Corticotropin-releasing factor-induced adrenocorticotropin hormone release and synthesis is blocked by incorporation of the inhibitor of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase into anterior pituitary tumor cells by liposomes.

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the most potent and effective natural stimulant of corticotropin (ACTH) secretion. In a tumor cell line of the mouse anterior pituitary (AtT-20/D16-16) consisting of a homogeneous population of corticotrophs, CRF is known to increase adenylate cyclase and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activities as well as to release ACTH. To determine whether activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase is essential for CRF to evoke the secretion of ACTH, an inhibitor (PKI) of this kinase was inserted into AtT-20 cells. This was accomplished by first encapsulating PKI into liposomes and then covalently coupling them to protein A for binding to antibodies directed against an AtT-20 cell surface antigen, N-CAM (neural cell adhesion molecule). The binding of the liposomes to the anti-N-CAM antibodies led to the internalization of the PKI into the tumor cells. The PKI treatment greatly attenuated CRF-stimulated ACTH release as well as the secretory response to beta-adrenergic agonists. However, ACTH release in response to caerulein, an agonist of cholecystokinin 8 receptors, was not altered by the PKI treatment. CRF treatment also increased the levels of mRNA for proopiomelanocortin (POMC), the precursor for ACTH in AtT-20 cells. Application of liposomes containing PKI to AtT-20 cells blocked the ability of CRF and 8-bromo-cAMP, but not phorbol ester, to increase POMC mRNA levels. The results revealed an essential role for cAMP in mediating the effect of CRF on ACTH release and POMC gene expression.