Endocrinology Vol. 139, No. 3 1125-1132
Copyright © 1998 by The Endocrine Society
Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Effects on Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Biosynthesis in GT17 Cells1
Kim M. Longo,
Yuhua Sun and
Andrea C. Gore
Arthur M. Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology and Henry L.
Schwartz Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Neurobiology
of Aging Laboratories, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New
York 10029
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Andrea C. Gore, Ph.D., Neurobiology of Aging Laboratories, Box 1639, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029. E-mail:
gore{at}msvax.mssm.edu
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Abstract
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The immortalized GT17 cell line synthesizes and secretes GnRH, the
key hormone of reproduction. However, GT17 cells lack the normal
inputs from neurotransmitters, growth factors, and steroids, which are
involved in the maturation and maintenance of GnRH neurons in the
brain. We examined the effects of the neurotrophic factor insulin-like
growth factor-I (IGF-I) on GnRH gene expression and the mechanism for
these changes. Initially, effects of IGF-I on GnRH gene expression were
determined by ribonuclease protection assay. In time-course
experiments, IGF-I treatment caused significant increases in nuclear
GnRH primary transcript levels, an index of GnRH gene transcription, 4
and 8 h after initiation of IGF-I treatment. GnRH messenger RNA
(mRNA) levels in the cytoplasm were stimulated by IGF-I at 24 h of
treatment. IGF-I also affected GT17 cell morphology, with an increase
in process extension and cell-cell contacts. In contrast, GnRH peptide
levels in the medium were initially stimulated and then suppressed by
IGF-I, indicating an uncoupling of biosynthesis and secretion. The
increase in GnRH mRNA levels induced by IGF-I is probably caused by a
transcriptional mechanism, as evidenced by the increase in GnRH primary
transcript levels before a change in GnRH mRNA levels, as well as our
finding of a similar GnRH mRNA half-life for both control and
IGF-I-treated cells. Interestingly, GT17 cells themselves were
observed to express IGF-I immunoreactivity, suggesting the possibility
of autoregulation by this neurotrophic factor. It is concluded that
IGF-I is an important modulator of GnRH gene expression and release in
the GT17 cell line. The reported stimulatory effects of IGF-I
in vivo, and its hypothesized role in the development of
GnRH neurons in the brain, suggest that IGF-I may make the GT17 cells
line more like a mature GnRH neuron, as a model for future studies.
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Introduction
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GnRH IS THE key factor in the control of
reproduction. This decapeptide stimulates the release of gonadotropins
from the pituitary gland, which then travel through the general
circulation, causing the synthesis and release of steroid hormones from
the gonads. Because of the GnRH neurons scattered localization in the
hypothalamus-preoptic area, cellular/molecular studies of the
regulation of the GnRH neurosecretory system in vivo are
limited. Thus, the immortalized GT1 neuronal cell lines (NCLs) have
allowed investigators to elucidate the factors directly involved in the
regulation of GnRH gene expression (1). These GT1 cells have many
similarities to GnRH neurons, such as the synthesis, processing, and
pulsatile secretion of GnRH (2, 3, 4). However, some major differences
exist between the GnRH-producing cell lines and neurons in an adult
animal, such as the postmitotic state of the mature GnRH neuron
in vivo, compared with the immortalized state of the GT1
cells; a pattern of GnRH gene expression in the cell line, resembling
that of neonatal but very different from that of the adult mouse (5, 6); and different responses to pharmacological agents (4). Thus, GT1
cells may be more similar to immature, neonatal GnRH neurons than to
adult GnRH neurons in the brain. The absence of exposure of the GT1
cells to the normal neuronal, glial, and steroid hormone inputs that
are involved in the maturation of GnRH neurons in vivo may
be responsible for the immature phenotype in this cell line. Thus, a
more representative cell model of the mature GnRH neuron is critical
for an understanding of the GnRH neuron in the adult animal.
The maturation of the neuroendocrine hypothalamus is profoundly
affected by neurotrophic factors, whose synthesis and release increase
dramatically during the first 2 postnatal weeks of life in rodents
(7, 8, 9). This period corresponds exactly with that of the most profound
alterations in GnRH gene expression in rodents, between postnatal days
(P) 5 and 10 (4, 5, 10), suggesting that the maturation of GnRH neurons
may be a result of an increase in neurotrophic factor input. A likely
candidate for this maturation is insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I),
which is synthesized in peripheral tissues (11) and in the brain (12, 13), and whose receptors are expressed in neurons (14) and are abundant
in the median eminence (15, 16), the site of GnRH neuroterminals.
Furthermore, IGF-I is strongly implicated in reproductive function, as
it causes a dose-dependent increase in GnRH secretion from median
eminence explants (17), and plasma IGF-I levels increase during puberty
(18, 19). The temporal pattern of binding of IGF-I to its receptors in
the hypothalamus, peaking between P5 and P7 (8), a period of
alterations in GnRH gene expression in vivo (4, 5, 10),
raises the possibility that this growth factor is one of the metabolic
signals important or obligatory for the maturation of the
neuroendocrine axis and, ultimately, the attainment of adult
reproductive function.
It is hypothesized that IGF-I would cause alterations in GnRH
biosynthesis in GT17 cells, such that they would become a more
representative model for an adult GnRH neuron. IGF-I receptors, as
demonstrated by receptor binding, are present in GT1 cells (20).
Treatment with this specific growth factor produces changes in GnRH
release and GT1 morphology (21, 22). Thus, in the present study, we
tested the hypothesis that treatment with IGF-I would cause the
maturation of the immortalized GT17 cell line, as evaluated by
alterations in biosynthetic and morphological indices. These
experiments are intended to establish a cell system that is both
morphologically and physiologically more representative of the adult
GnRH neuron, for future studies on the regulation of GnRH gene
expression. We also report the novel observation that GT17 cells
themselves are IGF-I-immunopositive, suggesting the intriguing
possibility of autofeedback of IGF-I onto its own receptors on GnRH
cells.
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Materials and Methods
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GT17 cell culture and maintenance
GT17 cells were maintained in DMEM (Gibco BRL; Gaithersburg,
MD) with 5% heat-inactivated FCS and antibiotics (100 U/ml penicillin,
100 µg/ml streptomycin) and maintained at 37 C with 5%
CO2 (23, 24). The cells were subcultured into six-well
tissue culture dishes 23 days before experiments and grown to
approximately 70% confluency. All experiments were conducted with
triplicate monolayers of 1 x 106 cells and were
repeated two to four times. Initially, effects of length of serum
deprivation were tested, and the optimal conditions for cell survival
and consistency of response to treatment were determined to be serum
deprivation for 1 h, followed by treatment with IGF-I or vehicle,
as described below. These conditions were used for all experiments.
Cells were harvested in 400 µl lysis buffer (0.3 M
sucrose; 0.25% sodium deoxycholic acid; 10 mM Tris, pH
7.4; 1.5 mM MgCl2; and 0.5% Nonidet P-40).
This was layered over 350 µl cushion buffer (0.4 M
sucrose; 10 mM Tris; 1.5 mM MgCl2)
and centrifuged at 800 x g. Subsequent isolation of
cytoplasmic and nuclear RNAs for ribonuclease (RNase) protection assay
are described below.
Experimental design
IGF-I effects on GnRH gene expression, release, and GT17 cell
morphology. Dose-response experiments were initially performed to
determine the optimal dose of IGF-I on GnRH gene expression. GT17
cells were treated with 0.1, 10, and 100 ng/ml IGF-I (Sigma, St. Louis,
MO) or vehicle (the same volume of ethanol in dH2O), after
1 h of serum deprivation. Cells were harvested after 24 h,
and GnRH RNA levels were measured by RNase protection assay. Then,
using the 10 ng/ml dose of IGF-I, which was determined to have the most
potent effect on GnRH gene expression, time-course experiments were
performed: cells were treated with IGF-I or vehicle for 0, 2, 4, 8, 24,
or 48 h. GT17 cells were harvested and RNase protection assays
performed separately on GnRH messenger RNA (mRNA) in the cytoplasm, and
GnRH primary transcript, an index of GnRH gene transcription (6), in
the nucleus. A 1-ml aliquot of medium was collected at the time of
harvest for RIA of GnRH peptide. Differences between groups were
analyzed by two-way ANOVA, followed by Fishers protected
least-significant-difference post hoc test. Significance was
set at P < 0.05.
IGF-I effects on GnRH mRNA half-life. To determine whether
IGF-I affects GnRH mRNA half-life, indicating a posttranscriptional
mechanism of action of IGF-I on GnRH mRNA levels, GT17 cells were
serum-deprived for 1 h. Then, at t = -2.5 h, cells were
treated with IGF-I or vehicle. At t = 0 h, cells were treated
with the RNA polymerase II inhibitor
5,6-dichloro-1-ß-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB; 100 µg/ml final
concentration, as described previously) (24). Cells were harvested at
t = 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 24 h after DRB treatment. The GnRH
mRNA half-life was determined by performing a regression analysis on
the changes in GnRH mRNA levels for both control and IGF-I-treated
cells.
Expression of IGF-I-immunoreactivity in GT17 cells. To
determine whether IGF-I-like immunoreactivity is present in GT17
cells, immunocytochemistry for IGF-I was performed in GT17 cells
using the rabbit polyclonal IHC-7296 antibody (Peninsula Laboratories,
Belmont, CA). Cells were subcultured on sterile 22-mm tissue culture
cover slips (Nunc, Naperville, IL) in six-well tissue culture plates
for 23 days. Then, cells were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, 0.12
M sucrose for 20 min at 37 C. Cells were washed three times
in PBS, then permeabilized with 0.25% Triton X-100 for 5 min at room
temperature. Cells were washed three times in PBS, then pretreated with
10% BSA/PBS for 1 h at 37 C. This was removed, and the primary
antibody (1:500 dilution) was applied. For control experiments, the
antibody was preabsorbed with 100 ng, 500 ng, or 1 µg of the antigen
(IGF-I, Sigma), or the primary antibody was omitted. GT17 cells were
incubated with the primary antibody overnight at 4 C, then washed three
times in PBS. The biotinylated secondary antibody (goat antirabbit IgG;
Vector, Burlingame, CA), at 1:200, was applied and then incubated for
1 h at 37 C. Cells were washed three times in PBS, then treated
with a Vector ABC kit according to the directions; the DAB reaction was
allowed to proceed for 10 min. Cells were washed three times in PBS,
then dehydrated in graded ethanol series and mounted with Gurrs
Fluoromount (BDH Laboratories, Poole, England).
RNA extraction
GT17 nuclear RNA, harvested above, was treated with
deoxyribonuclease (DNase) I (40 U) for 5 min at 37 C. Both cytoplasmic
and nuclear fractions were treated with proteinase K at 45 C, extracted
with phenol:chloroform:isoamyl alcohol (25:24:1) and then with
chloroform:isoamyl alcohol (24:1), and precipitated with 2.5 vol
ethanol (nuclear) or 1.5 vol isopropanol (cytoplasmic) at -20 C (23, 24). Both fractions were centrifuged and washed with 70% ethanol, and
the pellets were resuspended in diethylpyrocarbonate-water. An aliquot
from each cytoplasmic fraction was used to determine the total RNA
content using an optical density reading at 260 nm. Aliquots of 0.5
µg were resuspended in 20 µl hybridization solution (0.1
M EDTA, 4 M guanidine thiocyanate) for RNase
protection assay of GnRH mRNA. The nuclear fraction underwent a DNase I
treatment for 30 min at 37 C with 60 U DNase I, extracted as above, and
precipitated with ethanol. It was then centrifuged and washed with 70%
ethanol, and the pellets were resuspended in 20 µl hybridization
solution for RNase protection assay of GnRH nuclear RNA
transcripts.
RNase protection assay
Cytoplasmic and nuclear RNA samples were incubated overnight at
30 C with 5 µl of probe (1 ng) labeled to low (600,000 cpm/ng: GnRH
cDNA and cyclophilin) or high (1,300,000 cpm/ng: GnRH A2B) specific
activity with [
-32P]uridine 5'-triphosphate. The probe
was also incubated with increasing concentrations of sense RNA to
produce a standard curve. Samples and standards were allowed to
hybridize with the probe for 1618 h at 30 C. The remainder of the
RNase protection assay was performed exactly as described previously
(23, 24). Samples were electrophoresed through 6% nondenaturing
polyacrylamide gels, which were exposed to x-ray film for 1848 h to
produce an autoradiogram, then exposed to a phosphorimaging screen
(Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, CA) for 24 h for quantitation. The
amount of radioactivity in each sample, as determined by the
phosphorimager, was compared with the amount of reference RNA, as
calculated by regression analysis, and used to calculate the amount of
RNA in each sample.
Probes
The following probes were used: for GnRH mRNA, a 443-bp mouse
GnRH cDNA clone spanning the EcoO109I and XbaI
restriction sites and subcloned into a Bluescript SK(+) vector (23);
for cyclophilin, a 111-bp cDNA clone spanning the PstI and
XmnI restriction sites and subcloned into a Bluescript KS(+)
vector (25); and for GnRH primary transcript, a mouse GnRH clone,
complementary to the intron A-exon 2-intron B (A2B) region of the
proGnRH gene, spanning the SpeI and HindIII
restriction sites and subcloned into a Bluescript SK(+) vector
(24).
RIA
GnRH in the medium was measured in 150-µl aliquots by RIA
in a single assay using antiserum LR-10, kindly provided by Dr. R.
Guillemin. Synthetic GnRH (Richelieu Laboratory, Montreal, Canada) was
used for the radiolabeled antigen and the reference standard. The
antigen-antibody complex was precipitated with a goat antirabbit
-globulin (Calbiochem, La Jolla, CA). The sensitivity of the assay
was 0.5 pg/tube in a final vol of 500 µl without secondary antibody.
The intraassay coefficient of variation was 4%.
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Results
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IGF-I effects on GnRH gene expression, release, and GT17 cell
morphology
Dose-response measurements were performed initially to determine
the optimal dose of IGF-I on GnRH gene expression. Representative
autoradiograms of GnRH primary transcript and cytoplasmic mRNA in
individual samples and standards are shown in Figs. 1A
and 2A
,
respectively, and the regression analyses of the standard curve data
are presented in Figs. 1B
and 2B
. Quantitation of levels of GnRH
primary transcript indicated a significant effect of IGF-I
(P < 0.01), with an inverted-U dose-response curve;
the maximal response occurred at the 10 ng/ml dose (P
< 0.01 vs. vehicle; Fig. 1C
). A significant effect of IGF-I
(P < 0.05), with a similar pattern, was observed for
cytoplasmic GnRH mRNA levels, with a significant increase observed
using the 10 ng/ml dose (P < 0.05 vs.
vehicle and 100 ng/ml; Fig. 2C
). Qualitative analysis of changes in
GT17 cell morphology indicated that the 10 ng/ml dose also caused the
most profound changes, with an increased extension of processes, an
appearance of more connections between cells, and flattened and broader
cell bodies, similar to other preliminary reports (Fig. 3
) (22, 26). Thus, this 10 ng/ml dose was
used for all subsequent experiments. Cyclophilin mRNA levels, measured
in the same cytoplasmic fraction as GnRH mRNA levels, were not affected
by IGF-I (Fig. 2C
, inset), indicating that the response is
specific to the GnRH system. Thus, for all subsequent experiments, GnRH
mRNA levels were normalized to cyclophilin mRNA levels measured in the
same assay, as an internal control.

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Figure 1. Dose-response analysis of IGF-I effects on GnRH
primary transcript levels. A, Representative autoradiogram of GnRH
nuclear primary transcript in a standard curve (left)
and in individual GT17 cell cultures (right), as
analyzed by RNase protection assay. For GT17 cells, the nuclear
fraction extracted from one well of a six-well tissue culture plate was
loaded in each lane. B, Regression analysis of the number of picograms
of standard vs. the amount of radioactivity in each lane
(as expressed in Phosphor imager volume) was performed, and the
corresponding analysis is presented. C, Dose-response analysis
indicated that IGF-I (10 ng/ml) caused a significant increase in GnRH
primary transcript levels. **, P < 0.01
vs. vehicle.
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Figure 2. Dose-response analysis of IGF-I effects on GnRH
mRNA levels. A, Representative autoradiogram of GnRH cytoplasmic mRNA
in a standard curve (left) and in individual GT17 cell
cultures (right), as analyzed by RNase protection assay.
For GT17 cells, 0.5 µg of total RNA was loaded in each lane. B,
Regression analysis of the number of picograms of standard
vs. the amount of radioactivity in each lane (as
expressed in Phosphor imager volume) was performed, and the
corresponding analysis is presented. C, Dose-response analysis
indicated that IGF-I (10 ng/ml) caused a significant increase in GnRH
mRNA levels. Cyclophilin mRNA levels (inset) were
unaffected by IGF-I. *, P < 0.05
vs. vehicle and 100 ng/ml.
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Figure 3. Effects of IGF-I (A, 10 ng/ml) or vehicle (B) for
24 h on GT17 cell morphology. Cells seemed to have a greater
extension of processes and a broader, flatter cell body, after
treatment with IGF-I.
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Using the 10 ng/ml dose of IGF-I, time-course experiments were
performed on cells treated with IGF-I or vehicle for 0, 2, 4, 8, 24,
and 48 h. Fig. 4
shows levels of
GnRH primary transcript in GTI-7 cells, treated with IGF-I or vehicle.
GnRH primary transcript levels were significantly affected by IGF-I
treatment (P < 0.05; Fig. 4
). Post hoc
analysis indicated that IGF-I caused a significant increase in GnRH
primary transcript levels at 4 and 8 h of treatment
(P < 0.05 for both treatments). GnRH primary
transcript levels returned to control levels by the 24-h time point. A
significant increase in GnRH cytoplasmic mRNA levels also was induced
by IGF-I treatment (P < 0.05; Fig. 5
), and a representative composite
autoradiogram is shown. Levels of GnRH mRNA were significantly elevated
only at the 24-h time point (P < 0.05). Cyclophilin
mRNA levels were unaffected by IGF-I treatment (data not shown).

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Figure 4. Time-course effects of IGF-I on mean GnRH primary
transcript levels. A significant effect of IGF-I was observed at 4 and
8 h. *, P < 0.05 vs.
corresponding control.
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Figure 5. Time-course effects of IGF-I on mean GnRH mRNA
levels. A, Representative composite autoradiogram of GnRH mRNA, in
response to IGF-I or vehicle for 2, 4, 8, 24, or 48 h. B, GnRH
mRNA levels were significantly stimulated by IGF-I at 24 h. *,
P < 0.05 vs. corresponding
control.
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GnRH peptide levels in the medium measured by RIA were found to be
significantly affected by IGF-I treatment (P < 0.01;
Table 1
). Initially, at the 2-h time
point, a significant increase in GnRH peptide levels was measured
(P < 0.01). However, beginning at 4 h and
throughout the rest of the 48 h time-course, GnRH peptide levels
were significantly decreased by IGF-I treatment (P <
0.01 for the 4- and 48-h time points; P < 0.05 for the
8- and 24-h time points).
IGF-I effects on GnRH mRNA half-life
To determine whether GnRH mRNA half-life is altered by IGF-I,
suggesting that a posttranscriptional mechanism contributes to the
increase in GnRH mRNA levels after IGF-I treatment, cells were
pretreated with IGF-I or vehicle for 2.5 h; then, the RNA
polymerase II inhibitor DRB was added, and cells were harvested after
0, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 24 h of exposure to DRB. It was observed that
GnRH mRNA half-life was 31 h in vehicle-treated control cells
(Fig. 6A
), as was previously observed
(24). IGF-I treatment resulted in a similar GnRH mRNA half-life of
26 h (Fig. 6B
).

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Figure 6. Half-life of GnRH mRNA, as determined by RNase
protection assay. In vehicle-treated GT17 cells, the half-life was
determined to be 31 h (A). In IGF-I-treated GT17 cells, the
half-life was 26 h (B).
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Expression of IGF-I-immunoreactivity in GT17 cells
Immunocytochemistry studies indicated that GT17 cells express
IGF-I-like immunoreactivity (Fig. 7
).
IGF-I staining was observed in the cytoplasm of many GT17 cells,
although its staining seemed heterogeneous across cell populations. In
control experiments, preincubation of the IGF-I antibody with the
antigen, or omission of the primary antibody, eliminated the detection
of IGF-I-like immunoreactivity in the GT17 cells (Fig. 7
, inset).

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Figure 7. Immunocytochemistry of IGF-I in GT17 cells.
Cells were found to express IGF-I-like immunoreactivity, although the
intensity of staining was heterogeneous. In control experiments
(inset), a large reduction in labeling is seen in cells
in which the antibody was preabsorbed with the antigen.
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Discussion
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The present results indicate that the growth factor IGF-I has
profound effects on GnRH gene expression and release in GT17 cells.
