ACTIVIN SUBUNIT, FOLLISTATIN, AND ACTIVIN RECEPTOR GENE-EXPRESSION INTHE PREPUBERTAL FEMALE RAT PITUITARY

In the prepubertal female rat, a transient and selective increase in F SH secretion and mRNA expression by the pituitary gland occurs toward the end of the second postnatal week of life. To begin to investigate the possibility that activin may play a role in up-regulating FSH duri ng this time, we have studied the ontogeny of the expression of the ac tivin beta subunits, follistatin, and activin receptor subtypes in the prepubertal female rat pituitary. The levels of expression of beta(A) , beta(B), and follistatin mRNAs were determined in the pituitary glan d on postnatal days (PND) 8, 10, 12, 15, and 21 by semiquantitative re verse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. All values were compare d to those of adult females killed on diestrus. mRNA levels of subunit beta(A) were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated on all postnatal days examined; beta(B) mRNA levels were elevated above adult levels only on PND 10 (p < 0.05). Follistatin mRNA was high on PND 8 (p < 0.05) and then decreased to adult levels. The level and distribution of activin receptor type II subtype mRNAs were determined by in situ hybridizatio n. Activin receptor type II (Act RII) mRNA expression was diffusely ex pressed throughout all areas of the pituitary. Activin receptor type I IB (Act RIIB), on the other hand, was highly expressed by a subset of anterior pituitary cells. In situ hybridization for activin receptor s ubtype mRNAs was combined with immunocytochemistry to detect FSH-conta ining cells. We determined that in the infantile female pituitary, Act RII mRNA was generally not expressed in FSH-immunoreactive cells, whi le Act RIIB mRNA was expressed in FSH-immunoreactive cells. Act RII mR NA was lower on PND 10 and 15 when compared to PND 21 (p < 0.05), wher eas Act RIIB mRNA expression did not change with age. These data sugge st that the essential components of the activin regulatory system are present in the infantile female pituitary gland and thus may be involv ed in the differential regulation of FSH at this time.