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Regulation of antral follicular growth by an interplay between gonadotropins and their receptors

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Abstract

Knowledge of the growth and maturation of human antral follicles is based mainly on concepts and deductions from clinical observations and animal models. To date, new experimental approaches and in vitro data contributed to a deep comprehension of gonadotropin receptors’ functioning and may provide new insights into the mechanisms regulating still unclear physiological events. Among these, the production of androgen in the absence of proper LH levels, the programming of follicular atresia and dominance are some of the most intriguing. Starting from evolutionary issues at the basis of the gonadotropin receptor signal specificity, we draw a new hypothesis explaining the molecular mechanisms of the antral follicular growth, based on the modulation of endocrine signals by receptor-receptor interactions. The “heteromer hypothesis” explains how opposite death and life signals are delivered by gonadotropin receptors and other membrane partners, mediating steroidogenesis, apoptotic events, and the maturation of the dominant follicle.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to MUR for supporting the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neural Sciences (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy) in the context of the Departments of Excellence Programme. KZ and AGG were supported by a Trialect Corporation’s fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Ospedale di Baggiovara, via P. Giardini 1355, 41126, Modena, Italy

    Livio Casarini, Elia Paradiso, Clara Lazzaretti, Sara D’Alessandro, Neena Roy, Elisa Mascolo & Manuela Simoni

  2. Center for Genomic Research, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Livio Casarini & Manuela Simoni

  3. SIERR, Rome, Italy

    Livio Casarini

  4. International PhD School in Clinical and Experimental Medicine (CEM), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Sara D’Alessandro

  5. First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland

    Kornelia Zaręba

  6. Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, 82112, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    Alejandra García-Gasca

  7. Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Medical Specialties, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, Modena, Italy

    Manuela Simoni

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  1. Livio Casarini
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Casarini, L., Paradiso, E., Lazzaretti, C. et al. Regulation of antral follicular growth by an interplay between gonadotropins and their receptors. J Assist Reprod Genet 39, 893–904 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-022-02456-6

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