Vasoactive intestinal peptide increases tyrosine hydroxylase activity in normal and neoplastic rat chromaffin cell cultures.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) acutely increases tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in cultures of dispersed normal adult rat chromaffin cells and of PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. High concentrations of VIP (10 microM) produce about 3-fold increases in TH activity in both cell types. VIP also increases the content of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP) in PC12 cells. VIP may increase TH activity by promoting the cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the enzyme. Nerve fibers containing VIP-like immunoreactive material have been reported in the adrenal medulla and in other catecholamine (CA)- storing tissues. This VIPergic innervation may regulate CA synthesis and other cAMP-dependent processes in these tissues.