Ma. Masini et al., Somatostatin in the ovary of an African lungfish (Protopterus annectens): An in situ hybridisation, immunohistochemical, and autoradiographical study, GEN C ENDOC, 114(2), 1999, pp. 287-292
In mammals, somatostatin seems to be involved in the control of ovarian ste
roidogenesis. There have been no studies on the presence or actions of soma
tostatin in the ovary of nonmammalian vertebrates. The localisation of soma
tostatin-14 was examined immunohistochemically using the antibody to somato
statin-14 in the ovary of the African lungfish Protopterus annectens. Immun
oreactivity was present in the granulosa cells of mature ovarian follicle e
xamined by light microscopy. Using an oligonucleotide probe complementary t
o mRNA for somatostatin-ll and labelled at the 3'-end with alpha-S-35, in s
itu hybridisation demonstrated somatostatin-14 mRNA distributed in cells sh
owing the same localisation as that of the immunoreactive cells. Binding si
tes for SST-14 were identified with autoradiography using [I-125]somatostat
in-14. Binding sites were localised on granulosa and theca cells. Somatosta
tin-14 may be thus synthesised in the lungfish ovary. (C) 1999 Academic Pre
ss.