Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) deficient mice display reduced serum progesterone levels during corpus luteum development.
TIMP-1 is a multifunctional protein that is abundantly expressed within the ovary during the period of early corpus luteum formation. TIMP-1 has been suggested to play a role in progesterone production, but reports are conflicting. To more thoroughly examine the role of TIMP-1 in steroidogenesis during early luteal development in vivo, immature wild-type and TIMP-1 null female mice were primed with gonadotropins. Mice were sacrificed at 0, 24, and 48 h post hCG administration and serum was collected for determination of estradiol (E(2)) or progesterone (P(4)) concentrations. In the 24 h hCG groups, ovulation was assessed by counting the number of shed ova. Serum P(4) concentrations were significantly lower in the TIMP-1 null mice, both at 24 and 48-h post hCG compared to wild-type counterparts. No differences were detected in the number of ovulations between genotypes at the 24 h time point. In both the 24 and 48 h post-hCG groups, null mice had significantly higher ovarian wet weights. Interestingly, ovarian MMP activity was greater in the null mice at 24 h post hCG but higher in the wild-type at 48 h post hCG administration. These observations suggests that expression of TIMP-1 during early luteal development may participate in regulation of progesterone production via its ability to regulate ovarian MMP activity.
Nothnick
Warren B
WB
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA. wnothnic@kumc.edu
D000818:Animals; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D007700:Kinetics; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009929:Organ Size; D010053:Ovary / Q000201:enzymology; D010060:Ovulation; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; D011374:Progesterone; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases