title: Biosynthesis of steroids in ovarian follicles of red seabream, Pagrus major (Sparidae, Teleostei) during final oocyte maturation and the relative effectiveness of steroid metabolites for germinal vesicle breakdown in vitro.
abstract: The steroid synthesis pathway in the ovarian follicles of the red seabream during final oocyte maturation (FOM) was investigated by incubating intact follicles with different radioactively labeled steroid precursors. During FOM, the steroidogenic shift from estradiol-17beta to 20 beta-hydroxylated progestin production occurred mainly due to a combination of inactivation of C 1720-lyase and activation of 20 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Of the steroids produced, 1720 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (1720 beta-P) and 1720 beta,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20 beta-S) exhibited the greatest effect on germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) in vitro. 1720 beta-P was further converted to its 5 beta-reduced form, 1720 beta-dihydroxy-5 beta-pregnan-3-one (1720 beta-P-5 beta), which had lower GVBD activity, suggesting that 5 beta-reduction plays a role in the inactivation of the maturation-inducing ability of 1720 beta-P. In contrast, no 5 beta-reduced metabolite of 20 beta-S was found. Serum levels of 1720 beta-P and 20 beta-S, measured by ELISA, showed that circulating levels of both progestins increased during FOM, and 20 beta-S levels were approximately twice as high as 1720 beta-P levels. This study clarified the complete steroidogenesis pathway during FOM in red seabream ovarian follicles and showed that two 20 beta-hydroxylated progestins, 1720 beta-P and 20 beta-S, act as maturation-inducing hormones in this species. The catabolites of these two progestins and their physiological roles in reproduction are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581 Japan.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Sonoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gen
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okuzawa
authors.forename: Hirohiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kagawa
authors.forename: Michiya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003349:Cortisone Reductase; D005260:Female; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011280:Pregnanolone / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D011372:Progestins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D021541:Sea Bream / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D013256:Steroids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D011372:Progestins; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D013256:Steroids; D014316:Tritium; D011280:Pregnanolone; D003349:Cortisone Reductase