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Vasoactive intestinal peptide enhanced aromatase activity in the neonatal rat ovary before development of primary follicles or responsiveness to follicle-stimulating hormone

Journal Article · · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)
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The authors have investigated the factors that regulate aromatase activity in fetal-neonatal rat ovaries. Ovarian aromatase activity (assessed by measuring the amount of /sup 3/H/sub 2/O formed from (1..beta..-/sup 3/H)testosterone) is low prior to birth and increases to values greater than 30 pmol/hr per mg of protein between days 8 and 12 after birth. The appearance of ovarian aromatase coincides with the development of primordial follicles. Fetal-neonatal ovaries maintained in serum-free organ culture do not develop aromatase activity at the expected time. Ovine follicle-stimulating hormone, ovine luteinizing hormone, or their combination failed to induce the enzyme activity in cultured fetal ovaries, whereas follicle-stimulating hormone is effective in preventing the decline in aromatase activity when postnatal day 8 ovaries are placed in culture. In contrast to follicle-stimulating hormone, dibutyryl-cAMP markedly enhances ovarian aromatase in cultured fetal ovaries. Likewise, enhancement of endogenouse cAMP formation with forskolin or cholera toxin caused an increase in enzyme activity within 24 hr. Vasoactive intestinal peptide, a peptide known to occur in ovarian nerves, caused a dose-dependent increase in aromatase activity in fetal ovaries prior to folliculogenesis. Of related peptides tested, only the peptide having N-terminal histidine and C-terminal isoleucine amide was capable of inducing aromatase activity in fetal ovaries. The fact that VIP can induce aromatase activity in fetal rat ovaries prior to follicle formation and prior to responsiveness to follicle-stimulating hormone suggests that this neuropeptide may play a critical role in ovarian differentiation.
Research Organization:
Univ. of Texas Health Science Center, Dallas (USA)
OSTI ID:
5297915
Journal Information:
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Journal Name: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States) Vol. 84:16; ISSN PNASA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AMP
ANDROGENS
ANDROSTANES
ANIMALS
BIOCHEMISTRY
BODY
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
ENZYME ACTIVITY
ENZYME INDUCTION
ENZYMES
FEMALE GENITALS
FSH
GENE REGULATION
GONADOTROPINS
GONADS
HISTOLOGY
HORMONES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
KETONES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LH
MAMMALS
NUCLEOTIDES
ONTOGENESIS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
OVARIES
OXIDES
OXIDOREDUCTASES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PEPTIDE HORMONES
PEPTIDES
PITUITARY HORMONES
PROTEINS
RATS
RODENTS
STEROID HORMONES
STEROIDS
TESTOSTERONE
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
TRITIUM OXIDES
VERTEBRATES