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Adenohypophyseal degradation of thyrotropin releasing hormone regulated by thyroid hormones

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Abstract

Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH; pyroGlu-His-Pro-NH2) is important in the regulation of adenohypophyseal hormone secretion1,2 and also serves neurotropic functions in extra-hypothalamic brain areas1,3, indicating that it is involved in neurotransmission and other forms of cellular communication. This hypothesis is strengthened by the observation that TRH is hydrolysed at the pyroGlu-His bond by a particulate4,5 enzyme located in the synaptosomal4 and adenohypophyseal plasma membrane6. Furthermore, this enzyme has been identified as a heterogeneously distributed ectoenzyme7 which has a high degree of substrate specificity8 like the TRH-degrading serum enzyme studied previously9. In the rat, the activity of the TRH-degrading serum enzyme has been shown to be influenced by the thyroid status of the animals10,11; here I report that the activity of the membrane-bound TRH-degrading enzyme of the anterior pituitary is stringently controlled by thyroid hormones, but that the activity of the brain enzyme is not.

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References

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  1. Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Biochemie und Molekulare Biologie, Franklinstrasse 29, D-1000, Berlin, 10, Germany

    Karl Bauer

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  1. Karl Bauer
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Bauer, K. Adenohypophyseal degradation of thyrotropin releasing hormone regulated by thyroid hormones. Nature 330, 375–377 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/330375a0

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