Membrane-bound carboxypeptidase-M is expressed on human ovarian follicles and corpora lutea of menstrual cycle and early pregnancy.

We have previously reported that membrane-bound aminopeptidases were expressed on human follicles and corpora lutea (CL) and we showed that these aminopeptidases are involved in follicular growth, probably by regulating extracellular peptide concentrations. In this study, the expression of membrane-bound carboxypeptidase-M (CP-M), which cleaves carboxyl-terminal amino acids from peptides extracellularly, on human follicles and CL was examined. In growing and pre-ovulatory follicles, CP-M was immunohistochemically detected with weak or moderate intensity on theca interna cells. Although CP-M was not detected on granulosa cells in growing and pre-ovulatory follicles, it was strongly detected on the cell surface of luteinizing granulosa cells isolated from patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization treatment, indicating that CP-M was rapidly expressed on granulosa cells during ovulation. In menstrual and pregnant CL, CP-M was clearly detected on luteal cells. In menstrual CL, the expression of CP-M mRNA was observed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Western blotting analysis revealed that the molecular mass of the CP-M extracted from mid-luteal CL was 62 kDa. These results indicate that CP-M is a cell surface differentiation-related molecule of human granulosa, theca, and luteal cells. The rapid expression on granulosa cells during ovulation strongly suggests the involvement of CP-M in the ovulation and CL formation processes.