Thyroid hormone action on biosynthesis of somatostatin by fetal rat brain cells in culture.

Thyroid hormone (TH) action on somatostatin (SRIF) secretion and synthesis by fetal rat brain cells in culture was studied. Cortical and hypothalamic brain cells were maintained as monolayer cultures for 7-10 days. T3, T4, and [3H] phenylalanine [( 3H]Phe) (40 microCi/plate) were added simultaneously for 48 h. Alternately, cultures were pulse labeled with [3H] Phe for only the last 3 h, after being exposed to TH for 45 h. 3H-Labeled SRIF-like material [( 3H]IR-SRIF) was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography and further characterized by gel filtration in Bio-Gel P-10. Total protein synthesis was determined by the incorporation of [3H]Phe into trichloroacetic acid precipitable proteins. Forty eight-hour T3 treatment had a biphasic effect on secretion of IR-SRIF by both cortical and hypothalamic cells. In cortical cells, low doses of T3 (10(-11) M) significantly increased (P less than 0.01) and high T3 doses (10(-7) M) significantly decreased (P less than 0.05) total IR-SRIF (nanograms per plate); control: 2 +/- 0.25; T3 (10(-11) M): 3 +/- 0.3; T3 (10(-7) M): 1.3 +/- 0.1. Similarly, T4 had a significant stimulatory action at 10(-9) M, being inhibitory at 10(-7) M (picograms/plate); control: 290 +/- 20 T4 (10(-9) M): 510 +/- 40; T4 (10(-7) M): 201 +/- 10. When [3H]Phe was added during the 48 h of the experiment, [3H]IR-SRIF synthesis in response to T3 by cortical cells significantly increased after exposure to 10(-11) M (P less than 0.05) and decreased with 10(-7) M (P less than 0.05). When [3H]Phe was added for only the last 3 h or incubation with T3, the action was inhibitory at both 10(-11) M and 10(-7) M. Trichloroacetic acid precipitable material decreased in a dose response manner between T3, 10(-11) M and 10(-7) M. These findings suggest that at this time of brain development, SRIF synthesis by cortical and hypothalamic cells is affected by TH.