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Follicle Regulatory Protein: An Intraovarian Regulator of Follicular Response to Gonadotropin Stimulation

  • Chapter
The Primate Ovary

Part of the book series: Serono Symposia, USA ((SERONOSYMP))

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Abstract

Follicular fluids from various species contain inhibitor (s) of aromatase activity. Fractions of bovine follicular fluid inhibited the induction of aromatase activity in granulosa cells in proportion to their concentration in the culture medium (1). Furthermore, equine follicular fluid was shown to inhibit porcine granulosal production of estradiol and progesterone (2,3), and steroid-free, bovine follicular fluid inhibited FSH-induced secretion of estrogen by ovine granulosa cells collected from follicles more than 3 mm in diameter (4). Guthrie found that charcoalextracted, porcine follicular fluid blocked the recruitment of mediumsized follicles into preovulatory development after the administration of exogenous FSH (5). When administered to intact ewes, ovine follicular fluid, with or without the addition of pregnant mare serum (PMS), reduced the number of follicles more than 4 mm in diameter as well as the relative proportion of follicles less than 2 mm (6). These studies in vivo were extended by observations in vitro that treatment with ovine follicular fluid inhibited aromatase activity as well as mitotic activity in granulosa cells. It was suggested that ovine follicular cells produce an endogenous inhibitor of granulosal aromatase which they secrete into the follicular fluid. Fractions of human follicular fluid which bound to dye Matrix gel Orange A inhibited human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG)-stimulated secretion of estradiol by rats in vivo as well as production of estrogen by porcine granulosa cells in vitro (7).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Livingston Reproductive Biology Laboratory, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, 90033, USA

    Gregor Westhof, Katsuhiko Fujimori, Sharon A. Tonetta, Karin Westhof, James Ireland, Jeffrey Fay & Gere S. diZerega

  2. Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823, USA

    Gregor Westhof, Katsuhiko Fujimori, Sharon A. Tonetta, Karin Westhof, James Ireland, Jeffrey Fay & Gere S. diZerega

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, 80262, USA

    Gregor Westhof, Katsuhiko Fujimori, Sharon A. Tonetta, Karin Westhof, James Ireland, Jeffrey Fay & Gere S. diZerega

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  1. Gregor Westhof
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  2. Katsuhiko Fujimori
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  3. Sharon A. Tonetta
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  4. Karin Westhof
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  5. James Ireland
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  6. Jeffrey Fay
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  7. Gere S. diZerega
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon, USA

    Richard L. Stouffer

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© 1987 Plenum Press, New York

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Westhof, G. et al. (1987). Follicle Regulatory Protein: An Intraovarian Regulator of Follicular Response to Gonadotropin Stimulation. In: Stouffer, R.L. (eds) The Primate Ovary. Serono Symposia, USA. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9513-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9513-7_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-9515-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-9513-7

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