Signal transduction mechanisms mediating rapid, nongenomic effects of cortisol on prolactin release.

While the mechanisms governing genomically mediated glucocorticoid actions are becoming increasingly understood, relatively little is known with regard to the cell signaling pathways that transduce rapid glucocorticoid actions. Studies of the cultured tilapia rostral pars distalis (RPD), a naturally segregated region of the fish pituitary gland that contains a 95-99% pure population of prolactin (PRL) cells and is easily dissected and maintained in a completely defined, serum-free media, indicate that physiological concentrations of cortisol rapidly inhibit PRL release. The attenuative action of cortisol on PRL release occurs within 10-20 min, is insensitive to the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, and mimicked by its membrane impermeable analog, cortisol-21 hemisuccinate-conjugated bovine serum albumin (BSA). Cortisol and somatostatin, a peptide known to work through membrane receptors to inhibit PRL release, rapidly and reversibly reduces intracellular free Ca(2+) (Ca(i)(2+)), and inhibits 45Ca(2+) influx and BAYK-8644 induced PRL release. Preliminary investigations show cortisol, but not somatostatin, suppresses phospholipase C (PLC) activity in PRL cell membrane preparations. In addition, cortisol and somatostatin reduce intracellular cAMP and membrane adenylyl cyclase activity. These findings indicate that the acute inhibitory effects of cortisol on PRL release occur through a nongenomic mechanism involving interactions with the plasma membrane and inhibition of both the Ca(2+) and cAMP signal transduction pathways. Cortisol may reduce Ca(i)(2+) by inhibiting influx through L-type voltage-gated channels and possibly release through a PLC/inositol triphosphate sensitive intracellular Ca(2+) pool. In addition, it is also likely the steroid inhibits adenylyl cyclase activity in events leading to reduced cAMP production and the subsequent release of PRL.