KINETIC STUDIES ON THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF CORTICOSTEROIDS IN VITRO FROM EXOGENOUS PRECURSORS BY THE INTERRENAL GLANDS OF THE NORMAL, CORTICOTROPHIN-TREATED AND ADENOHYPOPHYSECTOMIZED XENOPUS LAEVIS DAUDIN

Abstract

SUMMARY: Incubation of the adrenocortical tissue of Xenopus with labelled steroidal precursors gave aldosterone, corticosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone as the major products. Kinetic studies indicated that the major biosynthetic pathway in Xenopus is the same as that in the duck, cobra and frog, and follows the sequence: pregnenolone → progesterone → 11-deoxycorticosterone → corticosterone → aldosterone + 18-hydroxycorticosterone. The effects of adenohypophysectomy and of injection of mammalian corticotrophin (ACTH) on the corticosteroidogenetic capacity of Xenopus were also studied. The production of both aldosterone and corticosterone increased after ACTH administration and decreased markedly after adenohypophysectomy. Some of the evidence suggests that ACTH was effective at biosynthetic stages following the formation of pregnenolone. The present studies on corticosteroid production were done in conjunction with parallel investigations on osmoregulation and electrolyte and water changes in Xenopus (Edwards, 1969).