THE EFFECT OF GROWTH HORMONE AND OF CORTISOL ON THE RESPONSE OF ISOLATED RAT DIAPHRAGM TO THE STIMULATING EFFECT OF INSULIN ON GLUCOSE UPTAKE AND ON INCORPORATION OF AMINO ACIDS INTO PROTEIN

SUMMARY 1. The effect of hypophysectomy, or of adrenalectomy, and injection of pituitary growth hormone (GH) or of cortisol, on the uptake of glucose and the incorporation of glycine into protein by isolated rat diaphragm, and the effect of the addition of insulin in vitro on these processes, has been studied. 2. Both hypophysectomy and adrenalectomy raised the uptake of glucose by isolated diaphragm, while treatment of the intact or of the hypophysectomized rat with GH, or of the intact or of the adrenalectomized rat with cortisol, depressed it. Although hypophysectomy and adrenalectomy did not influence the additional glucose uptake induced by 200 mu./ml. of insulin in vitro, both these operations enhanced the effect of 0·1–1·0 mu./ml. of insulin on glucose uptake by diaphragm in vitro. Treatment of the rat with GH or cortisol diminished the rise in glucose uptake of diaphragm induced by 0·1–1·0 mu./ml. insulin. 3. Hypophysectomy depressed, and administration of GH to the intact or hypophysectomized rat raised, the incorporation of glycine into protein of the isolated diaphragm, but neither of these operations altered the magnitude of the stimulation of incorporation induced by 1·0 mu./ml. insulin. 4. Adrenalectomy raised, and administration of cortisol to the intact or adrenalectomized rat depressed, the incorporation of glycine into protein of the isolated diaphragm; adrenalectomy enhanced, the injection of cortisol diminished, the effect of 1·0 mu./ml. insulin on these processes. 5. The possibility that GH directs insulin towards the stimulation of protein synthesis, in part by restraining the action of insulin on carbohydrate metabolism, is discussed.