Neuropeptide regulation of interleukin-6 production from the pituitary: stimulation by pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide and calcitonin gene-related peptide.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) production was shown to be stimulated by vasoactive intestinal peptide via cAMP dependent signal transduction pathway in the pituitary. We were interested in whether other hypothalamic neuropeptides, which activate adenylate cyclase in the pituitary, also stimulate pituitary IL-6 production. Whereas vasoactive intestinal peptide was effective in stimulating pituitary IL-6 production only at concentrations of 10(-6) M or higher, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide with 38 residues (PACAP38) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) at concentrations from 10(-10) to 10(-9) M significantly stimulated IL-6 production. Similar effective concentrations of each peptide were required for activating adenylate cyclase, as measured by extracellular cAMP accumulation. H89, a specific inhibitor of cAMP dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A), inhibited IL-6 production stimulated by PACAP38, CGRP, and (Bu)2cAMP. However, H89 failed to inhibit the IL-6 production stimulated by lipopolysaccharide, a ligand which enhanced IL-6 production in the absence of cAMP accumulation. Two other peptides which are known to activate pituitary adenylate cyclase, corticotropin-releasing factor and GRF failed to stimulate IL-6 production in pituitary cells. Using discontinuous Percoll gradients to fractionate the pituitary cells, the greatest PACAP38-stimulated IL-6 secretion was observed in the low density fraction 1 (F1). This fraction also contained the highest percentage of folliculo-stellate (FS) cells, one of the nonhormone secreting pituitary cells. However, the largest PACAP38-induced accumulation of cAMP was observed in F4. These results suggest that the production of IL-6 stimulated by PACAP and CGRP is mediated by the adenylate cyclase/protein kinase A signal transduction system. FS cells appear to be the most likely target cell type for PACAP-induced IL-6 production. However, IL-6 producing FS cells may not be an exclusive target for PACAP in the pituitary.