Somatostatin stimulates phosphodiesterase in rat anterior pituitary and brain, and GH4C1 cells.

Somatostatin administration to female rats increased the activity of calmodulin-dependent soluble phosphodiesterase, both in pituitary and brain. This effect was also seen in homogenates of GH4C1 cells pretreated with the hormone. When assayed in the presence of EGTA no differences in rat brain and pituitary phosphodiesterase were observed between controls and somatostatin-treated, but when assayed in the presence of calcium or calcium plus calmodulin a clear increase in the activity of the enzyme was detected. In GH4C1 homogenates prepared from somatostatin-pretreated cells there was an increase in phosphodiesterase activity assayed in the presence of EGTA vs non-treated controls, which was more clear when assayed in the presence of calcium or calcium plus calmodulin. These observations suggest that somatostatin effects derive, at least in part, from increased cyclic nucleotide degradation.