Abstract
The pituitaries of transgenic mice that express a metallothionein-somatostatin fusion gene contain high concentrations of somatostatin-14 exclusively in the gonadotrophic cells. The purpose of this study was to determine whether somatostatin expressed from the foreign fusion gene enters the normal secretory pathway within these cells. Immuno-gold labeling of serial thin sections localized somatostatin to the secretory granules of gonadotropin-producing cells. The gonadotroph-specific hypophysiotropic factor, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone caused a dose-dependent secretion of somatostatin when applied to primary pituitary cultures from these mice. Growth hormone-releasing hormone, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, corticotropin releasing factor, and dopamine did not affect somatostatin secretion. These experiments demonstrate that a neurosecretory peptide encoded by a foreign gene can enter the regulated secretory pathway of pituitary cells from transgenic mice.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 16260-16263 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Biological Chemistry |
Volume | 261 |
Issue number | 34 |
State | Published - 1986 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology