Juengel J L, Niswender G D
Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523-1683, USA.
J Reprod Fertil Suppl. 1999;54:193-205.
Regulation of progesterone secretion from the corpus luteum during the oestrous cycle requires the integration of multiple signals to achieve the appropriate amount of progesterone to maximize reproductive efficiency. Development of a mature corpus luteum capable of secreting sufficient amounts of progesterone is dependent upon the pituitary hormones LH and growth hormone (GH). Continued secretion of progesterone from the mature corpus luteum is also dependent upon pituitary hormones. If pregnancy does not occur, prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) of uterine origin causes a precipitous decrease in progesterone secretion and demise of the corpus luteum. A major point of regulation of progesterone secretion by both luteotrophic and luteolytic hormones appears to be regulation of transport of cholesterol through the mitochondrial membranes to cytochrome P450scc. It is likely that both luteotrophic and luteolytic hormones regulate steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), which facilitates transport. Regulation may be occurring through increases or decreases in gene transcription, translation efficiency or post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation. Thus, although synthesis of progesterone is a complex process, both positive and negative regulation of the process appears to occur primarily at a single step (transport of cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial membrane) in the pathway.
发情周期中黄体孕酮分泌的调节需要多种信号的整合，以达到适量的孕酮水平，从而使生殖效率最大化。能够分泌足够量孕酮的成熟黄体的发育依赖于垂体激素促黄体生成素（LH）和生长激素（GH）。成熟黄体中孕酮的持续分泌也依赖于垂体激素。如果未发生妊娠，子宫来源的前列腺素F2α（PGF2α）会导致孕酮分泌急剧下降以及黄体退化。促黄体激素和溶黄体激素对孕酮分泌的主要调节点似乎是胆固醇通过线粒体外膜向细胞色素P450scc的转运调节。促黄体激素和溶黄体激素可能都调节类固醇生成急性调节蛋白（StAR），该蛋白促进转运。调节可能通过基因转录的增加或减少、翻译效率或翻译后修饰（如磷酸化）来实现。因此，尽管孕酮的合成是一个复杂的过程，但该过程的正调控和负调控似乎主要发生在途径中的单个步骤（胆固醇向内线粒体膜的转运）。
