Molecular and cellular endocrinology
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Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. · Sep 1990
Acetylcholine stimulates cortisol secretion through the M3 muscarinic receptor linked to a polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C in bovine adrenal fasciculata/reticularis cells.
Zona fasciculata/reticularis (ZFR) cells, isolated from the bovine adrenal cortex, secreted cortisol in response to acetylcholine (AcCh). The response was present in freshly isolated cells and in cells maintained in primary culture, reaching a maximum after 48-72 h and thereafter declining. Cells maintained in primary culture for 72 h secreted cortisol with an ED50 at 1.2 x 10(-6) M. ⋯ These observations indicate that AcCh promotes rapid activation of a Ca2(+)-independent and polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C, and that the Ins(1,4,5)P3 formed releases Ca2+ from an intracellular pool. The stimulation by AcCh of this signal transduction mechanism is consistent with our conclusion, based on the effects of the selective muscarinic agonist and antagonist on cortisol secretion, that the AcCh receptor is of the M3 subtype. We conclude that AcCh, acting through an M3 receptor coupled to phospholipase C, regulates cortisol secretion at the cellular level in bovine adrenal ZFR cells.