Treatment with IGF-I caused a significant increase in GnRH nuclear
primary transcript levels, an index of GnRH gene transcription (6), and
in GnRH cytoplasmic mRNA levels in GT17 cells. An inverted U-shaped
dose-response curve was observed for both transcripts, with a peak
response induced by the 10 ng/ml dose. Interestingly, a similar range
of doses was reported to be effective in stimulating GnRH release from
median eminence explants of rats (17). Time-course analyses of
IGF-Is effects in GT17 cells indicated that GnRH primary transcript
levels were maximally stimulated at 48 h of IGF-I treatment,
with an increase of approximately 200% at these times. GnRH mRNA
levels increased more modestly and with a longer latency, with a
significant response occurring only at 24 h. The effects of IGF-I on
GnRH gene expression in GT17 cells were specific, because the amount
of cyclophilin mRNA was unaffected by this growth factor.
The timing of events caused by treatment with IGF-I, with an initial
increase in GnRH primary transcript and a subsequent increase in GnRH
mRNA levels, suggests that the elevation in GnRH mRNA is a consequence
of stimulated GnRH gene transcription. This is consistent with a report
in a human hypothalamic NLT cell line in which GnRH gene transcription,
as measured by luciferase reporter activity, was stimulated by IGF-I
(27). Such a transcriptional mechanism for the increase in GnRH mRNA
levels is supported by our observation that the GnRH mRNA half-life did
not change substantially after IGF-I treatment. Studies on the effects
of second-messenger activators on GnRH gene expression also have
indicated significant changes in GnRH gene transcription (28, 29, 30),
suggesting that this is an important mechanism for the regulation of
GnRH mRNA levels in hypothalamic NCLs. This does not seem to be the
case in the animal, however, in which most of the regulation of GnRH
mRNA levels seems to occur at a posttranscriptional level, such as mRNA
stability (25, 31; reviewed in Ref. 4).
To our knowledge, this is the first report of a substance stimulating
GnRH gene expression in GT17 cells. Stimulation of the protein kinase
A (PKA) or C (PKC) second-messenger systems has been reported to cause
rapid and substantial decreases in GnRH gene expression (23, 24, 28, 30, 32, 33). In contrast, it has been reported that neurotransmitters
(such as glutamate) stimulate GnRH gene expression in the animal (25, 34, 35) but not in GT17 cells (A. C. Gore and J. L.
Roberts, unpublished observation). It is possible that IGF-I represents
an input to GnRH neurons that is obligatory for a stimulatory effect on
the GnRH gene to occur.
Although IGF-I is stimulatory to GnRH gene expression in GT17 cells,
it was found to have an overall inhibitory effect on levels of GnRH
decapeptide in the medium. IGF-I treatment caused an initial
stimulation of GnRH peptide levels at the 2-h time point. However,
beginning at 4 h and for the rest of the 48-h time-course, GnRH
peptide levels were significantly suppressed, compared with control
peptide levels. This result differs from that of another laboratory,
which reported no effect of 2 h of exposure to IGF-I on GnRH
secretion (20). Furthermore, preliminary reports from another group
indicated a stimulatory effect of 12-h exposure to IGF-I on GnRH
release in the GT11 cell line (22). Differences between laboratories
are attributed to different cell lines (GT11 vs. GT17)
and possible so-called drift in the phenotype of the GT1 cells between
laboratories with repeated passaging. It was reported that GT1 cells
can alter the expression of certain molecules over time, and in fact,
these cells even can express glial markers, depending on the passaging
technique (36). However, it should be noted that preliminary studies in
our laboratory indicated no expression of glial fibrillary acidic
protein, an astroglial marker, in our GT17 cell cultures (K. M.
Longo and A. C. Gore, unpublished observations). Differences
between our and other studies may also involve the effects of serum
deprivation, because in our study, GnRH peptide levels increased and
then decreased over time after serum deprivation (Table 1
), whereas
other studies used different cell culture and serum starvation
conditions.
The observation that GnRH levels in the medium were decreased under
those conditions in which increases in GnRH gene expression were
observed suggests an uncoupling of synthesis-secretion events. Such an
uncoupling was observed when GT1 cells were treated with phorbol ester,
which causes decreases in GnRH gene expression concomitantly with
increases in GnRH release (24, 28, 30, 32, 33). In the case of IGF-I
treatment, it seems that there is a shift in favor of biosynthesis,
perhaps at the expense of translational, posttranslational events
and/or release. Moreover, it is unknown whether the overall decrease in
GnRH decapeptide levels is caused by a decrease in release of GnRH
peptide, or by an increase in the degradation of GnRH peptide.
