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Endocrinology Vol. 140, No. 4 1559-1566
Copyright © 1999 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Interleukin-11 Stimulates Proopiomelanocortin Gene Expression and Adrenocorticotropin Secretion in Corticotroph Cells: Evidence for a Redundant Cytokine Network in the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis1

Christoph J. Auernhammer and Shlomo Melmed

Cedars-Sinai Research Institute, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90048

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Shlomo Melmed, Academic Affairs, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Boulevard, Room 2015, Los Angeles, California 90048. E-mail: melmed{at}csmc.edu


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
We recently characterized leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) as an important modulator of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. We now describe the role of interleukin (IL)-11, another member of the IL-6 cytokine family, in the neuro-immuno-endocrine modulation of the HPA axis. In murine hypothalamus, pituitary and corticotroph AtT-20 cells, IL-11 messenger RNA (mRNA) was detectable by RT-PCR only, whereas IL-11R mRNA transcripts were demonstrated by Northern blot. Using RT-PCR, IL-11 and IL-11R gene expression were also detected in normal human pituitaries, as well as in corticotropic and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. Incubation of AtT-20 cells for 24 h with 10-9 M IL-11 stimulated ACTH secretion 1.4 ± 0.1-fold (P < 0.01), whereas LIF at the same concentration caused a 1.5 ± 0.1-fold increase (P < 0.001). POMC mRNA expression was induced by IL-11 (0.5 x 10-9 M) and LIF (0.5 x 10-9 M) 1.5 ± 0.18-fold (P < 0.05) and 1.7 ± 0.13-fold (P < 0.01), respectively. POMC promoter activity, assayed by a -706/+64 rat POMC promoter-luciferase construct, was stimulated by 0.5 x 10-9 M IL-11 (1.9 ± 0.06-fold; P < 0.001) and 5 mM Bu2cAMP (7.1 ± 0.52-fold, P < 0.001), and combined treatment of IL-11 plus Bu2cAMP caused a synergistic 11.7 ± 0.71-fold increase of luciferase activity (P < 0.001 vs. Bu2cAMP alone). Gene expression of SOCS-3, an intracellular inhibitor of cytokine action, peaked as early as 60 min after incubation with IL-11 (0.5 x 10-9 M) and was induced 3.5-fold. In comparison to mock-transfected AtT-20 cells (AtT-20M), stable overexpression of SOCS-3 (AtT-20S) resulted in significant inhibition of ACTH secretion induced by IL-11 alone (1.5 ± 0.09 vs. 1.1 ± 0.04-fold induction, P < 0.01) and IL-11 plus Bu2cAMP (2.1 ± 0.21 vs. 1.5 ± 0.06-fold, P < 0.05), but not by Bu2cAMP alone (1.5 ± 0.12 vs. 1.4 ± 0.06). In summary, human and murine pituitary express IL-11 and IL-11R transcripts. In murine corticotroph AtT-20 cells, IL-11 induces POMC gene transcription and ACTH secretion. IL-11 induction of SOCS-3 indicates an intracellular negative feedback control of cytokine-induced POMC expression and ACTH secretion. Thus, IL-11 regulates the HPA axis similarly to LIF, providing further evidence for a redundant cytokine network in the neuro-immuno-endocrine regulation of the HPA axis.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
INTERLEUKIN-11 (IL-11) is a pleiotropic cytokine of the interleukin-6 cytokine family (1, 2), affecting megakaryocytopoiesis (3, 4), osteoclast formation (5), blastocyst implantation (6), and neuronal development (7, 8). Murine and human IL-11 share about 80% homology and have a molecular weight of approximately 19 kDa (9, 10). Two subtypes of the murine IL-11 receptor, IL-11R {alpha} and IL-11R {alpha}2, differ in their 5'-untranslated region (11, 12, 13). The human IL-11 receptor shows 83% protein homology to the murine IL-11R {alpha} (14, 15, 16), whereas there is no evidence for a second IL-11R locus in the human analogous to the murine IL-11R {alpha}2 (15). Interleukin-11 (IL-11), as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), interleukin-6, oncostatin M, ciliary neurotrophic factor and cardiotropin-1, acts through a specific class I cytokine receptor using the common gp130 signal transducer (1, 11, 14, 17).

