Synthesis of oviduct nuclear and chromatin proteins during steroid induced differentiation

Synthesis of nuclear histones and nonhistones was studied in chick oviduct during stimulation with estrogen and progesterone. In estrogen primed chicks, as compared to progesterone primed chicks, oviduct nonhistones are enriched in polypeptides of 50,000 daltons and larger. A secondary stimulation with the steroids increases the amino acid incorporation into histones and nonhistones two to six fold. Injection with estrogen induces preferential labelling of nonhistone polypeptides at 50,000 to 60,000 daltons independent of the kind of primary stimulation. A secondary injection with progesterone increases the amounts of highly labelled polypeptides with a molecular weight of over 70,000 daltons.