Estrogen and progesterone receptors in the oviduct during egg transport in cyclic and pregnant rats.

B. Fuentealba, M. Nieto, H. B. Croxatto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We investigated the temporal relationships between ovum transport and changes in the concentration of nuclear steroid receptors in the oviduct of cyclic and pregnant rats. A lack of parallelism between estrogen and progesterone fluctuations in plasma and their respective nuclear receptor concentrations in the oviduct predominated during egg transport. In pregnant animals, oviductal egg transport took 24 h longer than in nonpregnant animals. In both conditions, transport was initiated while the action of estrogen and progesterone on the oviduct--measured as nuclear receptor accumulation--was decreasing. Three or four days later, depending on whether the animal was pregnant, the eggs entered the uterus shortly after an increase in the nuclear receptor accumulation of both hormones. Treatment with RU486, a progesterone receptor-blocking agent known to cause premature arrival of eggs in the uterus, advanced estrogen receptor accumulation in the oviduct of pregnant rats. These data suggest that the arrival of eggs in the uterus is timed by a transitory increase in nuclear estrogen receptor in the oviduct that does not necessarily reflect a similar change of circulating estradiol. Moreover, in pregnant rats, the onset of this estrogenic action is delayed by a progesterone receptor-mediated effect that hinders nuclear estrogen receptor accumulation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)751-757
Number of pages7
JournalBiology of Reproduction
Volume39
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 1988

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Cell Biology

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