The relationship between drugs elevating intracellular cAMP levels and gonadotropin (GTH)-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the stimulation of GTH secretion in the goldfish was investigated using dispersed goldfish pituitary cells in primary culture. In static incubation experiments, activation of adenylyl cyclase by forskolin and the inhibition of cAMP phosphodiesterase by 3 isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) increased cAMP release and stimulated GTH secretion. The addition of membrane permeant cAMP analogs, 8-bromoadenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (8Br-cAMP), and dibutyryl cAMP also increased GTH release, suggesting that elevation of cAMP levels can induce GTH secretion. In the goldfish, dopamine is a physiological inhibitor of GTH release. Application of the dopamine agonist apomorphine decreased the GTH responses to forskolin, 8Br-cAMP, and salmon GTH-releasing hormone (sGnRH). The ability of agents that elevate cAMP levels to mimic GnRH action on GTH release suggests that cAMP may mediate GnRH-stimulated GTH secretion in the goldfish; however, this possibility was not substantiated by results from further experiments. In 2-hr static incubation studies, the GTH responses to sGnRH and chicken GnRH-II (cGnRH-II) were enhanced by coincubations with forskolin, IBMX, and 8Br-cAMP. The magnitudes of these enhancements were at least additive, if not synergistic. The levels of cAMP released into the media were unaffected by treatment with sGnRH and cGnRH-II, either in the absence or in the presence of IBMX. Replacement of normal testing media with Ca(2+)-deficient media (without Ca2+ salts and in the presence of 0.1 mM EGTA) decreased sGnRH and cGnRH-II stimulation of GTH release but did not affect forskolin and 8Br-cAMP actions. These results indicate that sGnRH and cGnRH-II stimulation of short term (less than or equal to 2-h) GTH release in the goldfish is not mediated by cAMP. The kinetics of the interactions between sGnRH, forskolin, and IBMX were also investigated in cell column perifusion studies. Applications of 5-min pulses of forskolin and IBMX stimulated rapid increases in GTH release; the latencies of these responses were similar to that observed with sGnRH. The simultaneous applications of sGnRH with either forskolin or IBMX resulted in GTH responses that were of greater magnitude and longer duration than those in response to sGnRH alone. These results together indicate that elevation of cAMP levels can potentiate the GTH response to the native GnRHs by increasing the magnitude of the acute GTH release and by prolonging the duration of GnRH action; however, cAMP does not appear to be involved directly in mediating GnRH stimulation of GTH release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)