Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Pit-1-dependent expression of the receptor for growth hormone releasing factor mediates pituitary cell growth

  • Letter
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

IN Snell (dw) and Jackson (dwj) dwarf mice, mutations in the gene encoding Pit-1, a tissue-specific POU-domain transcription factor, lead to the absence of somatotroph, lactotroph and thyrotroph cells1–6. Pre-somatotroph proliferation is stimulated by increased intracellular levels of cyclic AMP, normally induced by growth hormone releasing factor (GRF; refs 7–17). Here we report the cloning of mouse and rat complementary DNAs encoding a new member of the seven-transmembrane-helix, G-protein-coupled receptor family restricted to the pituitary gland, which mediates increases in intracellular cAMP and cAMP-dependent gene transcription in response to GRF. The receptor is expressed in a spatial and temporal pattern corresponding precisely to growth hormone gene expression, and neither is expressed in dw/dw mice. The pituitary hypoplasia in these mice thus appears to be due, at least in part, to the absence of GRF receptor, which is in turn due to the absence of functional Pit-1.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Li, S. et al. Nature 347, 528–530 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Ingraham, H. A. et al. Cell 55, 519–529 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Simmons, D. M. et al. Genes Dev. 4, 695–711 (1990)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wilson, D. B. & Wyatt, D. P. Anal Embryol 174, 277–282 (1986).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Rouse, M., Bartke, A., Dumont, F. & Dubois, M. P. Cell Tissue Res. 223, 415–420 (1982)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Yashiro, T. Arai, M., Miyashita, E., Yamashita, K. & Suzuki, T. Cell Tissue Res. 251, 249–255 (1988)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Landis, C. A. et al. Nature 340, 692–696 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rivier, J. Spiess, J., Thorner, M. & Vale, W. Nature 300, 276–278 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Guillemin, R. et al. Science 218, 585–587 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Thorner, M. O. et al. J. clin. Invest. 70, 965–977 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Billestrup, N., Swanson, L. W. & Vale, W. Proc. natn. Acad Sci. U.S.A. 83, 6854–6857 (1986)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Burton, F. H., Hasel, K. W., Bloom, F. E. & Sutcliffe, J. G. Nature 350, 74–77 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Seifert, H., Perrin, M., Rivier, J. & Vale, W. Nature 313, 487–489 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Bilezikjian, L. & Vale, W. Endocrinology 113, 1726–1731 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Gick, G. G. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 1553–1555 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Mayo, K. E. et al. Molec. Endocr. 606–612 (1988).

  17. Struthers, R. S., Vale, W. W., Arias, C., Sawchenko, P. E. & Montminy, M. R. Nature 350, 622–624 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Collins, S., Caron, M. G. & Lefkowitz, R. J. Trends biochem. sa. 17, 37–39 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Ishihari, T., Nakamura, S., Kazira, Y., Takahashi, T. & Nagata, S. EMB0 J. 10, 1635–1641 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Jüppner, H. et al. Science 1022–1025 (1991)

  21. Lin, H. Y. et al. Science 254, 1022–1024 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Ishihara, T., Sigemoto, R. Mori, K., Takahashi, K. & Nagata, S. Neuron 8, 815–819 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Montminy, M. R., Sevarino, K. A., Wagner, J. A., Mandel, G. & Goodman, R. H. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 6682–6686 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Neutsch, P. J., Jameson, J. L. & Habener, J. F. J. biol. Chem. 262, 12169–12171 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Gonzalez, G. A. & Montminy, M. R. Cell 59, 675–680 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Gonzalez, G. A. et al. Nature 337, 749–752 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Bodner, M. et al. Cell 55, 505–518 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Fox, S. R. et al. Molec. Endocr. 4, 1069–1080 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ishikawa, K., Katakami, H., Jansson, J.-O. & Frohman, L. A. Neuroendocrinology 43, 537–542 (1986)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Baird, A., Wehrenberg, W. & Ling, N. Regul. Pep. 10, 23–28 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Eicher, E. M. & Beamer, W. G. J. Hered 67, 87–91 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Frohman, L. A. & Jansson, J.-O. Endocr. Rev. 7, 236–239 (1986).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Sanger, F., Micklen, J. & Coulson, A. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5463–5466 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  34. Brown, B. L. Albano, J. D., Ekins, R. P. & Sgherzi, A. M. Biochem. J. 171, 561–562 (1971).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Mayo, K. Molec. Endocr. 6, 1734–1744 (1992).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lin, C., Lin, SC., Chang, CP. et al. Pit-1-dependent expression of the receptor for growth hormone releasing factor mediates pituitary cell growth. Nature 360, 765–768 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/360765a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/360765a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Navigation