Synergistic effects of progesterone and oestradiol on rat LH subunit mRNA

The effects of oestradiol and progesterone on LH-subunit mRNA levels were investigated in ovariectomized rats. Four weeks after ovariectomy, rats were implanted with silicone elastomer capsules containing oestradiol and/or injected daily with progesterone in oil (5 mg/rat) for 8 days. The levels of pituitary mRNA encoding alpha and LH-beta were determined using direct hybridization with specific [32P]cDNA probes. After oestradiol implantation in ovariectomized rats, both alpha and LH-beta mRNA decreased with time, with maximum inhibition after 6-8 days of treatment. Progesterone injected alone did not show any effect on alpha and LH-beta mRNA. Cytosolic progesterone receptors, determined using [3H]methyl-17 alpha-progesterone as ligand, were undetectable in control ovariectomized rats. In contrast, 2 days after oestradiol implantation, the number of receptors increased to 287.5 +/- 35.4 (S.E.M.) fmol/pituitary and reached a plateau of 400 +/- 21.8 fmol/pituitary after 4 days. The effects of progesterone were therefore examined by first implanting ovariectomized rats with oestradiol to induce progesterone receptors and then injecting progesterone daily for a further period of 6 days. As a result of this treatment, progesterone induced a decrease in the pituitary gland contents of both alpha and LH-beta mRNAs, and LH release was significantly greater than that observed in the group receiving oestradiol alone. Moreover, the mRNA levels in the animals treated with oestradiol plus progesterone were lower after 8 days of treatment than those observed in ovariectomized rats treated with a tenfold higher dose of oestradiol alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)