature of 20 degrees C, the metabolic clearance rate for corticosterone was higher than that for aldosterone (8.08 +/- 0.29 ml/min/kg versus 5.32 +/- 0.20 ml/min/kg). These values are higher than in fish and lower than in homeothermic vertebrates. 40 The confusion between the adrenal secretory rate and the total production rate, possible for aldosterone, is somewhat hazardous for corticosterone, but production of this steroid from peripheral precursors has not been proved. 50 Adenohypophysectomy reduces the metabolic clearance rate and the secretory rate for corticosterone as well as for aldosterone.

Aldosterone↗

A comparative study of lysozyme and its secretion by tracheal epithelium.

Tracheal explants from baboon, ferret, dog, mouse, hamster, rat guinea pig, chicken, sheep, rabbit and cat were maintained in vivo for 24 to 72 hr. Bathing media were analyzed for lysozyme content. Secretory rates were compared to the rate obtained for human trachea in our earlier work. These rates ranged from 807 micrograms lysozyme/g tissue/24 hr for human trachea to 11 micrograms lysozyme/g tissue/24 hr for chicken trachea. Secretory rates for baboon, ferret dog, mouse, hamster, rat, and guinea pig tracheal lysozyme fell within this range in decreasing order. No detectable lysozyme was released from sheep, cat, or rabbit explants. Lysozyme secretion did not correlate with the presence or absence of submucosal glands. Lysozyme from laboratory animals in all cases differed with respect to electrophoretic mobility and immunochemical properties from human lysozyme. These observations provide physiological, physiochemical, and immunochemical information which will facilitate the use of lysozyme to assess secretion of macromolecules in in vitro and in vivo studies of airway epithelium.

Animals↗

Differential response of renin secretion to vasoconstrictors in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

1. We have examined whether an increase of renal vascular resistance is generally accompanied by an inhibition of renin secretion. The effects of vasoconstriction produced by angiotensin II (Ang II), arginine-vasopressin (AVP), and potassium (KCl) depolarization on vascular resistance and on renin release from isolated rat kidneys perfused at constant pressure of 100 mmHg were investigated. 2. Histological examination performed on some representative kidneys revealed that the tubular lumina of all segments within the cortex were patent and the brush borders of the proximal tubules were well preserved. The renal vasculature and the juxtaglomerular region appeared to be morphologically intact. By immunocytochemistry, renin-positive cells were found exclusively in the wall of the afferent arterioles. 3. Basal flow rate through isolated kidneys was 14.5 +/- 2.0 ml min-1 (g kidney weight (gkw))-1 (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 10). Under control conditions renin secretory rates were in the range of 30-40 (ng Ang I h-1) min-1 gkw-1. 4. Ang II (100 pM) caused a decrease of renal flow rate to 42 +/- 2% of control which was accompanied by a reduction of renin secretion rates by a factor of 4. 5. AVP (10 pM to 1 nM) reduced renal perfusate flow in a dose-dependent fashion to a minimum of 25 +/- 3% of control. The vasoconstrictor effect of AVP was paralleled by a concentration-dependent increase of renin secretory rates reaching a factor of maximally 5 when AVP was used at a concentration of 1 nM. The stimulatory effect of AVP on renin release could be mimicked by [deamino-Cys1, D-Arg8]-vasopressin (dDAVP), a vasopressin analogue with prevalent V2 receptor agonistic properties. In the presence of dDAVP (100 nM, 1 microM) renal flow rate reversibly increased by 8 and 12% of control values, respectively. 6. Depolarizing concentrations of KCl (30 mM) decreased perfusate flow to 20 +/- 4% of control. The vasoconstrictor effect of KCl was paralleled by an increase of the arterio-venous difference of perfusate renin activity to such an extent that the rate of renin release remained unaltered. 7. Our findings suggest that there exists no general inverse relationship between renal arteriolar resistance and renin secretion. Our study, moreover, does not support a functional role of potential operated calcium channels in the control of renin secretion. Finally, we conclude that V2 receptors are present on juxtaglomerular epithelioid cell membranes and mediate the stimulatory effect of AVP on renin release from isolated rat kidneys.

