Plasminogen activator production by parietal endoderm cells: Stimulation by a protein from pituitary

Abstract

It has been shown previously that dibutyryl cyclic AMP increases the production of plasminogen activator in mouse parietal endoderm cells. This fact suggested that the production of plasminogen activator by parietal endoderm cells may be under the control of a hormone acting via adenylate cyclase. We have cultured rat parietal endoderm cells in the absence of serum and show that they respond to dibutyryl cyclic AMP with an increase in plasminogen activator production and a change in morphology. We describe the existence of a compound from pituitary which is capable of stimulating plasminogen activator secretion in these cells. Relatively impure preparations of ovine and bovine TSH contain significant amounts of activity, whereas more highly purified preparations of TSH, and all other pituitary hormones tested, are inactive, indicating that the factor is not a known pituitary hormone. The active compound was characterized using ovine and bovine TSH as a source, and it is macromolecular and proteinaceous, and depends on protein synthesis for its effect. The stimulation is enhanced by methylisobutylxanthine, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, suggesting that the event is mediated by cyclic AMP. This observation leads to the prediction that the coaddition of dibutyryl cAMP and the active compound at nonsaturating concentrations should be additive. Instead, the stimulation is synergistic, and depends on the addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP first when the compounds are added sequentially. Finally, we show that mouse teratocarcinoma cells chemically induced to differentiate to a cell type indistinguishable from parietal endoderm respond to a source of the compound by increasing plasminogen activator production.