Gene expression profiles of cumulus cells obtained from women treated with recombinant human luteinizing hormone + recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone or highly purified human menopausal gonadotropin versus recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone alone.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cumulus cell (CC) expression profile modulation after different stimulation protocols.

DESIGN: CCs transcriptome variations were evaluated by microarray in patients undergoing different treatments for ovarian stimulation, namely, r-hLH + r-hFSH and hp-hMG, compared with a control group treated with r-hFSH.

SETTING: Healthy patients undergoing assisted reproduction protocols.

PATIENT(S): Sixteen healthy women with regular cycles and tubal disease or unexplained infertility.

INTERVENTION(S): Four patients received hp-hMG, four received r-hFSH + r-hLH, and eight received r-hFSH daily. Aspiration of the oocytes was performed 36 hours after hCG administration. Only samples derived from cumulus-oocyte complexes containing mature oocytes showing polar body were processed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Comparison of genes differentially expressed in both treatment groups with the use of a hierarchic clustering analysis.

RESULT(S): Data clustering analysis allowed detection of four clusters containing genes differentially expressed in both treatment groups compared with control. Functional analysis of the affected transcripts revealed genes involved in oocyte development and maturation.

CONCLUSION(S): r-hLH and hCG, though acting on the same receptor, produce a differential activation of intracellular pathways. It can be hypothesized that this effect depends on their different structures and specific binding affinity for the receptor.