Grass carp somatolactin: II. Pharmacological study on postreceptor signaling mechanisms for PACAP-induced somatolactin-α and -β gene expression

Somatolactin (SL), the latest member of the growth hormone/prolactin family, is a novel pituitary hormone with diverse functions. However, the signal transduction mechanisms responsible for SL expression are still largely unknown. Using grass carp as an animal model, we examined the direct effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) on SL gene expression at the pituitary level. In primary cultures of grass carp pituitary cells, SLα and SLδ mRNA levels could be elevated by PACAP via activation of PAC-I receptors. With the use of a pharmacological approach, the AC/cAMP/PKA and PLC/inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)/PKC pathways and subsequent activation of the Ca 2+/calmodulin (CaM)/CaMK-II cascades were shown to be involved in PACAP-induced SLα mRNA expression. Apparently, the downstream Ca 2+/CaM-dependent cascades were triggered by extracellular Ca 2+ ([Ca 2+] e) entry via L-type voltage-sensitive Ca 2+ channels (VSCC) and Ca 2+ release from IP3-sensitive intracellular Ca 2+ stores. In addition, the VSCC component could be activated by cAMP/PKA- and PLC/PKC-dependent mechanisms. Similar postreceptor signaling cascades were also observed for PACAP-induced SLβ mRNA expression, except that [Ca 2+] e entry through VSCC, PKC coupling to PLC, and subsequent activation of CaMK-II were not involved. These findings, taken together, provide evidence for the first time that PACAP can induce SLα and SLδ gene expression in fish model via PAC-I receptors through differential coupling to overlapping and yet distinct signaling pathways. Copyright © 2008 the American Physiological Society.link_to_subscribed_fulltex