title: Immunoneutralization of growth differentiation factor 9 reveals it partially accounts for mouse oocyte mitogenic activity.
abstract: Paracrine factors secreted by oocytes play a pivotal role in promoting early ovarian follicle growth and in defining a morphogenic gradient in antral follicles, yet the exact identities of these oocyte factors remain unknown. This study was conducted to determine the extent to which the mitogenic activity of mouse oocytes can be attributed to growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9). To do this, specific anti-human GDF9 monoclonal antibodies were generated. Based on epitope mapping and bioassays, a GDF9 neutralizing antibody, mAb-GDF9-53, was characterized with very low cross-reactivity with related transforming growth factor (TGF)beta superfamily members, including BMP15 (also called GDF9B). Pep-SPOT epitope mapping showed that mAb-GDF9-53 recognizes a short 4-aa sequence, and three-dimensional peptide modeling suggested that this binding motif lies at the C-terminal fingertip of mGDF9. As predicted by sequence alignments and modeling, the antibody detected recombinant GDF9, but not BMP15 in a Western blot and GDF9 protein in oocyte extract and oocyte-conditioned medium. In a mouse mural granulosa cell (MGC) bioassay, mAb-GDF9-53 completely abolished the mitogenic effects of GDF9, but had no effect on TGFbeta1 or activin A-stimulated MGC proliferation. An unrelated IgG at the same dose had no effect on GDF9 activity. This GDF9 neutralizing antibody was then tested in an established oocyte-secreted mitogen bioassay, where denuded oocytes cocultured with granulosa cells promote cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The mAb-GDF9-53 dose dependently (0-160 microg/ml) decreased the mitogenic activity of oocytes but only by approximately 45% at the maximum dose of mAb. Just 5 microg/ml of mAb-GDF9-53 neutralized 90% of recombinant mGDF9 mitogenic activity, but only 15% of oocyte activity. Unlike mAb-GDF9-53, a TGFbeta pan-specific neutralizing antibody did not affect the mitogenic capacity of the oocyte, but completely neutralized TGF beta 1-induced DNA synthesis. This study has characterized a specific GDF9 neutralizing antibody. Our data provide the first direct evidence that the endogenous GDF9 protein is an important oocyte-secreted mitogen, but also show that GDF9 accounts for only part of total oocyte bioactivity.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Reproductive Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Adelaide, Woodville, SA 5011, Australia. robert.gilchrist@adelaide.edu.au
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Gilchrist
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cranfield
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Jeffery
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Myllymaa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaivo-Oja
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lankinen
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Mottershead
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Groome
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ritvos
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055430:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15; D005260:Female; D055429:Growth Differentiation Factor 9; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008934:Mitogens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; C525901:BMP15 protein, human; C525902:Bmp15 protein, mouse; D055430:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15; C525897:GDF9 protein, human; C525898:Gdf9 protein, mouse; D055429:Growth Differentiation Factor 9; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008934:Mitogens; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta