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

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 84; no. 16; pp. 5803 - 5807
• Main Authors: George, F.W, Ojeda, S.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.08.1987; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: ACTIVIDAD ENZIMATICA; ACTIVITE ENZYMATIQUE; Animals; Aromatase - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Bucladesine - pharmacology; Cell differentiation, maturation, development, hematopoiesis; Cell physiology; Cycloheximide - pharmacology; Dactinomycin - pharmacology; DESARROLLO EMBRIONARIO; DEVELOPPEMENT EMBRYONNAIRE; EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT; Endocrinology; ENZYMIC ACTIVITY; Estrogens; Female; Follicle Stimulating Hormone - pharmacology; Follicles; Follicular development; FSH; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GONADOTROPHINE; GONADOTROPINAS; GONADOTROPINS; Gonads; HFS; Hormones; INFANTES; INFANTS; Luteinizing Hormone - pharmacology; Molecular and cellular biology; Nerves; NOUVEAU-NE; Organ Culture Techniques; OVAIRE; Ovarian Follicle - growth & development; OVARIES; OVARIOS; Ovary - enzymology; Ovary - growth & development; PEPTIDE; PEPTIDES; PEPTIDOS; Pregnancy; RAT; RATA; RATS; Rats, Inbred Strains; Sheep; Testes; Testosterone - metabolism; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide - pharmacology; Human; Embryonic development; Rat; Rodentia; Estrogen; Activation; Biosynthesis; Cell differentiation; Neuropeptide; Ovary; Vertebrata; Peptidergic pathway; Mammalia; Animal; Development; FSH; New born; Sex steroid hormone; VIP; Ovarian follicle
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.84.16.5803
• ISSN: 0027-8424

We have investigated the factors that regulate aromatase activity in fetal-neonatal rat ovaries. Ovarian aromatase activity (assessed by measuring the amount of 3H2O formed from [1β -3H]testosterone) is low prior to birth (<0.5 pmol/hr per mg of protein) 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 (postnatal days 2-4) 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 (0.1-1 μ g/ml), ovine luteinizing hormone (0.1 μ g/ml), 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 endogenous 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.