The fragments of the androgen receptor (amino acids: 359-732) and of the glucocorticoid receptor (amino acids: 396-548) were expressed in E. coli as fusion proteins with GST. Both fusion proteins, denoted GST-AR and GST-GR, contained the DNA-binding domain and some flanking amino acids. In gel retardation assay both fusion proteins could bind the androgen/glucocorticoid response element (ARE/GRE). We found that both cytosol and nuclear extracts from rat ventral prostate (v.p), but not from other source tested could abolish the interaction of GST-AR and GST-GR with ARE/GRE (from C3 (1) gene and MMTV LTR). The inhibition was androgen-dependent and sensitive to temperature and trypsin treatment. It implies that a protein inhibitor was present in the rat ventral prostate.