Calcitonin gene expression induced by lipopolysaccharide in the rat pituitary.

Procalcitonin (PCT), the precursor protein of calcitonin (CT), has been considered recently as a significant indicator of bacterial infection and sepsis. However, the major source of PCT in sepsis remains unclear. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is activated during sepsis. Moreover, immunoreactive CT (iCT) can be detected in the pituitary. Therefore, we examined the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration on CT mRNA expression in the pituitary. After administration of LPS, CT mRNA expression in the pituitary was increased significantly. The increase of CT mRNA was associated with significant elevations of the iCT levels in the serum. These results imply that the pituitary is one of the sources of the serum PCT during sepsis.