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Downloaded from Bioscientifica.Com at 09/29/2021 03:21:28PM Via Free Access 434 O Journal of Reproduction and Fertility (2000) 120, 433–442 Effect of TNF-α on LH and IGF-I modulated chicken granulosa cell proliferation and progesterone production during follicular development O. M. Onagbesan*, J. Mast, B. Goddeeris and E. Decuypere Laboratory for Physiology and Immunology of Domestic Animals, Catholic University of Leuven, Kardinaal Mercierlaan 92, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium This study demonstrates the effects of recombinant human tumour necrosis factor α (rhTNF-α) and conditioned medium of the HD11-transformed chicken macrophage cell line on cultured chicken granulosa cells. Effects were studied on basal, IGF-I- and LH-stimulated progesterone production and cell proliferation. Recombinant human TNF-α stimulated basal progesterone production in a dose-dependent manner in the granulosa cells of the largest follicle but had no effect on cells from the third largest follicle. TNF-α stimulated and sometimes inhibited progesterone production stimu- lated by IGF-I and LH alone or in combination depending on the size of the follicle and the concentration of LH or IGF-I applied. However, the inhibitory effect of TNF-α was significantly more pronounced in cells from the third largest follicle when high concentrations of IGF-I, LH or a combination of both were applied. TNF-α had no effect on basal cell proliferation in both the largest and the third largest follicles, but regulated responses to IGF-I and a combination IGF-I and LH in the cells of the third largest follicle but not those of the largest follicle. The data indicate that the normal hierarchy of follicles is maintained in the chicken ovary through the regulation of the activity of IGF- I and its interaction with LH. Conditioned medium of LPS-activated HD11 macro- phages mimicked the effects of TNF-α and its interaction with IGF-I and LH on progesterone production and cell proliferation. The observation that the HD11- conditioned medium contained TNF-α indicates that TNF-α produced by macrophages found in chicken follicles modulates granulosa cell growth and differentiation. Introduction inhibits IGF-I- or LH-stimulated androgen production (Andreani et al., 1991; Zachow et al., 1993; Zachow and Tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) is a 17 kDa protein Terranova, 1994; Acosta et al., 1998). TNF-α stimulates prolif- produced by both mammalian and avian macrophages when eration of human luteal cells, but induces apoptosis in activated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS). This protein and granulosa cells of early antral follicles of rats (Wang et al., its mRNA have also been localized in ovarian granulosa, 1992; Yan et al., 1993; Kaipia et al., 1996). Spaczynski et al. theca and luteal cells of several mammalian species (Roby (1999) reported a stimulatory effect of TNF-α on basal and et al., 1990; Wuttke et al., 1993; Kondo et al., 1995; Terranova IGF-I- and FSH-stimulated proliferation of cultured theca et al., 1995; Shaw and Britt, 1995). Evidence indicates that interstitial cells of rats injected with oestradiol, whereas although ovarian cells are a source of TNF-α in the ovary, Andreani et al. (1991) and Zachow and Terranova (1993) local macrophages are the principal source (Bagavandoss found no effect on theca interstitial cells of hypophysec- et al., 1988; Adashi, 1990; Wang et al., 1992; Zhao et al., 1998). tomized rats. These findings indicate that TNF-α exerts a Several studies have shown that TNF-α has a role in wide variety of effects depending on the type of cell, stage of mammalian ovarian follicular development, steroidogenesis, development and the physiological environment. ovulation, luteolysis and atresia. In bovine, human and rat To date, the production of TNF-α and other cytokines in granulosa cells, TNF-α inhibits IGF-I- or gonadotrophin- follicular cells of the avian ovary has not been investigated. stimulated oestrogen production but either increases or Barua et al. (1998a,b) demonstrated the presence of macro- inhibits progesterone production depending on the stage of phages within the theca but not within the granulosa layers development of the follicle (Roby and Terranova, 1988; of chicken ovarian follicles. The macrophage population in Montgomery Rice et al., 1998, 1999; Spicer, 1998). TNF-α also these follicles changes with maturation and the age of the *Correspondence address: IRS, University of Wales Aberystwyth SY23 3AL. bird, thus indicating a functional relevance of these macro- Received 10 January 2000. phages in the chicken ovary. The macrophages may be a © 2000 Journals of Reproduction and Fertility Ltd 0022–4251/2000 Downloaded from Bioscientifica.com at 09/29/2021 03:21:28PM via free access 434 O. M. Onagbesan et al. source of TNF-α and other cytokines that influence follicular 30 functions. There are indications that TNF-α may influence chicken follicular growth and atresia. Recombinant human a 25 a