Biosynthesis of cellular and secreted proteins during follicle-stimulating hormone-induced granulosa cell differentiation.

The synthesis of cellular and secreted proteins by differentiating granulosa cells from diethylstilbestrol-treated immature rats was studied by one- and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In cultured granulosa cells, FSH altered the relative biosynthesis of specific cellular and secreted proteins in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The incorporation of [35S]methionine into cellular proteins of Mr 42,000, 48,000, and 58,000 was enhanced by increasing amounts of the gonadotropin, whereas the labeling of a 44,000 Mr protein was reduced. Similarly, FSH increased the labeling of secreted proteins with relative Mr of 16,000, 17,000, 20,000, 25,000, 36,000, 41,000, 46,000, 111,000, and 153,000, and decreased that of proteins with Mr of 38,000, 48,000, 191,000, and 250,000. The expression of specific proteins was related to the degree of cellular maturation, since some proteins were newly synthesized during the early stages of granulosa cell development (less than 6 h), whereas others were more evident in the middle (24 h) or later (48 h) phases of culture. Also, the level of specific protein synthesis was variable since certain proteins were progressively produced during culture, and the biosynthesis of others fluctuated or was reduced during development. The effects of FSH on protein synthesis were mimicked by other cAMP-inducing ligands, including cholera toxin, forskolin, and 8-bromo-cAMP. Removal of FSH at 24 h of culture was followed by reversion of the protein biosynthetic pattern at 48 h to that of control cells, indicating that continued exposure to the gonadotropin is required during development. Cells cultured in the absence of ligands for 24 h synthesized proteins characteristic of differentiated cells when subsequently cultured with forskolin. These results indicate that FSH selectively alters the biosynthesis of cell-associated and secreted proteins during granulosa cell maturation. The characterization of these gene products and the mechanisms controlling their expression should ultimately clarify the sequential events involved in the hormonal regulation of granulosa cell development.