Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Primary Culture of Rat Adrenocortical Cells and Assays of Steroidogenic Functions
Published on: March 12, 2019
Angiotensin II-stimulated cortisol secretion is mediated by phospholipase D
Miriam Rábano1, Ana Peña, Leyre Brizuela
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain.
Abstract:
Angiotensin II (Ang-II) regulates a variety of cellular functions including cortisol secretion. In the present report, we demonstrate that Ang-II activates phospholipase D (PLD) in zona fasciculata (ZF) cells of bovine adrenal glands, and that this effect is associated to the stimulation of cortisol secretion by this hormone. PLD activation was dependent upon extracellular Ca2+, and was blocked by inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC). Using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction technique, we demonstrated that ZF cells express both PLD-1 and PLD-2 isozymes. Primary alcohols, which attenuate the formation of phosphatidate (the product of PLD), and cell-permeable ceramides, which inhibit PLD potently, blocked Ang-II-stimulated cortisol secretion. Furthermore, propranolol or chlorpromazine, which are potent inhibitors of phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAP) (the enzyme that produces diacylglycerol from phosphatidate), also blocked cortisol secretion. These data suggest that the PLD/PAP pathway plays an important role in the regulation of cortisol secretion by Ang-II in ZF cells.
Related Concept Videos
Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Hormones of the Adrenal Glands
The adrenal cortex, a powerhouse of hormone synthesis, generates over two dozen corticosteroid hormones. The zona glomerulosa produces mineralocorticoids, exemplified by aldosterone, influencing the electrolyte composition of body fluids. The synthesis of glucocorticoids such as cortisol and corticosterone...
Regulation of Hormone Secretion
Humoral stimuli,...
GPCRs Regulate Adenylyl Cylase Activity
Two...
Antihypertensive Drugs: Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers
