The regulation of neuropeptide expression in rat anterior pituitary following chronic manipulation of estrogen status: a comparison between substance P, neuropeptide Y, neurotensin, and vasoactive intestinal peptide.

The neuropeptides substance P, neuropeptide Y, neurotensin, and vasoactive intestinal peptide are present in normal rat anterior pituitary gland and hypothalamus and can influence the secretion of classical pituitary hormones. We investigated the effects of estrogen manipulation on pituitary and hypothalamic expression of these four peptides by specific RIAs and cDNA probe analysis. Surgical ovariectomy produced a significant rise in the pituitary content of substance P immunoreactivity (IR) (130.2 +/- 4.8 fmol/gland vs. control 29.1 +/- 2.2, P less than 0.001), neuropeptide Y IR (34.9 +/- 3.9 vs. 19.6 +/- 2.0, P less than 0.05) and neurotensin IR (85.1 +/- 8.2 vs. 62.4 +/- 7.2, P less than 0.05), while vasoactive intestinal peptide IR showed a fall (201.2 +/- 18.8 vs. 285.4 +/- 25.9, P less than 0.05). These patterns were reversed with estrogen replacement or high dose estrogen treatment. Changes in peptide content were accompanied by parallel changes in the mRNA for each peptide. Treatment with an antiestrogen (tamoxifen) resulted in no change in substance P, neuropeptide Y, and neurotensin expression, while vasoactive intestinal peptide IR content decreased to below the assay detection limit. Hypothalamic expression of these peptides did not change with any of the treatments. These results indicate that: 1) the control of the pituitary expression of the four peptides under the influence of estrogen occurs predominantly at the level of gene transcription and 2) normalization of the castration induced changes by exogenous estrogen replacement suggests the changes to be mediated by the absence of this steroid. The regulation of the pituitary expression of these peptides by estrogen support the possibility of their having an autocrine or paracrine role.