Camp T A, Rahal J O, Mayo K E
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208.
Mol Endocrinol. 1991 Oct;5(10):1405-17. doi: 10.1210/mend-5-10-1405.
The pituitary gonadotropins FSH and LH are key hormones for regulating gametogenesis and steroidogenesis in the ovary and testis. The cell surface receptors that mediate the biological activities of these hormones are thought to be expressed in a cell-specific fashion in the ovary and are regulated as animals progress through the reproductive cycle. Using cloned receptor cDNAs, we have examined the expression and hormonal regulation of the ovarian FSH and LH receptor mRNAs in the rat. A quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction amplification scheme was used to measure relative levels of the FSH and LH receptor mRNAs, while in situ hybridization was used to localize FSH and LH receptor transcripts. In immature animals, low levels of FSH receptor mRNA are observed in the granulosa cells of small follicles, while low levels of LH receptor mRNA are found in the thecal cells of these same follicles. After stimulation with PMSG, levels of both mRNAs increase, and the LH receptor mRNA is localized in both the granulosa and thecal cells of large follicles. Further treatment of PMSG-primed animals with hCG results in down-regulation, particularly of the LH receptor mRNA in granulosa cells. In adult animals, LH receptor mRNA levels change dramatically during the estrous cycle, particularly after the preovulatory LH surge. FSH receptor mRNA levels show a similar pattern of change, but the FSH receptor mRNA is of lower abundance and is not as highly regulated as the LH receptor mRNA. FSH receptor mRNA is confined to the granulosa cells of healthy developing follicles, whereas LH receptor mRNA is localized predominantly to thecal cells of small follicles on estrous morning, then appears in the granulosa cells of growing follicles by diestrous morning. LH receptor mRNA is also found in interstitial tissues and corpora lutea throughout much of the estrous cycle. Our results indicate that the gonadotropin receptor genes are regulated in a complex fashion during the recruitment, maturation, and ovulation of the ovarian follicle.
垂体促性腺激素卵泡刺激素（FSH）和促黄体生成素（LH）是调节卵巢和睾丸中配子发生及类固醇生成的关键激素。介导这些激素生物学活性的细胞表面受体被认为在卵巢中以细胞特异性方式表达，并随着动物经历生殖周期而受到调节。利用克隆的受体cDNA，我们研究了大鼠卵巢中FSH和LH受体mRNA的表达及激素调节。采用定量逆转录 - 聚合酶链反应扩增方案来测量FSH和LH受体mRNA的相对水平，同时利用原位杂交来定位FSH和LH受体转录本。在未成熟动物中，小卵泡的颗粒细胞中观察到低水平的FSH受体mRNA，而在这些相同卵泡的卵泡膜细胞中发现低水平的LH受体mRNA。用孕马血清促性腺激素（PMSG）刺激后，两种mRNA的水平均升高，并且LH受体mRNA定位于大卵泡的颗粒细胞和卵泡膜细胞中。用绒毛膜促性腺激素（hCG）对经PMSG预处理的动物进行进一步处理会导致下调，特别是颗粒细胞中LH受体mRNA的下调。在成年动物中，LH受体mRNA水平在发情周期中变化显著，特别是在排卵前LH峰之后。FSH受体mRNA水平显示出类似的变化模式，但FSH受体mRNA丰度较低，且不像LH受体mRNA那样受到高度调节。FSH受体mRNA局限于健康发育卵泡的颗粒细胞中，而LH受体mRNA在发情期早晨主要定位于小卵泡的卵泡膜细胞，然后在动情后期早晨出现在生长卵泡的颗粒细胞中。在整个发情周期的大部分时间里，LH受体mRNA也存在于间质组织和黄体中。我们的结果表明，促性腺激素受体基因在卵巢卵泡的募集、成熟和排卵过程中以复杂的方式受到调节。
