The modulatory role of follicular fluid (FF) upon gonadotropin-induced granulosa cell (GC) differentiation has been previously demonstrated. In the present study, the stimulatory factor of large-antral FF (LFF) was partially characterized. Addition of ovine FSH to porcine GC culture increased 125I-hCG specific binding about 6-fold and progesterone (P4) secretion 15-fold. The FSH-induced 125I-hCG specific binding was increased 1.9-fold by LFF and decreased 7.7-fold in the presence of small-antral FF (SFF). It is suggested that SFF may contain an inhibitory factor which is overcome by a stimulatory factor accumulated in FF with follicular growth. An initial purification of LFF stimulatory factor was achieved by two-step ethanol elution. The obtained LFF purified fraction increased the FSH-induced 125I-hCG specific binding 1.5-fold and P4 secretion 4.3-fold compared to GC cultured with FSH + LFF. Addition of LH alone increased the P4 secretion 2.3-, 3.4-, and 6 fold in GC precultured with FSH alone, FSH + neat LFF, and FSH + LFF purified fraction, respectively, as compared to GC precultured in plain medium. Therefore, the LFF stimulatory increase of 125I-hCG specific binding may represent an increase of functional LH receptors. Freezing and thawing of LFF 4 times, exposing LFF to urea for 24 h, heating at 60 C for 20 min, and tryptic digestion each abolished the LFF stimulatory effect upon the FSH-dependent increase of 125I-hCG specific binding and P4 secretion. Thus, the LFF stimulatory activity could be attributed to one or more proteins.
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Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol
November 2008
Department of Molecular Pharmacology, N.V. Organon, a part of Schering-Plough Corporation, 5340 BH, Oss, The Netherlands.
J Endocrinol Invest
November 2003
Health and Medical Center, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
We report a 22-yr-old male patient with idiopathic hypothalamic hypogonadism who showed secondary resistance to gonadotropin (Gn) therapy over 3 yr after successful treatment with hCG combined with human menopausal Gn. The patient simultaneously developed subclinical hypothyroidism. Endocrine examination revealed low levels of testosterone (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Physiol Pharmacol
December 2000
Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding of Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrz biec.
High-affinity LH/hCG binding sites have been characterized in bovine, lepine, murine, human uteri and porcine myometrium and endometrium. In the present studies we analyzed these receptors in the porcine cervix. Radioreceptor ligand assays were performed with cell membrane preparations of the cervix which were analyzed for binding sites specificity, capacity and affinity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife Sci
December 1999
Department of Obstetrics and Gyncecology, University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, KY 40292, USA.
We used immortalized HN33p cells as surrogates for hippocampal neurons to investigate the functional importance of luteinizing hormone (LH)/human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) receptors. The use of various detection techniques demonstrated that HN33p cells contain LH/hCG receptor transcripts and receptor protein that can bind 125I-hCG. Culturing them with highly purified hCG resulted in a significant, although modest, dose-and time-dependent and hormone specific increase in steady state 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) mRNA and protein levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Endocrinol Metab
September 1999
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, Kentucky 40292, USA.
Endometrial glands contain higher levels of LH/hCG receptors than other cells in the human uterus. The present study investigated their functional importance. Northern and Western blotting and covalent receptor cross-linking demonstrated that human endometrial gland epithelial cells in culture contained multiple LH/hCG receptor transcripts and an 80-kDa receptor protein that can bind [125I]hCG in a hormone-specific manner.
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