title: Effects of hypothalamic neuropeptides on extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1 and ERK2) cascade in human tumoral pituitary cells.
abstract: The G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activation has been demonstrated to affect the ERK1/2 cascade in different cell lines. We investigated the effects of hypothalamic neuropeptides acting via GPCR on this pathway in GH-secreting (GH-oma) and nonsecreting (NFPA) pituitary adenomas. GHRH increased ERK1/2 activity (236 +/- 80%) in both gsp- and gsp+ GH-omas, this effect being almost completely abolished by protein kinase C (PKC) blockade. Both GnRH and pituitary adenylate-activating peptide caused a similar PKC-dependent activation of ERK1/2 in most NFPA. Increasing cAMP by forskolin caused a protein kinase A-dependent increase of ERK activity (287 +/- 37%) in GH-omas and had no effect in NFPA. ERK cascade blockade in GH-omas did not affect basal and GHRH-stimulated GH release, whereas it totally prevented the 3-fold increase in cyclin D1 protein expression induced by GHRH. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that in pituitary adenomas the activation of GPCR by neurohormones caused a PKC-dependent activation of ERK1/2 cascade that, at least in GH-omas, resulted to be involved in cyclin D1 induction by GHRH. Moreover, a stimulatory effect of the protein kinase A-dependent pathway on ERK1/2 cascade occurred selectively in GH-omas, probably contributing to the mitogenic potential of the cAMP pathway in this cell type.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Endocrine Sciences, University of Milan, Ospedale Maggiore Instituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lania
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filopanti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Corbetta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ballaré
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beck-Peccoz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spada
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000494:pharmacology; D019938:Cyclin D1 / Q000032:analysis; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry*; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D048370:MAP Kinase Kinase 2; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009479:Neuropeptides; D019938:Cyclin D1; D005576:Colforsin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; D000242:Cyclic AMP; C482128:MAP2K2 protein, human; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D048370:MAP Kinase Kinase 2; C482125:MAP2K1 protein, human; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins