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The effects of colchicine, vinblastine and cytochalasins on the corticotropic responsiveness and ultrastructure of inner zone adrenocortical tissue in the Pekin duck

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Tissue slices superfused with medium containing no ACTH released only traces of corticosterone. Addition of ACTH to the medium caused the rate of corticosterone release to increase to a maximum about 45 min after the addition of ACTH, after which time it either remained constant or started to wane slightly. The rate of release was affected by tissue thickness; the maximum rate of corticosterone release occurred when the tissue slices were 200 μm. Stimulated adrenocortical cells had large spherical nuclei, numerous mitochondria with tubular cristae, numerous lipid droplets, and a large amount of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Many cells had an extensive network of microfilaments adjacent to the plasma membrane and some microtubules. Prolonged superfusion caused degenerative changes in some of the cells. Both cytochalasin B and cytochalasin D, dissolved in DMSO before addition to the superfusion medium, inhibited the corticotropic responsiveness in a dose-dependent manner. Control tissue samples superfused with medium containing DMSO, but no ACTH and no cytochalasin, released significantly more corticosterone than corresponding unstimulated samples. Few or no microfilaments were observed in adrenocortical cells after treatment with cytochalasin. Neither colchicine nor vinblastine had any discernible effect on the corticotropic responsiveness. After treatment with colchicine, adrenocortical cells had an ultrastructure characteristic of inner zone stimulated cells except that they were mainly devoid of microtubules.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences and the Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    James Cronshaw, W. N. Holmes & R. D. West

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  1. James Cronshaw
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  2. W. N. Holmes
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  3. R. D. West
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Additional information

This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (PCM 79-15777) to James Cronshaw and W.N. Holmes, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106 USA

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Cronshaw, J., Holmes, W.N. & West, R.D. The effects of colchicine, vinblastine and cytochalasins on the corticotropic responsiveness and ultrastructure of inner zone adrenocortical tissue in the Pekin duck. Cell Tissue Res. 236, 333–338 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00214235

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00214235

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