Pulsatile Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Secretion and Gonadotropin Subunit mRNA Levels in the Ovariectomized GPR-4 Transgenic Rat

Genetic targeting of the cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase 4D1 (PDE4D1) to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in the GPR-4 transgenic rat resulted in decreased luteinizing hormone (LH) pulse frequency in castrated female and male rats. A similar decrease in the intrinsic GnRH pulse frequency was observed in GT1 GnRH cells expressing the PDE4D1 phosphodiesterase. We have extended these findings in ovariectomized (OVX) GPR-4 rats by asking what effect transgene expression had on pulsatile LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion, plasma and pituitary levels of LH and FSH, and levels of the alpha-glycoprotein hormone subunit (alpha-GSU), LH-beta and FSH-beta subunit mRNAs. In OVX GPR-4 rats the LH pulse frequency but not pulse amplitude was decreased by 50% compared to wild-type littermate controls. Assaying the same samples for FSH, the FSH pulse frequency and amplitude were unchanged. The plasma and anterior pituitary levels of LH in the GPR-4 rats were significantly decreased by approximately 45%, while the plasma but not anterior pituitary level of FSH was significantly decreased by 25%. As measured by real-time RT-PCR, the mRNA levels for the alpha-GSU in the GPR-4 rats were significantly decreased by 41%, the LH-beta subunit by 38% and the FSH-beta subunit by 28%. We conclude that in the castrated female GPR-4 rats the decreased GnRH pulse frequency results in decreased levels of LH and FSH and in the alpha- and beta-subunit mRNA levels.