Although pituitary function is classically regulated by hypothalamic releasing hormones, several cytokines have been shown to play an important role in neuro-immuno-endocrine cross-talk for controlling hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-function (18, 19, 20, 21). Recently, we have shown LIF to be an important activator of the HPA axis (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31). LIF and LIF receptors are expressed in human and murine pituitary tissue (22, 23, 24). POMC gene expression and ACTH secretion are induced by LIF (22, 24, 25), and LIF induced ACTH secretion is mediated by the JAK-STAT pathway (26, 27, 28), and controlled in a negative feedback loop by the recently described SOCS-3 (suppressor of cytokine signaling) (27). Pituitary LIF expression is induced in mice in response to lipopolysaccharide endotoxin (23), and IL-1 (24). LIF knockout mice exhibit an attenuated HPA axis response to stress (29) and IL-1 (24), whereas transgenic mice overexpressing LIF by pituitary-targeted promoters exhibit pituitary corticotroph cell hyperplasia and hypercortisolism, with otherwise impaired pituitary function (30, 31).

Coadministration of IL-1 and IL-11 in mice increased corticosterone levels significantly higher than IL-1 alone (32). As ACTH levels were not measured in this study, no conclusions could be drawn with respect to the site of IL-11 action in the HPA axis. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of IL-11 in pituitary corticotroph function. Here, we report IL-11 and IL-11R expression in normal human pituitaries and in pituitary adenomas, as well as in murine pituitaries and corticotroph AtT-20 cell line. We show stimulation of ACTH secretion, POMC gene expression, and POMC promoter activity by recombinant murine (rm)IL-11. In addition, we observed a negative feedback inhibition of IL-11 induced ACTH secretion by the suppressor of cytokine signaling protein SOCS-3. Thus, IL-11 effects the HPA axis similarly to LIF, providing further evidence for a redundant cytokine network in the neuro-immuno-endocrine regulation of the HPA axis.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Materials
Recombinant murine (rm) IL-11 and rmLIF were purchased from R&D Systems (Minneapolis, MN). Dibutyryl cAMP (Bu2cAMP) was from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). DMEM media and all additives, TRIZOL, RadPrime, DNase I, Superscript II, Taq polymerase, and primers were purchased from Life Technologies (Gaithersburg, MD). GeneAmp PCR System 9600 and Ampliwax PCR Gem 100 were from Perkin Elmer (Foster City, CA). The QuiaexII kit was from Quiagen (Chatsworth, CA). QuickHyb Rapid was from Stratagene (La Jolla, CA). Kodak Biomax MS film was from Eastman Kodak (Rochester, NY). The mouse ß-actin DECAprobe template was from Ambion, Inc. (Austin, TX).

Tissues
Male C57BL/6 mice were purchased from Jackson Laboratories at the age of 8 weeks. After decapitation, tissues were immediately removed and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. All experimental procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Postmortem normal human pituitaries were obtained from the Brain and Tissue Bank for Developmental Disorders (University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD). Specimen samples of corticotroph and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas were obtained at transsphenoidal surgery.

Tissues were homogenized, followed by total RNA extraction with TRIZOL.

Cell culture
Cell culture of AtT-20/D16v-F2 cells was performed as described (24). Briefly, for ACTH secretion, 1 x 104 AtT-20 cells were seeded in 48-well plates and grown for 48 h. After serum-depletion (medium with 1% FBS) for a further 48 h, treatments were added with fresh serum-depleted medium. After 24 h, the supernatants were collected and ACTH was measured with a commercial RIA (Diagnostic Products Corp., Los Angeles, CA). For RNA extraction, AtT-20 cells were seeded in 100-mm dishes at a density of 1 x 106 cells and grown for 48 h. After serum-free (medium with 0.1% BSA) incubation for a further 16 h, treatments were added with fresh serum-free medium. At the timepoints indicated, total RNA was extracted using TRIZOL.

Several individual clones of SOCS-3 overexpressing AtT-20 cells (AtT-20S) and mock-transfected AtT-20 cells (AtT-20M) were obtained after stable transfection, as recently described (27). Three separate individual clones with high overexpression of SOCS-3 were chosen for the experiments.

Northern blot analysis
Northern blot analysis were performed as described (24, 27). Briefly, 5–25 µg of total RNA were electrophoresed on a 1% agarose, 6.4% formaldehyde gel, and transferred to a nylon membrane and hybridized with specific ({alpha}-32P)CTP-labeled probes. Probes were labeled with ({alpha}-32P)CTP and Klenow enzyme using random primer labeling with RadPrime. Prehybridization and hybridization were performed using QuickHyb Rapid from Stratagene, according to the manufacturers recommendations. Autoradiographs were exposed to Kodak Biomax MS film at -70 C.

Templates for probes
A 588-nucleotide (nt) fragment of the murine IL-11R complementary DNA (cDNA) was generated as described below. The murine SOCS-3 probe template was a PCR-generated cDNA fragment (19–610 bp; GenBank accession number U88328), as described (27). The PCR products were electrophoresed on an agarose gel and specific bands gel-purified by Quiaex II. Before using as a template for random priming, the specificity of each RT-PCR product was verified by multiple restriction enzyme analysis. A 0.6-kb fragment of the murine POMC cDNA, encoding the 3' half of exon 3 of the murine POMC gene was kindly provided by Dr. Malcolm J. Low (Portland, OR). The ß-actin DECAprobe template was the 1.076-kb fragment of the mouse ß-actin gene.

RT-PCR
DNase I digestion of total RNA samples was followed by RT with Superscript I, performed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. "Hot-start" PCR with Ampliwax PCR Gem 100 and Taq DNA polymerase was performed on a GeneAmp PCR System 9600, using a final MgCl2 concentration of 1.5 mM. Each PCR reaction consisted of an initial denaturation step (94 C, 3 min), followed by 40 cycles (denaturation 94 C, 30 sec; annealing 58 C, 30 sec; extension 72 C, 45 sec) and a single elongation step at 72 C for 10 min. DMSO at a final concentration of 5% was added, when appropriate.

A 588-nt fragment of the murine IL-11R cDNA (nt 304–891, GenBank Accession UU14412), spanning exon 4 to exon 9 was generated with a primer pair, common to the murine IL-11R {alpha} and IL-11R {alpha}2 locus. Specific cDNA fragments of the murine IL-11R {alpha} isoform (nt 23–535, GenBank Accession U14412) and the murine IL-1R {alpha}2 isoform (nt 281–792, GenBank Accession U69491) were obtained by using different specific sense primers in the untranslated 5'-messenger RNA (mRNA) region of each receptor locus and a common antisense primer, recognizing both loci. A 565-nt fragment of the murine IL-11 cDNA (nt 200–764, GenBank Accession U03421) was created with specific primers, using an annealing temperature of 60 C.

Specific primers for the human IL-11R resulted in a 710 nt cDNA fragment (nt 191–901, GenBank Accession U32324), spanning exon 3 to exon 9. A primer pair in exon 5 of the human IL-11 gene was used to amplify a 322 nt PCR product (nt 709-1030, GenBank Accession M57765). All primer sequences are shown in Table 1Go.


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Table 1. Sequence of primers used for RT-PCR

 
POMC promoter luciferase assay
Transient transfection of AtT-20 cells with a -706/+64 rat POMC promoter-luciferase construct (0.5 µg) and measurement of luciferase activity were performed as described (27). Briefly, cells were plated at a density of 1 x105 cells/well, incubated for 24 h, and transfection then performed with Lipofectamine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfected cells were incubated for 24 h before testing, followed by 6 h of treatment and subsequent measurement of POMC promoter activity. The relative increase of untreated vs. stimulated POMC promoter activity was calculated.

