Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Pulsatile beta-endorphin release from the human pituitary in vitro.

W G Rossmanith1, M Gambacciani, J H Liu

  • 1Department of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.

Gynecological Endocrinology : the Official Journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology
|March 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary

Human fetal and adult pituitaries release beta-endorphin in spontaneous, calcium-dependent pulses. This suggests an internal pituitary mechanism controls beta-endorphin release, independent of the hypothalamus.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Search for dijet resonances in 7 TeV pp collisions at CMS.

Physical review letters·2011
Same author

Search for quark compositeness with the dijet centrality ratio in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV.

Physical review letters·2011
Same author

Search for stopped Gluinos in pp collisions at square root s=7 TeV.

Physical review letters·2011
Same author

Transverse-momentum and pseudorapidity distributions of charged hadrons in pp collisions at square root of s = 7 TeV.

Physical review letters·2010
Same author

First measurement of Bose-Einstein correlations in proton-proton collisions at √s=0.9 and 2.36 TeV at the LHC.

Physical review letters·2010
Same author

[Cutaneous pili migrans].

Annales de dermatologie et de venereologie·2010

Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Reproductive Biology
  • Cellular Physiology

Background:

  • The regulation of beta-endorphin release from the anterior pituitary is complex.
  • Spontaneous pulsatile release suggests an intrinsic pituitary mechanism may be involved.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize spontaneous immunoreactive beta-endorphin (i beta-END) release from human fetal and adult anterior pituitaries in vitro.
  • To investigate the role of calcium and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in regulating i beta-END release.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro perifusion system used to study anterior pituitaries from human fetuses (20-23 weeks gestation) and adults.
  • Calcium channel blockade (verapamil, EGTA) and CRF stimulation were employed.
  • Potassium chloride (KCl) was used to assess cellular depolarization.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Spontaneous i beta-END release was pulsatile in both fetal and adult pituitaries.
  • Calcium blockade significantly reduced pulse frequency and amplitude.
  • CRF administration induced dose- and time-dependent increases in i beta-END release.
  • KCl further enhanced CRF-stimulated release, indicating calcium-dependent exocytosis.

Conclusions:

  • Human anterior pituitary i beta-END release is characterized by high-frequency, spontaneous pulses.
  • This pulsatile release is calcium-dependent and appears to be regulated by an intrapituitary mechanism, independent of hypothalamic stimulation.
  • CRF significantly stimulates i beta-END release in a manner that can be further augmented by direct pituitary cell depolarization.