Thyroliberin action in pituitary cells is not inhibited by pertussis toxin

The effects of pertussis toxin on the responses of rat pituitary-tumour (GH) cells to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (thyroliberin, TRH) were examined. Treatment of cells with pertussis toxin did not alter the affinity or concentration of TRH receptors, or the sensitivity of the TRH receptor to inhibition by guanine nucleotides. TRH caused an increase in low-Km GTPase activity in membrane-containing fractions from both control and pertussis-toxin-treated cells. TRH stimulation of inositol phosphate formation was insensitive to pertussis toxin. TRH caused a biphasic increase in the concentrations of cytosolic free Ca2+ as monitored by intracellularly trapped Quin 2, and this increase was the same in control and toxin-treated cultures. The toxin did not alter the increase in prolactin and growth-hormone (somatotropin) release stimulated by TRH or shift the TRH dose-response curve, and it did not affect the TRH-induced rise in prolactin synthesis measured over 24 h. However, pertussis toxin did block the ability of somatostatin and muscarinic agonists to inhibit prolactin and growth-hormone secretion stimulated by vasoactive intestinal peptide when analysed under the same conditions as those in which the TRH system was unaffected. These data indicate that the guanine nucleotide effects on TRH binding and activity are not mediated by Ni, but possibly by another member of the family of guanine-nucleotide-dependent regulatory proteins.