Hormone assays and statistical analysis
Statistical analysis was performed by unpaired t test. All values are mean ± SE.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
IL-11 and IL-11 receptor mRNA expression in the murine pituitary and murine AtT-20 cells
Using common primers for both isoforms of the murine IL-11 receptor, IL-11R {alpha} and IL-11R {alpha}2, an expected band of 588 nt was detected by RT-PCR in total RNA derived from testis (positive control), pituitary and corticotroph AtT-20 cells (Fig. 1AGo, lane 1). Restriction enzyme digestion with NcoI resulted in expected fragments of 288 and 300 nt length. To discriminate between the two receptor isoforms, sense primers specific for the different untranslated 5'-regions of each receptor isoform were used together with a common antisense primer in the highly homologous coding sequence of both isoforms. Expected bands of 512/511 nt for the IL-11R {alpha} (Fig. 1AGo, lane 2) and IL-11R {alpha}2 (Fig. 1AGo, lane 3) isoform, were observed in testis and pituitary, respectively. In contrast, in AtT-20 cells only IL-11R {alpha}, but not IL-11R {alpha}2 mRNA was detected. Restriction enzyme digestion with MspI resulted in expected fragments of 169/168 and 343 nt length, respectively. Although all primer pairs were chosen to span several exons, RT negative controls of each sample were run in every PCR and did not yield a product (data not shown). Northern blot analysis of 25 µg total RNA from different tissues was performed with a PCR-created probe spanning exon 5 to 9 of the murine IL-11R, detecting both receptor isoforms. IL-11R mRNA was detectable by Northern blot in all examined tissues; however, the level of expression varied widely (Fig. 1BGo). When testing the tissue components of the HPA axis, pituitary and adrenal showed abundant IL-11R mRNA expression, whereas hypothalamic IL-11R mRNA expression was less marked. IL-11R mRNA expression was also detectable by Northern blot in corticotroph AtT-20 cells, although with lower abundance, than in the normal pituitary (Fig. 1BGo).



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Figure 1. Expression of IL-11 and IL-11 receptor mRNA in murine hypothalamus, pituitary, and corticotrophic AtT-20 cells. A, RT-PCR was performed with RNA derived from testis (positive control), pituitary and AtT-20 cells. RT-PCR using a common primer pair for the IL-11R {alpha} and IL-11R {alpha}2 locus, created a 588 nt product (lanes 1). Restriction enzyme digestion was performed with NcoI. RT-PCR with specific primer pairs for the IL-11R {alpha} (lanes 2) and IL-11R {alpha}2 locus (lanes 3), created products of 512 and 511 nt, respectively. Restriction enzyme digestion was performed with MspI. B, Northern blot analysis of multiple tissues was performed with 25 µg total RNA per lane. Lanes are as follows: spleen (1 ), thymus (2 ), lung (3 ), liver (4 ), kidney (5 ), testis (6 ), adrenal (7 ), brain cortex (8 ), hypothalamus (9 ), pituitary (10 ), corticotrophic AtT-20 cells (11 ).Top, IL-11 receptor mRNA; bottom, ß-actin mRNA. C, A 565-nt fragment of the murine IL-11 cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR. PCR was performed with RNA derived from testis (positive control), hypothalamus, pituitary and AtT-20 cells, including samples with (RT+) and without (RT-) previous RT. Restriction enzyme digestion was performed with ApaI.

 
RT-PCR with specific primers for the murine IL-11 gene resulted in an expected band of 565 nt in cDNA derived from murine testis (positive control), hypothalamus, pituitary and corticotroph AtT-20 cells (Fig. 1CGo). Restriction enzyme digestion with ApaI resulted in expected fragments of 228 and 337 nt length.

IL-11 and IL-11 receptor mRNA expression in the normal human pituitary and pituitary adenomas
Using RT-PCR, gene expression of human IL-11R and IL-11 was detected in total RNA derived from normal pituitaries (n = 3), corticotrophic adenomas (n = 2), and nonfunctioning adenomas (n = 2) (Fig. 2Go, A and B). Specific primers for the human IL-11R amplified an expected product of 710 nt. Restriction enzyme digestion with BamHI resulted in fragments of 388 and 322 nt length (Fig. 2AGo). Specific primers for human IL-11 amplified an expected product of 322 nt. IL-11 expression was barely detectable after 40 PCR cycles, with the exception of the second corticotroph adenoma, which showed a stronger band. Restriction enzyme digestion with BglII resulted in fragments of 256 and 66 nt length (Fig. 2BGo). RT negative controls for each sample did not reveal a PCR product.



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Figure 2. Expression of IL-11 and IL-11 receptor mRNA in human pituitaries and pituitary adenomas. A, A 710-nt fragment of the human IL-11 receptor cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR. PCR was performed in samples with (RT +) and without (RT -) previous RT. Restriction enzyme digestion was performed with BamHI. B, A 322-nt fragment of the human IL-11 cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR. Restriction enzyme digestion was performed with BglII. (Fig. 2Go, A and B). Tissues are designated as follows: normal pituitary (NP), corticotrophic adenoma (CA), nonfunctioning adenoma (NF).

 
IL-11-induced ACTH secretion and POMC gene expression in AtT-20 cells
ACTH secretion was stimulated 1.2 ± 0.07 (P < 0.05) and 1.4 ± 0.11-fold (P < 0.01) by incubation with 10-10 and 10-9 M IL-11, whereas 10-11 M IL-11 had no significant effect on ACTH levels (Fig. 3Go). In comparison to IL-11, LIF was a more potent stimulus of ACTH secretion from AtT-20 cells. At concentrations from 10-11 to 10-9 M LIF induced ACTH secretion 1.4 ± 0.11, 1.6 ± 0.11 and 1.5 ± 0.06-fold, respectively (Fig. 3Go). At equimolar concentrations of 10-11 M (P < 0.05) and 10-10 M (P < 0.01), LIF induced significantly higher concentrations of ACTH in comparison to IL-11. Coincubation of LIF with IL-11 at the maximal concentration of 10-9 M resulted in higher ACTH levels than LIF alone (P < 0.05) (Fig. 3Go). However, this apparent interaction of LIF and IL-11 on ACTH secretion might also be accounted for by the slightly lower-fold stimulation of ACTH by LIF alone.



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Figure 3. Effect of IL-11 on ACTH secretion in AtT-20 cells. Cells were treated with 10-11 M, 10-10 M, and 10-9 M of IL-11 and LIF, either alone or in combination, for 24 h. Basal ACTH secretion of AtT-20 cells during 24 h in the untreated control group was 1400 ± 150 pg/ml. Stimulated ACTH secretion was normalized to the untreated control. Data shown are the mean values of five independently performed experiments with six wells per treatment group. Asterisks indicate significance vs. untreated control: *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001.

 
Stimulation of AtT-20 cells for 24 h with IL-11 (0.5 x 10-9 M) caused a 1.5 ± 0.18-fold (P < 0.05) increase of POMC mRNA, in comparison to untreated control (Fig. 4Go). Similarly, LIF (0.5 x 10-9 M) or the combination of IL-11 and LIF (0.5 x 10-9 M, each) caused a 1.7 ± 0.013 (P < 0.01) and 1.8 ± 0.16-fold (P < 0.01) increase of POMC mRNA, respectively (Fig. 4Go).



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Figure 4. Effect of IL-11 on POMC mRNA expression in AtT-20 cells. Cells were treated with IL-11 (0.5 x 10-9 M), alone, or in combination with LIF (0.5 x 10-9 M). A, Northern blot signals for POMC were analyzed by quantitative densitometry and normalized for ß-actin. The relative increase of POMC mRNA was calculated from four independently performed experiments. Asterisks indicate significance vs. untreated control: *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01. B, Northern blot analysis was performed with 5 µg total RNA per lane; shown is a representative experiment. Top, POMC mRNA; bottom, ß-actin mRNA.

 
POMC promoter activity was assayed using a -706/+64 rat POMC promoter-luciferase construct in three independently performed experiments. IL-11 (0.5 x 10-9 M) stimulated POMC promoter activity 1.9 ± 0.06-fold in comparison to control (P < 0.001) (Fig. 5Go). LIF (0.5 x 10-9 M) and Bu2cAMP (5 mM) caused an 3.7 ± 0.15 and 7.1 ± 0.52-fold increase of POMC promoter activity, respectively (P < 0.001). POMC promoter activity was stimulated in an additive manner by LIF plus IL-11 to 4.5 ± 0.16-fold vs. control (P < 0.001 vs. LIF alone). Bu2cAMP plus IL-11 resulted in a synergistic stimulation of POMC promoter activity to 11.7 ± 0.71-fold vs. control (P < 0.001 vs. Bu2cAMP alone) (Fig. 5Go).



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Figure 5. Effect of IL-11 on POMC promoter activity in AtT-20 cells. Luciferase activity of a (-706/+64) rat POMC promoter-luciferase construct was measured in AtT-20 cells. Cells were treated with IL-11 (0.5 x 10-9 M), alone, or in combination with LIF (0.5 x 10-9 M) and Bu2cAMP (5 mM). Stimulated luciferase activity was normalized to the untreated control. Relative induction of luciferase activity after stimulation was calculated from three independently performed experiments. Each experiment was performed with n = 4 wells per group. Asterisks indicate significance vs. untreated control; ***, P < 0.001.

 
IL-11-induced SOCS-3 gene expression and SOCS-3 mediated feedback on ACTH secretion
Incubation of AtT-20 cells with IL-11 (0.5 x 10-9 M and 0.5 x 10-9 M) caused an increase in SOCS-3 mRNA, peaking at 60 min. Whereas 0.5 x 10-1 M IL-11 showed only a modest effect, 0.5 x 10-9 M IL-11 maximally stimulated SOCS-3 mRNA levels 3.5-fold over control (Fig. 6Go). A lower concentration of IL-11 (0.5 x 10-11 M) had no significant effect on SOCS-3 expression (data not shown).



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Figure 6. Effect of IL-11 on SOCS-3 expression in AtT-20 cells. AtT-20 cells were treated with 0.5 x 10-10 M and 0.5 x 10-9 M IL-11 for 30, 60, and 120 min. Northern blot analysis was performed with 20 µg total RNA per lane. Top, SOCS-3 mRNA; bottom, ß-actin mRNA.

 
Stable overexpression of SOCS-3 in AtT-20 cells (AtT-20S) resulted in inhibition of IL-11 induced ACTH secretion, in comparison to mock-transfected AtT-20 cells (AtT-20M) (Fig. 7Go). IL-11 alone (10-9 M) stimulated ACTH levels 1.5 ± 0.09-fold in AtT-20M cells, whereas in AtT-20S cells there was only an increase to 1.1 ± 0.04-fold over control (P < 0.01 AtT-20M vs. AtT-20S). In contrast, Bu2cAMP (2.5 mM) significantly increased ACTH levels in both, AtT-20M and AtT-20S cells, to a similar extent (1.5 ± 0.12 and 1.4 ± 0.06-fold). In comparison to Bu2cAMP alone, incubation of cells with Bu2cAMP plus IL-11 resulted in enhanced induction of ACTH secretion in AtT-20M cells (2.1 ± 0.21-fold; P < 0.05) but not in AtT-20S cells (1.6 ± 0.06; n.s.) (Fig. 7Go).



