Homologous down-regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors and desensitization of gonadotropes: lack of dependence on protein kinase C.

The demonstration that GnRH provokes the accumulation of diacylglycerol and the redistribution of protein kinase C to the membrane fraction in gonadotropes suggests a role for this enzyme as a mediator of GnRH action. In the present work we have investigated the possibility that protein kinase C might mediate GnRH-stimulated receptor down-regulation and desensitization. Pretreatment of pituitary cells for 6 h with GnRH (10(-11) - 10(-6) M) caused a biphasic change in GnRH receptor number [the maximum binding (Bmax) for 125I-buserelin binding was increased by 10(-10) M GnRH and reduced by 10(-7) and 10(-6) M GnRH] and caused desensitization (pretreatment with 10(-9) - 10(-6) M GnRH reduced the proportion of cellular LH released in a subsequent challenge with GnRH). Pretreatment for 6 h with 0.2-200 nM phorbol myristate acetate (a protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester) did not cause desensitization, but at 200 nM, did reduce GnRH receptor number. As a further test of the requirement for protein kinase C for GnRH action, cells were depleted of all measurable protein kinase C (and rendered unresponsive to protein kinase C activators) by prior treatment with a high dose of phorbol myristate acetate (500 nM for 6 h followed by 12 h in plating medium). Depletion of protein kinase C did not alter the ability of GnRH to desensitize gonadotropes or down-regulate its own receptors. The demonstration that the effects of GnRH on receptor number and gonadotrope responsiveness are neither blocked by depletion of protein kinase C nor entirely mimicked by activation of protein kinase C suggests that these effects of the releasing hormone are not solely mediated by this enzyme.

Biochemical identification of apoptosis (programmed cell death) in granulosa cells: evidence for a potential mechanism underlying follicular atresia.

In the present study, we examined the possibility that granulosa cell death during ovarian follicular atresia occurs by apoptosis (programmed cell death). To investigate this possibility, atresia was induced in immature female rats by injecting 15 IU PMSG. Controls received either vehicle or no treatment. PMSG-treated animals were killed on days 1-5 post-injection while controls were killed on days 1 or 5. The onset of atresia was assessed histologically by light microscopic inspection of 5 microns tissue sections and functionally by quantification of serum progesterone and estrogen levels. Apoptosis is characterized by the cleavage of genomic DNA into oligonucleosomal length fragments by a Ca2+/Mg(2+)-dependent endogenous endonuclease. Such fragments form a distinctive ladder pattern when separated electrophoretically. Accordingly, the occurrence of apoptosis in granulosa cells was assessed by examining the pattern of fragmented DNA in cell lysates after agarose gel electrophoresis. Gels were stained with ethidium bromide and DNA visualized by UV transillumination. The earliest morphological signs of atresia were detected 4 days after PMSG injection as evidenced by degeneration and detachment of granulosa cells from the basal lamina. Serum estrogen increased from basal to levels 7-fold over controls by day 3 after PMSG treatment, falling to control values by day 4 and thereafter. In contrast, progesterone remained basal for the first 3 days, rising to levels 3-fold and 8-fold above controls 4 and 5 days after PMSG treatment, respectively. Such shifts in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone production are known to be characteristic of follicular atresia. Finally, electrophoretic analysis of low mol wt DNA in granulosa cell lysates revealed a definitive ladder pattern of oligonucleosomal length DNA fragments (characteristic of apoptosis) on days 4 and 5 after PMSG injection. This pattern was not detectable on days 1 and 2 after treatment. Lysates obtained 3 days after PMSG treatment showed a faint apoptotic-like pattern of DNA fragments; a result consistent with other systems in which DNA cleavage begins before any morphological signs of death. Interestingly, a ladder pattern of DNA fragments was present in control lysates suggesting that granulosa cell death under normal (vs. induced) conditions of atresia in immature rats occurs by apoptosis. These data demonstrate an intimate association between apoptotic-like events and dying granulosa cells and thus support the possibility that apoptosis is involved in the induction of follicular atresia.

Detection of prolactin inhibitory activity in uterine epithelial cell secretions and rat serum.

We have shown that the uterus of the rat contains a substance that diminishes the release of the luteotropic hormone PRL by acting directly at the anterior pituitary gland. This study was designed to determine which cell type(s) within the uterus secretes this PRL inhibitory activity (PIA) and if PIA of uterine origin appears in circulation. Enzymatically dispersed cells from uteri of ovariectomized (OVX) rats were cultured for 24 h in serum-free Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium. Estimation of PIA in the spent media from heterogeneous uterine cell cultures was evaluated after 24 h by the ability to suppress PRL release from confluent monolayers of cultured pituitary cells. Spent media from uterine cell cultures containing 0.125 X 10(6) or 0.25 X 10(6) cells/well failed to significantly suppress PRL secretion. However, media from 0.5 X 10(6) and 1 X 10(6) uterine cells/well induced 36% and 85% inhibition of PRL release, respectively, without affecting basal LH release. To determine which cell type(s) in the uterus is responsible for PIA secretion, whole uteri were partitioned into epithelial, stromal, and myometrial cell fractions by differential enzymatic dissociation. Varying numbers of cells from each fraction were cultured for 24 h. PIA in the spent media from the homogeneous uterine cell cultures was estimated by its ability to suppress PRL release from cultured anterior pituitary cells. Media from epithelial cell cultures suppressed PRL secretion in a dose-dependent fashion. Media obtained from cultures of a comparable number of stromal or myometrial cells had no significant effects on PRL secretion. LH secretion was unaffected by media obtained from any concentration of the various uterine cell types. Since cultured anterior pituitary cells treated directly with crude uterine extract for 24 h recover and secrete PRL at the same rate as untreated controls during a 72-h posttreatment interval, it is unlikely that the uterine PIA is either proteolytic or cytotoxic. To determine if PIA is detectable in peripheral circulation, sera obtained from OVX or OVX hysterectomized (OVX-HYST) donor rats were incubated with cultured anterior pituitary cells for 24 h. In response to the OVX sera, there was significant inhibition of PRL release. However, upon replacement of OVX sera with OVX-HYST sera, the inhibition was significantly reduced. Thus, PIA is higher in sera of rats bearing uteri. Taken together, these data suggest that the epithelial layer of the uterus secretes a PIA which probably reaches the hypothalamo-pituitary axis through the circulation.

An ovarian role in prolonging and terminating the two surges of prolactin in pseudopregnant rats.

Daily nocturnal (N) and diurnal (D) surges of PRL are characteristic of a pseudopregnancy (psp) induced by cervical stimulation (CS). These semicircadian surges persist for 13-14 days, after which time they cease, and psp ends. The purpose of this study was to describe the involvement of the ovarian steroids in the maintenance and termination of the N and D surges of PRL. CS of long term ovariectomized (OVX) rats resulted in N and D surges of PRL lasting 14 days. By day 16 after CS, neither surge of PRL was present. The sc placement of Silastic implants containing large quantities of progesterone in long term OVX-CS rats sustained and enhanced the N surge of PRL until at least day 16. The D surge was also sustained until day 16, but its magnitude was normal. Estradiol alone was capable of maintaining the D but not the N surge for this same time interval. However, pharmacological quantities of estradiol restricted the magnitude of the N surge generated in the progesterone-implanted animal. Since neither surge of PRL was present by day 14 after CS in intact rats, but at least the nocturnal surge was still present at this time in long term or acutely OVX rats, this implies an active role of ovarian steroids in the termination of PRL surges at the end of psp. At the end of psp, luteal progesterone secretion declines and follicular estradiol secretion increases. Varying sizes of Silastic implants containing progesterone or estrogen were placed into psp animals after acute ovariectomy on day 9 to approximate this ovarian steroid secretory pattern of intact psp rats. Only when the decrease in progesterone was coupled with a modest increase in estrogen was there a total cessation of the two daily surges of PRL in OVX-CS rats. The data suggest that the PRL surges end in the intact psp rat due to the waning response to CS as well as the shifting steroid ratio represented by the fall in progesterone in the presence of a small amount of estrogen.

The imprint provided by cervical stimulation for the initiation and maintenance of daily prolactin surges: modulation by the uterus and ovaries.

