Rat oocyte maturation: role of calcium in hormone action

We studied the role of extracellular calcium (Ca0) in oocyte maturation and oocyte-cumulus cells interaction in rat follicles in vitro. Luteinizing hormone (LH) or a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (GnRHa) induced full maturation at [Ca0] = 1.3 mM. At [Ca0] = 0.6 mM, maturation induced by LH or GnRHa was inhibited by 65%. Chelatin of [Ca0] resulted in 45% maturation and neither hormone caused a further increase of maturation. [Ca0] = 20 mM enhanced the response to suboptimal concentrations of GnRHa but inhibited that to LH. Divalent cation ionophores caused [Ca0]-dependent maturation, which was fully inhibited by dibutyryl cAMP. Changes in [Ca0] also affected oocyte-cumulus interaction. At [Ca0] = 1.3 mM, either LH or GnRHa caused partial dispersion of the cumulus. Chelation of [Ca0] also resulted in an almost complete dispersion of the cumulus. The ionophores, however, caused maturation with the oocyte-cumulus complex preserved intact. Our data suggest that GnRHa may induce maturation via cAMP-sensitive calcium mobilization into the oocyte-cumulus-granulosa complex.