Identification of G alpha s messenger ribonucleic acid splice variants in human granulosa cells

Granulosa cells are essential for follicular development and corpus luteum formation and their functions are regulated by gonadotrophins through G protein-coupled receptors. The dominant second messenger pathway involves the stimulation of cyclic AMP formation by G alpha s-linked receptors. In this paper we have investigated the expression of G alpha s mRNA splice variants in relation to expression of G alpha s protein isoforms in granulosa cells obtained from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization. We have carried out ribonuclease protection assays using cRNA riboprobes which are capable of detecting all G alpha s mRNA isoforms as well as quantifying total amounts of G alpha s mRNA. Granulosa cells express the message for G alpha s-Large and G alpha s-Small and the presence of two distinct protein products was confirmed by immunoblotting using the antibody RM/1. Moreover, the data show that a significant fraction of G alpha s-Large and G alpha s-Small mRNAs contain an extra CAG codon. This should generate proteins with an extra serine residue, resulting in G alpha s variants with the consensus sequence of a protein kinase C phosphorylation site. These results highlight the possible interaction between different signalling pathways in the control of cAMP production and the need to investigate the relationship between G alpha s variants and different adenylyl cyclase isozymes in patients with normal and abnormal ovarian function.