FSH Enhanced Production of ZPC Homologue of Inner Perivitelline Membrane by Quail Granulosa Cells

Abstract

In quail oocytes, homologous protein to mammalian ZPC is a 33-kDa glycoprotein, which is one of the components of the inner perivitelline membrane. In order to investigate the effects of various hormones on production of quail ZPC, granulosa cells were cultured with or without FSH, LH, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor I, insulin-like growth factor II or transforming growth factor α in the presence of [³H] leucine and the incorporation of the radioactivity into ZPC was measured by immunoprecipitation of proteins. When the granulosa cells were cultured with FSH, the incorporation of radioactivity was increased. The effect of FSH was more pronounced in the cells obtained from the immature follicles than the matured one. These results demonstrate that FSH is one of the factors that stimulate ZPC production in cultured granulosa cells of Japanese quail.