Incorporation of 3H-thymidine in the nephron of Gasterosteus aculeatus L. and its stimulation by methyltestosterone. A high-speed scintillation autoradiographic study.

The rate of 3H-thymidine incorporation into different parts of the renal proximal tubule of female sticklebacks treated with methyltestosterone was investigated using high-speed scintillation autoradiography. The results are compared with those from normal males before or after mucous transformation of the kidney. Labelled cells are observed in all parts of the proximal tubule, with marked variations from one segment to another. They are numerous in part 2 of the proximal tubule, particularly in the distal region. Male sex hormones affect the labelling rate in all parts of the nephron, especially in the distal region of part 2 of the proximal tubule. In that particular area, new tubule formation by budding is observed in some individuals, but this process does not appear to be a general one. Correlation between the frequency of these figures and the time of treatment could not be established. Comparing the action of sex hormones in females with that in males reveals a difference in reactivity in the proximal zone of part 2 of the proximal tubule, where methyltestosterone has a strong action in females; in contrast, in "mature" and "immature" males, only a few labelled cells are present in this region. It is concluded that kidney enlargement during the breeding season does not result only from a swelling of cells belonging to part 2 of the proximal tubule, as was generally believed, but also from a lengthening or even a proliferation of the proximal tubules, induced by an increase in mitotic activity controlled by male sex hormones.