This study describes the influence of ovarian steroids and a putative PRL release inhibitory substance of uterine origin on the imprint provided by cervical stimulation (CS) for the maintenance of nocturnal and diurnal surges of PRL secretion. Toward the end of the pseudopregnancy (psp) resulting from a sterile mating or artificial stimulation of the uterine cervix, ovarian estradiol secretion is enhanced, and luteal progesterone (P) secretion wanes. This shifting ratio terminates the surges of PRL by day 13 of psp. Ovariectomy on day 8 of psp and simulation of this pattern of steroid secretion with sc Silastic implants also resulted in termination of surges by day 13. However, ovariectomy on days 2, 4, or 6, followed immediately by implantation of the inhibitory regimen of ovarian steroids, did not result in termination of the noctural surge by days 7, 9, or 11, respectively. The diurnal surge was absent in all cases. A third and fourth CS applied on days 7 and 8 of psp were not able to overcome the effects of the inhibitory steroid regimen begun on day 8. PRL surges induced in ovariectomized rats by one 30-sec CS persist for 6 days (suboptimal stimulation), while surges induced by two 30-sec CS persist for at least 10 days (optimal). However, implantation o P or hysterectomy permits suboptimally stimulated ovariectomized rats to secrete nocturnal surges through day 10. These data indicate that optimal CS programs the PRL-releasing apparatus to secrete surges for a preset interval, during which time the system remains unresponsive to physiological inhibitory and excitatory input. However, suboptimal CS can be reinforced by imposition of P or removal of PRL inhibitory activity of uterine origin.

Agents that decrease gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor internalization do not inhibit GnRH-mediated gonadotrope desensitization.

Exposure of pituitary cell cultures to GnRH causes gonadotropin release, receptor capping, internalization, and loss as well as altered responsiveness of the target cell. In the present study, the relationship between loss of gonadotrope secretory responsiveness to GnRH (desensitization) and internalization of the GnRH-receptor complex was examined. Pituitary cell cultures were pretreated (30 min) with vinblastine (100 microM, a concentration that prevents measurable receptor internalization) or with medium containing carrier only, incubated with 10(-7) M GnRH (a desensitizing concentration) with or without vinblastine or with medium alone for 60 min, and finally washed and rechallenged for 3 h with increasing concentrations of GnRH to assess the degree of desensitization as determined by LH release. Results indicate that vinblastine had no measurable effect on the ability of GnRH to stimulate LH release or desensitize the cells. In a second series of studies, a GnRH analog (D-Lys6-GnRH) was immobilized to a cross-linked agarose matrix. The covalent link was shown to be stable by biological, immunological, and physical criteria. This product bound to the GnRH receptor and provoked LH release, but was not internalized, as determined by GnRH receptor binding assays. Cultured cells were treated with either 10(-9) M free analog or an equivalent concentration of coupled analog (as measured by LH release) for 3 h. Cells were washed, then rechallenged with GnRH to assess desensitization. Both the free and coupled analogs provoked an equivalent degree of desensitization. While a significant degree of desensitization also occurred in the presence of 3 mM EGTA (conditions that totally inhibited GnRH-stimulated LH release), the loss of responsiveness was not as great as in the absence of EGTA, indicating that partial depletion of available LH may play a role in GnRH-stimulated gonadotrope desensitization. The present findings suggest that GnRH receptor internalization and LH release can be uncoupled and that loss of the GnRH receptor by internalization is not a sufficient explanation for GnRH-mediated desensitization of the gonadotrope.

Lymphokines from concanavalin-A-stimulated lymphocytes regulate rat granulosa cell steroidogenesis in vitro.

Animals with impaired immune function show numerous reproductive disorders. To determine whether immune factors might play a direct role in the regulation of ovarian function, we examined the effects of Concanavalin-A-stimulated lymphocyte supernates (CAS) on steroidogenesis by cultured rat granulosa cells. Granulosa cells from immature estrogen-primed rats were incubated for 48 h with increasing doses of CAS in the presence or absence of FSH. In the absence of FSH, CAS produced a dose-dependent increase in progestin (progesterone and 20 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone) production to a maximum of 190-fold greater than untreated controls, but did not stimulate estrogen production. In the presence of FSH, the stimulatory effect of CAS on progestin production was additive with that of FSH. In contrast, CAS inhibited FSH-stimulated estrogen production in a dose-dependent manner. The maximum inhibition was greater than 90%. Addition of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine to CAS-containing cultures significantly enhanced the stimulatory effect of CAS on progesterone production, suggesting that this action may be exerted through a cAMP-mediated pathway. The stimulatory component of CAS was heat labile, acid stable, and required a trypsin-sensitive cell surface recognition site, whereas the inhibitory component was both heat and acid stable. Neither the stimulatory nor the inhibitory actions of CAS were mimicked by treating granulosa cells with supernates from Concanavalin-A-stimulated neonatal cardiac or hepatic cell cultures. Thus, the present studies demonstrate that secretory products of lymphocytes (collectively termed lymphokines) can affect steroidogenesis in cultured rat granulosa cells. These data imply that immune cell factors may play a significant role in the differentiation and maturation of granulosa cells.

Interleukin-6: effects on and production by rat granulosa cells in vitro.

Treatment of FSH-stimulated granulosa cells with increasing amounts of interleukin-6 (IL-6) caused a significant concentration-dependent suppression of progesterone biosynthesis. However, basal progesterone production in non-FSH-stimulated cells remained unresponsive to the cytokine. Quantitation of IL-6 in the conditioned media from untreated granulosa cells by the 7TD1 hybridoma cell bioassay revealed detectable levels of IL-6. Further, FSH treatment caused a significant concentration-dependent increase in IL-6 release. In contrast, both basal and FSH-stimulated IL-6 release could be significantly suppressed by interferon gamma (INF-gamma). The results of the present study suggest: 1) a role for IL-6 in the regulation of progesterone production, 2) that the granulosa cell is a source of IL-6 and 3) that the release of IL-6 by the granulosa cell is a regulated event.

Restoration of the LH secretory response in desensitized gonadotropes.

The time-dependent recovery of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) responsiveness in desensitized gonadotropes was examined under conditions of altered membrane fluidity and GnRH exposure. Cultured pituitary cells were treated for 3 h with GnRH (10(-9) M; to provoke homologous desensitization) or vehicle alone (controls). When cells were washed and immediately rechallenged for 3 h with GnRH, gonadotrope responsiveness (assessed by luteinizing hormone (LH) release) was significantly lower in GnRH-pretreated cells than controls. If gonadotropes were allowed to recover in medium alone, membrane fluidity agents 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)-ethyl-8-(cis-2-n-octylcyclopropyl)-octanoate (A2C; 10(-4) M) or cis-vaccenic acid (CVA; 0.5 mM) or a low dose of GnRH (10(-10) M) for up to 48 h prior to rechallenging with GnRH, responsiveness in all cases was significantly lower in GnRH-pretreated cells than controls. However, if cells were treated with either A2C or CVA in the presence of GnRH (10(-10) M) during the recovery period, gonadotrope responsiveness to a subsequent challenge with GnRH was partially restored by 24 h; by 48 h no differences in the LH secretory response to GnRH was detected between GnRH-pretreated cells and controls. The possibility that restoration of the GnRH receptor-linked Ca2+ channel is associated with recovery of the desensitized gonadotrope was also examined. Identical protocols to those described above were used except that the functional integrity of the Ca2+ channel was assessed by measuring LH release in response to increasing doses of maitotoxin (MTX; a specific Ca2+ channel activator). Again, GnRH-pretreated cells were significantly less responsive to MTX than controls when allowed to recover for 48 h in medium alone, A2C (10(-4) M) or GnRH (10(-10) M). However, allowing cells to recover for 48 h under a condition of increased membrane fluidity and basal GnRH levels completely restored the MTX-stimulated LH secretory response in GnRH-pretreated gonadotropes. Taken together, these studies suggest that the physical state of the gonadotrope plasma membrane together with the appropriate hormonal milieu provide an important environment for the gonadotrope to recover from desensitization. Additionally, our results suggest that functional recovery of the GnRH-linked Ca2+ channel may play a requisite role in restoring GnRH responsiveness to the desensitized gonadotrope.

Membrane fluidity regulates development of gonadotrope desensitization to GnRH.

