T. Minegishi et al., EXPRESSION OF FOLLICLE-STIMULATING-HORMONE RECEPTOR IN HUMAN OVARY, European journal of clinical investigation, 27(6), 1997, pp. 469-474
Citations number
19
Categorie Soggetti
Medicine, Research & Experimental","Medicine, General & Internal
The gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing
hormone (LH), are key hormones in the regulation of ovarian function.
The acquisition of FSH receptors during folliculogenesis is believed t
o be a key event in the subsequent development of the follicle. Howeve
r, the binding and biochemical properties of the human FSH receptor ar
e not well-characterized owing to the low abundance of these receptors
and the Limited availability of human tissue. The binding experiments
show that, while the affinity of the FSH receptor does not change thr
ough the menstrual cycle, the total number of FSH receptors in the lea
ding follicles increases by about two-fold at mid-follicular phase com
pared with those at other periods. Northern blot analysis was used to
measure relative levels of FSH receptor mRNA, and in situ hybridizatio
n was used to localize FSH receptor transcripts. Northern blot analysi
s of human ovaries detected two transcripts (4.1 and 2.4 kb) for the F
SH receptor. The FSH receptor mRNA was abundant in the preovulatory fo
llicle, with expression decreased by about 50% in the corpus luteum. U
sing in situ hybridization, FSH receptor mRNA was found to be confined
to the granulosa cells of developing follicles. A reverse transcripti
on-polymerase chain reaction amplification was used to detect the expr
ession of different isoforms of the FSH receptor mRNA in human corpus
luteum and placenta.