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Conversion of Dehydroepiandrosterone, Pregnenolone, and Progesterone by Interstitial Cell Tumor Tissue¹

Department of Pathology, Pathology Institute, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Steroid biosynthesis was studied in a spontaneous mouse interstitial cell tumor grown as a transplant in isologous male recipients. In timed incubations the tumor tissue rapidly transformed dehydroepiandrosterone to androstenedione. The formation of testosterone, 11ß-hydroxyandrostenedione, and 11ß-hydroxytestosterone proceeded at a slower rate. A conversion product with chromatographic characteristics of 19-hydroxyandrostenedione was also found. Incubation of tumor tissue with equal weights of ³H-labeled pregnenolone and ¹⁴C-labeled progesterone resulted in formation of dual-labeled progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, and 20-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one. A dual-labeled compound with characteristics of 11ß-hydroxyprogesterone was also detected. The tumor tissue in its steroid biosynthetic properties partly resembled testis tissue and partly resembled adrenocortical tissue. Dual-labeled conversion products showed variations in their ³H:¹⁴C ratios which may be attributed to heterogeneity of the tumor cell population and their differences in activities of steroid-transforming enzymes.

¹ This study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Medical Research Council of Canada.

Received 6/13/69. Accepted 8/ 6/69.