title: A glucose sensor role for glucokinase in anterior pituitary cells.
abstract: Enzymatic activity of glucokinase was demonstrated, quantitated, and characterized kinetically in rat and mouse pituitary extracts using a highly specific and sensitive spectrometric assay. A previously proposed hypothesis that the glucokinase gene might be expressed in the pituitary corticotrophic cells was therefore reexamined using mRNA in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical techniques. No evidence was found that corticotrophs are glucokinase positive, and the identity of glucokinase-expressing cells remains to be determined. The findings do, however, suggest a novel hypothesis that a critical subgroup of anterior pituitary cells might function as glucose sensor cells and that direct fuel regulation of such cells may modify the classical indirect neuroendocrine pathways that are known to control hormone secretion from anterior pituitary cells.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, BiochemistryBiophysics, 501 Stemmler Hall, 36th & Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zelent
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Golson
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koeberlein
authors.forename: Roel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quintens
authors.forename: Leentje
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Lommel
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buettger
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weik-Collins
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taub
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grimsby
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schuit
authors.forename: Klaus H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kaestner
authors.forename: Franz M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Matschinsky
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D005941:Glucokinase / Q000235:genetics*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000235:genetics; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000201:enzymology*; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D013006:Growth Hormone; D005941:Glucokinase