ATAT1 is essential for regulation of homeostasis-retaining cellular responses in corticotrophs along hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

The production and secretion of adrenocorticotropin, a proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived hormone, by corticotrophs in the anterior pituitary, is regulated by corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and glucocorticoids. We have previously demonstrated that adrenalectomy induces α-tubulin N-acetyltransferase 1 (ATAT1) expression and α-tubulin acetylation in corticotrophs. However, the regulatory mechanism of ATAT1 expression and the function of acetylated microtubules in corticotrophs are unclear. Here, we analyze the effect of CRH or dexamethasone on Atat1 expression in the mouse corticotroph AtT20 cell line. The expression of Atat1 was increased by CRH and decreased by dexamethasone in AtT20 cells. We examined the effect of Atat1 knockdown on the expression of POMC-associated genes and the dexamethasone-induced nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, respectively. Atat1 knockdown resulted in a significant increase in the expression of ACTH-producing genes and decreased the dexamethasone-induced nuclear translocation of GR accompanied with a reduction in α-tubulin acetylation. Atat1 overexpression resulted in a significant increase in α-tubulin acetylation and the dexamethasone-induced nuclear translocation of GR. These results suggest that the acetylated microtubules function as the rail-line for the transportation of GR into the nucleus. We conclude that ATAT1 finely tunes the cellular responses of corticotrophs to hormonal stimulation through an intracellular feedback circuit.