ABSTRACT

It is now known that in the rat there are two distinct species of cytochrome P450_11β/18, namely aldosterone synthase and 11β-hydroxylase. Whereas aldosterone synthase is located exclusively in the zona glomerulosa, the zonal distribution and site of production of 11 β-hydroxylase is not entirely clear. In the present study we examined the zonal expression of 11β-hydroxylase mRNA in adrenals from control rats and animals subjected to ACTH treatment and dietary sodium restriction using a non-isotopic in-situ hybridization technique. The results were compared with those obtained using an inner zone specific antigenic (IZAg) marker to give unequivocal identification of the adrenocortical cell types.

11 β-Hydroxylase mRNA was clearly shown to be expressed in the inner zones of the control rat adrenal cortex, and none was detected in the zona glomerulosa and medulla. The message was more abundant in the outer zona fasciculata. A similar pattern of distribution of 11β-hydroxylase mRNA was observed in adrenals from rats subjected to dietary sodium restriction, although the width of the negatively staining layer of zona glomerulosa was significantly increased. In rats treated with 100 μg ACTH for 1 day, the number of cells expressing 11β-hydroxylase mRNA was increased, especially in the zona reticularis. With continued ACTH treatment, 11β-hydroxylase mRNA was found in the region of the zona glomerulosa, and after 3 and 5 days of ACTH treatment cells expressing 11β-hydroxylase mRNA extended to the connective tissue capsule. At this time there was a significant reduction in the total expression of the message compared with the controls.

These results suggest that the presence of 11β-hydroxylase in the zona glomerulosa cells is not essential for the late pathway for aldosterone biosynthesis from deoxycorticosterone. Like IZAg, the distribution of 11β-hydroxylase mRNA after prolonged ACTH treatment provides further evidence to support the hypothesis that ACTH increases the conversion of zona glomerulosa to zona fasciculata-like cells.

Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 139, 301–306

Abstract

This study located the particular cell types involved in the synthesis of growth factors in adult female rat adrenal glands. Non-isotopic in situ hybridization was used and the cellular localizations of the mRNAs of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), IGF-I, and transforming growth factor-β₁ (TGF-β₁) were studied in adrenals from control animals and from those treated with ACTH or subjected to dietary sodium restriction. The adrenal medulla was the richest source of both bFGF and IGF-1 mRNA in both control and experimental rat adrenals. In the cortex, bFGF and IGF-I mRNAs were found mainly in the zona fasciculata in control animals, although some transcription was also detected in the zona reticularis and zona glomerulosa. Both ACTH and sodium restriction activated bFGF and IGF-I gene expression in the zona glomerulosa. Since cellular proliferation and differentiation occur primarily in the outer cortex, the data are consistent with the view that bFGF and IGF-I act as an autocrine/paracrine mitogen and differentiation regulator respectively in the rat adrenal cortex.

Very small amounts of TGF-β₁ mRNA were detected, predominantly in the zona fasciculata of control rats. There were no observable differences in amounts and localization of TGF-β₁ mRNA between the adrenals of control rats and those treated with ACTH for 1 day. TGF-β₁ mRNA was very weak or undetectable in the adrenals from rats treated with ACTH for three and five days or from sodium-restricted rats. Although TGF-β₁ immunoreactive protein has been shown to be present in the zonae fasciculata and reticularis and to modulate negatively the steroidogenic activities in the adrenal cortex of other species, its gene is not actively expressed in rat adrenals.

The present results showed that ACTH administration or dietary sodium restriction, both important adrenal mitogens in vivo, significantly altered the spatial patterns of the distribution of bFGF and IGF-I mRNAs and also increased the amount of bFGF mRNA in the adrenal cortex. This suggests that growth and differentiation of the adrenal cortex are partly mediated by bFGF and IGF-I.

Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 144, 379–387

Glucocorticoids are known to have diverse effects on the uterus, generally believed to be mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). To date, two isoforms of the enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD) have been identified, namely 11betaHSD1 and 11betaHSD2, which interconvert active and inactive glucocorticoids and regulate local levels of hormones available to the GR in target tissues. The aim of the present study was to examine the uterine expression of 11betaHSD and GR mRNA. The interplay of these parameters is probably an important factor in determining actions of glucocorticoids on the uterus. Using Northern analysis we investigated the uterine expression of 11betaHSD1, 11betaHSD2 and GR mRNA in relation to serum levels of sex steroid hormones and uterine progesterone receptor mRNA expression in an animal model. Immature female rats were treated with 10 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) followed by 10 IU human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) 48 h afterwards, and then killed at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 h and 5 days after the hCG injection. Expression of both 11betaHSD1 and 11betaHSD2 mRNA in total uterine RNA was found to be up-regulated by more than 50% at 48 h after PMSG injection when oestradiol levels were also high. Following hCG treatment the expression of 11betaHSD1 and 11betaHSD2 further increased to reach maximal levels at 24 and 12 h respectively. GR mRNA expression was down-regulated by more than 50% by PMSG but gradually recovered after hCG injection. The results show that mRNA expression of 11betaHSD1, 11betaHSD2 and GR in the uterus is developmentally regulated, suggesting that these key determinants of glucocorticoid action may play an important role in uterine function.

