Direct action of parathyroid hormone-related peptide to enhance corticosterone production stimulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone in adrenocortical cells of hens

The presence of receptor for chicken parathyroid hormone-related peptide (cPTHrP) in the cortical cells of the adrenal gland of the hen was demonstrated by radioligand binding assays. When the cortical cells were incubated in vitro with chicken adrenocorticotropic hormone (cACTH) in the presence of cPTHrP, greater production of corticosterone was observed than when incubated with cACTH alone. The results suggest that PTHrP may act directly on the adrenocortical cells via its receptor binding and increase the response to ACTH for corticosterone secretion in the hen.