[Molecular forms of human growth hormone and prolactin, secreted by cultured pituitary tumor cells].

Functionally active cultures of human pituitary adenoma cells producing excessive amounts of the growth hormone (somatotropinomas), of prolactin (prolactinomas) or of the both hormones (mixed type adenomas) have been prepared and their secreted molecular forms studied. SDS-PAAG electrophoresis combined with immunoblotting making use of poly- and monoclonal antibodies revealed that the growth hormone and prolactin are secreted by adenoma cells in several molecular forms typical of normal human pituitary. The major form secreted by the growth hormone is 22K; the minor forms are 20K (the product of alternative splicing of pre-mRNA) and the split-off two-chain form 25K. The major form secreted by prolactin is 23K; the minor form is glycosylated 25K. No significant differences in the ratios of molecular forms of the hormones were found either under basal conditions of culturing or under the influence of the pituitary function regulators, somatostatin and thyroliberin. At the same time, the data obtained suggest that pituitary adenoma cells can secrete some amount of "abnormal" molecular forms of the hormones, e.g., immature products of postribosomal processing or large-sized immunoreactive fragments. Hence, pituitary adenoma cell cultures are an effective tool in biochemical and physiological studies of molecular forms of the human growth hormone and prolactin and of their secretion.