Muramatsu Y, Sugino N, Suzuki T, Totsune K, Takahashi K, Tashiro A, Hongo M, Oki Y, Sasano H
Department of Pathology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Mar;86(3):1362-9. doi: 10.1210/jcem.86.3.7299.
Urocortin is a member of the CRF neuropeptide family and has a 43% homology to CRF in amino acid sequence. Urocortin has been found to bind with high affinity to CRF receptors. CRF has been detected in the human ovary and has been demonstrated to suppress ovarian steroidogenesis in vitro. In this study we examined urocortin and CRF receptor expression in normal cycling human ovaries, using immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Normal cycling human ovaries were obtained at oophorectomy and hysterectomy from patients who underwent surgery for cervical cancer or myoma uteri. Intense urocortin immunoreactivity was detected in luteinized thecal cells of regressing corpora lutea, in which only luteinized thecal cells have the capacity for steroidogenesis. Immunoreactive urocortin was also detected in luteinized granulosa and thecal cells of functioning corpora lutea, in which both cell components are capable of producing steroids. RT-PCR analyses revealed that messenger ribonucleic acid levels for urocortin, CRF, and CRF receptor type 1 and type 2alpha were significantly higher in the regressing corpus luteum than in the functioning corpus luteum. The spatial and temporal immunolocalization patterns of CRF receptor were similar to those of urocortin. These results suggest that urocortin is locally synthesized in steroidogenic luteal cells and acts on them as an autocrine and/or paracrine regulator of ovarian steroidogenesis, especially during luteal regression.
促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子相关肽是促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子（CRF）神经肽家族的成员，其氨基酸序列与CRF有43%的同源性。已发现促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子相关肽能以高亲和力与CRF受体结合。在人卵巢中已检测到CRF，并且已证实在体外它可抑制卵巢类固醇生成。在本研究中，我们使用免疫组织化学和逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测了正常月经周期的人卵巢中促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子相关肽和CRF受体的表达。正常月经周期的人卵巢取自因宫颈癌或子宫肌瘤接受手术的患者的卵巢切除术和子宫切除术中。在退化黄体的黄素化卵泡膜细胞中检测到强烈的促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子相关肽免疫反应性，其中只有黄素化卵泡膜细胞具有类固醇生成能力。在功能正常的黄体的黄素化颗粒细胞和卵泡膜细胞中也检测到免疫反应性促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子相关肽，这两种细胞成分都能够产生类固醇。RT-PCR分析显示，退化黄体中促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子相关肽、CRF以及1型和2α型CRF受体的信使核糖核酸水平显著高于功能正常的黄体。CRF受体的时空免疫定位模式与促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子相关肽相似。这些结果表明，促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子相关肽在类固醇生成的黄体细胞中局部合成，并作为卵巢类固醇生成的自分泌和/或旁分泌调节因子作用于这些细胞，尤其是在黄体退化期间。
