Identification of the somatostatin receptor subtypes involved in regulation of growth hormone secretion in chickens.

The effects of somatostatin (SRIF) are mediated through five distinct G-protein-coupled receptors (SSTR1-5). In the present study, pituitary cells from 6-week-old chickens were subjected to reverse hemolytic plaque assays for growth hormone (GH) in the presence of SSTR subtype specific nonpeptidyl agonists. A SSTR2 selective agonist (L-779,976) potently inhibited both basal and GH-releasing hormone (GHRH)-stimulated GH release at low nanomolar concentrations. A SSTR5 agonist (L-817,818) inhibited GH release only under basal conditions and in a subpopulation of somatotrophs. In contrast, a SSTR4 selective agonist (L-803,087) used at high nanomolar concentrations modestly stimulated GH release under basal conditions but did not influence GHRH-stimulated GH secretion. The SSTR1 and SSTR3 specific agonists did not affect GH secretion under any condition tested. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Northern blot analysis using a partial cDNA for chicken SSTR2 showed relatively high levels of SSTR2 mRNA in the anterior pituitary (both in the caudal and cephalic lobes) and brain and detectable levels in liver, muscle, heart and small intestine. These results indicate that SSTR2 is the primary mediator of the inhibitory effects of SRIF on GH secretion in chickens.