title: Adrenocorticotropin induces calcium oscillations in adrenal fasciculata cells: single cell imaging.
abstract: With fluorescence microscopic imaging, we have demonstrated that the Ca2+ signaling occurred in individual Calcium Green-1 loaded bovine adrenal fasciculata cells upon stimulation with adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) at physiological concentration of 0.1-100 pM. We observed three patterns of Ca2+ signaling which were Ca2+ oscillations (33%), step-like increase in Ca2+ concentration (10%), and Ca2+ oscillations superimposed on step-like increase in Ca2+ (57%). The oscillation in intracellular Ca2+ concentration occurred with a frequency around 0.04 Hz. When Ca2+ signaling upon ACTH stimulation was inhibited by the treatment with EGTA, the corticoid production was considerably suppressed. The results suggest that the Ca2+ signaling is a probable candidate of the second messenger for ACTH-induced steroid hormone synthesis in zona fasciculata cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo at Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawato
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015383:Zona Fasciculata / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D002118:Calcium