The mechanisms of action of gonadotropin and sex steroids were briefly discussed by illustrations from the molecular biological viewpoint. 1) Gonadotropin. Gonadotropin promotes not only the metabolism of carbohydrate, protein and lipid in the ovarian cortical cell followed. by follicular development,ovulationand corpus lute-um. formation, but acts on the steroidogenesis. It is suggested that the effect was mediated through the action of protein synthesis, in which adenosine 3-5-monophosphate(3-5-AMP) was utilized. Localizations of. gonadotropin (especially LH) stimulating steroid production are suggested as among following conversion pathways of steroidogenesis, i.e., cleavage of cholesterol side-chain, pregnenelone to progesterone, progesterone to 17-OH-progesterone, and 17-OH-progesterone to. androstenedione.
2) Sex steroid homones. Sex steroids act not only on the gene level, but on the molecule (suggested as protein) related to self control mechanism for the cell. proliferation and differentiation.
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