| Abstract: | Transplantable rat pituitary tumor MtT SA5 is characterized by the induction of pronounced adrenal enlargement. In spite of remarkable elevation of plasma ACTH levels, serum corticosterone levels in hypophysectomized tumor-bearing rats were lower than those in intact control rats. No immunohistochemical alterations were seen in corticotrophs of the pituitary in tumor-bearing rats. Ratio of bioactive ACTH (Bio-ACTH) to immunoreactive ACTH (Ir-ACTH) in the tumor tissues was 0.2%, being extraordinarily lower than in the pituitary tissues (23%). Gel chromatography of the tumor tissue showed large molecular weight forms of Ir-ACTH, which seem to result from abnormal processing of proopiomelanocortin, and are responsible for the lower levels of Bio-ACTH compared to Ir-ACTH. The MtT SA5 tumor is suggested to secrete ACTH-related peptides which induce pronounced adrenal enlargement with little or no stimulation of glucocorticoid production. |
