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Biology of Reproduction, Vol 21, 965-971, Copyright © 1979 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

Dgr5, 3beta Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Activity in Cat Placental Labyrinth: Evolution during Pregnancy, Subcellular Distribution

A. MALASSINÉ 1, and F. FERRÉ 2

1 Laboratoire de Physiologie Comparée, Parc de Grandmont, 31200 Tours, France
2 Laboratoire de Chimie Hormonale, U.166 INSERM, Maternité de port-Royal, 123, Bld de Port-Royal, 75014 Paris, France


The capability of the cat placenta to synthesize progesterone was studied by measurement of the biochemical activity of Dgr5-3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (Dgr5, 3beta HSD). This activity was assessed by measuring of the rate of [3H]-progesterone formation from [3H]-pregnenolone through use of a double isotope dilution method. The enzymatic activity was distributed equally between mitochondrial and microsomal fractions, although the specific activity was higher in the microsomal fraction as compared to the mitochondrial fraction. The specific activity in the homogenate was 28.2 ± 1.16 nmol/min/mg protein between Days 28-32 of gestation; it increased to 49.3 ± 1 nmol/min/mg protein between Days 50-62. The total enzymatic activity increased greatly in the last stage of gestation due to the increase in placental weight. These results indicate that placental production of progesterone increases significantly during the latter part of gestation and explain the fact that ovariectomy after Day 49 of pregnancy does not alter the duration of pregnancy.

Note:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are very grateful to Dr. L. Cédard for her help and critical appraisal of the manuscript. It is with pleasure that we thank Dr. P. Laporte for performing the hysterectomies, Mss. A. Guichard and Y. Janssens for their help in progesterone metabolite determination, Mr. M. Guesdon for helping us in the preparation of the English text and Mrs. M. Verger for typing the manuscript. This investigation was supported by research grants from DGRST (contrat n° 76.7.0041, Biologie de la Reproduction et du Développement) to Laboratoire de Physiologie Comparée, Tours.

Submitted on November 21, 1978
Accepted on July 3, 1979






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Copyright © 1979 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.