Development of GnRH-mediated gonadotrope desensitization was examined under conditions in which membrane fluidity was altered by temperature and/or chemical means. Cultured pituitary cells were preincubated at temperatures ranging from 4 degrees C to 37 degrees C for 3 h with a desensitizing concentration of GnRH (10(-9) M) or with vehicle alone. Cells were then rinsed and responsiveness assessed by a second 3 h incubation with GnRH at 37 degrees C. As preincubation temperatures decreased from 37 degrees C to 23 degrees C, development of desensitization in gonadotropes was progressively reduced. At 23 degrees C and below, gonadotropes failed to become desensitized to GnRH. Decreases in membrane fluidity occurred over the same temperature range as measured directly by fluorescence polarization of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene incorporated into plasma membrane. When membrane fluidity was increased by incubating cells with the membrane mobilizing agent 2-(2-methoxy-ethoxy)-ethyl-8-(cis-2-n-octylcyclopropyl)-octanoate (A2C), low temperature blockade of GnRH-mediated gonadotrope desensitization was reversed. A2C had no measurable effects on either GnRH receptor binding or number and caused no cytotoxic effects. These studies suggest that development of gonadotropine desensitization to GnRH can be regulated by the state of membrane fluidity.

Effects of interleukins 1, 2 and 3 on follicle-stimulating hormone-induced differentiation of rat granulosa cells.

A growing body of evidence indicates that substances released by activated immune cells can directly influence the functions of various endocrine cells. In the present study, the direct in vitro effects of interleukins (IL) 1, 2, and 3 on follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-stimulated steroidogenesis and luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (LH/hCG) receptor induction in granulosa cells were examined. In the absence of FSH, none of the interleukins stimulated steroid production or LH/hCG receptor induction during a 2-day culture period. However, in the presence of FSH, both IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, progesterone and estrogen production as well as LH/hCG receptor induction in response to FSH. In contrast, both agents augmented 20 alpha-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20 alpha-OH-P) production stimulated by FSH. In all cases, less IL-1 beta than IL-1 alpha was required to produce a comparable effect. IL-2 slightly, but significantly, enhanced both FSH-stimulated progesterone and 20 alpha-OH-P production but had no effect on FSH-stimulated estrogen production or LH/hCG receptor induction. IL-3 potentiated the 20 alpha-OH-P response to FSH by up to 65% but had no effect on FSH-stimulated progesterone or estrogen production or LH/hCG receptor induction. These data suggest that the interleukins, which are key mediators of immune responses, may affect mechanisms crucial for the maturation and differentiation of granulosa cells and thus may also play a regulatory role in reproductive function.

Role of the cytokines in the neuroendocrine-immune system axis.

A rapidly growing body of evidence reveals that complex networks of communication exist between the neuroendocrine and the immune systems. Essential to the maintenance and function of the immune-endocrine circuitry are an array of chemical mediators produced by cells of the immune and endocrine systems. Cytokines are glycoproteins (molecular masses of 15,000-20,000) that are elaborated by antigen-activated immune cells and responsible for orchestrating immune cellular activities. These inflammatory mediators also affect the functioning of the neuroendocrine system. Thus, interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma affect the secretion of hypothalamic and anterior pituitary hormones in vitro and in vivo, and specific high-affinity receptors for IL-1, IL-2, and IL-6 have been identified in neuroendocrine tissues. A paracrine role for these factors in the regulation of neuroendocrine function may be advanced because certain of these mediators (e.g., IL-1, IL-6) are present in the hypothalamus as well as the anterior and neurointermediate lobes of the pituitary. The production of these cytokines in neuroendocrine cells is enhanced by neuropeptides, endotoxin, and other cytokines. We propose that the local neuroendocrine cytokinergic tone may act in a facilitative manner to enhance the secretion of hypothalamic-pituitary hormones.

Effects of placenta and maternal serum on prolactin secretion in vitro.

The effects of the placenta and maternal sera on the secretion of prolactin (Prl) were examined in vitro. Placentae were obtained on each of Days 8-11 of pregnancy and extracted in 2.0% butanol-saline. To determine if these extracts could inhibit Prl secretion in vitro, dispersed anterior pituitary cells were incubated with placental extracts containing 1.0 placental equivalent obtained on each of Days 8-11 of pregnancy. Prl secretion was not affected by extracts of placentae obtained on Day 8 but was significantly inhibited by placental extracts obtained on Days 9-11 of pregnancy. In fact, progressively more mature placentae induced greater degrees of Prl inhibition. Extracts of placentae that were obtained on each of Days 8-11 of pregnancy, normalized on the basis of protein and tested for a 24-h period in the dispersed pituitary bioassay, caused the same degree of inhibition over Prl release. Additionally, placental protein from any given day (Days 8-11) of pregnancy induced a highly significant dose-dependent inhibition over Prl secretion. Equivalent amounts of a nonspecific protein, bovine serum albumin, had no effect. These findings indicate that the placenta does indeed contain a Prl inhibitory factor whose specific activity remains relatively constant between Days 8 and 11 of pregnancy. To determine if the inhibitory activity is humoral, maternal sera collected on each of Days 8-11 of pregnancy were placed in culture with dispersed pituitary cells at a concentration of 15.0%. Concomitant with gestational maturity, there was a progressively greater inhibition of Prl release. These findings indicate that the placenta may secrete a substance into the blood which suppresses Prl release directly at the level of the pituitary gland.

Interleukin-6 production by rat granulosa cells in vitro: effects of cytokines, follicle-stimulating hormone, and cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate.

In the present study we examined the influence of FSH as well as a number of well-established cytokines on interleukin (IL)-6 by rat granulosa cells in culture. Increasing concentrations of FSH, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were incubated for 48 h with undifferentiated granulosa cells obtained from diethylstilbestrol-primed immature rats. The results demonstrate that FSH, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and LPS, but not TNF alpha, caused significant concentration-dependent increases in IL-6 release. We also examined the effects of dibutyryl-cAMP, forskolin, and 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine (IBMX) on IL-6 release by granulosa cells. Each of these agents caused a significant concentration-dependent increase in IL-6 production by granulosa cells in either the absence or presence of FSH. Taken together, these results show that the granulosa cell is not only a likely source of IL-6 but that the release of IL-6 can be regulated. Moreover, evidence suggests that cAMP may serve as a second messenger for the stimulated secretion of IL-6 by undifferentiated granulosa cells.

Uterus of the rat contains prolactin inhibitory activity.

Activity found in crude acid extracts of uterine tissue obtained from pseudopregnant, proestrous, or ovariectomized rats causes a dose-dependent inhibition of prolactin (PRL) release with a concurrent intracellular accumulation of PRL by anterior pituitary cells in culture. The absence of any significant effects imposed by the uterine extracts on basal luteinizing hormone or follicle-stimulating hormone secretion in these same cultures suggests that the activity is a noncytotoxic inhibitor of PRL secretion. Furthermore, failure of uterine extracts to degrade standard rat PRL after a 24-h coincubation at 37 degrees C suggests that the inhibitory activity is also nonproteolytic. That the activity is tissue specific is supported by the fact that extracts of gut, cardiac muscle, and diaphragm failed to block PRL release, whereas similarly prepared uterine extracts retained the ability to significantly depress PRL secretion. Haloperidol or bicuculline, dopaminergic and GABAergic receptor blockers, respectively, were ineffective in reversing the inhibitory effects of uterine extract on PRL secretion, suggesting that the inhibition is not due to dopamine or GABA. In addition to affecting basal release of PRL, in vitro larger doses of uterine extract were able to reverse the stimulatory effects of thyrotropin-releasing hormone on PRL secretion, indicating that the uterine-derived PRL inhibitory activity may also regulate stimulated PRL release. Taken together, these findings support the existence of a nondopaminergic, non-GABAergic inhibitory factor of uterine origin that specifically suppresses basal and stimulated secretion of PRL from cultured anterior pituitary cells.

Production of progestin-stimulatory factor(s) by enriched populations of rat T and B lymphocytes.

We have previously demonstrated that a progestin-stimulatory factor(s) (PSF) is present in the supernate of concanavalin A-activated rat splenocytes. In the absence of FSH, PSF evokes dose-dependent increases in both progesterone and 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20 alpha-OH-P) production by undifferentiated rat granulosa cells while basal estrogen production is unaffected. Because splenocytes are composed predominantly of T and B lymphocytes, we sought to determine if PSF production is restricted to one of these specific cell types. To accomplish this, dispersed splenocytes were prepared from the spleens of adult female rats. Macrophages were removed by standard adherence procedures, and highly enriched populations of T and B lymphocytes were obtained by negative selection panning utilizing monoclonal antibodies to T and B lymphocytes. Purity of the T- and B-cell populations (typically greater than 85-95%) was assessed by single-color flow cytometry. Enriched populations of T cells, B cells, or unseparated lymphocytes were then seeded into tissue culture flasks and stimulated with 2.5 micrograms/ml concanavalin A. Following a 48-h incubation at 37 degrees C, cytokine-rich fractions were prepared from the conditioned medium of these cultures by ammonium sulfate fractionation. The presence of PSF was assessed by the ability of the resulting fractions to specifically stimulate progestin production by undifferentiated rat granulosa cells in vitro. Granulosa cells were treated with increasing doses (ranging from 0-30% v/v) of supernatants from cultures of T cells, B cells, or unseparated splenocytes for 48 h. Media were removed and progesterone, 20 alpha-OH-P, and estrogen levels were quantified by RIA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gamma-interferon inhibits rat granulosa cell differentiation in culture.

A growing body of evidence indicates that factors secreted by cells of the immune system can directly affect a variety of endocrine phenomena. In the present study we examined the direct effects of the cytokine, interferon (IFN), on FSH-stimulated steroidogenesis and LH/hCG receptor induction in rat granulosa cells. We show that gamma-IFN, but not alpha-IFN, inhibits FSH-stimulated progesterone, 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one and estrogen production as well as gonadotropin-induced LH/hCG receptor formation in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggest that gamma-IFN may play a role in the maturation and differentiation of granulosa cells and thus may serve as a regulatory link between the immune and reproductive endocrine systems.

Role of the cytokines in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and gonadal axes.

Cytokines are soluble mediators of immune function that also regulate several endocrine systems. Interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) each mediate certain aspects of inflammation. In addition, these agents regulate hormone secretion from and cellular proliferation within endocrine tissues. Thus, IL-1 and IL-6 each affect hormone release from anterior pituitary cells (e.g., growth hormone) and inhibit the proliferation of these cells. Cytokines are also localized within discrete nuclei of the hypothalamus (e.g., IL-1 in the paraventricular nucleus), where they may affect production of neuropeptides and biogenic amines (e.g., corticotropin-releasing hormone). Similarly, IL-1 and TNF alpha affect granulosa cell steroidogenesis and IL-6 production. Follicular atresia may either be augmented or inhibited by cytokines depending on their ability to regulate cellular apoptosis. Compartmentation of cytokines within adrenal tissue (e.g., IL-6 in the zona glomerulosa) allows localized effects of these factors on glucocorticoid secretion. Thus, cytokines affect via paracrine or autocrine pathways both hormone secretion from, and possibly cellular differentiation within, endocrine tissues.

Effects of cytokines on porcine granulosa cell steroidogenesis in vitro.

Recent evidence indicates that factors produced by immune cells (cytokines) may play a role in ovarian function. To explore this possibility, we examined the effects of conditioned medium obtained from cultures of either unstimulated splenocytes (splenocyte-conditioned medium; SCM) or concanavalin A-stimulated splenocytes (CAS) on estrogen and progesterone production by porcine granulosa cells. Granulosa cells were obtained from small (less than 3 mm) or large (greater than 7 mm) follicles and treated with increasing doses of SCM or CAS in the presence or absence of pFSH (100 ng/ml) for 24 h at 37 degrees C. In granulosa cells obtained from small follicles it was found that both SCM and CAS evoked a dose-dependent increase in estrogen but not progesterone production. Estrogen production was no further enhanced by the presence of FSH. Additionally, SCM was able to augment FSH-stimulated progesterone production by these cells, whereas CAS had no effect. Identical treatment of granulosa cells obtained from large follicles demonstrated that both SCM and CAS caused dose-dependent increases in estrogen as well as progesterone production. In response to CAS, FSH augmented progesterone production but exerted a biphasic on estrogen production (inhibiting at lower doses while stimulating at higher doses). In contrast, SCM had no effect on FSH-stimulated estrogen production. Additional controls indicated that the above results could not be attributed to either concanavalin A or serum. Taken together, these findings suggest that cytokines can exert significant effects over granulosa cell steroidogenesis and further imply that these factors may play an important role in the differentiation and developmental regulation of granulosa cell function.