Evidence for calcium mediation of gonadotropin releasing hormone action in the pituitary

Despite the relatively long time since the isolation, characterization, and complete chemical synthesis of the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), very little information has become available which has elucidated the manner by which this hormone evokes gonadotropin release from the pituitary. Recently, a line of evidence has developed which suggests that calcium (Ca²⁺) may play a central role in GnRH stimulation of gonadotropin release from cultured rat pituitary cells.