Mechanism underlying the stimulation by IGF-1 of LHCGR expression in porcine granulosa cells

Ying Han; Yanhong Chen; Feng Yang; Xiaomei Sun; Shenming Zeng

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.04.011

Mechanism underlying the stimulation by IGF-1 of LHCGR expression in porcine granulosa cells

Theriogenology. 2021 Jul 15:169:56-64. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.04.011. Epub 2021 Apr 22.

Authors

Ying Han¹, Yanhong Chen², Feng Yang², Xiaomei Sun³, Shenming Zeng⁴

Affiliations

¹ National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding, and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China; College of Agronomy, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong, China.
² National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding, and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
³ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Molecular Design, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
⁴ National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding, and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China. Electronic address: zengsm@cau.edu.cn.

PMID: 33933758
DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.04.011

Abstract

IGF-1 plays important roles in mammalian fertility by promoting cell growth and increasing steroid hormone secretion. Although IGF-1 significantly upregulated luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) gene expression in granulosa cells in a previous study, the mechanism was unclear. The present experiment was designed to primarily explore the regulation of LHCGR expression by IGF-1. First, based on a porcine LHCGR double-luciferase reporter experiment, c-Fos significantly inhibited the activity of the LHCGR promoter. Second, porcine granulosa cells were cultured in vitro with IGF-1, and we observed that the expression of LHCGR was significantly increased and the expression of c-Fos mRNA significantly reduced. After c-Fos overexpression in granulosa cells, IGF-1 attenuated the inhibitory effect of c-Fos on LHCGR. Furthermore, the level of LHCGR mRNA stimulated by IGF-1 in the presence of SB203580 was markedly lower than that of IGF-1 alone action. In conclusion, IGF-1 enhanced the expression of LHCGR by regulating c-Fos in granulosa cells, which may be mediated by the p38MAPK-signaling pathway.

Keywords: Granulosa cell; IGF-1; LHCGR; c-Fos.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cells, Cultured
Female
Follicle Stimulating Hormone*
Granulosa Cells
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I* / genetics
RNA, Messenger / genetics
Receptors, LH / genetics*
Swine

Substances

RNA, Messenger
Receptors, LH
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
Follicle Stimulating Hormone