Cerebellin enhances in vitro secretory activity of human adrenal gland

Cerebellin is a 16-amino acid peptide, originally isolated from rat cerebel lum, whose presence has been recently demonstrated in the human adrenal gla nds and especially in medullary chromaffin cells. Cerebellin concentration dependently increased basal catecholamine (norepinephrine and epinephrine) release by human adrenal slices, containing medullary chromaffin tissue, mi nimal and maximal effective concentrations being 10(-9) and 10(-7) mol/L. C erebellin (10(-7) mol/L) markedly enhanced cAMP release by adrenal slices, and the protein kinase A inhibitor H-89 (10(-5) mol/L) blocked catecholamin e response to cerebellin. Cerebellin did not affect basal steroid secretion of dispersed human adrenocortical cells, but it concentration dependently increased aldosterone and cortisol production by adrenal slices. Again mini mal and maximal effective concentrations were 10(-9) and 10(-7) mol/L. Aldo sterone and cortisol responses to 10(-7) mol/L cerebellin was suppressed by both the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist l-alprenolol (10(-6) mol/L) and H-89 (10(-5) mol/L). Collectively, the present findings allow us to conclude th at 1) cerebellin exerts a sizable secretagogue action on both cortex and me dulla of human adrenals; 2) the peptide directly stimulates catecholamine r elease via the adenylate cyclase/protein kinase A-dependent signaling pathw ay; and 3) the mechanism underlying the adrenocortical stimulatory effect o f cerebellin is indirect and probably involves the release of catecholamine s, which in turn, acting in a paracrine manner, enhance steroid-hormone sec retion.