Regulation of Gonadotropin Gene Expression by Inhibin Activin and GnRH

垂体促性腺激素、促黄体生成素（LH）和促卵泡激素（FSH）在哺乳动物发育和正常生殖功能中起着至关重要的作用。这两种促性腺激素由两个亚基组成，一个是常见的α亚基，一个是独特的，具有特异性的β亚基。Attardi博士已经证明，促性腺激素释放激素（一种在大脑下丘脑中发现的激素）和性腺激素，抑制素，激活素和卵泡抑素，对FSH的合成产生迅速而深远的影响，但对LH没有影响。这些变化是通过编码FSH蛋白β亚基的信使RNA的改变介导的。Attardi博士将研究这些影响是由FSH -亚基信使RNA合成速率的变化还是由FSH -亚基分子稳定性的变化引起的。这些研究结果将有助于阐明下丘脑和性腺激素如何调节促性腺激素的合成和分泌。这将增加我们对垂体细胞之间以及与下丘脑神经元和卵巢和睾丸细胞之间如何沟通的理解。此外，研究结果可能会导致更安全、更有效的生育控制方法的发展，并提高诊断和治疗不孕症问题的能力。

The pitutary gonadotropin hormones, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), play an essential role in mammalian development and normal reproductive function. These two gonadotropin hormones are composed of two subunits, a common alpha-subunit and a beta-subunit which is unique and confers specificity. Dr. Attardi has demonstrated that gonadotropin releasing hormone, a hormone found in the hypothalamus of the brain, and the gonadal hormones, inhibin, activin and follistatin, cause rapid and profound effects on the synthesis of FSH but not LH. These changes are mediated through alternation in the messenger RNA which codes for the beta-subunit of the FSH protein. Dr. Attardi will examine whether these effects result from changes in synthesis rate of messanger RNA for FSH beta-subunit or from changes in stability of the FSH beta-subunit molecules. The results from these studies will help elucidate how hypothalamic and gonadal hormones regulate gonadotropin synthesis and secretion. This will increase our understanding of how pituitary cells communicate among themselves as well as with hypothalamic neurons and cells in the ovaries and testes. Moreover, the results could lead to the development of safer and more effective methods of fertility control and increased ability to diagnose and treat problems of infertility.