TESTOSTERONE PRODUCTION BY ISOLATED RABBIT FOLLICLES IN THE PRESENCE OF LUTEINIZING HORMONE AND INHIBITORS OF STEROIDOGENIC ENZYMES

1976 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 637-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. V. YoungLai

ABSTRACT Rabbit ovarian follicles were incubated with luteinizing hormone (LH) and various inhibitors of steroidogenesis in order to determine what enzymes were necessary for testosterone production. Incubations were carried out in minimum Eagle's medium: normal rabbit serum: 95: 5 with medium being changed every 15 min and stored at −15° C until assayed for testosterone by radioimmunoassay. Inhibitors and LH were added at different times after the start of the incubations. Of the inhibitors tested only SU 10603, an inhibitor of the 17α-hydroxylase enzyme completely prevented the testosterone response to LH while aminoglutethimide (inhibitor of 20α-hydroxycholesterol dehydrogenase) and U 30870 (inhibitor of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase) only showed partial inhibition. These results suggest that cholesterol is an obligatory intermediate for the production of testosterone by rabbit ovarian follicles and that normal LH stimulated endocrine function can resume after treatment with inhibitors. The results are also in agreement with previous data using inhibitors of protein synthesis in the presence of LH.

1973 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 775-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward V. YoungLai

ABSTRACT Rabbit ovarian follicles obtained prior to and after mating and corpora lutea (24 h and 48 h post-coitus) were incubated with radioactive pregnenolone and progesterone to determine whether these substrates could serve as precursors of androgens and oestrogens. Incubations were carried out for 3 h in Hanks balanced salt solution: medium 199: normal rabbit serum: 55:30:15. Granulosa cells and corpora lutea converted pregnenolone to progesterone but no labelled oestrogens could be detected. Trace amounts of androgens were synthesized by the granulosa cells. Whole sliced follicles and theca formed progesterone from pregnenolone and androgens from both substrates. Oestradiol-17β was only synthesized by the whole sliced follicles and in one experiment by theca cells. Mating caused an increase in the 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase for pregnenolone and formation of testosterone but no oestrogens by the theca cells. These results indicate that both theca interna and granulosa cells are needed for oestrogen biosynthesis by rabbit follicles.


1975 ◽  
Vol 150 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
B A Cooke ◽  
F H Janszen ◽  
W F Clotscher ◽  
H J van der Molen

Luteinizing-hormone-stimulated testosterone biosynthesis was inhibited by cycloheximide during incubation of rat testis intersitial tissue in vitro and also by puromycin and cycloheximide during incubation of Leydig-cell preparations, but not by chloramphenicol. These results suggest that a protein regualtor(s) formed by cytoplasmic protein synthesis is involved in steroidogenesis in the rat testis. The specific effect of cycloheximide and puromycin on protein synthesis rather than on other non-specific processes is suggested by the inhibition of protein synthesis and steroidogenesis with different doses of the inhibitors and the lack of effect of cycloheximide on luteinizing-hormone-induced adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate production. Stimulation of testosterone production by luteinizing hormone during superfusion of interstitial tissue was detectable within 10-20 min and reached a maximum of 120 min, and thereafter slowly decreased. Cycloheximide added at maximum steroid production caused a rapid decrease in testosterone synthesis which followed first-order kinetics (half-life 13 min), thus indicating that the protein regulator(s) has a short half-life. No effect of cycloheximide, puromycin or chloramphenicol on testosterone production in the absence of added luteinizing hormone was found, suggesting that the basal production of testosterone is independent of protein synthesis.


Author(s):  
O. E. Bradfute

Maize rayado fino virus (MRFV) causes a severe disease of corn (Zea mays) in many locations throughout the neotropics and as far north as southern U.S. MRFV particles detected by direct electron microscopy of negatively stained sap from infected leaves are not necessarily distinguishable from many other small isometric viruses infecting plants (Fig. 1).Immunosorbent trapping of virus particles on antibody-coated grids and the antibody coating or decoration of trapped virus particles, was used to confirm the identification of MRFV. Antiserum to MRFV was supplied by R. Gamez (Centro de Investigacion en Biologia Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, Costa Rica).Virus particles, appearing as a continuous lawn, were trapped on grids coated with MRFV antiserum (Fig. 2-4). In contrast, virus particles were infrequently found on grids not exposed to antiserum or grids coated with normal rabbit serum (similar to Fig. 1). In Fig. 3, the appearance of the virus particles (isometric morphology, 30 nm diameter, stain penetration of some particles, and morphological subunits in other particles) is characteristic of negatively stained MRFV particles. Decoration or coating of these particles with MRFV antiserum confirms their identification as MRFV (Fig. 4).


1965 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Mauvais-Jarvis ◽  
M. F. Jayle ◽  
J. Decourt ◽  
J. Louchart ◽  
J. Truffert

ABSTRACT Normal subjects and hirsute women with micropolycystic ovaries were treated with ethinyl-oestrenol + 3-methoxy-ethinyl-oestradiol (Lyndiol®), in view of studying the action of this compound on the production of androgens and on the urinary excretion of their metabolites. In normal men, the production of testosterone and the excretion of androsterone and aetiocholanolone are suppressed, whereas the excretion of other 17-ketosteroids and the production of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate are unchanged. Moreover, the luteinizing hormone activity (LH) in plasma is depressed. It seems that the preparation inhibits specifically the testicular androgen production, by suppressing the hypothalamo-hypophyseal control of LH. Testosterone production and urinary 17-ketosteroid excretion are modified in the same way in women with Stein-Leventhal's syndrome. Physiopathological and therapeutical implications which come from these results are discussed.


1970 ◽  
Vol 65 (3_Suppl) ◽  
pp. S5-S32 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Loewit

ABSTRACT The role of luteinizing hormone (LH) for the maintenance of pregnancy, parturition and lactation was investigated by immunological and histochemical methods in the rat. Neutralisation of endogenous rat-LH with Rabbit-Anti-Bovine-LH-Serum (selective hypophysectomy) from days 7-12 of pregnancy resulted in reabsorption of the foetuses and the reappearance of strong 20α-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase (20α-OHSD) activity in the corpora lutea (CL) of pregnancy, which normally show no such activity at that time. This effect could be prevented in part by concurrent pregnenolone administration and fully by progesterone, but was not influenced by oestrogen or prolactin. It is concluded that in early pregnancy LH is the main luteotrophic hormone in the rat even though prolactin might act synergistically with it. Antiserum treatment after the 12th day of gestation had no influence on the state or duration of pregnancy or on parturition. LH-injections during the first half of pregnancy had no luteolytic effects i. e. they did not activate 20α-OHSD activity. After day 16 they advanced the reappearance of the enzyme, but delayed parturition or resulted in stillbirths. Neither LH nor antiserum seemed to alter lactation. Since progesterone prevented both the termination of pregnancy and the recurrence of 20α-OHSD activity, it should have some regulatory properties on the enzyme. It is discussed whether the gonadotrophin-dependent progesterone level could regulate the 20α-OHSD activity rather than result from it.


1986 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Firyal S. Khan-Dawood

Abstract. Immunoreactive oxytocin is detectable in the corpora lutea of women and cynomolgus monkeys by radioimmunoassay. To localize the presence of oxytocin and neurophysin I in ovarian tissues of subhuman primates, three corpora lutea and ovarian stromal tissues and two Fallopian tubes obtained during the menstrual cycle of the baboon and decidua from two pregnant baboons were examined using highly specific antisera against either oxytocin or neurophysin I and preoxidase-antiperoxidase light microscopy immunohistochemistry. Oxytocin-like as well as neurophysin I-like immunoreactivities were found in some cells of all the corpora lutea only, but could not be demonstrated in ovarian stromal tissues, Fallopian tubes and decidua. Specificity of the immunocytochemical reaction was further confirmed by immunoabsorption of the antiserum with excess oxytocin or neurophysin, after which the immunoreactivities for both oxytocin and neurophysin in the luteal tissue were negative. Similar controls using normal rabbit serum gave no positive staining for either oxytocin or neurophysin. Counterstaining of the positive immunoreactivities for oxytocin and neurophysin I with Mayer's haematoxylin and eosin demonstrated clearly that the oxytocin and neurophysin I appeared as granular material mainly within the cytoplasm of the luteal cells. The localization of immunoreactive oxytocin and neurophysin I in the corpus luteum of the baboon demonstrates directly the presence of these two neurohypophysial peptides within primate luteal cells and suggests their local production.


1999 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1510-1516
Author(s):  
Helena Ryšlavá ◽  
Jana Krešlová ◽  
Jana Barthová ◽  
Tomislav Barth

A new method for isolation of glycoproteins from chicken pituitaries was applied. The procedure consist of chromatography on ConA-Sepharose and by HPLC on S Hyper D and Vydac C4 columns. The hormonal activity of the glycoproteins was tested by determining their stimulatory effect on cAMP or testosterone production. Molecular weights of the products of tryptic cleavage of the hormone were determined using mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF). A comparison of the values obtained with theory shows that the protein is the β-unit of chicken luteinizing hormone.


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