Effects of hypophysectomy and growth hormone on cultured islets of Langerhans of the rat.

The effects of islet function of addition to the culture medium of rat growth hormone was studied in 4-day cultured islets of Langerhans from normal and hypophysectomised rats. In islets from hypophysectomised rats, rates of insulin release were 34% lower than in control rat islets; rates of insulin plus proinsulin and total protein biosynthesis were also lower by 48% and 16% respectively. The rates of glucose oxidation and the islet content of cyclic AMP were unchanged in islets from hypophysectomised rats but the islet content of calmodulin was decreased by 68%. The presence of rat growth hormone during the culture period restored the secretory response of hypophysectomised rat islets to that seen in control islets cultured without growth hormone but had only a marginal effect on the rate of insulin plus proinsulin biosynthesis, and no significant effect on islet calmodulin content. Glucose oxidation was increased by the presence of growth hormone during the culture period in both control (73% increase) and hypophysectomized (38% increase) rat islets. Addition of growth hormone to the culture medium also enhanced rates of insulin release and biosynthesis in control islets by 116% and 20% respectively. It is suggested that these changes arise primarily from modification of the synthesis of specific islet proteins.