HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mizrachi, D. Articles by Shemesh, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mizrachi, D. Articles by Shemesh, M. Agricola Articles by Mizrachi, D. Articles by Shemesh, M.

Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor and Its Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Are Present in the Bovine Cervix and Can Regulate Cervical Prostanoid Synthesis¹

^a Department of Hormone Research, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel 50250

The hypothesis that FSH regulates the bovine cervical prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) synthesis that is known to be associated with cervical relaxation and opening at the time of estrus was investigated. Cervical tissue from pre-estrous/estrous, luteal, and postovulatory cows were examined for 1) the presence of bovine (b) FSH receptor (R) and its corresponding mRNA and 2) the effect of FSH on the PGE₂ regulatory pathway in vitro. The presence of bFSHR mRNA in the cervix (maximal during pre-estrus/estrus) was demonstrated by the expression of a reverse transcription (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product (384 base pairs) specific for bFSHR mRNA and sequencing. Northern blotting revealed three transcripts (2.5, 3.3, and 3.8 kilobases [kb]) in cervix from pre-estrous/estrous cows. The level of FSHR (75 kDa) was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in Western blots of pre-estrous/estrous cervix than in other cervical tissues. There was a good correlation between the 75-kDa protein expression and its corresponding transcript of 2.55 kb throughout the estrous cycle as described by Northern blot analysis as well as RT-PCR. Incubation of FSH (10 ng/ml) with pre-estrous/estrous cervix resulted in a 3-fold increase in the expression of FSHR and a 2-fold increase in both G protein (_s) and cyclooxygenase II. FSH (5–20 ng/ml) significantly increased (p < 0.01) cAMP, inositol phosphate (p < 0.01), and PGE₂ (p < 0.01) production by pre-estrous/estrous cervix but not by cervix at the other stages. We conclude that bovine cervix at the time of the peripheral plasma FSH peak (pre-estrus/estrus) contains high levels of FSHR and responds to FSH by increasing the PGE₂ production responsible for cervical relaxation at estrus.

¹ This work was supported by grant No. US-2333-93 from the US-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD). This work is in partial fulfillment of a Ph.D. Thesis (D.M.) to be submitted to the Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University.

² Correspondence: M. Shemesh, Department of Hormone Research, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, POB 12, Israel 50250. FAX: 972 3 9681753; mshem{at}vs.moag.gov.il