AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 271, Issue 4 E686-E693, Copyright © 1996 by American Physiological Society
Hormonal regulation of prostaglandin F2 alpha receptor gene expression in mouse ovary
J. Sugatani, Y. Masu, M. Nishizawa, K. Sakamoto, T. Houtani, T. Sugimoto and S. Ito
Department of Medical Chemistry, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
In this study we examined regulation by pituitary gonadotropins of the
prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) receptor gene expression in the mouse
ovary. Administration of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) to
35-day-old mice in the diestrus phase stimulated the ovary and enhanced the
production of progesterone at 1 h PMSG also increased the ovarian PGF2
alpha receptor mRNA level in a time-dependent manner, reaching a sixfold
maximum at 1 h. These actions of PMSG were mimicked by human chorionic
gonadotropin (hCG), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and cholera toxin,
all of which elevate intracellular adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate
(cAMP). In situ hybridization revealed that PGF2 alpha receptor mRNA was
localized to the corpus luteum, but the intensity of staining varied among
corpora lutea in the same ovary. Exogenous PGF2 alpha inhibited the
PMSG-stimulated progesterone production. These results demonstrate that
gonadotropins may induce the expression of the PGF2 alpha receptor gene in
luteal cells of the corpus luteum, probably by acting through a
cAMP-mediated pathway, and that expression of the PGF2 alpha receptor may
be functionally associated with the decrease in serum progesterone level.
