A pathway for luteinizing hormone releasing-hormone self-potentiation: cross-talk with the progesterone receptor

This study investigates the signaling pathways that lead to acute augmentation of secretagogue-induced LH secretion, the physiologically relevant manifestation of which is LHRH self-potentiation. The consequence of LHRH self-potentiation is an augmented LH secretory response to subsequent exposure to the peptide. Although the mechanism for LHRH self-potentiation remains obscure, the second messenger cAMP and the steroid hormone progesterone share common characteristics in their acute augmentation of secretagogue-induced pituitary LH secretion, suggesting that cross-talk between the peptide and steroid hormone pathways may occur. The progesterone receptor would represent a point of convergence of several effectors known to augment secretagogue-induced LH secretion. In rat anterior pituitary cells cultured in the absence of progesterone, it was found that the progesterone receptor antagonist RU486 (2 nM) inhibits LHRH self-potentiation induced by hourly pulses of 1 nM LHRH. In the absence of added progesterone, RU486 also suppresses the augmentation of LHRH-stimulated LH secretion which is a consequence of increasing [cAMP]i with either 8-bromo-cAMP (1 mM) or forskolin (1 microM) treatment. The extent of the suppression of the cAMP action in the presence of RU486 is similar to that found with the RNA synthesis inhibitor, actinomycin D. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that a LHRH-stimulated protein kinase A cascade acts, in part, through transcriptional activation of the progesterone receptor. It is concluded that the mechanism of LHRH self-potentiation requires cross-talk with the progesterone receptor.