The regulation of purine ribonucleotide biosynthesis by glucocorticoid hormones

The influence of the glucocorticoid hormones (cortisone, cortisol, corticosterone) on the biosynthesis of purine nucleotides (inosinic acid, guanylic acid and adenylic acid) in different organs was investigated in vivo, by following the incorporation of formate-14C into the acid-soluble nucleotides, after administration of the hormones to adrenalectomized rats. Cortisone and corticosterone show a remarkable and comparable increase of the incorporation of formate-14C only in the purine bases of the liver: cortisol is much more effective, increasing the incorporation of formate-14C into the purine bases even ten times over the basal values. No specific effect is evident either in the kidney or in the heart after glucocorticoid administration. Results are interpreted considering that the action of an individual hormone is specifically restricted to the purine nucleotide synthesis in the liver, and that cortisol seems to be the most efficient from this point of view.