Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), a G-protein coupled receptor, is an important drug target in the development of novel therapeutics for reproductive indications. The FSHR extracellular domains were observed in the crystal structure as a trimer, which enabled us to propose a novel model for the receptor activation mechanism. The model predicts that FSHR binds Asnα(52)-deglycosylated...

High concentrations of FSH have been shown to boost in-vitro differentiation of germ cells from men with normal spermatogenesis and from some patients with in-vivo maturation arrest. This study shows that the differentiation-promoting effect of FSH is connected to protection against germ cell apoptosis and that both effects can be mimicked by the intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP)-elevating drug p...

BACKGROUND The follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSH-R) is a seven transmembrane spanning receptor (7TMR) which plays a crucial role in male and female reproduction. Upon FSH stimulation, the FSH-R activates the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK). However, the mechanisms whereby the agonist-stimulated FSH-R activates ERK are poorly understood. In order to activate ERK, some 7 TMR...

Activin-stimulated FSH synthesis and secretion from the pituitary gonadotrope is negatively modulated by ovarian inhibin; however, the cellular mechanism of inhibin antagonism is unknown. Inhibin and activin share a common beta-subunit through which inhibin can compete with activin for binding to the activin type II receptor and prevent activin signal transduction. Although the affinity of inhi...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated that pre-pubertal aryl hydrocarbon receptor knockout (AHRKO) mice have slow antral follicle growth and reduced capacity to produce estradiol compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Although previous studies have suggested that this is likely due to a reduced ability of the AHRKO follicles to respond to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), this possibility w...

BACKGROUND Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) regulate the reproductive axis. Their analogs have been found to influence gastrointestinal activity and enteric neuronal survival. The aims of the study were to investigate expression and cellular distribution of GnRH, LH, and FSH and their receptors in human and rat gastrointesti...

Low estrogen levels undoubtedly underlie menopausal bone thinning. However, rapid and profuse bone loss begins 3 y before the last menstrual period, when serum estrogen is relatively normal. We have shown that the pituitary hormone FSH, the levels of which are high during late perimenopause, directly stimulates bone resorption by osteoclasts. Here, we generated and characterized a polyclonal an...