Differential effects of activin A on basal and gonadotrophin-induced secretion of inhibin A and progesterone by granulosa cells from preovulatory (F1-F3) chicken follicles

Previous work has shown that activin A is expressed selectively within the theca rather than the granulosa layer of preovulatory chicken follicles. In the present study, this finding was verified and the potential paracrine actions of activin A on basal and gonadotrophin-induced secretion of inhibin A, inhibin B and progesterone by granulosa cells from the three largest preovulatory follicles (F1-F3) were investigated. Treatment with activin A (0, 0.25, 2.5 and 25 ng ml(-1)) alone increased inhibin A secretion markedly in a follicle- and time-dependent manner, with the greatest response (up to 15-fold increase; P < 0.0001) in F1 follicles after 3 days of treatment. In contrast, activin A alone had no effect on progesterone output at any time. Cells from F3 follicles were more responsive to FSH than were F1 cells in terms of both inhibin A (P < 0.02) and progesterone (P < 0.01) secretion. Furthermore, activin A greatly enhanced FSH-induced secretion of both inhibin A (up to tenfold; P < 0.0001) and progesterone (up to sixfold; P < 0.0001). In terms of LH-induced inhibin A and progesterone secretion, cells from F1, F2 and F3 follicles showed similar responses. Co-treatment with activin A enhanced LH-induced secretion of inhibin A markedly (up to ninefold; P < 0.0001) but had only a marginal effect on LH-induced progesterone secretion (up to twofold; P < 0.001). The presence of activin receptor subtypes IA, IB, IIA and IIB in cultured granulosa cells from F1, F2 and F3 follicles was demonstrated using immunocytochemistry. These findings support the hypothesis that activin A secreted by the theca layers of avian preovulatory follicles exerts a local paracrine action on granulosa cells to modulate 'basal' inhibin A secretion and to upregulate gonadotrophin-induced secretion of both inhibin A and progesterone. However, the extent to which this local role of activin A contributes to the generation of the preovulatory LH-progesterone surge remains to be established.