Angiotensin II↗

Amylase secretion by the perfused cat pancreas in relation to the secretion of calcium and other electrolytes and as influenced by the external ionic environment.

1. Amylase secretion from the perfused pancreas consists of two components: a small continuous basal secretion and a stimulated secretion in response to acetylcholine or cholecystokinin-pancreozymin. The response to small doses of either stimulant was repeatable over several hours.2. The calcium concentration of pancreatic juice, always less than that of the perfusate, was normally constant above secretory rates of 0.15 g/10 min. However, when the concentration of enzymes in the juice rose, either after stimulation or at very low secretory rates, the calcium concentration rose in parallel, suggesting that this calcium is bound to, or is a component of, pancreatic enzymes.3. Elevation of the perfusate calcium concentration resulted in a parallel increase in the calcium concentration of the pancreatic juice.4. Calcium-free solutions initially caused a small reduction in basal and stimulated amylase secretion and, after prolonged periods of perfusion, abolished stimulated secretion and caused a reduction in electrolyte secretion. The latter was completely reversed by calcium-rich perfusates but the effects on enzyme secretion were only partially reversible.5. Calcium-rich perfusates had no effect on the rate of electrolyte secretion but potentiated submaximally stimulated amylase secretion.6. Barium did not substitute for calcium in supporting pancreatic secretion.7. Alterations in the extracellular concentrations of sodium, potassium and magnesium had no direct effect on amylase secretion.8. The local anaesthetic tetracaine inhibited amylase secretion at a lower concentration than that required to inhibit electrolyte secretion.9. It is concluded (a) that calcium is secreted into the pancreatic juice in two fractions, one associated with enzymes and the other with the electrolyte component of the juice; and (b) that calcium ions play an important role in the stimulus-secretion coupling of pancreatic acinar cells, but that the effects of calcium depletion on electrolyte secretion may principally be due to alterations in the permeability of the duct system.

Acetylcholine↗

Inhibition of atrial natriuretic peptide secretion by forskolin in noncontracting cultured atrial myocytes.

Secretory rates for immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) by 7 - 8 day-old primary cultures of atrial myocytes from adult rats (with myocyte contraction inhibited by tetrodotoxin (TTX)) were (a) constant for at least two hours, and (b) significantly slowed by forskolin (1, 5, and 25 microM), dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (1 mM), or isobutylmethylxanthine (100 microM). The substantial rates of ANP secretion which persisted in cells rendered noncontracting either by inhibiting Ca2+ influx via reduction of external [Ca2+] to less than 10(-7) M or by inhibiting sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release with 100 microM ryanodine were significantly slowed by 25 microM forskolin, but forskolin sensitivity was lost by cells exposed simultaneously to external Ca2+ concentration of less than 10(-7) M and 100 microM ryanodine. Quiescent myocytes whose ANP secretory rate was depressed by forskolin remained responsive to secretory stimulation by phorbol ester.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗

cAMP and cGMP in the human parotid saliva.

Human parotid saliva was revealed to contain considerable amounts of cAMP and cGMP. On sour lemon drop stimulation, the salivary cyclic nucleotides concentration decreased and the cyclic nucleotides secretory rate increased in close relationship with the salivary flow rate in control subjects. On feeding, both cAMP concentration and secretory rate increased significantly in control subjects. Parotid saliva from a patient of Sjögren's syndrom was revealed to have a significantly higher of cGMP concentration than those from control subjects. Saliva derived from the malignant tumor of the parotid gland was revealed to have a higher cGMP concentration and a lower cAMP concentration than the healthy site. From these findings, the possibilities of the clinical usefulness of studying salivary cyclic nucleotides were discussed.

