| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Submitted on August 27, 2003
Accepted on October 15, 2003
1 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75390-8857, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: stephen.hammes{at}utsouthwestern.edu.
Normal fertility in females depends upon precise regulation of oocyte meiosis. Oocytes are arrested in prophase I of meiosis until just before ovulation, when meiosis, or maturation, is triggered to resume. While sex steroids appear to promote maturation in fish and amphibians, the factors regulating mammalian oocyte maturation have remained obscure. We show here that, similar to lower vertebrates, steroids may play a role in promoting the release of meiotic inhibition in mammals. Specifically, testosterone induced maturation of mouse oocytes arrested in meiosis, as well as activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and cyclin dependent kinase 1 signaling. These responses appeared to be transcription-independent, and might involve signaling through classical androgen receptors expressed in the oocytes. Our results are the first to show that sex steroids can modulate meiosis in mammalian oocytes, and suggest a model whereby dominant ovarian follicles in mammals may produce sufficient androgen and/or other steroids to overcome constitutive inhibitory signals and allow oocyte maturation and subsequent ovulation to occur.
NURSA Molecule Pages Link:
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
G. Ning, H. Ouyang, S. Wang, X. Chen, B. Xu, J. Yang, H. Zhang, M. Zhang, and G. Xia 3',5'-Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Response Element Binding Protein Up-Regulated Cytochrome P450 Lanosterol 14{alpha}-Demethylase Expression Involved in Follicle-Stimulating Hormone-Induced Mouse Oocyte Maturation Mol. Endocrinol., July 1, 2008; 22(7): 1682 - 1694. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K.A. Walters, C.M. Allan, and D.J. Handelsman Androgen Actions and the Ovary Biol Reprod, March 1, 2008; 78(3): 380 - 389. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. A. Murray, A. K.E. Swales, R. E. Smith, M. D. Molinek, S. G. Hillier, and N. Spears Follicular growth and oocyte competence in the in vitro cultured mouse follicle: effects of gonadotrophins and steroids Mol. Hum. Reprod., February 1, 2008; 14(2): 75 - 83. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
B. Cinar, N. K. Mukhopadhyay, G. Meng, and M. R. Freeman Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase-independent Non-genomic Signals Transit from the Androgen Receptor to Akt1 in Membrane Raft Microdomains J. Biol. Chem., October 5, 2007; 282(40): 29584 - 29593. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C.-G. Liang, Y.-Q. Su, H.-Y. Fan, H. Schatten, and Q.-Y. Sun Mechanisms Regulating Oocyte Meiotic Resumption: Roles of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Mol. Endocrinol., September 1, 2007; 21(9): 2037 - 2055. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Motola, M. Popliker, and A. Tsafriri Are Steroids Obligatory Mediators of Luteinizing Hormone/Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-Triggered Resumption of Meiosis in Mammals? Endocrinology, September 1, 2007; 148(9): 4458 - 4465. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. A. Walters, C. M. Allan, M. Jimenez, P. R. Lim, R. A. Davey, J. D. Zajac, P. Illingworth, and D. J. Handelsman Female Mice Haploinsufficient for an Inactivated Androgen Receptor (AR) Exhibit Age-Dependent Defects That Resemble the AR Null Phenotype of Dysfunctional Late Follicle Development, Ovulation, and Fertility Endocrinology, August 1, 2007; 148(8): 3674 - 3684. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. R. Wood, D. A. Dumesic, D. H. Abbott, and J. F. Strauss III Molecular Abnormalities in Oocytes from Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Revealed by Microarray Analysis J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 2007; 92(2): 705 - 713. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Rasar, D. B. DeFranco, and S. R. Hammes Paxillin Regulates Steroid-triggered Meiotic Resumption in Oocytes by Enhancing an All-or-None Positive Feedback Kinase Loop J. Biol. Chem., December 22, 2006; 281(51): 39455 - 39464. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Wu, Q. C.-K. Cheung, L. Wen, and J. Li A Growth-Maturation System That Enhances the Meiotic and Developmental Competence of Porcine Oocytes Isolated from Small Follicles Biol Reprod, October 1, 2006; 75(4): 547 - 554. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. M Mehlmann Stops and starts in mammalian oocytes: recent advances in understanding the regulation of meiotic arrest and oocyte maturation Reproduction, December 1, 2005; 130(6): 791 - 799. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Jamnongjit, A. Gill, and S. R. Hammes Epidermal growth factor receptor signaling is required for normal ovarian steroidogenesis and oocyte maturation PNAS, November 8, 2005; 102(45): 16257 - 16262. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T.E. Hickey, D.L. Marrocco, F. Amato, L.J. Ritter, R.J. Norman, R.B. Gilchrist, and D.T. Armstrong Androgens Augment the Mitogenic Effects of Oocyte-Secreted Factors and Growth Differentiation Factor 9 on Porcine Granulosa Cells Biol Reprod, October 1, 2005; 73(4): 825 - 832. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Haas, S. N. White, L. B. Lutz, M. Rasar, and S. R. Hammes The Modulator of Nongenomic Actions of the Estrogen Receptor (MNAR) Regulates Transcription-Independent Androgen Receptor-Mediated Signaling: Evidence that MNAR Participates in G Protein-Regulated Meiosis in Xenopus laevis Oocytes Mol. Endocrinol., August 1, 2005; 19(8): 2035 - 2046. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. R. Hammes Steroids and Oocyte Maturation--A New Look at an Old Story Mol. Endocrinol., April 1, 2004; 18(4): 769 - 775. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
| Endocrinology | Endocrine Reviews | J. Clin. End. & Metab. |
| Molecular Endocrinology | Recent Prog. Horm. Res. | All Endocrine Journals |