Mitochondrial protein synthesis and the stimulation of steroidogenesis by cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate in isolated rat adrenal cells

Abstract

The stimulation by cyclic AMP of steroidogenesis in rat adrenal cells isolated by trypsin treatment was inhibited by d- threo-chloram phenicol and by its l- threo-isomer. The former is an inhibitor of mitochondrial protein synthesis while the latter is not. Both substances, at concentrations which inhibit steroidogenesis, inhibit amino acid incorporation into the proteins of microsomes. Inhibition in other subcellular fractions also occurs depending on the isomer and its concentration. In no case was there a preferential inhibition of amino acid incorporation into mitochondrial proteins. Carbomycin, another inhibitor of mitochondrial protein synthesis, gave similar results. In addition, subfractionation of mitochondria in these experiments revealed no preferential inhibition of amino acid incorporation into the proteins of either the soluble or membrane fractions of this organelle. The above results were obtained at several concentrations of the inhibitors when only partial inhibition of steroidogenesis was present. Both isomers of chloramphenicol inhibited steroidogenesis in a cell-free system to an extent equal to that found with cyclic AMP-stimulated steroidogenesis in intact cells. It is concluded that these inhibitors of mitochondrial protein synthesis have multiple metabolic effects in adrenal cells.