Characterization of the Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Receptor (GnRHR) Expression and Activity in the Female Mouse Ovary

GnRH agonists (GnRHa) are increasingly used for fertility preservation in women undergoing gonadotoxic chemotherapy. However, the protective mechanisms of action for these compounds have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to determine whether GnRHa have a direct effect on ovarian granulosa cells. GnRH receptor (GnRHR) expression was determined in mouse somatic and gonadal tissues including granulosa/cumulus cells and oocytes using quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Granulosa cells were isolated from mouse ovaries primed with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin. Response to GnRHa in cultured granulosa cells was assessed by determining the increase of intracellular cAMP and by assessing phosphorylation of downstream mediators of GnRH signaling: ERK and p38. To measure intracellular cAMP in our system, the cells were transfected with a cAMP-responsive luciferase reporter plasmid and stimulated with GnRHa. For all experiments, pituitary tissue and/or the αT3-1 mouse pituitary cell line were used as controls. GnRHR mRNA and protein were detected in mouse ovaries, granulosa/cumulus cells, and oocytes. After GnRHa stimulation at various time intervals, we were unable to detect a cAMP increase or activation of the ERK or p38 signaling pathway in cultured primary mouse granulosa cells, whereas activation was detected in the control αT3-1 mouse pituitary cells. In this study, we have not detected activation of the canonical GnRH signaling pathways in mouse ovarian somatic cells. Our findings suggest that the mechanism of action of GnRHa in the ovary is either below the detection level of our experimental design or is different from that in the pituitary.