Calcium as a second messenger in the stimulation of luteinizing hormone secretion

In cells dissociated from porcine anterior pituitary glands and maintained in culture for 48 h the specific secretagogue luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) induces a biphasic pattern of luteinizing hormone (LH) release. A biphasic pattern of release is also induced by 57 X 10(-3) M K+ and the ionophore A-23187. By reducing the availability of Ca2+, either by omission from the medium, chelation or interfering with Ca2+ transport across the plasma membrane, it is shown that LH release stimulated by LH-RH is much less dependent upon the availability of extracellular Ca2+ than that stimulated by either high K+ or A-23187. Nevertheless, by using a lanthanum displacement protocol to follow the influx of 45Ca2+ it is shown that LH-RH stimulation does induce an influx of extracellular Ca2+. Parallel experiments in which the stimulated 45Ca2+ efflux from preloaded cells is followed confirm the influx data but suggest, in addition, that when the influx of extracellular Ca2+ is inhibited, the peptide is able to mobilize Ca2+ from an intracellular location. It is thus concluded that while LH release can be initiated by an increase in the intracellular level of Ca2+, and although LH-RH stimulation does increase the permeability of the plasma membrane to Ca2+, the stimulation of LH release by LH-RH is not dependent upon extracellular Ca2+.