Adult↗

Internal dissociation of the circadian markers of the cortisol rhythm in night workers.

To determine whether the circadian system of night workers is adapted to a night-active schedule, we submitted 11 night workers and 11 day-active subjects to a 10-min blood sampling procedure during their usual sleep-wake cycle, permitting a precise determination of circadian and ultradian cortisol variations. In night works, the usual shift of 8 h in the sleep period was associated with a distortion of the normal 24-h cortisol rhythm. The acrophase exhibited a shift of approximately 6.5 h, whereas the quiescent period, abruptly interrupted by a large peak, underwent a shift of only 3 h and lasted for approximately 5 h, as in day-active subjects. Slow-wave sleep and sleep onset occurred during periods of low or decreasing cortisol secretory rates, whereas awakenings were associated with an increase in cortisol secretory rates. These results revealed that the circadian system of night workers only partially adapts to night work and that adaptation processes rely on an internal dissociation of the markers of the cortisol pattern, without disturbing the processes that couple cortisol release and specific sleep stages.

Activity Cycles↗

Milk accumulation and secretion in the rabbit.

Over the 24 h period after suckling, total mammary-gland weight increased linearly indicating no reduction in the rate of milk secretion during the relatively long interval between sucklings in the rabbit. Thus, storage capacity is matched to the long storage period. Beyond 24 h in the absence of suckling at 24 h, the rate of milk accumulation declined rapidly. This decline was not prevented by the administration of ovine prolactin or by permitting suckling of sealed teats at 24 h. During the decline in secretory rate after 24 h, milk [Na] and [Cl] increased while [K] and [lactose] decreased, as in other species. It is concluded that the decrease in secretory rate after cessation of suckling is not caused by lack of hormonal stimulation; it is suggested that mammary distension caused by accumulation of milk is responsible.

Animals↗

Characteristics of renal p-aminohippurate and urate excretion in rabbits.

Urate and p-aminohippurate (PAH) excretion was studied in New Zealand white rabbits to determine the extent to which the renal tubular handling of these organic anions by intact kidneys paralleled observations made in single isolated perfused tubules in vitro. At low plasma concentrations (less than 60 mumol/L) net reabsorption of urate was observed in the majority of animals; as plasma urate concentration was increased by infusing lithium urate, net urate secretion was demonstrated, the fractional excretion of urate (FE urate) reaching 270%, and net urate secretion (filtered urate minus urinary concentration of urate times volume flow rate) 1.8 mumol/min at mean plasma urate levels 200 and 310 mumol/L. A maximal urate secretion rate was not demonstrated. Probenecid (250 mumol/kg) reduced FE urate to 27%, thereby revealing concealed reabsorption despite high plasma urate levels. By contrast, net secretion of PAH at all plasma levels was achieved by infusing NaPAH. The highest secretory rate was 38.6 mumol/min at plasma PAH levels between 1000 and 1750 mumol/L. Probenecid reduced fractional excretion of PAH (FEPAH) from 796% to 265%, no evidence of PAH reabsorption being found after inhibition of secretion with probenecid. At comparable plasma levels (220 mumol/L), net PAH secretion exceeded net urate secretion (reflected by the decrement in urate and PAH excretion caused by probenecid) by a factor of 5.3:1. These experiments indicate that urate and PAH are filtered and secreted by the rabbit kidney; however, only urate is significantly reabsorbed over the range of plasma organic anion levels examined. The configuration of the relation between plasma levels and net secretion rates and the greater secretory rate for PAH for urate in the living rabbit are consonant with the characteristics of PAH and urate transport determined previously in studies of isolated perfused proximal tubules.

Aminohippuric Acids↗

Oscillations in insulin secretion during constant glucose infusion in normal man: relationship to changes in plasma glucose.

