Expression profiling of primate CL following PGF2alpha treatment. Macaca radiata

Corpus luteum (CL) is an ephemeral gland whose main function is to secrete progesterone required for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. In non-fertile cycles, primate CL has a finite life span of 14-16 days, following which it undergoes regression. Although it has been suggested long time back that PGF2alpha of intra-ovarian or intra-luteal origin acts as a physiological luteolysin in primates, the mechanisms by which PGF2alpha mediates its luteolytic actions are poorly understood. Earlier, we standardized an induced luteolysis model, where 3 injections of PGF2alpha to female bonnet monkeys on day 10 of luteal phase led to luteolysis. To delineate the mechanism of this PGF2alpha-induced luteolysis, we tried to study the global changes in gene expression following PGF2alpha treatment using Affymetrix microarray analysis of PGF2alpha and VEH treated CL and results suggested that PGF2alpha exerts its luteolytic effects by altering gene expression. Keywords: CL, PGF2alpha, VEH, gene expression Overall design: For the purpose of microarray analysis, PGF2alpha (3 injections) at a dose of 59 µg/kg BW and PBS as VEH (control) was administered i.m. to female monkeys on day 10 of luteal phase (n=3). At 24 h following either PGF2alpha or VEH administration, CL was collected and immediately cut into 4-5 pieces and snap frozen in liquid nitrogen.