Aldosterone biosynthesis induced by ACTH and angiotensin II in newborn rat adrenocortical cells transfected by c-EJ-Ha-ras oncogene

Abstract Adrenocortical cells were obtained by fractionated trypsination of newborn rat adrenal glands and transfected with a plasmid containing the EJ T24 -Ha-ras oncogene. Isolation of adhesive cells led to a proliferative cell line with an overexpression of 21 kDa ras protein. These cells incubated with corticosterone or deoxycorticosterone as the precursor produced a high level of 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone as identified by gas chromatography- mass spectrometry. ACTH and angiotensin II increased the basal production of aldosterone nineteen-fold and six-fold respectively. Under ACTH stimulation the ratio between aldosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone production was 1:3. T…