LHRH rapidly stimulates phosphatidylinositol metabolism in enriched gonadotrophs

The effects of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) and human pancreatic growth hormone-releasing factor (hpGRF(1-40)-NH2) on phospholipid metabolism were studied in rat anterior pituitary cells in primary culture. In a 4-fold enriched population of gonadotrophs, 30 nM LHRH increased 32Pi incorporation into phosphatidic acid (PA) as early as 1 min after its addition. Phosphatidylinositol (PI) labeling was increased 1 min later. The stimulatory action of LHRH was observed in both phospholipids up to 100 min, the last time interval studied. The decapeptide did not affect 32Pi labeling of phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysoPC, phosphatidylethanolamine or phosphatidylserine. Dose-response studies performed after 25 min of incubation showed an ED50 value of LHRH action at approximately 1 nM for PI labeling. In contrast, the addition of 0.1 microM GRF to anterior pituitary cells enhanced 32Pi incorporation only into PC after a 60 min incubation period. The present data suggest that stimulation of acidic phospholipid metabolism, particularly an increase in PA-PI turnover, may represent an early event in the mechanism of action of LHRH but not GRF in the anterior pituitary gland.