Studies on the mechanism of action of progesterone in regulation of the synthesis of specific protein.

To study the process of hormone action, we have developed an in vitro system utilizing minced oviduct from estrogen-treated chicks incubated in tissue culture medium. Progesterone added to the medium induced synthesis of a specific protein, avidin, that continued for up to 96 hr. During this period there was no increase in total oviduct protein, ovalbumin, or lysozyme, which suggests the specificity of the progesterone effect. The induction process was dependent on new protein synthesis, since cycloheximide inhibited the induction completely. Actinomycin D in doses that prevented nuclear RNA synthesis, but not general protein synthesis, inhibited avidin production 70-90%. Avidin synthesis was not affected by 5-fluorouracil. The rate of DNA synthesis examined by thymidine-(3)H pulse labeling was not stimulated during avidin induction. Hydroxyurea (an inhibitor of DNA synthesis) and colchicine (a mitotic inhibitor) did not prevent induction. Studies utilizing uridine-(3)H pulses showed an effect on rapdly labeled nuclear RNA coincident with induction. Nuclear RNA polymerase activity increased before avidin induction. Since avidin was the only new protein synthesized in response to progesterone, the early stimulation of nuclear RNA synthesis and RNA polymerase activity would suggest a mechanism of action for this steroid at the transcription level of protein synthesis.