Presence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and its messenger ribonucleic acid in human ovarian epithelial carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone messenger ribonucleic acid and the presence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in human ovarian carcinoma known to have gonadotropin-releasing hormone binding sites and to be affected by gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog.


METHODS
Human ovarian carcinomas surgically removed and human ovarian carcinoma cell lines were examined. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone was determined by a radioimmunoassay and a bioassay. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone messenger ribonucleic acid was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using oligonucleotide primers synthesized according to the published human gonadotropin-releasing hormone sequence.


RESULTS
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone was shown to be present in extracts of ovarian mucinous cystadenocarcinoma sample (0.8 +/- 0.12 pg/mg of protein) and ovarian adenocarcinoma cell line SK-OV3 (0.92 +/- 0.17 pg/mg of protein) but not in the normal ovary and placenta. Two of two extract samples from individual cases evoked dose-dependent phosphoinositide breakdown in rat granulosa cells similar to that caused by authentic gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone messenger ribonucleic acid was detected in two of two mucinous cystadenocarcinoma specimens, one of one serous cystadenocarcinoma, and SK-OV3 cells but not in the dysgerminoma, mucinous cystadenoma, and normal ovary and placenta.


CONCLUSIONS
The demonstration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and its messenger ribonucleic acid raises the possibility that gonadotropin-releasing hormone may play an autocrine regulatory role in the growth of ovarian carcinoma.
Ohno
T
T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.
Imai
A
A
Furui
T
T
Takahashi
K
K
Tamaya
T
T
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D003536:Cystadenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism
D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone