title: Preproorexin and orexin receptors are expressed in cortisol-secreting adrenocortical adenomas, and orexins stimulate in vitro cortisol secretion and growth of tumor cells.
abstract: Orexins A and B are hypothalamic peptides that originate from the proteolytic cleavage of preproorexin and act through two subtypes of receptors, named OX1-R and OX2-R. OX1-R almost exclusively binds orexin-A, whereas OX2-R is nonselective for both orexins. We previously found that orexin-A, via the OX1-R, stimulates cortisol secretion from dispersed human adrenocortical cells. In this study, we demonstrate that six of eight cortisol-secreting adenomas expressed preproorexin mRNA, and seven of 10 adenomas contained measurable amounts of orexin-A but not orexin-B. Normal adrenal cortexes neither expressed preproorexin nor contained orexins. All adenomas expressed OX1-R and OX2-R mRNAs, and real-time PCR showed that the expression of both receptors was up-regulated in adenomas, compared with normal adrenal cortex. Orexin-A concentration-dependently raised basal cortisol secretion from freshly dispersed normal and adenomatous cells, minimal and maximal effective concentrations being 10(-10) and 10(-8) m, and the peptide efficacy (percent increase elicited by 10(-8) m orexin-A) was significantly higher in adenomas than in the normal adrenal cortex. Orexin-B was ineffective, thereby indicating that orexin secretagogue action is mediated by the OX1-R. In contrast, both orexins (10(-8) m) raised the proliferative activity of cultured normal and adenomatous cells, suggesting that this effect is mediated by OX2-R or both receptor subtypes. Collectively, our findings allow us to conclude that the orexin system is overexpressed in cortisol-secreting adenomas and suggest that orexin-A may act as an autocrine-paracrine regulator of the secretory activity and growth of some of these adrenal tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Section of Anatomy, University of Padova, Via Gabelli 65, I-35121 Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spinazzi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rucinski
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Malendowicz
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Nussdorfer
mesh_terms: D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018246:Adrenocortical Adenoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D064446:Orexin Receptors; D000068797:Orexins; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C000596229:HCRT protein, human; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D064446:Orexin Receptors; D000068797:Orexins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide; D006854:Hydrocortisone