The action of progesterone and diethylstilboestrol on the dehydrogenase and esterase activities of a purified aldehyde dehydrogenase from rabbit liver.

A steroid-sensitive aldehyde dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.3) was purified from rabbit liver and is homogeneous by the criterion of electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels with or without sodium dodecyl sulphate. The enzyme is tetrameric, of subunit mo.wt. 48 300, and contains no tightly bound zinc. The fluorescence of the protein is decreased in the presence of progesterone, which is inhibitory to the reactions catalysed by the enzyme. When NADH is bound to the enzyme, the fluorescence of the coenzyme is augmented to an extent independent of the presence of steroids or acetaldehyde. The purified enzyme catalyses the oxidation of acetaldehyde and glucuronolactone, and the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate. Each of these reactions is inhibited by progesterone in such a manner as to suggest the formation of a catalytically active enzyme-hormone complex. Diethylstilboestrol inhibits the hydrolysis of esters by this enzyme, but stimulates the oxidation of aldehydes, except at low aldehyde concentrations; the ligand is then inhibitory. NADH inhibits the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate by the enzyme in a partially competitive fashion.