title: Melatonin inhibits pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide-induced increase of cyclic AMP accumulation and [Ca2+]i in cultured cells of neonatal rat pituitary.
abstract: The effects of melatonin on pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide-induced increase of cyclic AMP and [Ca2+]i were studied in neonatal rat pituitary cells. The polypeptide increased cyclic AMP accumulation. In the presence of melatonin the increase of cyclic AMP was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, the maximal inhibition was achieved with 1-10 nM melatonin. Pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide also increased [Ca2+]i in 30% of the pituitary cells and melatonin inhibited the effect. Most of the cells sensitive to adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide (77%) were also sensitive to GnRH, suggesting they are gonadotrophs. The remaining cells were not identified. The polypeptide-induced [Ca2+]i increase was inhibited in Ca2+-free medium in 2/3 of the cells indicating that Ca2+ influx was involved. To examine causal relationship between cyclic AMP and [Ca2+]i increase, we have studied the effect of adenylyl cyclase activation by forskolin on intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Forskolin had similar effects as adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide: it increased [Ca2+]i in the pituitary cells and the increase was dependent on presence of Ca2+ in the medium. Melatonin inhibited the forskolin induced [Ca2+]i increase. Our observations indicate that increase of cyclic AMP stimulates Ca2+ influx in the pituitary cells of neonatal rat and that this mechanism is involved in [Ca2+]i increase induced by the pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide. Because melatonin inhibits increase of cyclic AMP induced by pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide or forskolin, the inhibitory effect of melatonin on Ca2+-influx may be mediated by the decrease of cyclic AMP concentration. This mechanism of melatonin action has not been described previously. Because melatonin inhibits the polypeptide- or forskolin-induced [Ca2+]i also in the cells not sensitive to GnRH, melatonin receptors seem to be present on both gonadotrophs and non-gonadotrophic pituitary cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Slanar
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pelisek
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanecek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: C495403:Adcyap1 protein, rat; D009479:Neuropeptides; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D005576:Colforsin; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D008550:Melatonin; D002118:Calcium