Mechanisms subserving calcium's modulation of luteinizing hormone action in isolated swine granulosa cells.

We studied the mechanism(s) by which calcium ions modulate progesterone biosynthesis by isolated swine granulosa cells incubated in chemically defined medium in vitro. In selectively calcium-deficient incubations, the capacity of 8-bromo-cAMP to stimulate pregnenolone synthesis from endogenous sterol substrate was significantly impeded. This effect of calcium ions was specific, because calcium ions did not influence basal pregnenolone production or alter progesterone production in response to exogenously supplied cholesterol substrate. Moreover, calcium ions did not modify other biosynthetic processes in granulosa cells, such as de novo synthesis of cholesterol from [14C]acetate or the aromatization of testosterone to 17 beta-estradiol. The possible role of calmodulin in mediating calcium's actions in pig granulosa cells was tested by measuring the calmodulin content of these cells and assessing the functional responses to classical calmodulin antagonists. By immunoassay, swine granulosa cells contained high concentrations of calmodulin, viz. 4.21-4.88 micrograms calmodulin/mg protein. Moreover, calmodulin antagonists inhibited LH-stimulated progesterone production with the following rank order of potencies [estimated by half-maximally inhibitory concentrations (ID50)]: penfluridol (1 microM), trifluoroperazine (9 microM), chlorpromazine (95 microM), and trifluoperazine sulfoxide (greater than 300 microM). In addition, the nonphenothiazine calmodulin antagonist W7 inhibited stimulated progesterone production with an ID50 of 16.7 microM. W5 was less active. None of these antagonists significantly suppressed LH-stimulated cAMP generation at the low concentrations capable of inhibiting progesterone production. The effects of calcium ions seemed to depend upon the availability of intracellular pools of calcium, because TMB-8, an inhibitor of intracellular calcium mobilization, effectively suppressed LH-stimulated progesterone production (ID50, 18 microM). However, even 100 microM TMB-8 failed to alter basal progesterone production or suppress LH-stimulated cAMP generation in these cells. In summary, the present studies indicate that calcium ions significantly modulate LH's stimulation of pregnenolone biosynthesis from endogenous cholesterol substrate in swine ovarian cells. Calcium does not influence basal pregnenolone production, estrogen synthesis from androgen substrate, de novo biosynthesis of cholesterol from [14C]acetate, or progesterone production from exogenously supplied sterol substrate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)