Bennett R A, Osathanondh R, Yeh J
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996 Aug;81(8):3073-6. doi: 10.1210/jcem.81.8.8768877.
Peptide growth factors are thought to be involved in adult ovarian regulatory functions. However, little is known about the role of growth factors in human fetal ovarian development. This study is an attempt to identify and localize transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF alpha), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and EGF receptor (EGF-R) in human fetal ovaries. Ovaries were obtained from first and second trimester elective abortuses. Immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin sections of these specimens after fixation. We examined the sections microscopically using the specific antibodies against TGF alpha, EGF, and EGF-R. Phosphate-buffered saline and preimmune IgG were used as negative controls. First and second trimester ovaries stained positively for all three proteins. Staining was significantly more intense in the oocytes than in the stroma. Negative controls did not stain. These results combined with our previous demonstration of messenger ribonucleic acid for these growth factors suggest roles for TGF alpha, EGF, and EGF-R in human fetal ovarian development. The strong staining in the oocytes suggests a possible autocrine or paracrine role of these growth factors in human oocyte growth in utero.
肽生长因子被认为参与成年卵巢的调节功能。然而，关于生长因子在人类胎儿卵巢发育中的作用却知之甚少。本研究旨在鉴定和定位人类胎儿卵巢中的转化生长因子-α（TGFα）、表皮生长因子（EGF）和EGF受体（EGF-R）。卵巢取自孕早期和孕中期的选择性流产胎儿。这些标本经固定后，对石蜡切片进行免疫组织化学检测。我们使用针对TGFα、EGF和EGF-R的特异性抗体对切片进行显微镜检查。磷酸盐缓冲盐水和免疫前IgG用作阴性对照。孕早期和孕中期的卵巢对所有三种蛋白质均呈阳性染色。卵母细胞中的染色明显比基质中的染色更强。阴性对照未染色。这些结果与我们之前对这些生长因子信使核糖核酸的证明相结合，提示TGFα、EGF和EGF-R在人类胎儿卵巢发育中发挥作用。卵母细胞中的强染色表明这些生长因子在子宫内人类卵母细胞生长中可能具有自分泌或旁分泌作用。
