Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01275 (glucagon)
 26,492 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

GRF promotes follicular maturation and ovulation when administered with FSH in the treatment of infertility. Such actions could be mediated by stimulation of GH secretion and insulin-like growth factor I production, but the known actions of the structurally related hormone, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), on granulosa cell function suggested that GRF may also act directly on the ovary to stimulate follicular development. Radioligand binding and activation studies, performed in granulosa cells from immature estrogen-treated rats, revealed a common receptor for VIP and rat (r) GRF in the ovary. Specific binding of [125I]VIP to granulosa cells was saturable and dependent on time and temperature. The relative potencies of VIP-related peptides for inhibition of radioligand binding were: VIP greater than rGRF greater than peptide histidine isoleucinamide greater than [His1,Nle27] human GRF(1-32)NH2 greater than secretin. In binding studies with the potent GRF agonist, [125I] [His1,Nle27]GRF(1-32)NH2, relative potencies were: rGRF(1-43)OH greater than [His1,Nle27]human GRF(1-32)NH2 greater than VIP greater than peptide histidine isoleucinamide greater than secretin. Glucagon and gastric inhibitory peptide, other peptides of the glucagon superfamily, and unrelated peptides including CRF and beta-endorphin, did not inhibit binding of either radioligand to ovarian receptors. In cultured granulosa cells, rGRF and VIP stimulated cAMP formation, consistent with coupling of their receptors to the adenylate cyclase system, and potentiated FSH-induced cAMP production. Both peptides also amplified FSH-induced progesterone biosynthesis, aromatase activity, and LH receptor formation. These observations demonstrate that rGRF is a potent cAMP-mediated agonist in the rat ovary and acts on a common VIP/GRF receptor in maturing granulosa cells. It is likely that the potentiating effect of administered GRF on gonadotropin-stimulated follicular development in vivo is in part mediated by direct actions of the peptide on the VIP/GRF receptor. Also, since GRF is present in the gonads, it is possible that the locally-produced peptide promotes follicular maturation by paracrine modulation of the stimulatory action of FSH on granulosa cell function.
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PMID:Receptor-mediated actions of growth hormone releasing factor on granulosa cell differentiation. 217 7

Growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) stimulates the release of growth hormone from the anterior pituitary and is related to the peptides of the glucagon/secretin family. Although the mechanism of action of this hormone has been studied in considerable detail, little is known concerning the GRF receptor itself. We have attempted to label the GRF receptor by chemically coupling the 125I-GRF analog [His1, Nle27]-hGRF(1-32)-NH2 (GRFa) (where Nle is norleucine) to plated rat anterior pituitary cells with the protein cross-linker disuccinimidyl suberate (DSS) (0.1 mM). Verification of biological activity of the 125I-GRFa was confirmed prior to the cross-linking experiments using the reverse hemolytic plaque assay. Whole cell extracts prepared from the cross-linked cells were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by autoradiography of the dried gels. Four bands of 72, 50, 30, and 26 kDa were detected in autoradiograms from cells exposed to the labeled analog for 20 min (22 degrees C) followed by exposure to DSS for 2 min. The 72-kDa band was interpreted to be bovine serum albumin, which was used as a carrier in initial studies. The 50- and 30-kDa bands were very faint and probably represent nonspecific binding sites since they were unchanged in the presence of excess unlabeled GRFa. The 26-kDa band was diminished in a concentration-dependent manner by unlabeled rat GRF, GRFa, and to a lesser extent by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). It is unlikely, however, that GRFa was acting at a VIP receptor since the labeled analog did not induce prolactin secretion (VIP is a prolactin secretagogue). GRFa also increased cellular cAMP to levels similar to GRF and greater than VIP. Autoradiographs from gels run under nonreducing conditions revealed the 26-kDa band as the major species, indicating that, if a polymeric form of this binding protein exists, it does not involve disulfide linkages. Thus, the best candidate for the putative GRF receptor is the 26-kDa band. We have further demonstrated that the higher concentrations of DSS used previously (5 mM) result in diffuse autoradiograms with multiple bands, suggesting that caution should be exercised when interpreting cross-linking data under these conditions.
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PMID:Cross-linking of a growth hormone releasing factor-binding protein in anterior pituitary cells. 302 63

