Cyr D G, Eales J G
Department of Zoology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1988 Jan;69(1):80-7. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(88)90055-x.
Ovarian follicles isolated from rainbow trout during early exogenous vitellogenesis were used to study the in vitro effects of thyroid hormones on salmon gonadotropin (GtH)-induced estradiol-17 beta (E2) secretion. Triiodothyronine (T3) alone did not alter E2 secretion but T3 in the presence of GtH (0.5 micrograms/ml) modified E2 secretion according to a biphasic dose-response curve. Maximum E2 secretion occurred at 1.9 x 10(-8) M T3; a concentration of 3.0 x 10(-7) M was inhibitory. T3 was more potent in stimulating GtH-induced E2 secretion than thyroxine. The stimulatory and inhibitory effects of T3 were consistent over a range of GtH concentrations (0.1-1.0 micrograms/ml). Cycloheximide (0.1-10 microM) decreased E2 secretion by GtH-treated follicles in a dose-dependent manner, but failed to overcome all the stimulatory effects of T3. Time course studies with follicles incubated with GtH, GtH + T3, GtH + cycloheximide, or GtH + T3 + cycloheximide indicated that T3 stimulation of GtH-induced E2 secretion occurs within 6 hr. It is concluded that thyroid hormones amplify the effects of GtH on E2 secretion by isolated ovarian follicles; at least a part of this effect does not require de novo protein synthesis.
