Effect of androgen on the incorporation of orotic acid-6-14C into the ribonucleic acids and free nucleotides of mouse kidney

The impact of gender on the progression of chronic renal disease

Observations in experimental animals and in humans have shown that the rate of progression of renal disease is influenced by gender. Deterioration of renal function in patients with chronic renal disease is more rapid in men than in women, independent of differences in blood pressure or serum cholesterol levels. In addition to genetically determined differences between the sexes in renal structure and function, sex hormones may directly influence many of the processes implicated in the pathogenesis of renal disease progression. Potential mechanisms include receptor-mediated effects of sex hormones on glomerular hemodynamics and mesangial cell proliferation and matrix accumulation as well as effects on the synthesis and release of cytokines, vasoactive agents, and growth factors. In addition, estrogens may exert potent antioxidant actions in the mesangial microenvironment, which may contribute to the protective effect of female gender.

Effect of testosterone on purine synthesis de novo in rat perineal muscle in vivo

We examined in vivo the influence of testosterone on purine synthesis de novo, in the levator ani and gastrocnemius muscles of the rat. The hypoxanthine, adenine and guanine contents and the rate of incorporation of [14C]formate into these purine bases were determined in castrated adult and prepubertal rats (groups 1 and 2) both before and after orchiectomy and, in the second case, at different times after testosterone treatment. Substantially similar behavior was found in both groups, with some specific differences. The results showed an increase in the basal levels after castration (except for a dramatic decrease in adenine and a rise in the Gua/Ade molar ratio in prepubertal rats) and a return to basal levels after hormone administration, which was also accompanied by variations in the Gua/Ade molar ratio. The kinetics of purine nucleotide synthesis de novo in vivo and, specifically, of the overall reactions: IMP formation from PRib-PP, IMP----AMP and IMP----GMP, were followed by evaluating the incorporation curves of [14C]formate into hypoxanthine, adenine and guanine. Our results show that testosterone administration enhanced the incorporation rate and gave characteristic patterns: a diphasic cyclic oscillation of the Ade values in adult castrated rats, and single peaks having a specific shape in the other cases. The Gua/Ade labeling ratio was unchanged in castrated rats and increased in both groups during the first 5 days after testosterone treatment, after which values even fell below normal; in most cases, values overlapped the pattern of the Gua/Ade molar ratio. The specific profile of the curves indicated that testosterone initially accelerated the turnover of guanylic acid and in the second phase re-established the normal behavior and ratio of AMP and GMP formation. These results indicate that the 'inosinic branch point' was subject to regulation by testosterone. The profiles of the incorporation curves and of the Gua/Ade ratio were indicative of a primary and secondary response to hormone action.

Kinetics of RNA synthesis in toad bladder epithelium: action of aldosterone during the latent period

Processing of RNA in the toad bladder was analyzed by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis to determine whether aldosterone causes any changes in the 1 hr before it potentiates transport of sodium ion. No change was found in the quantity or in the specific activity of bulk RNA labeled with uridine-5-(3)H. In vivo and in vitro with either uridine-5-(3)H or with methionine-(methyl)-(3)H as precursors, processing of RNA was extremely slow. Heterodisperse RNA was obvious after 30 min of continuous labeling, but labeling of the 40S precursor of ribosomal RNA was not apparent for 60 min. Labeling of mature 28S and 18S RNA first became apparent after 8 hr. approximately 7S RNA was the principal fastmigrating species labeled at 30 min, and 4S RNA was not heavily labeled until 1 hr. Aldosterone (5 x 10(-7) mole/liter) produced no changes. If care were not taken to inhibit metabolism of native bacteria colonizing the bladder, bacterial RNA of high specific activity predominated. We conclude that RNA metabolism in the toad bladder is extraordinarily slow, that a major acceleration of de novo synthesis in response to physiologic doses of aldosterone was not demonstrable, and that some reports to the contrary may have been influenced by artifacts from bacterial RNA metabolism. Earlier evidence for obligatory alterations in RNA metabolism during the latent period is not strong.

Disappearance of radioactivity from the various ribonucleic acid pools and acid-soluble fractions of mouse liver and kidney after a single injection of labelled orotic acid. The effect of castration

1. An attempt was made to study the rate of synthesis as well as the distribution of RNA in the various cellular fractions in the livers and kidneys of normal and castrated mice. 2. The tissue was fractionated by the procedure of Blobel & Potter (1967). By using this method it was not possible to find any pronounced difference in the relative proportions of RNA in isolated subcellular fractions when kidneys from normal and castrated mice were compared. On the other hand there was an indication of a shift toward the bound ribosomes in livers from normal mice in comparison with livers from castrated mice. 3. Disappearance of the radioactivity followed the pattern of the first-order reaction. Comparing the half-lives of RNA in liver and kidneys it was found that in the latter in both groups of animals half-lives were shorter no matter which cellular fraction was studied. 4. The half-lives for total homogenate RNA, total ribosomal RNA and low-molecular-weight RNA from kidneys of castrated mice were approximately 20-25% longer than the half-lives for the corresponding fractions from normal mouse kidneys. 5. An explanation is put forward for the anomalous finding that RNA from the castrated-mouse kidneys has a higher specific radioactivity than that isolated from normal mice.