Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone signaling at the lymphocyte involves stimulation of interleukin-2 receptor expression.

The marked modulation of lymphocyte function exerted by the hypothalamic decapetide LHRH prompted us to study the possible involvement of the neuropeptide in one of the major steps of lymphocyte proliferation, namely the expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor during in vitro treatment of rat lymphocytes with LHRH agonists (LHRH-A) or antagonists (LHRH-ANTA). The basal proliferative activity of splenocytes and thymocytes from proestrous female rats was significantly stimulated after incubation with LHRH and LHRH-A, but not LHRH fragments [LHRH-(1-3), LHRH-(1-5), and LHRH-(2-6)]. Similarly, in the absence of the mitogenic stimulus, IL-2 receptor expression was significantly stimulated in thymocyte and splenocyte cultures incubated with increasing doses of LHRH or its agonists. The amplification of Concanavalin-A-induced increase in blastogenic transformation of lymphocytes by LHRH was paralleled by a significant stimulation of IL-2 receptor expression. The specificity of such effect was demonstrated by 1) the failure of LHRH fragments [LHRH-(1-6)] to mimick the LHRH stimulatory effect; and 2) the complete reversal produced by simultaneous addition of a potent LHRH-ANTA on IL-2 receptor expression induced by LHRH. Moreover, basal and lectin stimulation of IL-2 receptor-positive cells were significantly inhibited by treatment with the LHRH-ANTA. These data clearly demonstrate that 1) LHRH induction of lymphocyte activation in vitro is accompanied by a specific increase in IL-2 receptor-positive cells; 2) endogenous lymphocyte LHRH may participate in stimulation of IL-2 receptor expression under both basal and stimulated conditions, suggesting that LHRH signaling at the lymphocyte may interact synergistically with intracellular mechanisms responsible for lymphocyte activation.