title: Corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulates steroidogenesis in mouse Leydig cells.
abstract: The actions of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) on steroidogenesis in enriched preparations of mouse and rat Leydig cells were investigated. Primary cultures of purified Leydig cells as well as a Leydig tumor cell line were used in these studies. CRH had a stimulatory effect on steroid production in both isolated preparations of mouse Leydig cells (80-90% Leydig cells) and MA-10 cells (a mouse Leydig tumor cell line). In primary cultures of mouse Leydig cells, CRH was effective over a range of 1 nM-100 nM, while MA-10 cells were responsive over a wider range (10 nM-100 microM). When a submaximal dosage of CRH was given together with a maximal dosage of hCG, steroid production was stimulated even more highly in MA-10 cells. However, when primary cultures of mouse Leydig cells were treated with CRH and hCG, no similar response was observed. In addition, a CRH antagonist, alpha-helical CRH9-41, reversed the CRH stimulatory effect on steroidogenesis in both mouse Leydig cells and MA-10 cells. The accumulation of intracellular cAMP after CRH treatment was dose-responsive to CRH in both cell types, a finding similar to the results described above for steroid production. CRH had no effect on steroidogenesis in rat Leydig cells (60-80% Leydig cells) in the present study. These results indicate that mouse Leydig cells respond to CRH through specific receptors with increased production of cAMP and steroids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock 79430, USA.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Stocco
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hutson
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Norman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007984:Leydig Cell Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011374:Progesterone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013256:Steroids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids; D013739:Testosterone; D011374:Progesterone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D000242:Cyclic AMP