Prepro-thyrotropin-releasing hormone 178-199 increases sensitivity of AtT-20 cells to dexamethasone

The prepro-thyrotropin-releasing hormone (ppTRH)-derived peptide, ppTRH178-199, has been proposed to inhibit ACTH release at the level of the pituitary and attenuate prolactin and behavioral responses to stress as well. The objective of this study was to elucidate a possible link between the effects of ppTRH178-199 and glucocorticoids on the inhibition of ACTH release in corticotrophs. Compared with mock-transfected cells, AtT-20 cells that were stably transfected with full-length ppTRH cDNA showed significantly increased sensitivity to dexamethasone, as measured by inhibition of ACTH release. In a group of control cells, expressing a mutated form of ppTRH cDNA lacking the ppTRH178-199 region, sensitivity to dexamethasone was not different from mock-transfected controls. Exogenous ppTRH178-199 also increased the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone in wild-type AtT-20 cells. The combined effect of dexamethasone and ppTRH cDNA in cells that express the latter was not due to increased endogenous secretion of ppTRH178-199 in response to dexamethasone, as dexamethasone was independently found to inhibit secretion of ppTRH178-199. Taken together, these data suggest that ppTRH178-199 can interact with the glucocorticoid negative feedback inhibition to regulate ACTH secretion.