Differential effects of gonadotropin and orthovanadate on oocyte maturation, ovulation, and prostaglandin synthesisby Rana ovarian follicles in vitro

Arachidonic acid enhances reproduction in Daphnia magna and mitigates changes in sex ratios induced by pyriproxyfen

Arachidonic acid is 1 of only 2 unsaturated fatty acids retained in the ovaries of crustaceans and an inhibitor of HR97g, a nuclear receptor expressed in adult ovaries. The authors hypothesized that, as a key fatty acid, arachidonic acid may be associated with reproduction and potentially environmental sex determination in Daphnia. Reproduction assays with arachidonic acid indicate that it alters female:male sex ratios by increasing female production. This reproductive effect only occurred during a restricted Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata diet. Next, the authors tested whether enriching a poorer algal diet (Chlorella vulgaris) with arachidonic acid enhances overall reproduction and sex ratios. Arachidonic acid enrichment of a C. vulgaris diet also enhances fecundity at 1.0 µM and 4.0 µM by 30% to 40% in the presence and absence of pyriproxyfen. This indicates that arachidonic acid is crucial in reproduction regardless of environmental sex determination. Furthermore, the data indicate that P. subcapitata may provide a threshold concentration of arachidonic acid needed for reproduction. Diet-switch experiments from P. subcapitata to C. vulgaris mitigate some, but not all, of arachidonic acid's effects when compared with a C. vulgaris-only diet, suggesting that some arachidonic acid provided by P. subcapitata is retained. In summary, arachidonic acid supplementation increases reproduction and represses pyriproxyfen-induced environmental sex determination in D. magna in restricted diets. A diet rich in arachidonic acid may provide protection from some reproductive toxicants such as the juvenile hormone agonist pyriproxyfen. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:527-535. © 2014 SETAC.

New evidence for the involvement of prostaglandin receptor EP4b in ovulation of the medaka, Oryzias latipes

A cDNA for a prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) receptor subtype 4, EP4b (Ptger4b), was cloned from the medaka ovary. The effect of PGE(2) was examined using COS-7 cells expressing the recombinant Ptger4b protein. An increase in intracellular cAMP levels was observed when the cells were incubated with PGE(2), but the increase in cAMP levels was nullified by the addition of the EP4 antagonist GW627368X. The expression of ptger4b mRNA was drastically induced by the addition of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin to the in vitro culture of large preovulatory follicles. In in vitro ovulation studies of the effect of GW627368X addition on follicle ovulation, the critical timing of the PGE(2)/Ptger4b interaction was suggested to be between -1 and 0 h of ovulation. These results further substantiate that PGE(2)/Ptger4b signaling is involved in follicle rupture during ovulation in the medaka ovary.

Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandin receptor EP4b mRNA in the ovary of the medaka fish, Oryzias latipes: possible involvement in ovulation

In vitro ovulation of mature medaka ovarian follicles was inhibited by inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX) or by an antagonist of the prostaglandin E(2) receptor (EP). Of the three medaka COX genes, ptgs2 was most dominantly expressed in the fish ovary. The ptgs2 transcript was detected in all sizes of growing follicles. In a 24-h spawning cycle, large-sized follicles contained ptgs2 mRNA at a fairly constant level. The levels of COX enzyme activity and prostaglandin E(2) were also constant in the large-sized follicles during the spawning cycle. The expression of prostaglandin E(2) receptor EP4b (ptger4b) mRNA was drastically upregulated in the large-sized follicles as the ovulation time approached. The current results indicate that prostaglandin E(2), which might be produced by COX-2, is involved in the ovulation of medaka, and that EP4b is likely the receptor responsible for exerting the action of prostaglandin E(2) in the process.

Effects of RU486 on cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression, prostaglandin F2alpha synthesis and ovulation in Xenopus laevis

RU486 is a synthetic analog of progesterone and functions as a progesterone receptor antagonist. It binds to the progesterone receptor to prevent progesterone from occupying its receptor in many cellular systems. Early studies from our laboratory have shown that in Xenopus laevis ovarian follicles progesterone stimulates the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene which leads to a rapid increase in the production of prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) and subsequent ovulation. In this study, we examined the effect of RU486 on the synthesis of COX-2 mRNA, production of PGF2alpha and ovulation in X. laevis. Ovarian tissue fragments were primed with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and then incubated with progesterone (P4) alone or in the presence of varying concentrations of RU486 over a period of 12h. After the incubation ovulated oocytes were counted, COX-2 expression and synthesis of PGF2alpha were measured. Results demonstrated that RU486 attenuated the expression of COX-2 gene, reduced the synthesis of PGF2alpha, and inhibited ovulation in a dose-dependent manner. This finding suggests that progesterone receptor is an important regulator in the progesterone-cyclooxygenase-prostaglandin-mediated ovulation in amphibians.