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Figure 7. Effect of SOCS-3 overexpression in AtT-20 cells on IL-11 and Bu2cAMP induced ACTH secretion. Three separate individual clones of SOCS-3 overexpressing AtT-20 cells (AtT-20S) and mock-transfected AtT-20 cells (AtT-20M) were stimulated with 10-9 M IL-11 and 2.5 mM Bu2cAMP for 24 h. Shown is the average relative ACTH increase of all clones in three independently performed experiments; each experiment was performed with six wells per clone and treatment group. Asterisks indicate significance vs. untreated control; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
These results demonstrate IL-11 and IL-11R gene expression in murine hypothalamus, pituitary, and corticotroph AtT-20 cells. Expression of IL-11 mRNA in murine hypothalamus, pituitary, and AtT-20 cells was demonstrated by RT-PCR (Fig. 1CGo). Expression of mIL-11 mRNA has been found to be very low in most other tissues examined and not detectable by Northern blot analysis or RNase protection assay (7, 10, 33). Using Northern blot analysis, we found an expected 1.8-kb transcript for mIL-11R mRNA (34) in hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal (Fig. 1BGo). mIL-11R mRNA was abundantly expressed in murine hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal, and to a lesser extent also in AtT-20 cells. Two distinct loci for the mIL-11R, mIL-11R {alpha} and mIL-11R {alpha}2 show 99% nucleotide identity of the coding sequence spanning exon 2 to 13 (12, 13, 34). Receptors expressed by both mIL-11R gene loci have been found to have similar binding properties for mIL-11 (13), whereas the functional properties of the mIL-11R{alpha}2 are not yet characterized (13). Our 588-nt probe spanning exon 4 to 9 did not distinguish the two different receptor loci in Northern blot analysis. We discriminated mIL-11R {alpha} and mIL-11R {alpha}2 gene expression by RT-PCR, using different sense primers, located in the specific 5'-untranslated region of each locus, namely the untranslated exon 1a of mIL-11R {alpha} (nt 23–43, GenBank Accession X94162) and untranslated part of exon 2 of mIL-11R {alpha}2 (nt 3461–3480, GenBank Accession no. U69492), respectively. The mIL-11R {alpha} locus itself encodes two different transcripts, mIL-11R {alpha}a and mIL-11R {alpha}b, caused by different splicing of untranslated exons 1a and 1b to exon 2 (13, 34). mIL-11R {alpha}b might only be expressed in embryonic tissues, whereas mIL-11R {alpha}a is the transcript form present in adult tissues (34). The antisense primer, common for the mIL-11R {alpha} and mIL-11R {alpha}2 locus, was specific for a sequence overlapping exon 6/7 junction of both mIL-11R loci (nt 4825–4833/4941–4952, GenBank Accession X95162; NT 749–757/836–847, GenBank Accession X94158), respectively. Using this approach, in the pituitary of C57BL6 mice mIL-11R {alpha} and mIL-11R {alpha}2 gene expression was detected. In contrast, in the corticotroph cell line AtT-20, only mIL-11R {alpha}, but not mIL-11R {alpha}2 gene expression, could be shown (Fig. 1BGo). As the mIL-11R {alpha}2 locus is not present in all mouse strains (34), the lack of mIL-11R {alpha}2 gene expression in AtT-20 cells might be caused by strain differences. Another possibility would be that corticotroph cells express only the mIL-11R {alpha} gene, whereas other cells account for pituitary mIL-11R {alpha}2 gene expression.

Using RT-PCR, we also demonstrated IL-11 and IL-11R gene expression in human normal pituitaries, as well as in corticotroph and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (Fig. 2Go). These findings are in accordance with a recent preliminary study (35), also reporting IL-11 and IL-11R mRNA expression in normal human pituitaries and corticotroph adenomas. As we also found nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas to be positive for IL-11 and IL-11R mRNA, the corticotroph cell seems not to be the only pituitary cell expressing IL-11 and its receptor. By immunohistochemistry, we previously have observed a widespread expression of LIF and its receptor in the human fetal pituitary, although most frequently expressed in corticotroph and somatotroph cells (22). Further studies using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry are requested to reveal, whether a similar expression pattern is also present for IL-11 and its receptor in the human pituitary.

