[Regulation of enkephalin biosynthesis in chromaffin cells].

Enkephalin peptides (ENK) are co-released with catecholamines from bovine chromaffin cells in culture. Drugs mimicking the effects of c-AMP increase ENK biosynthesis by increasing ENK mRNA, but are uneffective on ENK secretion. Nicotine, which causes a rapid release of ENK from these cells, also induces an increase in ENK biosynthesis and ENK mRNA. Reserpine enhance ENK precursor processing. The actions of these different pharmacological agents show that ENK biosynthesis is regulated at different levels in chromaffin cells.