A Longitudinal Study of Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase Activity and Its Relationship with Nucleic Acid Content in the Myometrium of Cynomolgus Monkeys (Macacafascicularis) between Days 39 and 162 of Gestation

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Abstract
Cyclic AMP and cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) activities and nucleic acid contents were assayed in crude homogenates prepared from biopsies excised between days 39 and 162 of gestation (normal full length of gestation: 165 days) in outer and inner layers of the macaque myometrium. In both layers, kinetic analysis of PDE indicated high (apparent Km 2 × 10––6M) and low (apparent Km 2 × 10––5M) affinity component for each substrate. When measured in high-affinity conditions, specific activities were elevated around day 40 and beyond day 130 of gestation. By contrast, low values were observed between days 50 and 100. They were related to the decrease of the Vmax values (expressed either per milligram protein or per microgram DNA). No significant differences were observed between outer and inner layers. Variations of tissue DNA and RNA were demonstrated throughout gestation indicating that both hyperplasia and hypertrophy were involved in uterine growth. Unlike DNA, RNA content (and consequently the RNA:DNA ratio) in the inner layer always remained above the values of the outer layer. In both layers, the RNA:DNA ratio, which presumably reflects the rate of protein synthesis and the PDE activity, reached maximum values at the same time.