Metabolism of free and esterified cholesterol by Leydig-cell tumour mitochondria

1. Experiments were designed to localize intracellularly the enzymes and sterol substrates required for steroidogenesis in Leydig-cell tumours. Subcellular fractions were prepared by differential centrifugation of tumour homogenates. Both free and esterified cholesterol were associated primarily with the fractions sedimenting at 1400g(av.) and the lipid layer floating on the surface of the isolation tubes; they were not found in the mitochondria, where the conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone occurred. 2. Hydrolysis of esterified cholesterol was required before it could be oxidized to pregnenolone. 3. An enzyme capable of hydrolysing cholesterol esters was located external to the mitochondria. 4. Mitochondria were subfractionated by allowing them to swell in 0.02m-phosphate buffer (pH7.2) and separating the inner and outer membranes by sedimentation in sucrose gradients. The outer membrane, identified by its content of monoamine oxidase, contained most of the cholesterol associated with the mitochondria. The inner membrane, identified by its content of succinate dehydrogenase, contained the cholesterol side-chain-cleaving enzyme and very little cholesterol. 5. Accumulation of sterols by the mitochondria was studied by incubating this fraction with labelled free and esterified cholesterol suspended in lipid-free bovine serum albumin. Two phases of cholesterol accumulation were observed. The first phase, requiring 10-15min, was independent of the incubation temperature, and was inhibited by the presence of bovine serum albumin in the incubation medium. The second phase of accumulation was independent of the serum albumin content of the medium but was inhibited by low incubation temperature. 6. Esterified cholesterol was not accumulated by the mitochondria after the initial rapid binding phase. 7. The findings suggest that cholesterol was not rapidly accumulated by the mitochondrial fraction in vitro and that mechanisms may be required to facilitate cholesterol transport into mitochondria in intact tumour cells during the periods in which steroidogenesis is stimulated maximally.