Hormonal modulation of phonotaxis and advertisement-call preferences in the gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

Hormonal levels fluctuate during the breeding season in many anurans, but the identity of the hormones that modulate breeding behavior and their effects remain unclear. We tested the influence of a combined treatment of progesterone and prostaglandin on phonotaxis, the key proceptive reproductive behavior of female anurans. First, we found that female gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) treated with progesterone and prostaglandin exhibited phonotaxis to synthetic male advertisement signals significantly more often than animals treated with ringers vehicle or uninjected controls. Responsive females had greater levels of plasma progesterone and estradiol compared to both control groups, suggesting that these steroids may be promoting phonotaxis. Second, we found that the selectivity of hormonally-induced phonotaxis in H.versicolor was similar to that observed in freshly captured breeding animals. Females made the same choices between acoustic signals after hormone treatments in tests of frequency, call rate and pulse rate, compared to their responses without treatment immediately after collection from the breeding chorus. The preference for a longer call was, however, significantly weaker after hormonal induction of phonotaxis. Hormonally primed females were also less likely to respond in any test and took longer to respond than did freshly collected females. Consequently, our study shows how progesterone-prostaglandin induced phonotaxis in female treefrogs influences both the quality and quantity of phonotaxis, relative to that exhibited by naturally breeding females.

Expression of cyclooxygenase genes and production of prostaglandins during ovulation in the ovarian follicles of Xenopus laevis

Involvement of cyclooxygenase (COX) and prostaglandin (PG) synthesis during ovulation in Xenopus laevis ovarian follicles was investigated. X. laevis COX cDNAs were isolated from ovarian tissues by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). In X. laevis ovary, expression of COX-2 but not COX-1 mRNA was up-regulated during gonadotropin-induced oocyte maturation and ovulation in vitro. Elevation of PGF2* synthesis was directly correlated with the up-regulation of COX-2 mRNA. Synthesis of PGE(2) also increased during periovulatory period, however, the concentrations were much lower than those of PGF2*Progesterone (P4) also induced up-regulation of COX-2 mRNA as well as ovulation. Actinomycin D (ActD) blocked P4-induced ovulation. The inhibition of ovulation by Act D was rescued by co-treatment with exogenous PGF2* in a dose dependent manner. A non-selective COX inhibitor (indomethacin) and selective COX-2 inhibitor (NS398) strongly inhibited the hCG- and P4-dependent production of PGF2*. Inhibitory effects of selective COX-1 inhibitor (SC560) on PGF2* production were lower than that of other inhibitors. Indomethacin and NS398 blocked P4-induced ovulation. NS398 did not block hCG-induced ovulation although it strongly suppressed PGF2* production. These results suggest that (1) in Xenopus ovarian follicles, PGF2* is synthesized during periovulatory period, similar to that in mammals, (2) PGF2* synthesis is regulated by de novo transcription of COX-2 but not COX-1, (3) PGF2* is necessary for P4-induced ovulation but may not be essential for hCG-induced ovulation, and other factor(s) may be involved in the hCG-induced ovulation.

Modulators of Bufo arenarum ovulation

In this study we investigated ovulation in vitro using ovary samples from Bufo arenarum with respect to their response to stimulation with homologous pituitary homogenate (HPH) or with progesterone and prostaglandins (PGF2α and PGE1) as intermediates of pituitary action. Ovary samples were obtained from animals captured during the breeding period. Our results demonstrate that the ovulatory response to all different inducers was dose dependent, the highest percentage of ovulated oocytes being obtained with HPH treatment. An important increase in the ovulatory response was obtained by the association of PGF2α with either HPH or progesterone at suboptimal doses, indicating that this prostaglandin induced a synergistic potentiating effect. Incubation with cyclooxygenase inhibitors (indomethacin or diclofenac sodium) produced a significant decrease in the ovulation induced by HPH, demonstrating that prostaglandins are involved in the action of the pituitary gland in this process. According to our results, PGE1 not only had no participation in the ovulatory process, but also produced an inhibitory effect on ovulation induced by HPH treatment.