|
|
||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
2 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: veldhuis.johannes{at}mayo.edu.
Ghrelin is a native ligand for the growth-hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptor that stimulates pulsatile GH secretion markedly. At present, no formal construct exists to unify ensemble effects of ghrelin, GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), somatostatin (SRIF) and GH feedback. To model such interactions, we assume that ghrelin can: (a) stimulate pituitary GH secretion directly; (b) antagonize inhibition of pituitary GH release by SRIF; (c) oppose suppression of GHRH neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ArC) by SRIF; and (d) induce GHRH secretion from ArC. The dynamics of such connectivity yield self-renewable GH pulse patterns mirroring those in the adult male and female rat, and explicate the following key experimental observations: (i) constant GHS infusion stimulates pulsatile GH secretion; (ii) GHS and GHRH synergize in vivo;(iii) a systemic pulse of GHS stimulates GH secretion in the female rat at any time and in the male more during a spontaneous peak than trough; (iv) transgenetic silencing of the neuronal GHS receptor blunts GH pulses in the female; and (v) intracerebroventricular administration of GHS induces GH secretion. The minimal construct of GHS/GHRH/SRIF/GH interactions should aid in integrating physiological data, testing regulatory hypotheses, and forecasting innovative experiments.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
L. S. Farhy, C. Y. Bowers, and J. D. Veldhuis Model-projected mechanistic bases for sex differences in growth hormone regulation in humans Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, April 1, 2007; 292(4): R1577 - R1593. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |