Cultured pituicytes, derived from the neurohypophysis of adult rats, have previously been reported to change from a non-stellate form to a stellate form when incubated in medium containing a beta-adrenoreceptor agonist. This study was designed to determine whether the same morphological change could be induced by direct activation of adenylate cyclase or of soluble guanylate cyclase. The fraction of stellate cells was normally low (< 0.25) when the pituicytes were incubated (90 min) in a HEPES buffered salt solution (HBSS); most pituicytes had an amorphous protoplasmic appearance. The fraction of stellate cells was significantly increased when pituicytes were incubated in HBSS supplemented with isoproterenol (10 microM) or forskolin (5 microM) or with either of the nitric oxide donors nitroprusside (10-25 microM) and 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1; 10 microM). The effect of forskolin was mimicked by 8-bromo cyclic AMP, a membrane permeable analog of cyclic AMP, but not by the inactive forskolin analog 1, 9 dideoxyforskolin. The effect of nitroprusside was blocked by methylene blue, an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase, and was mimicked by 8-bromo cyclic GMP, a membrane permeable analog of cyclic GMP. These results demonstrate that activation of adenylate cyclase and also of soluble guanylate cyclase can induce pituicytes to undergo morphological changes in vitro. The data suggest that the activity of both enzymes may be important in control of the plastic relationship that exists between neuronal and glial elements in the neurohypophysis in vivo.

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Activation of adenylate cyclase induces cultured neurohypophysial astrocytes (pituicytes) to change from a protoplasmic, nonstellate form to a stellate form. Stellation is inhibited and reversed (destellation) by serum. The objective of the present studies was to examine the roles of Ca2+ and tyrosine phosphorylation in mediating these morphological changes. The effects of forskolin (to induce stellation) and serum (to inhibit and reverse stellation) were not affected by replacement of Ca2+ with Co2+ in the medium or by treatment of cultures with thapsigargin. However, genistein, a specific inhibitor of tyrosine kinase(s), significantly reduced the effect of serum on forskolin-induced stellation. Also, dephostatin, a specific inhibitor of tyrosine phosphatase, inhibited forskolin-induced stellation. In contrast, genistein did not have a dramatic effect on serum-induced destellation. The data demonstrate that morphological changes exhibited by cultured pituicytes are independent of Ca2+ but may be modulated by the activity of tyrosine kinase(s) and phosphatase(s).

The morphological plasticity of astrocytes from the subfornical organ of the adult rat has been examined using an explant culture preparation. Astrocytes migrate out of the explant and form a monolayer of amorphous, non-stellate cells. This non-stellate form was maintained when cultures were incubated in a HEPES buffered salt solution (HBSS) for 50 minutes. The fraction of cells that was stellate in these cultures was significantly increased when cultures were incubated in HBSS supplemented with forskolin (5 microM; but not 1,9-dideoxyforskolin) or with nitroprusside (10-100 microM) indicating that elevation of intracellular cAMP or cGMP mediates stellation. The stellation responses induced by forskolin and by nitroprusside were blocked by inclusion of serum (0.5%) or of LY83,583 (10 microM), an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase, in the incubation medium. The relevance of the data to neuroglial plasticity in the subfornical organ in vivo is discussed.