The binding of glucocorticoids to a crude fraction of rat pituitary plasma membranes and to solubilized membrane proteins was measured. The binding characteristics were similar to those exhibited by transcortin: radioactive corticosterone was bound to a greater extent than radioactive dexamethasone and labelled corticosterone, but not labelled dexamethasone, was displaced by unlabelled corticosterone, deoxycorticosterone and progesterone. A Scatchard plot of the binding data revealed the presence of a binding material with a dissociation constant of about 3.2 nmol/l, which sedimented at 4S after sucrose density-gradient centrifugation. It was found that the number of binding sites was inversely related to the concentration of corticosterone in the circulation and was increased after long-term adrenalectomy. These data suggest that a material similar to transcortin is complexed to the plasma membrane of rat pituitary cells.

The effect of various neurotransmitters on adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release from superfused neurointermediate lobes of rat hypophysis (NIL) was investigated. Acetylcholine, serotonin, and histamine were shown to have no significant effect on the spontaneous release of ACTH. In contrast, dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) stimulated NIL ACTH release in a dose-dependent manner. The stimulating effect of DA was mimicked by apomorphine and inhibited by haloperidol, whereas that of NA was abolished by phentolamine. In a comparative study, none of these neurotransmitters is shown to have any significant stimulating effect on ACTH release from superfused anterior lobes. It is concluded that the ACTH release from NIL might be controlled, at least in part, by catecholaminergic innervation.

The in vitro corticotropic releasing effects of vasopressin (VP) and hypothalamic median eminence (HME) extract were compared as a function of their concentration and preincubation and incubation times. Whereas HME extract augmented the ACTH secretion from non-preincubated adenohypophyses, VP released corticotropin from the pituitaries only after a 2 h preincubation period. The disappearance of endogenous VP during the preincubation time rendered the gland responsive. The maximal stimulation of ACTH secretion by VP was markedly less than that induced by HME extract. The results suggest the presence of VP receptor sites in the anterior pituitary (AP) which are probably different from the receptor sites of the hypothalamic corticotropin releasing factor (CRF).

The effects of K⁺-enhanced and Ca⁺⁺-free media on α-MSH and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release from superfused neurointermediate lobe (NIL) were studied in the same experiments. High K⁺ caused reversible and repeatable inhibition of α-MSH release and stimulation of ACTH release. Removal of Ca⁺⁺ impaired the effect of K⁺, irreversibly for α-MSH and reversibly for ACTH. The existence of both melanotrophic and corticotrophic cells within the intermediate lobe (IL) of rat hypophysis could account for the different effects of ionic modifications on in vitro α-MSH and ACTH release.

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