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Inhibitory effect of follicular fluid on RNA synthesis of rat granulosa cells in vitro

Follicular fluid, the composition of which has been shown to be nearly the same as that of plasma, contains many substances believed to be secreted by the thecal and/or granulosa cells, e.g. steroids, particularly oestradiol-17β and progesterone (Short, 1962), pituitary hormones (McNatty, Hunter, McNeilly & Sawers, 1975) and mucopolysaccharides (Zachariae & Jensen, 1958). The proteins in follicular fluid are the same as those of plasma, although of different concentrations (Desjardins, Kirton & Hafs, 1966; Shalgi, Kraicer, Rimon, Pinto & Soferman, 1973; Menezo & Testart, 1975). Follicular fluid is probably, therefore, only partly a transudate from the plasma; its role in follicular growth and ovulation has been discussed extensively by Edwards (1974). Although no specific antigenic substance in follicular fluid has yet been demonstrated, it has been suggested that granulosa cell luteinization is controlled by an inhibitory factor in the fluid (El-Fouly, Cook, Nekola & Nalbandov, 1970; Channing, 1973) and Moore et al. (1975) found an inhibition of the activity of RNA-polymerase of rat Yoshida ascites cells by bovine follicular fluid. Bernard (1975) showed that pig follicular fluid prevents morphological differentiation of rat granulosa cells in vitro, but does not alter their progesterone secretion. To investigate further the presence and nature of a 'luteinization inhibiting factor' in follicular fluid we compared the incorporation of [³H]uridine into the total RNA by rat granulosa cells after incubation in either serum or bovine follicular fluid.