Stimulation of Growth Hormone Synthesis by Glucose in Islets of Langerhans Isolated from Transgenic Mice

To examine further the mechanism by which the synthesis of proteins translated on the rough endoplasmic reticulum is regulated in pancreatic beta-cells, the synthesis of growth hormone in islets from transgenic mice carrying the metallothionein-rat growth hormone gene fusion was studied. High glucose (17 mM) stimulated the synthesis and secretion of an apparently normally processed growth hormone. The stimulation of synthesis of growth hormone was less efficient than the stimulation of insulin synthesis in these islets, whereas the stimulation of release of labeled growth hormone paralleled that of insulin. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that signal recognition particle-mediated mechanism(s) may be involved in regulating the translational efficiency of secreted proteins in isolated islets (Welsh, M., Scherberg, N., Gilmore, R., and Steiner, D. F. (1986) Biochem. J. 235, 459-467). Furthermore, in the beta-cells, growth hormone follows the normal regulated pathway of secretory granule transport and exocytosis.