Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The 1,4-dihydropyridine BAY-K-8644 [methyl-1,4-dihydro-2, 6-dimethyl-3-nitro-4-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)-pyridine-5-carboxylate] acts as both a calcium channel agonist and antagonist by stimulating or inhibiting inward calcium current. In AtT-20 mouse pituitary tumor cells, BAY-K-8644 both stimulates and blocks adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion. Because in several cell systems the cytoplasmic enzyme guanylate cyclase is activated, presumably by calcium entry, the effect of BAY-K-8644 on cyclic GMP (cGMP) synthesis in AtT-20 cells was assessed. BAY-K-8644 increased cGMP accumulation in a time-dependent manner. The concentrations of BAY-K-8644, however, required to increase cGMP formation were not associated with its stimulatory effects on secretion but rather with its ability to antagonize basal and (-)-isoproterenol-induced ACTH secretion. The inhibitory effect of BAY-K-8644 on ACTH secretion was not mimicked by 8-Br-cGMP. The cGMP response to BAY-K-8644 was not mimicked by the cationophore, A-23187, or depolarizing concentrations of K+. Other calcium channel antagonists such as nifedipine or verapamil had markedly smaller effects on cGMP formation compared to BAY-K-8644. Sodium nitroprusside and sodium azide both increased cGMP synthesis in AtT-20 cells and both inhibited, to a lesser extent than BAY-K-8644, both basal- and (-)-isoproterenol-stimulated ACTH release. The data suggest that BAY-K-8644 stimulates cGMP synthesis by binding to sites less accessible or poorly activated by other dihydropyridines, and that stimulation of guanylate cyclase is independent of inward calcium current.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:BAY-K-8644-stimulated cyclic GMP synthesis in mouse pituitary tumor cells. 241 44

Somatostatin is a neurohormone peptide that inhibits a variety of secretory responses in different cell types. We have investigated the effects of somatostatin on calcium current and intracellular free calcium in AtT-20 cells, a pituitary tumor line in which the inhibitory actions of this peptide have been well characterized. At concentrations similar to those that inhibit adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release, somatostatin and its analogs reduced the levels of intracellular free calcium (as measured by the Quin-2 technique). Nifedipine and other blockers of voltage-dependent calcium channels also reduced cytosolic calcium levels. The effects of somatostatin and nifedipine were not additive, suggesting that somatostatin might inhibit calcium channels. Experiments using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique showed that somatostatin reduces voltage-dependent calcium current. The effects of somatostatin on cytosolic calcium and calcium current appear to be independent of its ability to reduce secretagogue-stimulated cAMP accumulation in these cells. We propose that the somatostatin-induced decrease in cytosolic calcium concentrations and the voltage-dependent calcium current are one of the mechanisms by which somatostatin suppresses ACTH release in AtT-20 cells.
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PMID:Somatostatin, an inhibitor of ACTH secretion, decreases cytosolic free calcium and voltage-dependent calcium current in a pituitary cell line. 243 73

The concentration of mRNA encoding proopiomelanocortin (POMC) was measured in AtT-20/D-16v cells, a clonal pituitary tumor cell line. Treatment of the cells with potassium (20 mM) or veratridine (10 microM) for 12, 24 and 48 h caused a time-dependent increase in the levels of POMC mRNA which became significant after 24 h. These effects were not seen in the presence of the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin (5 microM). In addition, the calcium channel blocker verapamil (10 microM) completely abolished the responses to either potassium or veratridine, whereas the calcium channel agonist Bay K 8644 (0.1 microM) potentiated the effect of potassium. Furthermore, the calcium channel blockers verapamil (10 microM) and nidefipine (1 microM) significantly decreased not only basal levels of POMC mRNA but also the increase of mRNA levels induced by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF; 0.1 microM), 8-bromo-cAMP (1 mM) or cholera toxin (100 ng/ml). The drug-induced alterations in the mRNA POMC levels of the cells were, in each case, associated with similar alterations of immunoreactive beta-endorphin in the medium. These results indicate that membrane depolarization to activate sodium channels and calcium channels initiates an entry of calcium ions which triggers POMC gene expression in the AtT-20 cells. Moreover, calcium entry into the cells may exert a tonic stimulatory effect on POMC mRNA under basal conditions and may also contribute to the enhancing effect of CRF or cAMP on POMC mRNA in these cells.
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PMID:Influence of calcium ions on proopiomelanocortin mRNA levels in clonal anterior pituitary cells. 244 1

Intracellular ionized Ca2+ concentration was measured in clonal mouse anterior pituitary tumor cells with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator Quin-2. In control physiological solution, free cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration was found to be 139 +/- 11 nM. Replacement of 50 mM NaCl by 50 mM KCl in the extracellular fluid caused a 29 mV depolarization and a 4.2-fold increase in the concentration of free cytoplasmic Ca2+. Under comparable depolarizing conditions, a specific influx of 2.66 nmole of 45Ca2+ per mg protein was detected 1 min after addition of high K+, accompanied by a marked increase in the initial rate of beta-endorphin secretion. In the absence of external Ca2+, depolarization by K+ produced little or no increase in either intracellular free Ca2+ or hormone release. Incubation of AtT-20/D16-16 cells in the secretagogue norepinephrine led to a depolarization accompanied by an increase in spontaneous action potential frequency and a marked elevation in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Exposure of cells to somatostatin, an inhibitor of hormone release, led to only transient decreases in burst frequency and no significant reduction in intracellular Ca2+ levels. These results indicate that in addition to intracellular Ca2+, other factors also control secretory activity in AtT-20/D16-16 anterior pituitary cells.
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PMID:Intracellular calcium and hormone secretion in clonal AtT-20/D16-16 anterior pituitary cells. 257 58

Glucocorticoids rapidly and specifically inhibit transcription of the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene in the anterior pituitary, thus offering a model for studying negative control of transcription in mammals. We have defined an element within the rat POMC gene 5'-flanking region that is required for glucocorticoid inhibition of POMC gene transcription in POMC-expressing pituitary tumor cells (AtT-20). This element contains an in vitro binding site for purified glucocorticoid receptor. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that binding of the receptor to this site located at position base pair -63 is essential for glucocorticoid repression of transcription. Although related to the well-defined glucocorticoid response element (GRE) found in glucocorticoid-inducible genes, the DNA sequence of the POMC negative glucocorticoid response element (nGRE) differs significantly from the GRE consensus; this sequence divergence may result in different receptor-DNA interactions and may account at least in part for the opposite transcriptional properties of these elements. Hormone-dependent repression of POMC gene transcription may be due to binding of the receptor over a positive regulatory element of the promoter. Thus, repression may result from mutually exclusive binding of two DNA-binding proteins to overlapping DNA sequences.
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PMID:Glucocorticoid receptor binding to a specific DNA sequence is required for hormone-dependent repression of pro-opiomelanocortin gene transcription. 258 21

The effects of the protein kinase C activator, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), on cytosolic calcium levels and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) release from the mouse anterior pituitary tumor cell line, AtT-20, were compared to those induced by the hormone, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a stimulant of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. Cytosolic calcium levels were measured using the fluorescence probe Quin 2. PMA induced a time- and concentration-dependent rise in cytosolic calcium levels and ACTH release from AtT-20 cells that was blocked by verapamil and nifedipine, antagonists of voltage-regulated calcium channels, and tetraethylammonium (TEA), a K+ channel antagonist. The inactive phorbol ester, 4-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, did not alter cytosolic calcium levels or ACTH release. Several minutes after the initial stimulation of calcium influx by PMA, cytosolic calcium levels returned to basal levels despite the continued presence of the phorbol ester. A short pretreatment (2-4 min) of AtT-20 cells with PMA abolished the ability of K+, CRF, and forskolin to raise intracellular calcium levels. These findings indicate that phorbol esters induce a secondary inhibition of calcium influx after an initial stimulation. In contrast to the effects of PMA, CRF induced a sustained rise in cytosolic calcium levels and did not reduce the subsequent stimulation of calcium influx by K+ or PMA. CRF-stimulated calcium influx was blocked by verapamil but not TEA. The ability of CRF to elevate cytosolic calcium levels was mediated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase because the insertion of a synthetic peptide inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity into AtT-20 cells attenuated the ability of CRF and forskolin but not PMA to raise cytosolic calcium levels. The results suggest that activators of protein kinase C and cAMP-dependent protein kinase regulate intracellular calcium levels in AtT-20 cells through different mechanisms.
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PMID:Activators of protein kinase C and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase regulate intracellular calcium levels through distinct mechanisms in mouse anterior pituitary tumor cells. 282 94

The compound U74006F (21-[4-(2,6-di-1-pyrrolidinyl-4-pyrimidinyl)-1-piperazinyl]-16 alpha-methyl- pregna-1,4,9(11)-triene-3,20-dione) is one of a novel series of 21-aminosteroids that are potent inhibitors of iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Chronic (4-6 days) dosing of mice or rats with high doses of U74006F (30-200 mg/kg/day) has indicated that the compound is devoid of both glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid activity. Although the compound is not a glucocorticoid antagonist, it markedly stimulated secretion of adrenocorticotropin by the murine pituitary tumor (AtT-20) cell. The enhanced secretion of adrenocorticotropin was not associated with an increased incorporation of [3H]thymidine or [14C]leucine into DNA or protein, respectively. Although not a glucocorticoid, U74006F also blocked the release of [14C]arachidonic acid from AtT-20 cells damaged by either Fe++ or the metabolic poison, iodoacetate. U74006F represents a novel class of antioxidant which displays cytoprotective activity and may uniquely affect cell growth or function in culture systems.
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PMID:A new 21-aminosteroid antioxidant lacking glucocorticoid activity stimulates adrenocorticotropin secretion and blocks arachidonic acid release from mouse pituitary tumor (AtT-20) cells. 283 38

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a potent secretagogue for adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) release from normal corticotropes and from ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma cells. To explore the mechanism underlying this action, we investigated the effects of AVP on Ca2+-dependent action potentials and Ca2+ currents in cultured human ACTH-containing pituitary tumor cells (hACTH adenoma cells). Pituitary adenoma fragments removed at surgery from two patients with Cushing's disease were dispersed, and the isolated cells were grown in monolayer culture. Most of the cells showed ACTH immunoreactivity that persisted even after as much as 2 months in culture. Current clamp and voltage clamp recordings were carried out using the patch-clamp technique in the whole cell configuration. AVP produced an increase in the amplitude and duration of action potentials in these cells, and substantially enhanced the transient after-hyperpolarization after each spike. Under voltage the transient after-hyperpolarization after each spike. Under voltage clamp, hACTH adenoma cells showed two Ca2+ current components: a low-threshold, rapidly inactivating (T-type) current; and a higher threshold, slowly inactivating (L-type) current. AVP markedly increased the amplitude of the L-type current without affecting the T-type current. These data suggest that AVP may enhance Ca2+ entry associated with action potentials by potentiating the activity of L-type Ca2+ channels. The resulting rise in cytosolic free Ca2+ may be a key link in the process by which AVP stimulates ACTH release in the pituitary.
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PMID:Vasopressin enhances a calcium current in human ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma cells. 284 18

Somatostatin (SRIF) inhibits stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) release from mouse anterior pituitary tumor cells (AtT-20/D16-16). In order to determine whether guanine nucleotide inhibitory proteins (Ni) mediate these effects, AtT-20 cells were treated with pertussis toxin, an agent that inactivates Ni. Pertussis toxin catalyses the ADP-ribosylation of a 41,000 MW protein in membranes of AtT-20 cells. Pretreatment with pertussis toxin prevents the subsequent ability of toxin to catalyse the labeling of Ni. This effect is dependent on the time of pretreatment and is not reversible. The inhibition of SRIF of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation and ACTH release is prevented by pertussis toxin treatment. The blockade is dependent on the time and concentration of toxin used and is not reversible. Pertussis toxin treatment prevents SRIF from inhibiting corticotropin releasing factor and cholera toxin-stimulated cyclic AMP synthesis. The inhibition of K+ and 8-bromocyclic AMP-stimulated ACTH release by SRIF is attenuated partially by toxin treatment. The ability of forskolin and cholera toxin to stimulate cyclic AMP formation and ACTH release is enhanced by treatment of AtT-20 cells with pertussis toxin. The increased cyclic AMP response to forskolin is prevented by cycloheximide. The data indicate that Ni mediates the inhibition by SRIF of cyclic AMP formation and the ACTH release that results from adenylate cyclase stimulation.
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PMID:Pertussis toxin treatment blocks the inhibition of somatostatin and increases the stimulation by forskolin of cyclic AMP accumulation and adrenocorticotropin secretion from mouse anterior pituitary tumor cells. 285 41

Hormones are extracted from plasma with varying efficiency. Thus, markers or internal standards are often needed, to monitor and correct for extraction losses. To do so is difficult in the case of peptide hormones because radioactive recovery markers either have a low specific activity or, if labeled with iodine, may not be fully representative because of alterations in their size and charge. More importantly, markers labeled with 125I can interact in, and thus compromise, the subsequent radioimmunoassay. AtT-20 mouse pituitary tumor cells, which can be stimulated to synthesize and secrete pro-opiomelanocortin peptides, can biosynthetically label beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH) with [35S]methionine. The labeled peptide, which is co-eluted with unlabeled beta-LPH in "high-performance" liquid chromatography, is fully immunoprecipitable and has a specific activity of 34 Ci/g. We use this labeled peptide to monitor the recovery of beta-LPH in silicic acid extraction from plasma. This peptide is an ideal marker of analytical recovery because it does not interfere in subsequent radioimmunoassays.
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PMID:Biosynthesized [35S]methionine-labeled pro-opiomelanocortin peptides as novel recovery markers in radioimmunoassay of peptide hormones. 293 87


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