Effect of gastrin receptor blockade on gastrin and histidine decarboxylase gene expression in rats during achlorhydria

Rat stomach ECL cells: mode of activation of histidine decarboxylase

Histidine decarboxylase (HDC) occurs in ECL cells in the oxyntic mucosa of rat stomach. It is activated by gastrin. Refeeding of fasted rats or treatment with the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole promptly raised the serum gastrin concentration and consequently the HDC activity and the HDC protein content of the oxyntic mucosa. The food- and omeprazole-induced increase in HDC mRNA expression in the oxyntic mucosa was modest by comparison. Blockade of translation (cycloheximide) but not transcription (actinomycin D) prevented the postprandial rise in HDC activity. The half-life of HDC activity (after blockade of translation) was 94 min in omeprazole-treated rats and 55 min in fasted controls. The rate of enzyme synthesis was estimated to be 15 times higher in omeprazole-treated rats than in fasted controls. Inhibition of histamine uptake into ECL-cell granules by reserpine, a blocker of the vesicular monoamine transporter type-2, lowered the HDC activity and prevented the gastrin-induced HDC activation. We suggest that HDC activation reflects enhanced transcription, translation and/or posttranslational enzyme activation as well as stabilization, and that a high cytosolic histamine concentration suppresses HDC activation.

New molecular aspects in the diagnosis and therapy of neuroendocrine tumors of the gastroenteropancreatic system

The nature and biology of neuroendocrine cells and of tumors derived therefrom have been the subject of intense research using cell biological and molecular approaches. Diagnostic procedures for establishing the diagnosis of a neuroendocrine tumor have been improved through the development of new serological markers and imaging procedures. Histopathological diagnosis has been refined by the introduction of a broad spectrum of marker proteins for different subtypes of neuroendocrine neoplasms. The high receptor specificity of somatostatin analogues such as octreotide or lanreotide has made these drugs valuable tools in diagnosis and therapy, and some of the achievements made as well as future directions are reviewed in this article. Another substance in use for therapy of neuroendocrine tumors is interferon-a, whose signal transduction mechanism has been investigated considerably during the past several years. In addition to biotherapy with somatostatin analogues and/or interferon-a, chemotherapy is an accepted strategy in the treatment of advanced neuroendocrine tumor disease derived from the foregut. In this context, streptozotocin has caught some attention due to its somewhat selective toxicity against neuroendocrine tumor cells. Some recent studies on the role of the glucose transporter isoform GLUT2 may provide insight into streptozotocin's action. The multiple endocrine neoplasia type-1 gene has recently been cloned, sequenced and identified as a gene potentially involved in the development of the familial cancer syndrome of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1). Mutations of this putative tumor suppressor gene have been described, and the abundance of mutations in MEN-1-related tumors as well as sporadic neuroendocrine tumors at MEN-1 locations have been demonstrated. Whether determination of MEN-1 mutations will be valuable for clinical routine is under investigation.

Divergent proliferative responses to a gastrin receptor ligand in synchronized and unsynchronized rat pancreatic AR42J tumour cells

Depending upon experimental model, the CCK-B/gastrin receptor ligand CI-988 exhibits either agonist or antagonist activity. To confirm that CI-988 behaves as an antagonist toward gastrin-stimulated growth, its effects on cell proliferation were investigated in unsynchronized and synchronized AR42J rat pancreatic tumour cells. In unsynchronized cultures CI-988 alone had no effect, but inhibited gastrin-stimulated cell proliferation. In contrast, in synchronized cultures, CI-988 stimulated cell proliferation. Similarly, CI-988 inhibited gastrin-stimulated cAMP production in unsynchronized cells, but stimulated cAMP formation in synchronized cultures. Therefore, CI-988 stimulation of cAMP production and proliferation in AR42J cell cultures appears to be cell cycle-dependent. CI-988 inhibited gastrin-stimulated intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) mobilization in both populations and thus acted as an antagonist toward this pathway. Because CCK receptor densities and affinities were similar in both cell populations, the data suggest that CI-988's divergent effects on cell proliferation are governed by postreceptor signalling events which vary with cell cycle.

Gastric effects of the CCK-B/gastrin receptor ligand CI-988 in cynomolgus monkeys

We have previously demonstrated that the CCK-B/gastrin receptor ligand CI-988 induces gastric gland degeneration and atrophy in cynomolgus monkeys, an effect consistent with gastrin receptor antagonism and inhibition of gastrin's trophic effects on oxyntic mucosa. However, gastrin receptor ligands of the dipeptoid chemical series to which CI-988 belongs have been reported to act as agonists or antagonists towards gastrin-related events, depending on the animal model and the functional endpoint examined. To investigate further these apparently conflicting data, basal gastric acid secretion was monitored acutely in conscious monkeys given CI-988 orally at 10 mg/kg or intravenously at 0.01 mumol/kg/hr and histological changes in gastric mucosa were evaluated in monkeys given CI-988 orally at 5, 25 or 75 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks. Degeneration and atrophy of gastric glands occurred at 25 and 75 mg/kg with statistically significant decrements in gastric mucosal height at 75 mg/kg. In addition, CI-988 stimulated gastric acid secretion when given either orally or intravenously. Co-administration of the structurally unrelated CCK-B/gastrin antagonist L-365,260 completely blocked CI-988-stimulated acid secretion, confirming that CI-988's agonist effect on acid secretion is mediated by the gastrin receptor. Assuming that gastric mucosal degeneration is the result of inhibition of gastrin's trophic activity, CI-988 appears to induce paradoxical agonist and antagonist gastrin-receptor mediated effects.

Transient transcriptional activation of gastrin during sodium butyrate-induced differentiation of islet cells

Transient expression of pancreatic gastrin corresponds to a period of rapid islet cell development. After birth gastrin expression silencing is coincidental with islet cell terminal differentiation, while persistent expression is accompanied with nesidioblastosis and reexpression observed in islet cell tumors. Experiments with transgenic animals suggested that gastrin might act synergistically with growth factors to stimulate islet cell development. The present study intended to establish an in vitro cell culture model to analyse the molecular events controlling gastrin gene activation and repression dependent on islet cell differentiation. Sodium butyrate, a proliferation-arresting compound has previously been shown to differentiate insulinoma cells while increasing insulin production. The present paper demonstrates concomitant transient increase in gastrin mRNA, intracellular and secreted gastrin during sodium butyrate treatment. Increased gastrin expression was due to activation or derepression of gastrin promoter activity as revealed by promoter analyses. This in vitro model mimics the expression pattern of gastrin and insulin observed during fetal islet cell development and provides an excellent tool to analyse the molecular mechanisms controlling gastrin gene activation and selective repression during islet cell differentiation.

Evaluation of biologic gastrin activity of compound CI-988 in the isolated, vascularly perfused rat stomach

BACKGROUND

The peptoid CI-988 has previously been shown to have high affinity for the cholecystokinin (CCK)-B/gastrin receptor and has been reported to be a powerful CCK antagonist in many systems, although it has agonist activity on histidine decarboxylase in the rat.

METHODS

In the present study the effect of CI-988 on acid secretion and histamine release in the totally isolated, vascularly perfused rat stomach was assessed.

RESULTS

CI-988 was found to be a gastrin agonist with regard to the stimulation of both histamine release and acid secretion.

CONCLUSION

Thus, in this stomach model CI-988 behaved as a CCKB/gastrin agonist. The present study underlines the importance of testing the biologic activity of ligands in models with sufficient sensitivity.