Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Site-Directed Immobilization of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 to Solid Surfaces by Click Chemistry
Published on: March 29, 2018
Modulation of bone morphogenetic protein activity by melatonin in ovarian steroidogenesis
1Department of General Medicine Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences Okayama Japan.
Background:
Melatonin regulates circadian and seasonal rhythms and the activities of hormones and cytokines that are expressed in various tissues, including the ovary, in which melatonin receptors are expressed. In the ovary, follicular growth occurs as a result of complex interactions between pituitary gonadotropins and autocrine and paracrine factors, including bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) that are expressed in the ovary.
Methods:
The effects of melatonin and BMPs on steroidogenesis were examined by using the primary cultures of rat granulosa cells.
Main Findings Results:
It was shown that melatonin has antagonistic effects on BMP-6 actions in the granulosa cells, suggesting that melatonin is likely to contribute to balancing the biological activity of endogenous BMPs that maintain progesterone production and luteinization in the growing follicles. Similar interactions between melatonin and BMP-smad signaling also were shown in the mechanism of controlling ovarian steroidogenesis by other ligands.
Conclusion:
A new role of melatonin in the regulation of endocrine homeostasis in relation to BMP activity is introduced in this review.
Related Concept Videos
Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins
Antiepileptic Drugs: Modulators of Neurotransmitter Release Mediated by SV2A Protein
SV2A is a transmembrane glycoprotein located predominantly in the brain, modulating the release of neurotransmitters for neuronal communication. Both levetiracetam and brivaracetam exhibit a high affinity for...
Ovarian Cycle
Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to...
Hormonal Control of the Ovarian Cycle
Before puberty, the hypothalamus releases GnRH in a low frequency, low amplitude pulsatile manner. This along with the immature hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity, results in low estrogen levels and the absence of a fully functional ovarian cycle. At puberty, GnRH secretion increases in both frequency and...
Co-activators and Co-repressors

