Progesterone does not affect the amount of mRNA for gonadotropins in the anterior pituitary gland of ovariectomized ewes.

D. L. Hamernik, K. E. Kim, R. A. Maurer, T. M. Nett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of progesterone on the synthesis and secretion of gonadotropins, ovariectomized ewes either were treated with progesterone (n = 5) for 3 wk or served as controls (n = 5) during the anestrous season. After treatment for 3 wk, blood samples were collected from progesterone-treated and ovariectomized ewes. After collection of blood samples, hypothalamic and hypophyseal tissues were collected from all ewes. Half of each pituitary was used to determine the content of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and the number of receptors for gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The amounts of mRNA for LH beta subunit, FSH beta subunit, alpha subunit, growth hormone, and prolactin were measured in the other half of each pituitary. Treatment with progesterone reduced mean serum concentrations of LH (p less than 0.001) but ot FSH (p greater than 0.05). Further, progesterone decreased (p less than 0.05) the total number of pulses of LH. We were unable to detect pulsatile release of FSH. Hypothalamic content of GnRH, number of receptors for GnRH, pituitary content of gonadotropins and mRNA for LH beta subunit, FSH beta subunit, alpha subunit, growth hormone, and prolactin were not affected (p greater than 0.05) by treatment with progesterone. Thus, after treatment with progesterone, serum concentrations of LH (but not FSH) are decreased. This effect, however, is not due to a decrease in the steady-state amount of mRNA for LH beta or alpha subunits.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1225-1232
Number of pages8
JournalBiology of reproduction
Volume37
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1987

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Progesterone does not affect the amount of mRNA for gonadotropins in the anterior pituitary gland of ovariectomized ewes.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this