Ovalbumin mRNA and ovalbumin DNA and the molecular biology of steroid hormone action.

Abstract

Certain steroid hormones, including estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone have profound effects on the development and function of the hen oviduct (Oka and Schimke, 1969a, b; O’Malley et al., 1969; Palmiter and Wrenn, 1971; Cox and Sauermein, 1970). Our attention has focused on hormonal regulation of ovalbumin synthesis, since this single polypeptide constitutes 50–60% of the protein synthesized in the fully differentiated oviduct, and its synthesis is under control by estrogens and progesterone. These features have allowed an analysis of the regulation at the molecular level, most specifically characterization and quantitation of the elements involved in specific protein synthesis, including polysomes, mRNA, and genes, in order to determine which of a myriad of potentially rate limiting steps is regulated by the hormones. We describe herein some of our more recent studies on the regulation of ovalbumin synthesis, including characterization of ovalbumin mRNA, and the use of nucleic acid hybridization techniques to analyze the mechanism of steroid hormone action.