Peripheral plasma or serum concentrations of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon, and cortisol and insulin secretory rates (ISR) were determined at 15-min intervals in eight normal subjects during a constant iv infusion of 4.5 mg glucose/kg.min for a 24-h period. During each sampling interval, the secretory rate of insulin was calculated by deconvolution of the peripheral plasma C-peptide concentration using C-peptide kinetic parameters derived after bolus injections of C-peptide in individual subjects. Periodogram analysis of the individual glucose curves demonstrated a circadian rhythm in all subjects, with a major nocturnal acrophase occurring at an average clock time of 0228 h (range, 0045-0350 h). In five of the eight subjects, a minor acrophase occurred at an average time of 1774 h (range, 1530-2045 h). This diurnal variation in plasma glucose levels was not paralleled by a similar pattern in insulin secretion. Although glucose was infused at a constant rate, significant pulses were found in glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels and ISR; the pulse durations of these parameters were 182 +/- 30 (+/- SE), 89 +/- 5, 100 +/- 8, and 85 +/- 5 min, respectively, and their periodicities were 208 +/- 33, 106 +/- 7, 114 +/- 10, and 106 +/- 7 min. The durations and frequencies for pulses of insulin, C-peptide, and ISR were not significantly different, whereas glucose pulses had a longer duration and were less frequent (P less than 0.05, by analysis of variance). On the average, 54 +/- 9% of the C-peptide pulses and 47 +/- 8% of the ISR pulses were concomitant with a pulse in glucose levels. Moreover, approximately half of the C-peptide and ISR pulses that were not concomitant with a glucose pulse occurred in synchrony with a shoulder on the up-stroke or down-stroke of glucose pulses. Analysis of glucagon and cortisol profiles revealed no significant associations with the insulin and glucose oscillations. In conclusion, during a constant glucose infusion in normal subjects, regular oscillations of insulin secretion occur at 80- to 120-min intervals. Their tight coupling with glucose oscillations and the lack of association with fluctuations of glucagon and cortisol suggest that these oscillations represent a dynamic property of the insulin-glucose feedback loop.

Adult↗

Oligodontia is associated with extra-oral ectodermal symptoms and low whole salivary flow rates.

INTRODUCTION: Ectodermal dysplasias (EDs) involve abnormal development of hair, teeth, nails, and sweat glands. OBJECTIVES: (1) To investigate the frequency of extraoral ectodermal symptoms in persons with oligodontia (>6 congenitally missing teeth). (2) To examine whole salivary flow rates in oligodontia patients, with special emphasis on persons with EDs. SURVEY GROUP AND METHODS: Sixty-eight persons with oligodontia and 39 healthy control persons were included. All participants underwent an interview, general and oral examinations, and whole salivary secretory tests. RESULTS: Thirty-nine (57%) of the oligodontia patients had disturbances in either hair, nails and/or sweat production in addition to teeth and were classified as the ED group. The remaining 29 oligodontia patients had no obvious signs of EDs (non-ED group). The prevalences of dry skin, asthma and eczema were higher, and whole salivary secretory rates lower, in the ED group as compared to the control group. Intermediate values were observed in the non-ED group. Incisors, canines and molars were more frequently missing in the ED group than in the non-ED group, whereas no differences were observed in the frequency of missing premolars. Negative correlations between the number of missing teeth and unstimulated and chewing stimulated whole salivary secretory rates were found.

Adolescent↗

Human tracheobronchial secretions: development of mucous glycoprotein and lysozyme-secreting systems.

Baseline rates for secretion of mucous glycoprotein were similar similar (680--830 microgram/g tissue/24 hour) for cultured tracheal epithelium from newborns of 26--32 weeks' gestation, full term newborns, and older children. Addition of methacholine to culture medium augmented secretory rates of glycoprotein from all tissue sources 3--5 fold. The overall composition of secreted mucous glycoproteins changed little with increasing age. A trend toward less sulfation and toward increased sialic acid and fucose content was noted in secreted glycoproteins from explants of older subjects. Histochemical observations of stored glycoprotein in tracheal tissue, which was subsequently used for organ culture experiments, confirmed that a modest, but consistent sulfate to sialic acid shift occurs during early life. In contrast, baseline secretory rates for lysozyme from tracheal epithelium of preterm infants were one-half as large as rates from epithelium of full term babies and were refractory to cholinergic stimulation. Stimulation of lysozyme secretion by a cholinergic agonist was achieved in all cases by 40 weeks' gestation. We conclude that basal glycoprotein secretion and the mechanism for glycoprotein response to cholinergic stimulation have developed by the earliest age of viability, but that lysozyme secretion is deficient and is unresponsive to cholinergic stimulation in tracheal tissue from preterm newborns.

Age Factors↗

Active potassium transport across guinea-pig distal colon: action of secretagogues.

1. Adrenaline (5 microM) stimulated a K+ secretory current by 2.2 mu equiv h-1 cm-2 in isolated guinea-pig distal colonic epithelium. This secretory activity was inhibited entirely by addition of the loop diuretic bumetanide to the serosal solution. On-going K+ uptake via the absorptive pathway was unaltered by these changes. 2. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2, 2 microM) stimulated electrogenic K+ secretion and Cl- secretion by 3.0 and 3.6 mu equiv h-1 cm-2, respectively. Serosal addition of bumetanide completely inhibited this K+ secretion but blocked only approximately 70% of Cl- secretion. The bumetanide-insensitive Cl- secretory current was dependent on the presence of Cl- and HCO3- in the bathing solutions. 3. Stimulation of electrogenic K+ secretion by PGE2 occurred with a half-maximal concentration of 4 nM, an affinity approximately 300 times higher than that for stimulation of Cl- secretion by PGE2. 4. Forskolin (10 microM) stimulated Cl- secretion by 4.9 mu equiv h-1 cm-2. The apparent K+ secretory rate was increased by only 1.5 mu equiv h-1 cm-2. A bumetanide-insensitive short-circuit current (ISC) was apparent and of the same size as that stimulated by PGE2. 5. Addition of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (10 microM), in the presence of indomethacin (1 microM) to reduce prostaglandin production, inhibited the K+ absorptive pathway by 40% and concurrently stimulated a small rate of electrogenic K+ secretion. 6. Active K+ absorption was inhibited by the addition of ouabain, omeprazole or SCH28080 to the mucosal solution. Both omeprazole and SCH28080 also stimulated a small negative ISC, consistent with electrogenic K+ secretion. 7. Association of K+ absorption, K+ secretion and Cl- secretion is indicated by similarities in transport mechanism and by secretagogue regulation. In particular, maximal rates of K+ secretory current require uptake via apical membrane K+ pumps. Such interrelations support a common cellular locus for these ion transport pathways.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Calcium and a mitochondrial signal interact to stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin secretion in rat islets.

