Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Transcriptional regulation of growth hormone gene expression by growth hormone-releasing factor

Abstract

Production and release of hormones by the pituitary is known to be under complex hormonal control. Prolactin, for example, is both positively and negatively regulated by steroid and thyroid hormones as well as by peptide hormones1–5. Some hypothalamic releasing factors have been shown to regulate both hormone biosynthesis and hormone release6–11. In the case of growth hormone (GH), glucocorticoids and thyroid hormone stimulate its production12–14, at least in part by stimulating transcription of the GH gene12, and somatostatin inhibits6,15,16 and growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) stimulates17–19 its release. So far, however, polypeptide hormone regulation of GH biosynthesis has not been demonstrated. Recently a peptide with GH-releasing activity has been characterized from human pancreatic islet tumours14,20,21. We report here that pure human pancreatic GRF (hpGRF) stimulates transcription of the GH gene, as well as stimulating GH release.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ivarie, R. D., Morris, J. A. & Eberhardt, N. L. Recent Prog. Horm. Res. 36, 195–239 (1980).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Tashjian, A. H. Jr Meth. Enzym. 58, 527–535 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bancroft, F. C. in Functionally Differentiated Cell Lines (ed. Sato, G. H.) 47–59 (Liss, New York, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Murdoch, G. H., Potter, E., Nicolaisen, A. K., Evans, R. M. & Rosenfeld, M. G. Nature 300, 192–194 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Potter, E., Nicolaisen, A. K., Ong, E. S., Evans, R. M. & Rosenfeld, M. G. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 6662–6666 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Vale, W., Rivier, C. & Brown, M. A. Rev. Physiol. 39, 473–525 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Vale, W., Grant, G., Amoss, M., Blackwell, R. & Guillemin, R. Endocrinology 91, 562–572 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Vale, W. et al. in Hypothalamus and Endocrine Functions (eds Labrie, F., Meites, J. & Pelletier, G.) 397–429 (Plenum, New York).

  9. Vale, W., Rivier, C., Brazeau, P. & Guillemin, R. Endocrinology 95, 968–977 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Evans, G. A. & Rosenfeld, M. G. J. biol. Chem. 251, 1259–1262 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Sutton, R. et al. Science (submitted).

  12. Evans, R. M., Birnberg, N. C. & Rosenfeld, M. G. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 7659–7663 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Dobner, P. R., Kawasaki, E. S., Yu, L-Y. & Bancroft, F. C. Proc. natn. acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 2230–2234 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Vale, W., Vaughan, J., Yamomoto, G., Speiss, J. & Rivier, J. Endocrinology 112, 1553–1555 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Krulich, L., Dharwal, A. P. S. & McCann, S. M. Endocrinology 83, 783–790 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Kasting, N. W., Martin, J. B. & Arnold, M. A. Endocrinology 109, 1739–1745 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Martin, J. B. in Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology (eds Martini, L. & Ganong, W. F.) 129–168 (Raven, New York, 1976).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Szabo, M., Chu, L. & Frohman, L. A. Endocrinology 111, 1235–1240 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Rivier, J., Speiss, J., Thorner, M. & Vale, W. Nature 300, 276–278 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Thorner, M. O. et al. J. clin. Invest. 70, 965–977 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Guillemin, R. et al. Science 218, 585–587 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Harpold, M. M., Evans, R. M., Salditt-Georgieff, M. & Darnell, J. E. Cell 17, 1025–1035 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Arimura, A., Saito, T. & Schally, A. V. Endocrinology 81, 235–245 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barinaga, M., Yamonoto, G., Rivier, C. et al. Transcriptional regulation of growth hormone gene expression by growth hormone-releasing factor. Nature 306, 84–85 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/306084a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/306084a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing