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The compartmentation of non-esterified and esterified cholesterol in the superovulated rat ovary.

ABSTRACT: 1. The specific radioactivities of non-esterified and esterified cholesterol, progesterone and 20alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one were determined in slices of superovulated rat ovary after incubation with [1-(14)C]acetate in vitro for various times. The specific radioactivities of progesterone and 20alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one were equal, and (during the fourth hour of incubation) exceeded those of the non-esterified cholesterol and the esterified cholesterol by factors of 2.8 and 7.6 respectively. 2. After separation of homogenates of superovulated rat ovary slices previously incubated with [(14)C]acetate into subcellular fractions by differential centrifugation, the specific radioactivities of non-esterified cholesterol in the cytosol, mitochondria, lipid-containing storage granules and microsomal fraction were 1220, 1510, 1420 and 4020d.p.m./mumol respectively; the corresponding values for the specific radioactivity of the esterified cholesterol were 600, 700, 730 and 760d.p.m./mumol. The specific radioactivities of progesterone and 20alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one were equal in all fractions; the corresponding mean specific radioactivity of progesterone+20alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one was 6150d.p.m./mumol. 3. By using glutamate dehydrogenase and cytochrome (a+a(3)) as mitochondrial markers, the presence of cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme was demonstrated in microsomal fraction free of mitochondrial contamination. 4. The specific radioactivities of ovarian non-esterified and esterified cholesterol, progesterone and 20alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one were determined up to 8h after the intravenous injection of [4-(14)C]cholesterol into superovulated rats. At all times the specific radioactivities of progesterone and 20alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one were equal to the specific radioactivity of non-esterified cholesterol and exceeded, by up to 3.3-fold, that of the esterified cholesterol. 5. It is concluded that non-esterified cholesterol formed from [(14)C]acetate in the endoplasmic reticulum equilibrates slowly with non-esterified cholesterol in other subcellular fractions, and is preferentially converted into steroids. Such a mechanism presupposes the operation of a microsomal cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme using non-esterified cholesterol as its substrate. Unrelated evidence is presented in support of the existence of such an enzyme. The results are discussed in the light of other biochemical and electron-microscopic findings relating to the compartmentation of cholesterol in steroidogenic tissues.

SUBMITTER: Flint AP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1176917 | biostudies-other | 1971 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:1. Superovulated rat ovary slices from rats treated with 20mug. of luteininzing hormone/100g. body wt. 2hr. before death and from control animals have been incubated in vitro. Output of Delta(4)-3-oxo steroids (0.2mumole/g. wet wt./hr. in control tissue) was linear for 4hr., and was increased by approx. 70% in slices from luteinizing hormone-treated rats. Rate of oxygen consumption (90.0+/-4.6mumoles/g. wet wt./hr.) was linear for 3hr. and unaltered by luteinizing hormone treatment or addition of glucose (1mg./ml.) to the medium. 2. In slices from control animals, steady-state rate of glucose uptake was 78.0+/-2.9mug. atoms of carbon/g. wet wt./hr.; steady-state rates of lactate output, pyruvate output and incorporation of [U-(14)C]-glucose carbon atoms into carbon dioxide and total lipid extract were 60.7+/-0.9, 2.4+/-0.1, 18.0+/-1.1 and 0.7+/-0.1mug. atom of carbon/g. wet wt./hr. and accounted for 104.5+/-1.9% of the glucose uptake. In slices from luteinizing hormone-treated rats, glucose uptake and outputs of lactate, pyruvate and [(14)C]carbon dioxide were increased by approx. 25%, and 108.4+/-3.2% of the glucose uptake could be accounted for. 3. The total lipid extract was separated by thin-layer chromatography and saponification. Of the (14)C incorporated into this fraction during incubation with [U-(14)C]glucose 97% was found in the fractions containing glyceride glycerol and less than 3% in the fractions containing sterols, steroids or fatty acids. Appreciable quantities of (14)C were incorporated into these lipid fractions from [1-(14)C]acetate. 4. From a consideration of the tissue glycogen content, the specific activities of [(14)C]lactate and glucose 6-phosphate (C-1) derived from [1-(14)C]-, [6-(14)C]- and [U-(14)C]-glucose, and the ratio of [(14)C]carbon dioxide yields from [1-(14)C]glucose and [6-(14)C]glucose, it was concluded that there was no appreciable glycogenolysis or flow through the pentose phosphate cycle. 5. In ovary slices from both control and luteinizing hormone-treated animals, glucose in vitro raised the incorporation rate of (14)C from [1-(14)C]acetate into sterols and steroids. Luteinizing hormone in vivo stimulated the incorporation rate in vitro but only in the presence of glucose. 6. In slices incubated in medium containing [(3)H]water, [(14)C]sorbitol and glucose (1mg./ml.), the total water space (865+/-7.1mul./g.) and the extracellular water space (581+/-22mul./g.) were unchanged by luteinizing hormone treatment in vivo but the glucose space was raised from 540+/-23.6mul./g. to 639+/-31.3mul./g. 7. Luteinizing hormone treatment was found to lower the tissue concentration of the hexose monophosphates and to increase the total activity of hexokinase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and possibly of phosphofructokinase. 8. The kinetic properties of a partially purified preparation of phosphofructokinase were found to be qualitatively similar to those from other mammalian tissues. 9. The results are discussed with reference to both the role of glucose metabolism in steroidogenesis and the mechanism by which luteinizing hormone increases the rate of glucose uptake.

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The compartmentation of non-esterified and esterified cholesterol in the superovulated rat ovary.

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