Composition of culture media for steroid hormone secretion by murine adrenal tumor cells, Y-1 clone.

Murine adrenal tumor cells (Y-1 clone) were stimulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) to produce steroid hormone (delta 4, 3-keto steroids). The steroids were secreted into the medium immediately after synthesis. The optimum concentrations of ACTH and cyclic AMP for stimulation of steroid production were 10(-2) U/ml and 1.0 mM, respectively. In serum-free medium, ACTH and cyclic AMP stimulated steroidogenesis in Y-1 cells, but the amount of steroid hormone in the culture medium was low. However, a high level of steroid production was maintained with medium containing 10 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA). In culture medium containing a higher concentration of BSA, Y-1 cells did not become spherical as is usually the case when steroid production is stimulated by ACTH or cyclic AMP. The morphological changes did not always correlate with steroid secretion by Y-1 cells.