We report the characterization of full-length human ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs)-16, a novel member of the disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (hence ADAMTS) family. ADAMTS-16 is highly expressed both in the kidney and in the ovary, where it is predominantly expressed in the parietal granulosa cells of pre-ovulatory follicles but only slightly expressed in cells of the cumulus oophorus. In fully differentiated luteinizing granulosa cells, follicle-stimulating hormone and forskolin induces expression of ADAMTS-16, suggesting that it is regulated via the cAMP pathway. Luteinizing hormone had a minor effect on the expression of ADAMTS-16. ADAMTS-16 is capable of cleaving α2-macroglobulin (MG), a common substrate for proteases, which is present at high concentrations in the follicular fluid of ovarian follicles. These studies provide the first evidence that ADAMTS-16 is an active protease and suggest a physiological role of ADAMTS-16 in ovarian follicles, at least during the pre-ovulatory phase. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved.
CITATION STYLE
Gao, S., De Geyter, C., Kossowska, K., & Zhang, H. (2007). FSH stimulates the expression of the ADAMTS-16 protease in mature human ovarian follicles. Molecular Human Reproduction, 13(7), 465–471. https://doi.org/10.1093/molehr/gam037
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