Thyrotropin releasing hormone action in pituitary cells. Protein kinase C-mediated effects on the epidermal growth factor receptor

Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) causes phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate hydrolysis to form inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. Since diacylglycerol activates protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme), this enzyme may be involved in mediating the physiological response to TRH. Activation of protein kinase C leads to phosphorylation of receptors for epidermal growth factor (EGF) and decreased EGF affinity. The present study examined the effect of TRH on EGF binding to intact GH4C1 rat pituitary tumor cells to test whether TRH activates protein kinase C. Cells were incubated with TRH at 37 degrees C and specific 125I-EGF binding was then measured at 4 degrees C. 125I-EGF binding was decreased by a 10-min treatment with 0.1-100 nM TRH to 30-40% of control in a dose-dependent manner. 125I-EGF binding was not altered if cells were incubated at 4 degrees C, although TRH receptors were saturated or in a variant pituitary cell line without TRH receptors. TRH (10 min at 37 degrees C) decreased EGF receptor affinity but caused little change in receptor density, 125I-EGF internalization, or degradation. When cells were incubated continuously with TRH, there was a recovery of 125I-EGF binding after 24 h. Incubation with the protein kinase C activating phorbol ester TPA caused an immediate (less than 10 min) profound (greater than 85%) decrease in 125I-EGF binding followed by partial recovery at 24 h. Maximally effective doses of TRH and TPA decreased EGF receptor affinity with half-times of 3 min. EGF treatment (5 min) caused an increase in the tyrosine phosphate content of several proteins; prior incubation with TRH resulted in a small decline in the EGF response. GH4C1 cells were incubated with 500 nM TPA for 24 h in order to down-regulate protein kinase C. Protein kinase C depletion was confirmed by immunoblots and the effects of TRH and TPA on 125I-EGF binding were tested. TRH and TPA were both much less effective in cells pretreated with phorbol esters. TRH increased cytoplasmic pH measured with an intracellularly trapped pH sensitive dye after mild acidification with nigericin. This TRH response is presumed to be the result of protein kinase C-mediated activation of the amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ exchanger and was blunted in protein kinase C-depleted cells. All of these results are consistent with the view that TRH acts rapidly in the intact cell to activate protein kinase C and that a consequence of this activation is EGF receptor phosphorylation and Na+/H+ exchanger activation.