Stimulation of fatty acid synthesis in vitro by gonadotrophin-induced testicular ribonucleic acid.

RNA from testes of hypophysectomized rats treated with follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone markedly stimulates in vitro the incorporation of acetate and malonate (as CoA derivatives) into polyunsaturated fatty acids. The system in vitro contains the components necessary for both protein and fatty acid synthesis. That the RNA is a hormone-induced messenger type that causes enzyme synthesis that then causes fatty acid synthesis is supported by the following observations: (1) the stimulation of RNA synthesis by follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone is decreased by injection of the animals with actinomycin D; (2) puromycin in the system in vitro decreases the synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids; (3) the activity of the RNA preparation is destroyed by digestion with ribonuclease; in fact, the digest is inhibitory, which is a characteristic of messenger-RNA-mediated protein synthesis; (4) protein that might be denatured enzyme is virtually absent from the effective RNA preparations.