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Aromatase (CYP19) mRNA is induced by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles and subsequently is rapidly diminished as a consequence of the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. Primary cultures of rat granulosa cells were used to identify some of the cellular mechanisms by which FSH increases and LH decreases steady-state levels of aromatase mRNA. Induction of aromatase mRNA by FSH was increased by cycloheximide but was blocked by alpha-amanitin and the C-kinase activators gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). In contrast, the decrease in steady-state levels of aromatase mRNA by LH was mimicked by A-kinase (forskolin) and C-kinase (PMA or GnRH) activators. The decrease in aromatase mRNA was associated with decreased amounts of mRNA and protein for steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1), a nuclear orphan receptor that binds and trans-activates the aromatase promoter, and with the A-kinase subunit type II (RII beta), which is required for mediating cAMP action in these cells. The down-regulation of aromatase, SF-1, and RII beta by each kinase activator and alpha-amanitin was prevented by cycloheximide when the drug was added in combination with the activator. If, however, cycloheximide was added 2 h after PMA (or LH), the drug did not prevent the rapid loss of mRNA. When granulosa cells were transfected with an aromatase CAT transgene, CAT activity was stimulated 10- to 20-fold by FSH and forskolin but not by PMA. Taken together, these results indicate that the A-kinase but not the C-kinase pathway can trans-activate the aromatase gene in immature granulosa cells, whereas the C-kinase, as well as A-kinase pathways, mimic the LH surge to decrease aromatase mRNA in preovulatory cells. By increasing degradation of aromatase mRNA and by inhibiting transcription, the LH surge rapidly terminates the granulosa cell pattern of gene expression while reprogramming the cells to express genes associated with ovulation and luteinization.

Aromatase cytochrome P 450 is regulated in granulosa cells of ovarian follicles by the synergistic action of FSH and steroids. The effect of FSH can be mimicked by forskolin suggesting that transcription of the aromatase gene is regulated by cAMP. In contrast, aromatase is constitutively expressed in the rat R2C Leydig cells. To characterize the functional regions of the promoter in these two cell types, a fragment containing 534 bp of the aromatase promoter sequence and various deletion mutants were ligated to a reporter gene, chloramphenicol acetyl transferase and used in transient transfection assays. The results suggest that the region between −176 and −31 bp is essential both for cAMP regulation in granulosa cells and constitutive expression in R2C cells. Nuclear proteins from granulosa and R2C cells specifically bind the −176 fragment in an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Binding was completed by an oligonucleotide (−90/−66 bp) containing a hexameric sequence, AGGTCA, which has been found in the promoters of other steroidogenic genes. These results suggest that cAMP regulation and constitutive expression of the rat aromatase promoter requires sequences between −176 and −31 bp, particularly the sequence AGGTCA at −82/−77 and nuclear proteins binding to these sequences.

hPL is a member of an evolutionarily related gene family including hGH and hPRL. Expression of hPL is limited to the placenta but its physiological actions are far reaching. hPL has a direct somatotropic effect on fetal tissues, it alters maternal carbohydrate and lipid metabolism to provide for fetal nutrient requirements, and aids in stimulation of mammary cell proliferation. Two hPL genes (hPL3 and hPL4) encoding identical proteins are responsible for the production of up to 1-3 g PL hormone/day. Recent studies have characterized the regulatory controls of hPL expression. At the post transcriptional level, RNA stability may contribute to variable levels of hPL3 vs. hPL4 production. In addition, non-tissue-specific protein-promoter interactions involving the Sp1 transcription factor are necessary for hPL transcription initiation. A transcriptional enhancer located 3' to the hPL3 gene is responsible for the placenta-specific expression of this gene, while an additional enhancer may be located 3' to the hPl4 gene. The hPL enhancer is bound by multiple proteins including at least one placental specific protein that interacts with a TEF-1 motif. Therefore, enhancer-protein interactions most likely play a large part in the high levels of placenta-specific hPL expression.

Human placental lactogen (hPL) and growth hormone (hGH) are thought to be derived from a common ancestral gene and have similar nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Although the genes are similar in structure, they are expressed in different tissues. A transcriptional enhancer has been found 2.2 kilobases 3' of the hPL3 gene at the distal extreme of the hPL/hGH gene cluster. This enhancer is at least 20-fold more active in hPL-producing human choriocarcinoma JEG-3 cells than in non-hPL-producing cells. The enhancer is active when linked to either the hPL3 or SV40 promoter. We have localized the hPL enhancer to a 138-base pair (bp) region that retains tissue specificity in transient transfection assays. Gel mobility shift assays showed that the hPL enhancer interacted specifically with nuclear proteins from JEG-3 cells and placental tissue. Within the 138-bp enhancer, a 22-bp region overlapping a TEF-1 binding site was shown to be protected from DNase I digestion by placental and HeLa nuclear extracts. Placental protein(s) binding this region may be instrumental in tissue-specific activity of the hPL enhancer.

The female gamete (the oocyte) serves the distinct purpose of transmitting the maternal genome and other maternal factors that are critical for post-ovulation events. Through the identification and characterization of oocyte-specific factors, we are beginning to appreciate the diverse functions of oocytes in ovarian folliculogenesis, fertilization and embryogenesis. To understand these processes further, we identified genes called zygote arrest 1 (Zar1 and ZAR1 in mouse and human, respectively) as novel oocyte-specific genes. These encode proteins of 361 amino acids and 424 amino acids, respectively, which share 59% amino-acid identity and an atypical plant homeo-domain (PHD) motif. Although Zar1-null (Zar1(-/-)) mice are viable and grossly normal, Zar1(-/-) females are infertile. Ovarian development and oogenesis through the early stages of fertilization are evidently unimpaired, but most embryos from Zar1(-/-) females arrest at the one-cell stage. Distinct pronuclei form and DNA replication initiates, but the maternal and paternal genomes remain separate in arrested zygotes. Fewer than 20% of the embryos derived from Zar1(-/-) females progress to the two-cell stage and show marked reduction in the synthesis of the transcription-requiring complex, and no embryos develop to the four-cell stage. Thus, Zar1 is the first identified oocyte-specific maternal-effect gene that functions at the oocyte-to-embryo transition and, as such, offers new insights into the initiation of embryonic development and fertility control in mammals.

Estrogen is essential in the hypothalamus for the central regulation of reproduction. To understand the molecular mechanism(s) of estrogen action in the hypothalamus, immortalized rat embryonic hypothalamic cell lines were characterized for steroid receptors and subcloned. Scatchard analysis of the D12 subclone demonstrated one high affinity estrogen receptor-binding site (Kd = 31.3+/-1.9 pM) with a Bmax of 30.8+/-0.8 fmol/mg. Estrogen receptor-alpha protein was identified by Western blot and gel shift analyses. Treatment with estradiol (48 h) stimulated progesterone receptor (PR) messenger RNA expression and binding to [3H]R5020, a synthetic progestin. Because the agonist or antagonist activity of estrogen mimetics can be cell type dependent, the activities of various estrogen mimetics were determined in D12 cells. ICI 182,780 (IC50 = 0.63 nM), raloxifene (IC50 = 1 nM), enclomiphene (IC50 = 77 nM), and tamoxifen (IC50 = 174 nM) inhibited the induction of PR by estradiol, and none of these compounds significantly stimulated PR when given alone. In contrast, 17alpha-ethynyl estradiol (EC50 = 0.014 nM), zuclomiphene (EC50 = 100 nM), and genistein (EC50 = 17.5 nM) functioned as estrogen agonists in these cells. In addition, the estrogen-induced progesterone receptor activated a progesterone response element reporter construct in response to progestins. Thus, the D12 rat hypothalamic cell line provides a useful model for characterizing tissue-selective estrogenic compounds, identifying estrogen- and progesterone-regulated hypothalamic genes, and understanding the molecular mechanisms of steroid action in various physiological processes mediated by the hypothalamus.

Estrogen is an essential hormone for the LH surge and ovulation. The primary source of estrogen is from ovarian granulosa cells and in rats, estrogen, in turn, increases granulosa cell number and enhances FSH-stimulated gene expression in these cells. Thus, rat granulosa cells both respond to and synthesize estrogen. To further elucidate the mechanisms mediating the actions of estrogen in granulosa cells, we have identified and characterized the estrogen receptor-beta (ER-beta) subtype in rodent granulosa cells. ER-beta protein was localized to the nuclei of rat granulosa cells in preantral and antral follicles by immunocytochemistry, coincident with the location of ER-beta messenger RNA (mRNA). Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis using ER-beta specific antisera demonstrated a protein of approximately 60 kDa in granulosa cells prepared from PMSG-primed immature mice and estrogen-treated immature rats. Extracts from granulosa cells specifically bound an estrogen response element and the complex was recognized by antisera to ER-beta. A synthetic steroid estrogen radioligand, [125I]-17alpha-iodovinyl-11beta-methoxyestradiol ([125I]-VME2), bound to cytosolic granulosa cell preparations with high affinity (estimated K(D) value of 401 +/- 83 pM, and Bmax value of 102 +/- 9 fmol/mg protein). ER-beta protein levels rapidly declined following hCG treatment consistent with the reported decrease in binding activity and ER-beta mRNA levels by high levels of gonadotropins. Overall, we have demonstrated that 1) ER-beta protein is the dominant estrogen receptor subtype present in rodent granulosa cells, 2) this receptor is functional, and 3) it is regulated by ovulatory doses of gonadotropins. Thus, ER-beta is likely to be a mediator of estrogen action in rodent granulosa cells during follicular development.

Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9) is a member of the transforming growth factor-β family that is reported to be expressed exclusively in the ovary, specifically in the oocyte. Female mice deficient in GDF-9 are infertile, suggesting that GDF-9 receptor agonists and antagonists may specifically modulate fertility. We now report that GDF-9 messenger RNA (mRNA) is expressed in nonovarian tissues in mice, rats, and humans. GDF-9 mRNA was detected in mouse and rat ovary, testis, and hypothalamus by Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses. The localization of GDF-9 mRNA specifically in oocytes of the mouse ovary was confirmed by in situ hybridization histochemistry. In mouse testis, although localization in Sertoli cell cytoplasm could not be ruled out, mRNA expression was observed in large pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids. The expression of GDF-9 mRNA in human tissues was assessed by Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses. GDF-9 mRNA was observed in ovary and testis and, surprisingly, in diverse nongonadal tissues, including pituitary, uterus, and bone marrow. Therefore, GDF-9 mRNA expression in rodents is not exclusive to the ovary, but includes the testis and hypothalamus. Furthermore, human GDF-9 mRNA is expressed not only in the gonads, but also in several extragonadal tissues. The function and relevance of nongonadal GDF-9 mRNA are not known, but may affect strategies for contraception and fertility that are based on GDF-9 activity.

Human placental lactogen (hPL), also known aschorionic somatomammotropin (hCS), is specifically expressed in placental syncytiotrophoblast cells (1, 2). The levels of hPL increase during pregnancy such that by the third trimester this hormone accounts for 10% of the placental protein and greater than 5% of the mRNA (3, 4) and is the most abundant peptide hormone produced in primates (5). However, the biological role of hPL is still not clearly understood. It is believed to play a role in regulating maternal metabolism (reviewed in 6); however, the lack of biological defects in pregnancies lacking hPL (reviewed in 7) suggests that its function may be redundant or only required in particular circumstances; for example, maternal nutritional states. Nevertheless, the high amount of hPL mRNA during pregnancy and its tissue-specific expression suggest that it is a highly regulated system of gene expression.

Growth of ovarian follicles, ovulation, and luteinization involve sequential changes in the response of granulosa cells and theca cells to the gonadotropins, FSH and LH. Some of the genes that are differentially regulated by FSH/LH/cAMP as follicles develop are RIIβ, the regulatory subunit of A-kinase type II, aromatase cytochrome P450 (P450arom), cholesterol side-chain cleavage cytochrome P450 (P450scc), LH receptor (LH-R), and prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGS). Whereas RIIβ(1), P450arom (2) and LH-R (3) are induced in growing follicles by low concentrations of hormone, P450scc is maximally induced by high concentrations of cAMP and under conditions in which the granulosa cells are stimulated to luteinize (4). In contrast, one isoform of PGS is rapidly but transiently induced by elevated gonadotropins/cAMP preceding ovulation (Fig. 7.1). To analyze the different molecular mechanisms by which FSH/LH/cAMP may be regulating some of these genes, we have isolated genomic 5’ flanking DNA of the RIIβ (5), P450scc (4), and P450arom (6) genes, determined the nucleotide sequences and the transcriptional start sites of each putative promoter-enhancer region, and are analyzing the ability of these promoters to confer cAMP regulation to reporter genes in transfected granulosa cells (4–8).

Two principal physiological events occur within preovulatory follicles as a consequence of the LH/FSH surge: ovulation and luteinization. The ovulation process culminates in the extrusion of the oocyte-cumulus complex and is dependent on a specific sequence of biochemical events. These biochemical changes include the rapid but transient increase in a novel, distinct isoform of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGS-2) (1–8), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) (9, 10), and progesterone receptor (PR) (11–13). In contrast, luteinization is a process by which follicular granulosa and theca cells become nonmitotic and establish a specific, stable luteal cell phenotype. The biochemical changes that occur in response to the LH surge and are associated with luteinization include the marked and sustained induction of cholesterol side-chain cleavage cytochrome P450 (P450scc), as well as the dramatic and rapid decreases in mRNA for the LH receptor (LH-R), the regulatory subunit β of type II cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (RIIβ), aromatase, and 17α-hydroxylase (P45017α) (Fig. 10.1) (14). Once luteinization has occurred, genes regulated by FSH/LH/cAMP in the follicle are no longer regulated by these agonists in the corpus luteum. This apparent transition from cAMP-dependent regulation to cAMP-independent regulation of these genes has prompted us to ask why surge (as opposed to basal) concentrations of LH are required to initiate these two diverse processes, what might be unique about the genes induced by the LH surge, and what intracellular signaling pathways might be involved.

Growth of the ovarian follicle to the preovulatory (PO) stage of development involves specific, sequential changes in the response of granulosa cells to the pituitary gonadotropin, FSH (18, 43, 45). For example, whereas FSH can stimulate mitogenic responses in granulosa cells of small follicles (39), FSH alone (or in combination with steroids) induces expression of specific genes in granulosa cells in large follicles, leading to a highly differentiated state required for ovulation and luteinization (17, 18, 43, 45). Changes in the response of granulosa cells of small and large follicles to FSH are not associated with changes in the number of FSH receptors per cell (42). Rather, follicles acquire enhanced stimulation of adenyl cyclase by FSH (21) and increased responsiveness to the intracellular second messenger, cAMP (43).

Estradiol (E) biosynthesis by the cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom) enzyme system increases as preovulatory follicles develop and is subsequently reduced by the ovulatory LH surge. To determine the specific effects of gonadotropins and steroids on expression of P450arom in rat granulosa cells, steady state levels of messenger (m) RNA were examined in vivo and in vitro, with the latter also being related to aromatase enzyme activity and cAMP production. P450arom mRNA and activity were induced in granulosa cells by FSH alone in a dose-, time-, and stage-dependent manner. E enhanced the effects of FSH in vivo and in vitro. The synergistic effect of E with FSH (50 ng/ml) was observed in the absence/presence of serum and was mimicked by a similar concentration (20 nM) of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, or dexamethasone. In contrast, ovulatory doses of LH (500 ng/ml) or forskolin (10 microM) but not concentrations of progesterone reached in preovulatory follicles (100-1000 nM) acted on differentiated (FSH + E) granulosa cells to cause a rapid loss of P450arom mRNA. Whereas cycloheximide prevented the LH/cAMP-mediated decrease in P450arom mRNA in the differentiated cells, enzyme activity remained unaltered during the same 6-h period. Thus, expression of aromatase mRNA in rat granulosa cells is induced primarily by low FSH/cAMP, enhanced by physiological doses of several steroids (except progesterone), and, once induced, can be rapidly inhibited by elevated gonadotropin/cAMP via a pathway requiring protein synthesis.

To identify regulatory elements in the promoter of a human placental lactogen gene (hPL3) that are important for its transcriptional activation, sequences 5' to the start of transcription were linked to the reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and transiently transfected into JEG-3 cells, a human placental choriocarcinoma cell line. In the presence of the hPL3 enhancer, deletion of the promoter sequence between -142 and -129 basepairs resulted in an 8-fold decrease in CAT activity. Similar results were seen with the SV40 enhancer and the hPL3 promoter in HepG2 liver cells. Nuclear proteins from HepG2, HeLa, and JEG-3 cells formed specific binding complexes with this region of the hPL3 promoter by a gel mobility shift assay, indicating that the DNA-binding protein was not tissue specific. The -142 to -129 basepair region contains a sequence similar to that of a variant binding site for the transcription factor Sp1. An oligonucleotide containing Sp1-binding sites specifically competes for proteins binding the hPL3 promoter, and the methylation interference pattern is similar to that for an Sp1-binding site. This suggests that the hPL3 promoter binds Sp1- or an Sp1-like trans-acting factor, and this binding site is important for transcriptional regulation by the hPL3 enhancer in PL-producing cells.

The central problem of molecular biology is the understanding of how the genetic information coded in the nucleic acid is expressed and, what are the mechanisms that regulate such expression. Much progess has been made in understanding gene regulation in prokaryotic systems, however, in eukaryotic organisms, the advances have been much slower and much more recent. This is closely related in part to the degree of evolutionary complexity of the eukaryotic cell.