Effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide on somatostatin and gastrin gene expression in rat antrum.

The ability of exogenous calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) to regulate gastric somatostatin and gastrin messenger RNA was studied in vitro in rat antral mucosal/submucosal tissues. Somatostatin and gastrin mRNA were quantified by Northern and dot blot hybridization and regulatory peptides were measured by radioimmunoassay. Incubation of antral tissues in the presence of CGRP [1 x 10(-7) M] for 60 min resulted in a reciprocal increase in somatostatin and a decrease in gastrin release: 214.7+/-28.5 vs. control of 81.7+/-5.9 pg somatostatin per gram of tissue and 2.2+/-0.3 vs. control of 5.5+/-0.7 ng gastrin per gram of tissue (P < 0.001). CGRP caused parallel changes in somatostatin and gastrin mRNA levels: somatostatin mRNA increased by 212% from 0.40+/-0.02 to 1.25+/-0.09 absorbance units (AU) (P < 0.001) and gastrin mRNA decreased by 73% from 0.55+/-0.08 to 0.15+/-0.02 AU (P < 0.001). Somatostatin monoclonal antibody prevented CGRP-mediated inhibition of both gastrin release and gastrin mRNA levels. In conclusion, CGRP is capable of modulating both the secretion and gene expression of regulatory peptides from antral G and D cells. Somatostatin immunoneutralization studies suggest that the actions of CGRP on gastrin release and gene expression are indirect and mediated through the paracrine influences of somatostatin.