The androgen cytosol receptor in the ventral prostate of the rat. Methodological problems

The phenomena of aggregation and stability of the 8-S androgen receptor in the cytosol fraction from rat ventral prostate have been studied. When glycerol was present both in the cytosol fraction and in the sucrose density gradients, a well-defined and easily reproducible 8-S peak was obtained after incubation with tritiated 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone. Without glycerol in the in vitro system the receptor appeared as polydispersed aggregates. Addition of glycerol to the steroid-free cytosol made it possible to store the cytosol at -70 degrees C or -196 degrees C for at least I week without losing 8-S receptor activity. The counting efficiency was studied in different liquid scintillators. A simple toluene scintillation liquid gave the highest counting efficiency.