Concomitantly with the effects of IGF-I on GnRH gene expression, a
qualitative change in the morphology of GT17 cells also was observed,
similar to the finding by other laboratories (22, 26). Interestingly,
the most profound changes induced by IGF-I on GT17 cell morphology
occurred at the same dose (10 ng/ml) that caused the greatest increases
in GnRH gene expression. When IGF-I was added, the cells formed longer
and more extended processes. It previously has been reported that
GT17 cells form gap junctions with one another (37); it is therefore
possible that IGF-I affected the number of gap junctions, because the
number of contacts between GT17 cells seemed to increase. However, it
is necessary to perform quantitative analyses of such changes in future
studies to prove this hypothesis. Interestingly, PKC activators, which
have opposite effects to IGF-I on GnRH gene expression and peptide
release, also have opposite morphological effects to IGF-I on GT17
cell morphology: PKC caused the cell body to become more condensed and
processes to retract (30), whereas IGF-I caused the cell body to become
more flattened, with an appearance of an enlarged surface area, and an
extension of processes. It also may be relevant that during postnatal
development, GnRH neurons undergo morphological changes that make them
become more irregular in shape (38), suggesting an increase in cell
surface area, with the potential for increased synaptic input. A
similar effect seems to be induced by IGF-I treatment in GT17 cells,
suggesting a recapitulation of events occurring during the development
of GnRH neurons in vivo.
Immunocytochemical studies indicated the novel observation that GT17
cells are immunoreactive for IGF-I. This is not the only growth factor
synthesized in GT17 cells, which were reported to produce basic
fibroblast growth factor as well (39). It is possible that these cells
are under a tonic autofeedback loop from the endogenous IGF-I that they
are producing. This is consistent with the report that in hypothalamic
neuronal and glial cultures, IGF-I can down-regulate its own receptors
(40). However, our observation that IGF-I stimulates GnRH gene
expression in GT17 cells suggests that the amount of IGF-I released
into the medium may not be sufficient to down-regulate the IGF-I
receptors on these cells. Furthermore, changing the GT17 cells
medium before IGF-I treatment may resensitize them to IGF-I. In future
studies, we will measure IGF-I levels in the medium to determine the
exposure of GT17 cells to endogenous IGF-I under basal conditions.
The expression of IGF-I in GT17 cells also suggests the intriguing
possibility that GnRH neurons in vivo may synthesize their
own IGF-I. The report that embryonic day-17 rat neuronal primary
cultures express IGF-I mRNA (41) supports the idea that neurons are
capable of synthesizing this neurotrophic factor. Studies are currently
underway in our laboratory to determine whether GnRH neurons in
vivo are IGF-I immunopositive.
The present findings suggest that IGF-I may be directly involved in
alterations in the gene expression and morphology of the immortalized
GT17 cell line. These studies are the first crucial steps in
producing a more representative model of the adult mammalian GnRH
neuron. Regarding in vivo models, it was reported that IGF-I
knockout mice have a smaller central nervous system size and do not
undergo reproductive development (42). It is not known whether this
latter effect is caused by a primary central nervous system, pituitary,
or gonadal deficiency. However, the preliminary observation in our
laboratory that GnRH mRNA levels are substantially lower in IGF-I
knockout mice (A. C. Gore, unpublished observation) suggests that
the lack of exposure of developing GnRH neurons to IGF-I results in a
more immature phenotype, in fact, similar to that observed in GT17
cells. Future studies will examine changes in IGF-I input to the GnRH
system of developing mice.
 |
Acknowledgments
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|---|
We would like to thank Dr. James L. Roberts and Nomsa Bengani
for assistance with the GnRH RIA, Andrew Leonard for help with
graphics, Dr. Mariann Blum for helpful discussions of the manuscript,
and Drs. Deanna Benson and Patrick Hof for assistance with
photography.
 |
Footnotes
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|---|
1 This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant
IBN-9723398 (to A.C.G.). 
Received September 24, 1997.
 |
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