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) belongs to the family of gut-neuropeptide hormones which also includes glucagon, secretin and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). All receptors for this peptide hormone family seem to involve similar signal transduction pathways. Upon hormone binding, these receptors interact with guanine nucleotide binding protein 'Gs' and cause the stimulation of adenylate cyclase. The secretin and VIP receptor cDNAs have recently been cloned and found to be homologous to those of calcitonin and parathyroid hormone receptors. Based on cDNA sequences of these receptors, we designed several oligonucleotide primers which were used to amplify two novel porcine pituitary cDNA fragments by the polymerase chain reaction. One novel receptor cDNA fragment was used to screen a porcine pituitary cDNA library and a full-length cDNA encoding a putative porcine GHRH receptor of 451 amino acids was isolated. This putative receptor mRNA is present specifically in porcine anterior pituitary cells and not in eight other porcine tissues as shown by Northern hybridization analysis. The receptor cDNA was subsequently cloned into a mammalian cell expression vector containing the cytomegalovirus promoter. A human kidney tumor cell line (293) stably transfected with this vector was found to express the receptor efficiently and to bind [125I]-GHRH specifically. Furthermore, challenge of the 293 cells expressing the receptor by GHRH leads to efficient stimulation of cytoplasmic cAMP production.
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PMID:Structure and functional expression of a complementary DNA for porcine growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor. 841 47

Specific binding of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) to its plasma membrane receptor represents the first step of cellular signals leading to exocytotic GH secretion in the anterior pituitary. The GHRH receptor (GHRH-R) has been cloned and belongs to the secretin/glucagon/vasoactive intestinal peptide subfamilly of G-protein-coupled receptors. To study its characteristics in rat and human pituitaries and examine its cellular and subcellular localization, a site-directed polyclonal antibody recognizing the C-terminal portion 392-404 of the rat and human GHRH-R was used. Immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin-embedded pituitary sections while ultrastructural immunocytology was done on frozen and Lowicryl-resin-embedded ultrathin sections. GHRH-R-like immunoreactivity was restricted to somatotropes and colocalized with GH in both rat and human tissues. No signal was detected in gonadotropes, lactotropes, corticotropes and thyrotropes. At the subcellular level, gold particles were associated with the plasma membrane (observed on ultrathin frozen sections), secretory granule membrane, cytoplasmic matrix, nuclear membrane and nuclear matrix. In the nucleus, gold particles were mainly observed at the junction between eu- and heterochromatin. The highest density of labeling was observed in the cytoplasm (55 vs. 45% in the nucleus), mainly in secretory granules (59% of cytoplasmic labeling) and the plasma membrane. These results support the hypothesis that GHRH-mediated actions in the pituitary are specific to somatotropes and that GHRH-R isoforms and/or ligand-receptor complexes are involved in intracellular trafficking, recycling processes and nuclear functions.
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PMID:Restricted presence of the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor to somatotropes in rat and human pituitaries. 1046 Oct 27

The subtilisin-like proprotein convertases PC1/3 (SPC3) and PC2 (SPC2) are believed to be the major endoproteolytic processing enzymes of the regulated secretory pathway. They are expressed together or separately in neuroendocrine cells throughout the brain and dispersed endocrine system in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Disruption of the gene-encoding mouse PC1/3 has now been accomplished and results in a syndrome of severe postnatal growth impairment and multiple defects in processing many hormone precursors, including hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), pituitary proopiomelanocortin to adrenocorticotropic hormone, islet proinsulin to insulin and intestinal proglucagon to glucagon-like peptide-1 and -2. Mice lacking PC1/3 are normal at birth, but fail to grow normally and are about 60% of normal size at 10 weeks. They lack mature GHRH, have low pituitary growth hormone (GH) and hepatic insulin-like growth factor-1 mRNA levels and resemble phenotypically the "little" mouse (Gaylinn, B. D., Dealmeida, V. I., Lyons, C. E., Jr., Wu, K. C., Mayo, K. E. & Thorner, M. O. (1999) Endocrinology 140, 5066-5074) that has a mutant GHRH receptor. Despite a severe defect in pituitary proopiomelanocortin processing to mature adrenocorticotropic hormone, blood corticosterone levels are essentially normal. There is marked hyperproinsulinemia but without impairment of glucose tolerance. In contrast, PC2-null mice lack mature glucagon and are chronically hypoglycemic (Furuta, M., Yano, H., Zhou, A., Rouille, Y., Holst, J., Carroll, R., Ravazzola, M., Orci, L., Furuta, H. & Steiner, D. (1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 6646-6651). The PC1/3-null mice differ from a human subject reported with compound heterozygosity for defects in this gene, who was of normal stature but markedly obese from early life. The PC1/3-null mice are not obese. The basis for these phenotypic differences is an interesting topic for further study. These findings prove the importance of PC1/3 as a key neuroendocrine convertase.
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PMID:Disruption of PC1/3 expression in mice causes dwarfism and multiple neuroendocrine peptide processing defects. 1214 26

We report a boy with pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP), hypothyroidism and low growth hormone (GH) values with no response to growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH). He presented at age 17 mo because of developmental delay. He had the typical features (short stature, obesity, round face, brachydactyly) of Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) and the biochemical profile of PHP; low serum calcium and high phosphate, raised parathormone (PTH) values and lack of response of urinary phosphate and cyclic AMP to PTH administration. The serum total thyroxine value (T4) was 37.32 nmol/L and the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) 29 mU/L. Peak GH values during two provocative tests (Glucagon, L-Dopa) were <2.5 microg/L and <1.7 microg/L, respectively, while following GHRH administration the maximum GH value was 0.2 microg/L. The IGFI value was 65 ng/ml and rose to 253 ng/ml after GH administration for three days. This boy had PTH and TSH receptor defect and we speculate that he also has GHRH receptor defect.
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PMID:Pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ia and growth hormone deficiency. Growth hormone releasing hormone receptor defect? 1701 38

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) belongs to a family of peptides expressed at high levels in the brain and digestive system of mammals. We have identified GHRH mRNA and peptide in rat and human germ cells, and detected a GHRH receptor mRNA in Sertoli cells. GHRH treatment of cultured Sertoli cells results in accumulation of cAMP and increased expression ofc-fos and stem cell factor (SCF), two factors critical for normal germ cell development. The current study was designed to localize within testis the transcription of other members of the GHRH family, and their receptors, and to determine if they also stimulate SCF. RNAs from separated testicular cells were amplified by comparative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Southern blot analysis of the PCR products verified the presence of five GHRH family peptide and receptor transcripts in distinct testicular cell types. Transcripts encoding VIP and glucagon, and the receptors for pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) and glucagon, were detected predominantly in Leydig cells. In contrast, expression of GHRH, PACAP, secretin, and secretin receptor predominated in germ cells. Receptors for GHRH and VIP were expressed equally in all testicular cell types. To determine if, like GHRH, any of these other peptides activate Sertoli cell expression of SCF, primary Sertoli cell cultures were treated for 4-6 h with 10 or 100 nM of each individual factor. There was no consistent stimulation of SCF mRNA by VIP, PACAP, glucagon, or secretin. Differential expression of these peptides and their receptors suggests that they may each have unique paracrine functions within the testis.
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PMID:Peptides of the growth hormone-releasing hormone family : Differential expression in rat testis. 2115 94

Dyslipidemia associated with triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) represents an important residual risk factor for cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Levels of growth hormone (GH) are elevated in T1D, which aggravates both hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. The hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) regulates the release of GH by the pituitary but also exerts separate actions on peripheral GHRH receptors, the functional role of which remains elusive in T1D. In a rat model of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced T1D, GHRH receptor expression was found to be up-regulated in the distal small intestine, a tissue involved in chylomicron synthesis. Treatment of T1D rats with a GHRH antagonist, MIA-602, at a dose that did not affect plasma GH levels, significantly reduced TRL, as well as markers of renal injury, and improved endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) reduces hyperglucagonemia and postprandial TRL, the latter in part through a decreased synthesis of apolipoprotein B-48 (ApoB-48) by intestinal cells. Although plasma GLP-1 levels were elevated in diabetic animals, this was accompanied by increased rather than reduced glucagon levels, suggesting impaired GLP-1 signaling. Treatment with MIA-602 normalized GLP-1 and glucagon to control levels in T1D rats. MIA-602 also decreased secretion of ApoB-48 from rat intestinal epithelial cells in response to oleic acid stimulation in vitro, in part through a GLP-1-dependent mechanism. Our findings support the hypothesis that antagonizing the signaling of GHRH in T1D may improve GLP-1 function in the small intestine, which, in turn, diminishes TRL and reduces renal and vascular complications.
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PMID:Role of growth hormone-releasing hormone in dyslipidemia associated with experimental type 1 diabetes. 2683 Oct 66