Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Early events in the induction of glutamine synthetase activity by hydrocortisone in embryonic chick neural retina

  • Published:
In Vitro Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Primary cultures of 10-day embryonic chick neural retinas were used to investigate early aspects of the mechanism of hydrocortisone action on glutamine synthetase activity. As little as 2 hr of hydrocortisone exposure served to initiate significant increases in the glutamine synthetase activity levels assayed after 24 hr culture. Time course studies indicated that the increase in glutamine synthetase activity observed after 24 hr in culture resulted from a two-phase rise in activity and that cycloheximide was effective in suppressing the second-phase rise. Additional inhibition studies demonstrated that the second-phase increase in enzyme activity required continuous protein synthesis during the initial 6 hr. The evidence suggests a mechanism of hydrocortisone action involving the production of a protein which is important for the induction of glutamine synthetase activity by hydrocortisone.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Thompson, E., and M. E. Lippman, 1974. Mechanism of action of glucocorticoids. Metab. Clin. Exp. 23: 159–202.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sluyser, M. 1975. Mechanism of steroid hormone action at the cellular level. In: Dennis V. Parke (Ed.),Enzyme Induction, Basic Life Science Library. Vol. 6. Plenum Press, London, pp. 79–104.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Jensen, E. V., M. Numata, P. I. Brecher, and E. R. DeSombre. 1971. Hormone-receptor interaction as a guide to biochemical mechanism. In: R. M. S. Smellie (Ed.),The Biochemistry of Steroid Hormone Action. Biochemical Society Symposium. No. 32. Academic Press, London, pp. 133–160.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Jensen, E. V., and E. R. DeSombre, 1972. Mechanism of action of female sex hormones. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 41: 1203–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Gelehrter, T. D., and G. M. Tompkins. 1967. The role of RNA in the hormonal induction of tyrosine amino transferase in mammalian cells in tissue culture. J. Mol. Biol. 29: 59–76.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Beato, M., W. Schmid, and P. Feigelson. 1972. Correlation between glucocorticoid binding to specific liver cytosol receptors and enzyme inductionin vivo. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 47: 1464–1472.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Moscona, A. A., and R. Piddington. 1967. Enzyme induction by corticosteroids in embryonic cells: steroid structure and inductive effect. Science 158: 496–497.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rudnick, D., P. Mela, and H. Waelsch. 1954. Enzymes of glutamine metabolism in the developing chick embryo. J. Exp. Zool. 126: 297–321.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Diamant, A., M. Eshel, and S. Ben-or. 1975. Interaction of cortisol with the neural retina of the chick embryo in culture. Cell Differ. 4: 101–112.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Sarkar, P. K., and A. A. Moscona. 1975. Nuclear binding of hydrocortisone-receptors in the embryonic chick retina and its relationship to glutamine synthetase induction. Am. Zool. 15: 241–247.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kirk, D. L., and A. A. Moscona. 1963. Synthesis of experimentally induced glutamine synthetase (glutamotransferase activity) in embryonic chick retinain vitro. Dev. Biol. 8: 341–347.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Alescio, T., and A. A. Moscona, 1969. Immunochemical evidence for enzyme synthesis in hormonal induction of glutamine synthetase in embryonic retina in culture. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 34: 176–182.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Alescio, T., M. Moscona, and A. A. Moscona. 1970. Induction of glutamine synthetase in embryonic retina. Effect of partial and complete inhibition of RNA synthesis and enzyme accummulation. Exp. Cell Res. 61: 342–346.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Moscona, A. A. 1972. Induction of glutamine synthesis in embryonic neural retina: a model for the regulation of specific gene expression in embryonic cells. In: A. Monroy (Ed.),Biochemistry of Cell Differentiation. Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Vol. 24. Academic Press, New York, pp. 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Tompkins, G. M., T. D. Gelehrter, D. Granner, D. Martin, Jr., H. H. Samuels, and E. B. Thompson. 1969. Control of specific gene expression in higher organisms. Science 166: 1474–1480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Wiens, A. W., and A. A. Moscona. 1972. Preferential inhibition by proflavine of the hormonal induction of glutamine synthetase in embryonic neural retina. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 69: 1504–1507.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Noteboom, W. D., and J. Gorski. 1963. An early effect of estrogen on protein synthesis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 50: 250–255.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Notides, A., and J. Gorski. 1966. Estrogen-induced synthesis of a specific uterine protein. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 56: 230–235.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Schwartz, R. J. 1972. Steroid control of genomic expression in embryonic chick retina. Nature 237: 121–125.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Hamburger, V., and H. L. Hamilton. 1951. A series of normal stages in the development of chick embryo. J. Morphol. 88: 49–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Morris, J. E. 1971. Enhancement of glutamine synthetase induction by pH adjustments of embryonic neural retina. Exp. Cell Res. 66: 449–457.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kirk, D. L. 1965. The role of RNA synthesis in the production of glutamine synthetase by developing chick neural retina. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 54: 1345–1353.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Lowry, O. H., N. J. Rosenbrough, A. L. Farr, and R. J. Randall. 1951. Protein measurement with folin phenol reagent. J. Biol. Chem. 193: 265–275.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Patterson, M. S., and R. C. Greene. 1965. Measurement of low energy beta-emitters in aqueous solution by liquid scintillation counting of emulsions. Anal. Chem. 37: 854–857.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Moscona, A. A., N. Saenz, and M. H. Moscona. 1967. Kinetics of enzyme induction in embryonic cells. Exp. Cell Res. 48: 646–649.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Hull, S. A. 1973. Early events of hydrocortisone-induced glutamine synthetase activity in embryonic chick neural retina. Doctoral dissertation, Oregon State University. Diss. Abstr. Int. 33 (9): 4585B-4586B.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Schwartz, R. J. 1973. Control of glutamine synthetase synthesis in the embryonic chick neural retina. J. Biol. Chem. 248: 6426–6435.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Chader, G. J. 1973. Some factors affecting the uptake, binding, and retention of (3H) cortisol by the chick embryo retina as related to enzyme induction. J. Neurochem. 21: 1525–1532.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Reif-Lehrer, L., and G. J. Chader. 1969. The steroid induction of glutamine synthetase in chick embryo retinas in culture. A possible role of corticosteroid-binding globulin. Biochem. Biophys. Acta 192: 310–317.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Hartwell, L. H., H. T. Hutchinson, T. M. Holland, and C. S. McLauglin. 1970. The effect of cycloheximide upon polyribosome stability in two yeast mutants defective respectively in the initiation of polypeptide chains and m-RNA synthesis. Mol. Gen. Genet. 106: 347–361.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Weiss, P. 1939.Principles of Development. Henry Holt and Co., N.Y. pp. 85–102.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Garfield, S., and A. A. Moscona. 1973. Experimental conservation and delayed expression of labile templates for enzyme synthesis in neural cells. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 51: 718–724.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Summers, W. P., W. D. Noteboom, and G. C. Mueller. 1966. A regulatory role of protein synthesis in the activity of RNA polymerase of HeLa nuclei. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 22: 399–405.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Nicolette, J. A., and M. Babler. 1974. The role of protein synthesis in the estrogen-stimulatedin vitro RNA synthesis of isolated rat uterine nucleoli. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 163: 263–270.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Yu, F-L, and P. Feigelson. 1972. The rapid turnover of RNA polymerase of rat liver nucleolus and of its messenger RNA. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 69:2833–2837.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Yu, F-L, and P. Feigelson. 1973. A proposed model for glucocorticoidal regulation of rat hepatic RNA synthesis. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 53: 754–760.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Lampert, A., and P. Feigelson. 1974. A short lived polypeptide component of one or two discrete functional pools of hepatic nuclear α-amanitin resistant RNA polymerases. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 58: 1030–1038.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Hamilton, T. H. 1971. Steroid hormones, ribonucleic acid synthesis and transport, and the regulation of cytoplasmic translation. In: R. M. S. Smellie (Ed.),The Biochemistry of Steroid Hormone Action.Biochemical Society Symposium. No. 32. Academic Press, London, pp. 49–84.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Sajdel, E. M., and S. T. Jacob. 1971. Mechanism of early effect of hydrocortisone on the transcriptional process: stimulation of the activities of purified rat liver nucleolar RNA polymerases. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 45: 707–715.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Yu, F-L, and P. Feigelson. 1971. Cortisone stimulation of nucleolar RNA polymerase activity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 68: 2177–2180.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Shelton, K. R., and V. G. Allfrey. 1970. Selective synthesis of a nuclear acidic protein in liver cells stimulated by cortisol. Nature 228: 132–134.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. O'Malley, B. W., T. C. Spelsberg, W. T. Schrader, F. Chytil, and A. W. Steggles. 1972. Mechanisms of interaction of a hormone-receptor complex with the genome of a eukaryotic target cell. Nature 235: 141–144.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Shirley Hull Kovacs

    Present address: Division of Biological Sciences, Tucker Hall, University of Missouri, 65201, Columbia, Mo

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Oregon, USA

    Shirley Hull Kovacs

Authors
  1. Shirley Hull Kovacs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This work was supported by a National Science Foundation (U.S.A.) Training Grant.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kovacs, S.H. Early events in the induction of glutamine synthetase activity by hydrocortisone in embryonic chick neural retina. In Vitro 13, 24–30 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02615500

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02615500

Key words

Search

Navigation