title: Expression of the beacon gene in the rat adrenal gland: direct inhibitory effect of beacon[47-73] on aldosterone secretion from dispersed adrenal zona glomerulosa cells.
abstract: Beacon gene was recently identified in the rat hypothalamus, and there is evidence that beacon may be involved in the functional regulation of neuroendocrine axes. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry showed the expression of beacon mRNA and protein in the rat adrenal gland, especially in the cortex. Beacon[47-73], at a concentration over 10(-7) M decreased basal aldosterone secretion from dispersed rat zona glomerulosa (ZG) cells, without affecting the ACTH-stimulated one. Basal and agonist-stimulated corticosterone secretion from dispersed zona fasciculata-reticularis cells and catecholamine release from adrenomedullary slices were unaffected by beacon[47-73]. The suppressive effect of beacon[47-73] on aldosterone secretion from ZG cells was abolished by either H-89 or calphostin-C, which are inhibitors of protein kinase A and C signaling cascades. Taken together, these findings allow us to suggest that beacon can be included in the group of regulatory peptides involved in the fine tuning of ZG secretory activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Poznan School of Medicine, PL-60781 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ziolkowska
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rucinski
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Liddo
authors.forename: Gastone G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Nussdorfer
authors.forename: Ludwik K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Malendowicz
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020032:Tyrphostins / Q000378:metabolism; D014452:Ubiquitins; D015384:Zona Glomerulosa / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009281:Naphthalenes; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020032:Tyrphostins; D014452:Ubiquitins; C498170:Ubl5 protein, rat; D000450:Aldosterone; C058819:calphostin C; C060641:tyrphostin A23