A comparative study of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity in vertebrate adrenocortical tissues

Rates of cholesterol synthesis and low-density lipoprotein uptake in the adrenal glands of the rat, hamster and rabbit in vivo

The absolute rate of cholesterol acquisition from de novo synthesis and from receptor-dependent and receptor-independent low-density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake was determined in the adrenal glands of the rat, hamster and rabbit under in vivo conditions. The rate of incorporation of [3H]water into cholesterol in the adrenal gland was much higher in the hamster (1727 nmol/h per g) and rabbit (853 nmol/h per g) than in the rat (71 nmol/h per g). Assuming that 23 atoms of 3H are incorporated into the cholesterol molecule during its biosynthesis, the absolute rates of cholesterol synthesis were then calculated to equal 59, 29 and 2.4 micrograms/h per g of adrenal gland in the hamster, rabbit and rat, respectively. Rates of LDL-cholesterol uptake were measured using a primed continuous infusion of [14C]sucrose-labeled homologous LDL (total LDL transport) and methylated human LDL (receptor-independent LDL transport). The rate of total LDL-cholesterol uptake in the adrenal gland was much higher in the rabbit (227 micrograms/h per g) than in the rat (18 micrograms/h per g) or hamster (6 micrograms/h per g). In all three species LDL uptake was mediated largely (greater than 93%) by receptor-dependent mechanisms. In terms of total cholesterol acquisition, the hamster adrenal gland derived 10-times more cholesterol from de novo synthesis than from LDL uptake, whereas the converse was true in the rabbit. Rates of de novo synthesis and LDL-cholesterol uptake were both low in the rat adrenal gland, which is known to derive cholesterol mainly from circulating high-density lipoproteins. Thus, the adrenal gland acquires cholesterol for hormone synthesis from at least three different sources and the quantitative importance of these sources varies markedly in different animal species, including man.

Sources of extramitochondrial corticoidogenic cholesterol in the adrenal cortex

Intracellular sources of extramitochondrial corticoidogenic cholesterol in bovine, rat and hamster adrenocortical cells were examined in vitro by comparing the species differences in the effects of various inhibitors on the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-induced corticoidogenesis. The inhibitors were ML-236B (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor), W-7 (N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalene sulfonamide; calmodulin inhibitor), dichlorvos (O,O-dimethyl-2,2-dichlorovinyl phosphate; organic phosphorylation inhibitor), chloroquine [7-chloro-4-4-diethylamino-1-methyl-butylamino) quinoline; lysosomal enzyme inhibitor) and cycloheximide (protein synthesis inhibitor). During 2 to 3 hr incubation periods, the ACTH-induced corticoidogenesis was not inhibited by ML-236B (100 microM) in the bovine and rat adrenocortical cells. In the hamster adrenocortical cells, ML-236B (100 microM) did not affect the ACTH-induced corticoidogenesis during the initial 1 hr incubation periods; but thereafter, the ACTH-induced corticoidogenesis during the subsequent 2 hr incubation periods was completely blocked by ML-236B. The ACTH-induced corticoidogenesis was inhibited by W-7 (up to 25 microM) in the bovine and rat adrenocortical cells, but this was not the case in the hamster cells. Chloroquine (up to 400 microM) inhibited the ACTH-induced corticoidogenesis in the adrenocortical cells of three different species, but the hamster adrenal cells were much more vulnerable than the bovine and rat cells. The ACTH-induced corticoidogenesis in the adrenocortical cells of three different species were equally inhibited by cycloheximide (up to 1 mM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Increased 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity in a virilizing adrenal carcinoma

HMG-CoA reductase activity was determined on microsomal preparations of an adrenal carcinoma and on a control adrenal obtained from palliative surgery for breast carcinoma. In both tissues we also measured [14C]pyruvate incorporation to study the formation of sterols. The endogenous adrenal content of cholesterol and its esters was quantitated. The content of various steroids was also determined in tissues and media before and after incubations in Krebs-Ringer. The carcinoma had a HMG-CoA reductase activity of 972.0 pmol/mg protein/min vs 13.8 for the control adrenal. The tumor incorporated 4.6 pmol of [14C]pyruvate per mg protein per 90 min into digitonin precipitable sterols compared to 0.5 pmol found for the control gland. Free cholesterol and cholesterol esters in tumoral tissue were 0.09/100 mg and 0.02/100 mg tissue respectively, compared to 0.18 and 2.56 in control tissue. The output of corticosteroids and androgens was very high when calculated for the whole tumor. These results suggest that the carcinoma had acquired a high capacity for de novo synthesis of cholesterol which could have served as substrate for the observed high plasma androgen level.