The role of protein kinases in the steroidogenic actions of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), angiotensin II (AngII) and corticotropin (ACTH) in the rat adrenal zona glomerulosa was examined. Ro31-8220, a potent selective inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), inhibited both AngII- and alpha-MSH-stimulated aldosterone secretion but had no effect on aldosterone secretion in response to ACTH. The effect of Ro31-8220 on PKC activity was measured in subcellular fractions. Basal PKC activity was higher in cytosol than in membrane or nuclear fractions. Incubation of the zona glomerulosa with either alpha-MSH or AngII resulted in significant increases in PKC activity in the nuclear and cytosolic fractions and decreases in the membrane fraction. These effects were all inhibited by Ro31-8220. ACTH caused a significant increase in nuclear PKC activity only, and this was inhibited by Ro31-8220 without any significant effect on the steroidogenic response to ACTH, suggesting that PKC translocation in response to ACTH may be involved in another aspect of adrenal cellular function. Tyrosine phosphorylation has not previously been considered to be an important component of the response of adrenocortical cells to peptide hormones. Both AngII and alpha-MSH were found to activate tyrosine kinase, but ACTH had no effect, observations that have not been previously reported. Tyrphostin 23, a specific antagonist of tyrosine kinases, inhibited aldosterone secretion in response to AngII and alpha-MSH, but not ACTH. These data confirm the importance of PKC in the adrenocortical response to AngII and alpha-MSH, and, furthermore, indicate that tyrosine kinase may play a critical role in the steroidogenic actions of AngII and alpha-MSH in the rat adrenal zona glomerulosa.

A range of neuropeptides has been identified in the adrenal glands of many mammalian species. In many cases these peptides have been located in nerves supplying the adrenal cortical cells, or within clusters of chromaffin cells within the zona glomerulosa. The function of these neuropeptides has yet to be determined, but from their location within the gland it is clearly possible that they may have a role in the regulation of aldosterone secretion. The effects of Met-enkephalin, Leu-enkephalin, neuropeptide Y, substance P, corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and neurotensin on aldosterone secretion were investigated using the intact perfused rat adrenal gland in situ. All the peptides tested, except CRH, caused a significant increase in aldosterone secretion over the dose range of 1 pmol to 10nmol, with a maximum response of about a twofold increase in secretion. Met-enkephalin, however, at a dose of 10 nmol caused a 350% increase in aldosterone secretion, a response comparable with that seen in response to angiotensin II in this preparation. These results suggest that, while substance P, neuropeptide Y, neurotensin and Leu-enkephalin all have the capacity to cause modest increases in the rate of steroid secretion by the zona glomerulosa, these neuropeptides probably do not have a major role in the acute regulation of aldosterone secretion, at least under basal conditions. Met-enkephalin, on the other hand, was a more potent stimulus to aldosterone secretion, and thus may have a role in the control of aldosterone secretion.

While there have been several studies on the actions of opioid peptides on adrenocortical steroidogenesis, the results of these studies have failed to resolve the question as to whether these peptides exert a direct action on the adrenal cortex. The present studies were designed to address this question directly, using collagenase-dispersed rat zona glomerulosa and zonae fasciculata/reticularis cells incubated in vitro. The results obtained clearly show that the opioid peptides tested (beta-endorphin, Leu-enkephalin, Met-enkephalin, and its long-acting analogue, DALA) all exerted a significant stimulatory effect on aldosterone secretion by zona glomerulosa cells and all, except Leu-enkephalin, stimulated corticosterone secretion by inner zone cells. The response was shown to be inhibited by naloxone. There did not appear to be a significant interaction between the effects of ACTH and the opioid peptides on adrenocortical cells. Studies using specific agonists for opioid receptor subtypes (DAMGO, DPDPE and U-50488H, specific for mu, delta and kappa receptors respectively) showed that the effect of opioid peptides on the zona glomerulosa appeared to be mediated exclusively by mu receptors while the response of inner zone cells was mediated by both mu and, to a lesser extent, kappa receptors. Finally, studies on the second messenger systems activated by the opioid peptides and the receptor agonists showed that these peptides act to increase labelling of inositol trisphosphate, and strongly suggest that, in the rat adrenal cortex, both mu and kappa opioid receptors are linked to the activation of phospholipase C.

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It is well established that ACTH and angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulate aldosterone secretion from rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells in vitro and mediate their steroidogenic effects via the cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway and phosphoinositide turnover respectively. alpha-MSH also stimulates aldosterone secretion from zona glomerulosa cells in vitro, and recent studies from our laboratory have shown that its steroidogenic effects are mediated by increases in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) production. alpha-MSH also stimulates adenylyl cyclase activity, but only at concentrations that are supramaximal for stimulation of steroidogenesis. The observation that alpha-MSH-stimulated IP3 accumulation declines as the activity of adenylyl cyclase increases prompted further studies on the interactions of cAMP and phosphoinositide production. The effects of alpha-MSH and ACTH on Ang II-stimulated steroidogenesis and IP3 accumulation were studied. On addition of increasing concentrations of ACTH, both the aldosterone and IP3 responses to Ang II were significantly inhibited; however, only high concentrations of alpha-MSH achieved this effect. These results suggest that cAMP or a cAMP-dependent event is able to inhibit phospholipase C activity. This hypothesis was tested by measuring IP3 production in Ang II-stimulated zona glomerulosa cells exposed to two different concentrations of alpha-MSH: 1 nmol/l, which stimulates the generation of IP3, and 1 mumol/l, which activates adenylyl cyclase. It was found that this high concentration of alpha-MSH significantly inhibited Ang II-stimulated aldosterone secretion and IP3 levels. In addition, alpha-MSH reduced 125I-labelled Ang II binding to rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)