In the murine corticotroph cell line AtT-20, we found that IL-11 stimulates ACTH secretion, POMC gene expression, and POMC promoter activity. IL-11 stimulated ACTH secretion alone and in modest synergy with Bu2cAMP (Figs. 3Go and 7Go). Similarly, LIF induces ACTH secretion alone and in synergy with CRH (36). While these data are highly suggestive of a synergistic effect between IL-11 and cAMP on ACTH secretion, a partial action of Bu2cAMP being mediated by butyrate rather than the cAMP component cannot be totally excluded. Coincubation of IL-11 with LIF showed a modestly induced ACTH secretion and POMC gene expression in comparison to LIF alone. As both cytokines act through the common gp130 receptor subunit, LIF and IL-11 might compete for gp130 after ligand binding of either cytokine to its respective receptor. This assumption might be the limiting step, preventing a pronounced additive effect of IL-11 with LIF. Comparing the potency of IL-11 and LIF as stimulators of ACTH secretion in vitro, IL-11 appears less effective than LIF. While the lowest concentration of IL-11, which significantly induced ACTH secretion in vitro was about 10-10 M, LIF was also effective at lower concentrations. During incubation with equimolar concentrations of either cytokine, LIF appeared to be a more potent stimulator of the corticotroph cell in comparison to IL-11. Systemic injection of IL-11 synergistically stimulates IL-1 induced corticosterone levels in mice in vivo (32). Only limited information on serum levels of IL-11 in inflammation and sepsis are available (37, 38). IL-11 serum levels have been reported to be nondetectable in patients with different rheumatic diseases (37). In patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation and sepsis, about 66% showed measurable IL-11 serum levels with a mean value of 20 pg/ml (38). Based on these limited number of studies (37, 38), circulating IL-11 seems not to be widely regulated by inflammatory disease states. However, numerous studies have demonstrated local expression of IL-11 to be stimulated by the inflammatory cytokine IL-1 in various cell types (for review, see Ref. 2). We have previously shown local LIF gene expression in the pituitary in vivo to be stimulated by lipopolysaccharide endotoxin (23) and IL-1ß (24), suggesting that IL-6 cytokine family members are important auto/paracrine mediators of HPA axis activation in response to inflammatory stimuli. Using Northern blot technique, we could not detect a signal for IL-11 in untreated and IL-1ß stimulated AtT-20 cells (data not shown), although IL-11 mRNA was detectable in AtT-20 cells by RT-PCR (Fig. 1CGo). As the expression level of IL-11 mRNA is very low in most tissues (7, 10, 33), further studies using RNase protection assay or semiquantitative PCR should evaluate a possible local regulation of IL-11 gene expression in hypothalamus or pituitary. While our results were obtained using the corticotroph AtT-20 cell line, studies using primary cell culture models might provide additional insight into the role of IL-11 in pituitary function and help understand its physiological relevance.

A family of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins has been recently described (39, 40, 41). Expression of SOCS proteins is inducible by different cytokines and SOCS-1 has been shown to block the Jak-STAT signaling cascade by inhibiting the enzymatic activity of JAK kinases (39, 40, 41). Recently, we showed pituitary SOCS-3 expression to be stimulated by LIF, and SOCS-3 acting as a negative feedback regulator for LIF-induced ACTH secretion and POMC gene expression, by inhibiting gp130 and Stat-3 phosphorylation (27). Herein, we now show IL-11 to stimulate SOCS-3 gene expression in corticotroph AtT-20 cells (Fig. 6Go). Similar to the effects observed on ACTH secretion and POMC expression, on an equimolar basis, IL-11 was less potent than LIF in stimulating SOCS-3 (data not shown). Overexpression of SOCS-3 in AtT-20 cells resulted in significant inhibition of IL-11 stimulated ACTH secretion (Fig. 7Go). This finding is compatible with the known signaling mechanism of IL-11 in other cell systems, involving gp130 phosphorylation, and Jak/STAT activation (1, 2, 11, 14, 42).

In summary, we have found IL-11 and IL-11 receptor mRNA to be expressed in murine hypothalamus, pituitary, and the corticotroph cell line AtT-20. Expression of IL-11 and IL-11 receptor mRNA could also be demonstrated by RT-PCR in human normal pituitaries, as well as corticotrophic and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. We have shown for the first time that IL-11 stimulates ACTH secretion, POMC gene expression, and POMC promoter activity in AtT-20 cells. Furthermore, IL-11 induces gene expression of SOCS-3 in AtT-20 cells, whereas SOCS-3 exerts an inhibitory effect on IL-11 induced ACTH secretion, indicating a negative regulatory feedback mechanism of SOCS-3 on IL-11 signaling. In comparison to LIF, IL-11 appears to be a less potent stimulator of the corticotroph cell in vitro. Further studies, using in vivo and primary in vitro models, are requested to evaluate the physiological role of IL-11 in HPA axis regulation. As IL-11 affects the HPA axis similarly to LIF, these results provide further evidence for a redundant cytokine network in the neuro-immuno-endocrine regulation of the HPA axis.


    Footnotes
 
1 This study was supported by a scholarship of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Au 139/1–1) and by NIH Grant DK-50238. Back

Received July 21, 1998.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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