title: Tumor-related selection of calcium signals in vasopressin-stimulated human adenomatous corticotrophs.
abstract: The action of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was studied at the single-cell level in corticotrophs cultured from pituitary adenoma fragments removed from eight patients with Cushing's disease. AVP evoked distinct [Ca2+]i responses with regard to the tumor origin. In cells from two tumors, AVP consistently evoked a series of characteristic elevations of [Ca2+]i (transient pattern) that depended on Ca2+ entry. In cells from the other tumors, AVP triggered different patterns of [Ca2+]i rise, which consisted of low-amplitude slow monophasic increases at low AVP concentration and a high-amplitude spike increase followed by a sustained plateau (spike-plateau pattern) at higher concentration of AVP. Slow monophasic increases and the spike of spike-plateau responses were due to calcium release from internal stores, whereas the plateau was a consequence of calcium entry. These two patterns (transient vs. spike-plateau) resemble those observed in subpopulations of corticotrophs from healthy rat pituitary glands (Corcuff et al., J. Biol. Chem. 268: 22313-22321, 1993), suggesting that tumorigenesis can lead in pituitary tissues to a selection rather than alteration of AVP [Ca2+]i signals.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Université de Bordeaux II, France.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Corcuff
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Guerineau
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tabarin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mollard
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006801:Humans; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014667:Vasopressins; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D002118:Calcium