Shunzo Taii

Cell‐free translation product containing corticotropin and β‐endorphin encoded by messenger RNA from anterior lobe and intermediate lobe of bovine pituitary

Corticotropin (ACTH), which is produced in the pituitary, is a single polypeptide with approx, tool. wt 4500. Our previous work with the use of a cell-free protein-synthesizing system has demonstrated that the initial, direct product of translation of ACTH mRNA from the anterior lobe of bovine pituitary has approx, mol. wt 35 000 [1]. This result has aroused interest in the biological role of the extra-portion irt the large molecular form of ACTH. Previous investigations have suggested that ACTH and/3-LPH are produced and stored in the same pituitary cell and released together in the same physiological or pathological situations [2 -5 ] . Furthermore, studies on peptide structures have indicated that several biologically active peptides can be elaborated from the same precursor; 7-LPH,/3-MSH, endorphins and methionine-enkephalin are derived from/3-LPH [6,7], while a-MSH and CLIP are formed from ACTH [8]. Thus, it appeared plausible to assume that ACTH and /3-LPH are formed by post-translational cleavage of a common precursor encoded by the same mRNA. Another interesting feature of ACTH is the fact that the occurrence of a-MSH and CLIP depends on the anatomical localization of their precursor; ACTH,

Identification of the mRNA coding for the ACTH-β-lipotropin precursor in a human ectopic ACTH-producing tumor

Abstract The mRNA coding for the ACTH-β-lipotropin precursor from a human ectopic ACTH-producing thymic carcinoid was identified by blot hybridization analysis with the bovine cDNA as a probe. The mRNA from the tumor had the same length (approximately 1,100 nucleotides) as that from the human pituitary. An additional hybridization-positive RNA species of a larger size was found in the tumor. Cell-free translation of the mRNA from the tumor as well as from the pituitary yielded a product with an apparent molecular weight of 38,000 that was reactive both with antibody to ACTH and with antibody to β-endorphin.

Identification of the mRNA coding for prolactin in the human decidua

Total RNAs extracted from amnion, chorion and decidua of the human second trimester placentas were translated in the cell-free translation system, followed by immunoprecipitation with antiserum to human prolactin (Prl) and electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate slab gel. A single immunospecific protein with an apparent molecular weight of approximately 25,500, about 3000 daltons larger than authentic Prl, was formed only with RNA from decidua, and it competed with unlabeled Prl but not with unlabeled human placental lactogen (hPL) for binding to the antibody. The electrophoretic patterns of the fragments formed by partial enzymatic proteolysis of it and authentic Prl were similar.

Three types of polycystic ovarian syndrome in relation to androgenic function

OBJECTIVE To re-evaluate the concept of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in view of androgenic function. DESIGN Patients were studied endocrinologically and ultrasonographically. SETTING This study was performed as a clinical investigation. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS Sixty-nine euprolactinemic anovulatory patients with luteinizing hormone (LH) hypersecretion and 18 normal volunteers were selected. INTERVENTIONS One hundred micrograms of LH-releasing hormone were administered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) It was possible to divide PCOS patients into three types. RESULTS Patients with neither hirsutism nor elevation of serum androstenedione (delta 4) and/or testosterone (T) were designated as type I PCOS (n = 20). Patients without hirsutism but with elevated delta 4 and/or T were referred to as type II PCOS (n = 33). Patients with both hirsutism and elevation of delta 4 and/or T were defined as type III PCOS (n = 16). Concentrations of delta 4 appeared gradedly increasing in types I, II, and III in that order, whereas T concentrations were significantly higher in types II and III than in control. Ultrasonographically, cystic ovaries were found in 88%, 84%, and 100% of types I, II, and III patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS It is postulated that each type may represent a subset of whole spectrum of PCOS from Stein-Leventhal syndrome to simple anovulation with LH hypersecretion.

Modulation of porcine granulosa cell functions by interleukin-1

Increasing evidence suggests that functions of the immune system and gonads are closely related with each other. In cultures of granulosa and luteal cells, macrophages have been shown to modulate steroidogenic functions. In this paper we present the modulatory effects of interleukin-1, a cytokine produced predominantly by activated macrophages, on gonadotropin-induced differentiation, as well as growth of cultured porcine granulosa cells.

Growth Factor Modulation of Gonadotropin Action on Porcine Granulosa Cells

Ovarian functions are thought to be under the regulation of autocrine or paracrine control as well as endocrine control. Although the endocrine regulation of the ovary has been well described, little is known about the local intra-ovarian control. Considering that ovarian granulosa cells of developing follicles are confined to an isolated avascular environment and “cultured” in follicular fluid in vivo, substances concentrated in follicular fluid may play important roles in local intra-ovarian control.