In vitro decrease of lyase activity in rat ovarian cells during incubation: effect of hCG

From PMSG-pretreated immature rats, dispersed ovarian cells were prepared with collagenase and DNase and incubated at 37 degrees C in McCoy's 5a medium under 95% air-5% CO2 atmosphere for 4 h. The activities of C17-C20 lyase measured in the 10,000 x g supernatant fluid of the cell homogenates decreased spontaneously with the lapse of time of the incubation. N,N'-Diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD, an antioxidant) and actinomycin D inhibited the decrease most effectively. Cycloheximide was also an effective protector. Accordingly, the spontaneous decrease of the lyase activity was caused partly by an oxygen radical-mediated process and partly by a mechanism involving de novo synthesis of RNA and protein. Addition of hCG to the cells further decreased the lyase activity to about half of the control group at 4 h. DPPD itself did not affect the hCG-induced decrease of the lyase activity. However, actinomycin D and cycloheximide prevented the effect of hCG. These results indicate that de novo synthesis of RNA and protein is involved in the latter mechanism, while oxygen radical is not concerned in this process. The decrease of the enzyme activity by hCG during incubation is in agreement with the in vivo effect of hCG upon the lyase activity. On the contrary, at the end of incubation the activity of delta 5-3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (coupled with delta 5-delta 4 isomerase) was more than 89% of that before incubation, and the change of the enzyme activity according to the various treatments was less than 16%.