Abstract

Previous studies using a mouse monoclonal antibody (IZAb) have identified inner zone-specific antigens (IZAg 1 and 2) in the rat adrenal cortex. The expression of IZAgl is enhanced by dibutyryl-cyclic AMP or ACTH in vitro and by in vivo ACTH treatment. These studies also suggest that IZAg may be involved in steroidogenesis in rat adrenals.

Using sensitive detection methods, the distribution of IZAg in adrenals from other species and in other rat tissues was studied. Pig and rabbit adrenals expressed an IZAb-immunoreactive protein with molecular mass identical with that of IZAg1, but no immunoreactivity was detected in bovine, guinea-pig or mouse adrenals. In the rabbit adrenal, as in the rat, IZAb bound only to zonae fasciculata/reticularis cells. However, the whole adrenal cortex in the pig immunoreacted with IZAb. Although immunofluorescence was observed in human adrenal sections, predominantly in the zona reticularis, no significant immunoreactive protein band was detected by immunoblot analysis. Apart from the zonae fasciculata/reticularis in the adrenal gland, an IZAb-immunoreactive protein with a molecular mass of 26 000 Da, corresponding to IZAg1, was also found in rat hepatocytes, renal tubules, ovary (corpus luteum, interstitial cells, theca interna of mature follicles) and Leydig cells.

The observations suggest that IZAg may be involved in the processes of biosynthesis, metabolism and/or excretion of steroid hormones.

Journal of Endocrinology (1994) 141, 459–466

Abstract

Adrenal gland autotransplantation, an interesting model of adrenal regeneration, provides the reconstruction of distinct functional and morphological zonae. An immunohistochemical study of the adrenal gland of adult male rats after autotransplantation and endothelin-1 (ET-1) stimulation was carried out. The technique involved total adrenalectomy and immediate autotransplantation of small adrenal pieces under the skin of the dorsal region. The animals were killed 90 days after the autotransplantation and 1 h after intravenous ET-1 administration. Sections of recovered adrenal grafts were incubated with IZAb, a monoclonal antibody which interacts with an antigen (IZAg) predominantly found in rat adrenal inner zones. Saline-treated control autotransplanted animals showed IZAb immunostaining in almost all adrenocortical tissue, with the exception of small clusters of cells beneath the capsule. ET-1-treated animals exhibited an extended zone devoid of immunostaining and located in the subcapsular area. In addition, ET-1-stimulated animals showed significant increases in aldosterone as well as corticosterone concentrations in plasma. These results revealed that ET-1 stimulated the development of an extended subcapsular zone lacking IZAg expression, an effect that suggests its role in zona glomerulosa induction in these animals.

Journal of Endocrinology (1996) 149, 497–502

ABSTRACT

Little is known about the cellular localisation of the angiotensin II (AII) type 1 receptor (ATI) in the rat adrenal glomerulosa cell, but some studies have suggested that receptor internalisation and recycling may occur.

Using a specific monoclonal antibody (6313/G2) to the first extracellular domain, we show here that most of the receptor is internalised in the unstimulated cell. When viable glomerulosa cells are incubated with 6313/G2, the receptor is transiently concentrated on the cell surface, and aldosterone output is stimulated. This stimulated output is enhanced by neither threshold nor maximal stimulatory concentrations of All amide, although the antibody does not inhibit All binding to the receptor. Conversely, the stimulatory actions of the antibody and those of ACTH are additive.

The data suggest that recycling to the plasma membrane is constitutive, or regulated by unknown factors. Retention of the ATI receptor in the membrane is alone enough to allow sufficient G protein interaction to generate maximal stimulatory events.

Abstract

Several lines of experimentation suggest that a tissue-sequestered pool of 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone (18-OH-DOC) in the rat adrenal may be mobilized as an aldosterone precursor.

We show here that this steroid is maintained in a non-extractable form in the membranes of collagenase-dispersed fasciculata/reticularis cells. Because of this stability, the complex can be identified by immunocytochemistry and also, in IEF gels of solubilized inner adrenocortical zone membrane preparations, by immunoblotting. However, the complexed steroid cannot be extracted from the gels into organic solvent unless first treated with trypsin. Preincubation of viable whole glandular tissue with trypsin significantly enhanced aldosterone output and eliminated the trypsin-releasable 18-OH-DOC pool in IEF gels of solubilized inner zone membranes. Both prior sodium depletion and acute trypsin stimulation of whole glands enhanced extractable 18-OH-DOC in glomerulosa tissue membranes.

Other experiments using in situ hybridization show that mRNA coding for 11β-hydroxylase (which generates 18-OH-DOC) is confined to the inner adrenocortical zones, whereas aldosterone synthase (which does not) is transcribed exclusively in the glomerulosa.

The data suggest that a pool of 18-OH-DOC in inner zone membranes can be mobilized for utilization as an aldosterone precursor in the glomerulosa. The results also indicate the existence of an entirely novel tightly binding steroid carrier from which steroid cannot be extracted by organic solvent unless first subjected to proteolytic degradation.

Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 144, 359–368

Earlier studies have shown that germ cells or germ cell-conditioned media are capable of regulating α₂-macroglobulin (α₂-MG, a non-specific protease inhibitor) expression by Sertoli cells and hepatocytes cultured in vitro. These results illustrate a possible physiological link between testes and liver regarding α₂-MG production. Using a series of surgical procedures including castration, hemicastration, and hepatectomy coupled with Northern blot and immunoblot analyses, we report herein that the surge in α₂-MG expression in the liver in response to inflammation is indeed regulated, at least in part, by the testis via testosterone. It was found that hepatectomy induced at least a tenfold increase in the steady-state mRNA and protein production of α₂-MG in the liver. However, castration induced a mild but not statistically significant induction of α₂-MG in the liver in contrast to sham operation or hemicastration alone, when hemicastration alone could induce liver α₂-MG production by almost fourfold. Perhaps most important of all, hepatectomy accompanied by castration significantly reduced the liver α₂-MG response to the surgery-induced inflammation compared with hepatectomy alone, illustrating that the removal of the testicles can induce a loss of signal communications between the testis and the liver, rendering a significant loss of the α₂-MG response to experimentally induced inflammation in the liver. Interestingly, this lack of response of the liver to surgery-induced inflammation regarding α₂-MG production following castration could be restored, at least in part, by using testosterone implants placed subdermally 6 days prior to orchiectomy. Collectively, these results illustrate that a physiological link does indeed exist between the testis and the liver, and that testes per se can influence the liver in vivo α₂-MG expression in response to inflammation possibly via testosterone or testosterone-induced biological factor(s).

Abstract

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) gene expression and/or immunoreactive protein have previously been identified in the uterus and intrauterine gestational tissues. The putative roles of PTHrP during pregnancy include vasodilatation, regulation of placental calcium transfer, uterine smooth muscle relaxation and normal fetal development. The aims of this study were 1) to determine the tissue-specific and temporal expression of PTHrP mRNA and immunoreactive protein in human gestational tissues collected at preterm and term; and 2) to determine the effect of labour on PTHrP expression by collecting these tissues from women undergoing elective caesarean section (before labour), intra-partum caesarean section during spontaneous-onset labour (during labour), and women with spontaneous labour and normal vaginal delivery (after labour). Total RNA and protein were extracted from placenta, amnion (over placenta and reflected) and choriodecidua for analysis by Northern blot (using a specific human PTHrP cDNA probe), and by N-terminal PTHrP RIA respectively. In amnion over placenta, reflected amnion and choriodecidua both PTHrP mRNA relative abundance and immunoreactive protein were significantly elevated at term compared with preterm (P<0·01). At term, both PTHrP and its mRNA were significantly greater in amnion than in placenta and choriodecidua (P<0·05). Also, both PTHrP and its mRNA were significantly elevated in amnion over placenta compared with reflected amnion (P<0·05). The expression of PTHrP and its mRNA did not change in association with term labour or rupture of the fetal membranes, therefore this study provides no evidence for a specific PTHrP role in the onset and/or maintenance of term labour. However, the significant up-regulation of PTHrP mRNA and protein in the fetal membranes at term compared with preterm suggests an important role in late human pregnancy.

Journal of Endocrinology (1997) 154, 103–112

Oestrogens have been implicated as a cause of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Previous animal studies led to the hypothesis that oestrogens can stimulate prostate growth, resulting in hyperplasia of the gland. In humans, the precise role of oestrogens in BPH pathogenesis is currently unclear. We investigated the direct effects of oestradiol on the proliferation of BPH-derived prostate cells in culture. Oestradiol (10⁻⁷ and 10⁻⁶ M) moderately increased the proliferation of stromal cells in culture; this stimulation was antagonised by anti-oestrogen ICI 182 780, indicating an oestrogen receptor (ER)-mediated mechanism. By contrast, oestradiol had no effects on the proliferation of epithelial cells in culture. Parameters that can determine the response of stromal cells to oestrogens, including expression of the two ER subtypes and aromatase activity, were investigated. ERβ expression in stromal cells in culture was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis, and was confirmed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR showing higher expression of ERβ than ERα mRNA in stromal cells. Aromatase, the enzyme that converts androgen precursors to oestrogens, was also examined. Aromatase mRNA and activity were detected in stromal, but not epithelial cells in culture, suggesting a mechanism whereby oestrogen concentrations can be regulated in the BPH stroma. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that oestrogens play a role in the pathogenesis of BPH, a disease characterised predominantly by stromal overgrowth.