Mouse growth hormone-releasing factor secretion is activated by inhibin and inhibited by activin in placenta

We investigated the effects of activin and inhibin on the regulation of mouse growth hormone-releasing factor (mGHRF) secretion by primary placental cells harvested at Day 12 of pregnancy. Activin-A, an activator of FSH secretion, inhibited mGHRF secretion. In contrast, inhibin, an inhibitor of FSH secretion, activated mGHRF secretion. The lowest concentrations of activin-A and inhibin that significantly affected mGHRF secretion were 2 nM. Follistatin, a binding protein of activin, completely eliminated the ability of activin to inhibit mGHRF secretion. The steady-state level of mGHRF mRNA, as assessed by Northern analysis, was reduced by incubation of placental cells with activin-A. All activin and inhibin subunit mRNAs were expressed in mouse placenta, and their expressions increased during gestation. These findings suggest that activin and inhibin have opposite effects on mGHRF secretion as compared with FSH secretion and that they regulate mGHRF secretion in an autocrine or paracrine manner in the mouse placenta in vivo.