Effects of sex steroids on protein synthesis in cultured human lymphocytes

In cultured human lymphocytes, oestrogen and progesterone at concentrations found in plasma during the normal menstrual cycle, significantly increase the incorporation of [35S] methionine into protein and, in addition, both hormones significantly alter the relative synthesis of certain proteins. At concentrations found in plasma during pregnancy, some changes are augmented while others are reversed. These specific sex-steroid-induced changes in protein synthesis provide possible peripheral biological markers of hormone action which may be tested for their association with predisposition to, and/or onset of, conditions such as postpartum psychiatric illness.