Syndrome of androgen insensitivity in man: Absence of 5 α - dihydrotestosterone binding protein in skin fibroblasts

A method has been developed for measuring specific DHT binding in cultured human skin fibroblasts. Initial studies indicate that about one half of the measured bindingis nuclear and the rest cytoplasmic. The amount of binding per cell and the dissociation constant measured in normal fibroblasts is comparable to reported values for prostatic tissue. No appreciable DHT binding was detectable in fibroblasts from androgen insensitive patients. Deficiency of DHT binding protein (s) could account for the syndrome of androgen insensitivity (testicular feminization) in man.