Somatostatin receptor subtypes 2 and 5 inhibit corticotropin-releasing hormone-stimulated adrenocorticotropin secretion from AtT-20 cells.

Somatostatin (SRIH) regulates pituitary adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion by interacting with a family of homologous G protein-coupled membrane receptors. The SRIH receptor subtypes (sst(1)-sst(5)) that control ACTH release remain unknown. Using novel, subtype-selective SRIH analogs, we have identified the SRIH receptor subtypes involved in regulating ACTH release from AtT-20 cells, a model for cell line pituitary corticotropes. Radioligand-binding studies with (125)I-SRIH-14 and (125)I-SRIH-28 showed that SRIH-14 and SRIH-28 recognized specific, high-affinity and saturable membrane-binding sites. Nonpeptidyl agonists with selectivity for the sst(2) (L-779,976; compound 2) or sst(1)/sst(5)) (L-817,818; compound 5) receptor subtypes potently displaced (125)I-SRIH-28 from AtT-20 cell membranes, while agonists selective for the sst(1) (L-779,591; compound 1), sst(3) (L-796,778; compound 3) or sst(4) (L-803,087; compound 4) subtypes were inactive. Tyr(11)-SRIH-14, compound 2 (sst(2)) or compound 5 (sst(5)) inhibited forskolin and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-induced increases in intracellular cAMP. Furthermore, the sst(2) and sst(5) agonists potently inhibited CRH-induced ACTH release from AtT-20 cells. These results provide the first evidence that sst(2) and sst(5) receptor subtypes, but not sst(1), sst(3) or sst(4), inhibit cAMP accumulation and regulate ACTH secretion in the AtT-20 cell model of the rodent corticotrope. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel