| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
Articles |
a Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
b Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, and
c Pathology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
To further explore the proposed auto-regulatory role of progesterone action in the human corpus luteum (CL), the expression and functional roles of progesterone receptor (PR) isoforms A and B during the luteal phase (LP) of the menstrual cycle were investigated. A total of 27 otherwise healthy patients previously scheduled for surgery were recruited after informed consent. An LH rise was detected, and CL were grouped according to age (Days 2–5 post-LH-rise, early LP; Days 6–10, mid LP; Days 11–14, late LP). Using a semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, the PR-B mRNA levels, which were 100- to 1000-fold lower than PR-A/B mRNA, were 46% lower (P < 0.05, n = 24) in mid LP, compared to early and late LP. CL tissue levels of progesterone and PR-A/B protein levels were inversely correlated to increasing CL age; i.e., significantly reduced levels were observed in the late LP (r2 = 0.34, P < 0.01, n = 23). Expression of PR-A/B mRNA as well as PR-A/B protein were detected by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Both methods revealed a clear and distinct localization to cells in the steroidogenic layer of the CL. Freshly obtained mid-luteal CL cells were cultured in vitro, and media were analyzed for progesterone concentrations after treatment by incremental doses of hCG and the stable PR antagonist mifepristone, alone or in combination. Mifepristone did not per se alter progesterone synthesis, but when it was added in conjunction with hCG, a dose-related inhibitory response was seen, with a maximal 47% reduction in progesterone output at a 10 µM addition (P < 0.05, n = 3). Collectively, these data implicate a stimulatory role of progesterone receptor-mediated action in the steroidogenic cells of the human CL, which may serve as an important pathway for maintaining functional homeostasis during early pregnancy.
1 Supported by grants from The Swedish Medical Research Council K99-72X-13144-01A and K98-17P-11832-03C (J.I.O.) and by the Cancer Research Foundation of the Department of Oncology at Umeå University, The Swedish Society of Medicine, and The Swedish Society for Medical Research.
2 Correspondence. FAX: 46 90 773905; jan.olofsson{at}obstgyn.umu.se
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  W C. Duncan, E. Gay, and J. A Maybin The effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on the expression of progesterone receptors in human luteal cells in vivo and in vitro Reproduction, July 1, 2005; 130(1): 83 - 93. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N. Chabbert-Buffet, G. Meduri, P. Bouchard, and I. M. Spitz Selective progesterone receptor modulators and progesterone antagonists: mechanisms of action and clinical applications Hum. Reprod. Update, May 1, 2005; 11(3): 293 - 307. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N. Gava, C. L. Clarke, K. Byth, R. L. Arnett-Mansfield, and A. deFazio Expression of Progesterone Receptors A and B in the Mouse Ovary during the Estrous Cycle Endocrinology, July 1, 2004; 145(7): 3487 - 3494. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Gemzell-Danielsson and L. Marions Mechanisms of action of mifepristone and levonorgestrel when used for emergency contraception Hum. Reprod. Update, July 1, 2004; 10(4): 341 - 348. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. Hosokawa, U. Ottander, P. Wahlberg, T. Ny, S. Cajander, and I.J. Olofsson Dominant expression and distribution of oestrogen receptor {beta} over oestrogen receptor {{alpha}} in the human corpus luteum Mol. Hum. Reprod., February 1, 2001; 7(2): 137 - 145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
