THE EFFECTS OF STEROID HORMONES UPON AMINO ACID INCORPORATION INTO MOUSE KIDNEY HOMOGENATES1

The effects of a number of androgenic and adrenal-cortical steroids upon the steroid-sensitive amino acid incorporating system of mouse kidney homogenate have been explored. The responses to methylandrostenediol, andro-sterone, methyltestosterone, and testosterone were similar to that observed previously to testosterone propionate, namely, an increase in incorporation rate which reaches a maximum (25–35% above that for control) within two to four days, followed by a rapid decline to the pre-stimulatory rate. Desoxy-corticosterone produces a somewhat smaller increase after two days, while treatment with hydrocortisone results in a decrease of 30–35%. Hydrocortisone, in adequate amounts, inhibits the response to testosterone propionate almost completely, while the inhibitory effect of the former is not diminished by relatively large amounts of the latter. It is concluded that the two compounds exert their effects at different metabolic sites.