a TNF-α (rhTNF-α) induces apoptosis in the granulosa cells of large white follicles and has a role in follicular atresia (Witty et al., 1996). TNF-α increased intracellular calcium in ) 20 a –1 granulosa cells of chickens without a concomitant increase in a progesterone production (Soboloff et al., 1995, 1999). Bryan et 15 α –1 (pg ml al. (1997) showed that 5 ng TNF- ml had an inhibitory α effect on progesterone production by granulosa cells of two lines of chicken, whereas 250 ng ml–1 had either no effect or TNF- 10 was stimulatory. These studies were conducted under acute b conditions of 3 h incubations, which may have been 5 responsible for the inconsistent results. There are no reports on the effect of TNF-α on chicken granulosa or theca 0 cell proliferation, or its effects on gonadotrophin-or IGF-I- 0 1.25 2.5 5 10 20 stimulated progesterone production or cell proliferation in LPS (lg ml–1) cultured cells. The aim of the current study was to investi- Fig. 1. TNF-α content of medium conditioned with HD11 macro- gate the response of cultured granulosa cells of the largest phage cell line activated with increasing doses of lipopolysaccharide α and third largest follicles to rhTNF- treatment in the (LPS). Cells were cultured for 72 h in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s presence or absence of LH and IGF-I. Since chicken medium (DMEM) supplemented with 5% heat-activated chicken macrophages present in the follicles are a potential source of serum. Data points represent means Ϯ SEM of determinations in TNF-α for autocrine or paracrine regulation of granulosa and medium collected from four separate experiments. Data were theca cell functions, granulosa cells were treated with analysed by ANOVA and differences compared by Duncan’s conditioned media generated from macrophages activated multiple-range test. Significant differences between means are with or without LPS. Progesterone production was quantified denoted by different letters (P < 0.05). in culture medium and the effects on cell proliferation during culture were determined. LPS was subsequently used for generating macrophage- conditioned medium designated as MCMWLPS. Conditioned medium generated from HD11 cell cultures without LPS was designated as MCMWOLPS. Materials and Methods Preparation of conditioned medium from the HD11 chicken macrophage cell line Chicken granulosa cell preparation and culture The avian leukaemia virus (strain MC29) transformed Laying ISA Brown hens of 35–45 weeks of age were kept in chicken macrophage cell line HD11 (Beug et al., 1979) was cages under a photoperiod of 14 h light:10 h dark. Chickens used for preparing conditioned medium. The HD11 cells were provided with food and water ad libitum and laying were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium was monitored each day. Hens were killed by cervical (DMEM) (Sigma, Poole) supplemented with 5% heat- dislocation 12–16 h after an oviposition. The largest and third inactivated chicken serum, 2 mmol glutamine l–1, 1 mmol largest follicles were excised from the ovary and placed into sodium pyruvate l–1 (Sigma, Poole) and 0.1% (v/v) warmed (37ЊC) phenol red-free Hank’s balanced salt solution gentamycine (Gibco BRL, Paisley). The cells were seeded at (pfHBSS) (Gibco BRL, Paisley). The granulosa cell layer of 5 ϫ 106 in 72 cm2 200 ml cell culture flasks and incubated at the follicles was dissected out as described by Gilbert et al. 2+ 2+ 37ЊC in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 for 72 h when 1977, and dispersed in Ca - and Mg -free Hank’s (Sigma) cells were just near-confluent. During the culture period, containing 0.1 mg collagenase ml–1 (Sigma) as described by cells were either treated without or with different Peddie et al. (1994). Cells from follicles of a similar size were concentrations of LPS (1.25–20.0 µg ml–1) (Sigma) to activate pooled from three to four hens and the cell density was TNF-α secretion into the culture medium. At the end of the determined by measuring the DNA in aliquots using the culture period, medium was collected, sterilized by filtration method of Labarca and Paigen (1980) in which 1 µg DNA = through 0.22 µm sterile filters (Gelman) and stored at –20ЊC 105 cells. Cell viability was assessed using the trypan blue until used. Activation of the HD11 cells was later assessed by method and was usually > 90%. Cells were resuspended in measuring chicken TNF-α in the medium using a commer- Medium 199 (M199) (Gibco BRL, Paisley) supplemented cial ELISA kit for human TNF-α (Eurogenetics, Tessenderlo). with 2 mmol glutamine l–1, 40 mmol sodium bicarbonate l–1, The monoclonal antibody in this kit crossreacts with chicken 1% (v/v) PSA (antibiotic–antimycotic solution) (Sigma, TNF-α as determined by immunohistochemistry (data not Poole) and 5% charcoal-stripped fetal bovine serum (FBS) shown). The stimulatory effect of LPS on chicken TNF-α (Gibco BRL, Paisley) and plated at 0.1 ϫ 105 viable cells per production in the medium by the HD11 cells is shown (Fig.
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