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Co-release of enkephalin and catecholamines from cultured adrenal chromaffin cells

Nature volume 289, pages 317–319 (1981)Cite this article

Abstract

The opioid peptides Leu-enkephalin and Met-enkephalin1,2 are stored intraneuronally in the brain3 where they are thought to act as neurotransmitters and/or neuromodulators4. Evidence for their release from nerve terminals has come from biochemical and pharmacological studies in vitro with brain tissue slices5,6 and synaptosomes6. Enkephalins also exist in the peripheral nervous system in nerve cell bodies and axon terminals in the gastrointestinal tract7, sympathetic ganglia8–11 and adrenal gland12. In the adrenal gland, high levels of enkephalins are present both in axon terminals of the splanchnic nerve13 and in the adrenal medullary chromaffin cells13–15 where they are stored together with the catecholamines in the chromaffin granules14–16. Stimulation of the adrenal gland in vivo15,17 or the perfused gland in vitro14 causes release of catecholamines and enkephalins into the adrenal vein. However, it is not clear whether the origin of the released enkephalins is the adrenal medullary chromaffin cells or the enkephalin-containing splanchnic nerve terminals that innervate the medulla. We now show that enkephalin and catecholamines are released together from primary cultures of bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells by nicotine in a Ca2+-dependent manner.

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Author notes

  1. Jean Rossier

    Present address: Laboratoire de physiologie nerveuse, CNRS, Gif sur Yvette, 91190, France

  2. Sidney Udenfriend and Jean Rossier: Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, New Jersey 07110

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, The Montreal General Hospital and McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1A4, Canada

    Bruce G. Livett, Deanne M. Dean, Larry G. Whelan, Sidney Udenfriend & Jean Rossier

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  1. Bruce G. Livett
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  5. Jean Rossier
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Livett, B., Dean, D., Whelan, L. et al. Co-release of enkephalin and catecholamines from cultured adrenal chromaffin cells. Nature 289, 317–319 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/289317a0

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