Fuel metabolism generates multiple signals that interact to stimulate insulin secretion. These studies explored the mechanism by which fuels activate phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis and the role of this signal transduction pathway in fuel-stimulated insulin secretion. High potassium (30 mM), which depolarizes the membrane and increases Ca2+ influx, caused only a transient monophasic release of insulin. In contrast, glucose (20 mM) or monomethylsuccinate (MMSucc; 10 mM) markedly stimulated a sustained insulin secretory response, indicating that fuel metabolism generates a signal(s) in addition to Ca2+ influx that is required for a sustained secretory response. On the other hand, diazoxide, an ATP-sensitive K+ channel activator that prevents membrane depolarization and Ca2+ influx in response to fuel metabolism, reduced the secretory responses to glucose and MMSucc to baseline levels, demonstrating that Ca2+ influx was essential to fuel-stimulated insulin secretion. The further addition of high K+ bypassed the diazoxide block and restored insulin secretory rates. The insulin secretory response to glucose or MMSucc in the presence of diazoxide and K+ was inhibited by the Ca2+ channel antagonist nitrendipine and the protein kinase-C inhibitor staurosporine. Changes in PI hydrolysis paralleled those in insulin secretion. High potassium alone induced only a modest 2.5-fold increase in inositol phosphate accumulation. This response was significantly less than that to glucose or MMSucc, which increased inositol phosphate accumulation by 6.8- or 5.2-fold, respectively. Like its effect on secretion, diazoxide markedly reduced glucose- or MMSucc-stimulated PI hydrolysis, and this inhibition was reversed with high K+. In contrast, diazoxide had no effect on receptor-activated PI hydrolysis stimulated by 100 nM cholecystokinin (CCK), and the effects of CCK were not dependent on added fuel, indicating that fuel and CCK activate PI hydrolysis by distinct pathways. These findings demonstrate that mitochondrial metabolism of glucose or MMSucc generates a signal(s) that interacts with Ca2+ influx to stimulate PI hydrolysis and sustained insulin secretion. This pathway of fuel-activated PI hydrolysis is distinct from that of CCK receptor-activated PI hydrolysis. These studies suggest that fuel-activated PI hydrolysis plays an important role in fuel-stimulated insulin secretion.

Animals↗

The intracellular pathway for parathormone biosynthesis and secretion.

The initial translation product of parathormone messenger RNA--preproparathormone--is larger than parathormone. Two amino terminal peptide segments of the peptide chain are removed sequentially to form the 84-amino acid hormone. The first cleavage, the removal of a 25-amino acid extension from preproparathormone, occurs in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, and results in the formation of proparathormone. This peptide moves via an energy-dependent mechanism to the Golgi region of the cell where a specific converting enzyme cleaves a basic hexapeptide segment yielding parathormone itself. A part of the newly formed hormone then is enclosed within prosecretory vesicles, transported to the cellular membrane and secreted. Another portion is stored in mature secretory vesicles and is subject to subsequent secretion. The moment to moment control of parathormone secretion by calcium resides at the plasma membrane, but a tightly coupled response at the level of intracellular hormone degradation is also necessary in order to control intracellular hormone levels in the face of rapid changes in secretory rate. Three major secretory products are released from the parathyroid under the control of extracellular calcium: (1) parathormone, (2) a large protein--"parathyroid secretory protein"--whose function is unknown, and (3) peptide fragments of parathormone. Secretion of hormonal fragments adds to the population of parathormone immunoreactivity in the blood. These fragments appear to be similar if not identical to those formed by peripheral metabolism of parathormone in the liver and kidney.

Calcium↗

Limiting dilution analysis of the B cell compartment in human bone marrow.

Mononuclear cells (MNC) obtained from adult rib specimen were investigated for their capacity to produce immunoglobulin (Ig) in vitro. Using limiting dilution analysis 3 populations of B lineage cells could be distinguished. The first produces Ig in culture without any intentional activation. These cells are strictly nonproliferating and sustain extraordinary secretory rates of 5 X 10(7)-10 X 10(7) molecules IgG, IgA or IgM/cell/h for at least 2 weeks. They occur at frequencies of 1 X 10(-4)-10 X 10(-4) (marrow MNC) or represent 1-5% of marrow B cells. Following exposure to infectious Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), these cells do not (a) proliferate, (b) express EBV-determined nuclear antigens (EBNA), (c) enhance their secretory rates or (d) show secretory activity for prolonged time. These cells are therefore EBV resistant. If these cells produced their antibody at similar rates in vivo, then their frequencies would suggest that they could provide up to 2/3 of daily synthetic rates for IgG and IgA and 20-30% of the daily IgM production. The second population of marrow B cells is exclusively committed to IgM production. Following exposure to EBV these cells proliferate, express EBNA and begin to secrete IgM. The third population represents 90% of marrow B cells. In our hands, these cells are unable to produce Ig in vitro.

Antibody-Producing Cells↗