Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA.
Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA; Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA.
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2020 Dec 1;518:110912. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110912. Epub 2020 Jun 17.
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is an ancestral molecule that was isolated from sheep hypothalamic extracts based on its action to stimulate cAMP production by pituitary cell cultures. PACAP is one of a number of ligands that coordinate with GnRH to control reproduction. While initially viewed as a hypothalamic releasing factor, PACAP and its receptors are widely distributed, and there is growing evidence that PACAP functions as a paracrine/autocrine regulator in the CNS, pituitary, gonads and placenta, among other tissues. This review will summarize current knowledge concerning the expression and function of PACAP in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis with special emphasis on its role in pituitary function in the fetus and newborn.
垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽（PACAP）是一种古老的分子，最初从羊下丘脑提取物中分离出来，因其能刺激垂体细胞培养物中 cAMP 的产生而得名。PACAP 是与 GnRH 协同作用以控制生殖的多种配体之一。虽然最初被视为下丘脑释放因子，但 PACAP 及其受体广泛分布，越来越多的证据表明 PACAP 在中枢神经系统、垂体、性腺和胎盘等组织中作为旁分泌/自分泌调节剂发挥作用。 本文综述了 PACAP 在下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴中的表达和功能的最新知识，特别强调了其在胎儿和新生儿垂体功能中的作用。
