Jones T H, Figueroa C D, Bhoola K D
University Department of Medicine, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1992 Dec;127(6):481-4. doi: 10.1530/acta.0.1270481.
Tissue kallikrein, a serine protease, is present in the prolactin-secreting cells of the normal anterior pituitary gland and pituitary adenomas. It is mainly located in the Golgi apparatus, but is also present in secretory granules. There is a distinct sexual dimorphism, with amount of tissue kallikrein being greater in anterior pituitary tissue from female rats. The intracellular levels of tissue kallikrein are increased by estradiol and in pituitary tumours, and decreased by ovariectomy, dopamine and its agonists. There is preliminary in vitro evidence that tissue kallikrein may be involved in the intracellular processing of the prolactin molecule before secretion. Tissue kallikrein synthesizes kinins which are present in the anterior pituitary and are capable of stimulating prolactin and growth hormone secretion by activating the phosphoinositide second messenger system. Prolactin physiology is uniquely linked to the kallikrein-kinin system in the normal pituitary and its tumours. Tissue kallikrein may have an important role in the pathophysiology of prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas.
组织激肽释放酶是一种丝氨酸蛋白酶，存在于正常垂体前叶和垂体腺瘤的催乳素分泌细胞中。它主要位于高尔基体，但也存在于分泌颗粒中。存在明显的性别差异，雌性大鼠垂体前叶组织中的组织激肽释放酶含量更高。雌二醇和垂体肿瘤会增加组织激肽释放酶的细胞内水平，而卵巢切除术、多巴胺及其激动剂则会使其降低。有初步的体外证据表明，组织激肽释放酶可能参与催乳素分子分泌前的细胞内加工过程。组织激肽释放酶合成激肽，激肽存在于垂体前叶，能够通过激活磷酸肌醇第二信使系统刺激催乳素和生长激素的分泌。在正常垂体及其肿瘤中，催乳素生理学与激肽释放酶-激肽系统有着独特的联系。组织激肽释放酶可能在分泌催乳素的垂体腺瘤的病理生理学中发挥重要作用。
