Gava Natalie, Clarke Christine L, Byth Karen, Arnett-Mansfield Rebecca L, deFazio Anna
Department of Gynecological Oncology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales 2145, Australia.
Endocrinology. 2004 Jul;145(7):3487-94. doi: 10.1210/en.2004-0212. Epub 2004 Mar 24.
Progesterone plays a central role in the regulation of ovarian function. The progesterone receptor (PR) has been shown to be essential for ovulation because mice lacking PR fail to ovulate and are infertile. PR is expressed as two isoforms, PRA and PRB, which have been shown to have different functional activities. In this study, we investigated the cellular distribution of PRA and PRB in the ovaries and oviducts of cycling mice using immunohistochemistry with isoform-specific monoclonal antibodies. In the ovary, on the evening of proestrus before ovulation, both the granulosa and theca cells of the preovulatory follicles expressed both PR isoforms. PRA and PRB staining was also observed in the theca cells of preantral and antral follicles, whereas only PRB was observed in the granulosa cells of primary, preantral, and antral follicles and in the corpus luteum. In the oviduct, PRA was the predominant isoform observed, expressed in both the epithelial and stromal cells, whereas PRB was only detected in the epithelial cells. The differences in PRA and PRB localization in the ovary and oviduct may reflect diverse functions for PRA and PRB in reproductive tissues and may have important implications in understanding the mechanisms of progesterone action.
孕酮在卵巢功能调节中起核心作用。已证明孕酮受体（PR）对排卵至关重要，因为缺乏PR的小鼠无法排卵且不育。PR以两种异构体PRA和PRB的形式表达，已证明它们具有不同的功能活性。在本研究中，我们使用异构体特异性单克隆抗体通过免疫组织化学方法研究了PRA和PRB在发情周期小鼠卵巢和输卵管中的细胞分布。在卵巢中，排卵前发情期的傍晚，排卵前卵泡的颗粒细胞和卵泡膜细胞均表达两种PR异构体。在窦前卵泡和窦卵泡的卵泡膜细胞中也观察到PRA和PRB染色，而在初级卵泡、窦前卵泡和窦卵泡的颗粒细胞以及黄体中仅观察到PRB。在输卵管中，观察到的主要异构体是PRA，在上皮细胞和基质细胞中均有表达，而PRB仅在上皮细胞中检测到。PRA和PRB在卵巢和输卵管中的定位差异可能反映了PRA和PRB在生殖组织中的不同功能，并且可能对理解孕酮作用机制具有重要意义。
