Relationship of Sulfatase Activity to Radiosulfate Uptake in Guinea Pig Orbital Tissues: Effect of TSH

¹ Departments of Ophthalmology of The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, N.Y., and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.

The sulfating effect of TSH on guinea pig Harderian and ventral lacrimal glands was investigated by differential centrifugation and by studies on the two glands' sulfatase activity. Radiosulfate incorporation in the Harderian as compared to that in the ventral lacrimal gland, was 1:10. The particulate elements of the two glands incorporated radiosulfate differently--58 per cent of the Harderian's and 11 per cent of the ventral lacrimal's. Almost all the sulfating effect of TSH on the Harderian was accounted for by the increase in the radiosulfate of the gland's particulate elements. Sulfatase activity in the Harderian, as compared to that in the ventral lacrimal, was 5:1 and the specific activity ratio was 20:1. The recovery of sulfatase activity in the particulate elements was 43 per cent in the Harderian and 80 per cent in the ventral lacrimal. TSH did not significantly affect total sulfatase in either gland, but particulate sulfatase under the effect of TSH constituted 85 per cent of the Harderian's sulfatase and 94 per cent of the ventral lacrimal's. The relationship of these findings to experimental endocrine exophthalmos is discussed.

Note:

During part of this study the author was Special Fellow, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service, Bethesda, Md.