NONGENOMIC MECHANISMS OF PROGESTERONE
A. A. Tokmakov,1 Y. Fukami
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Research Center for Environmental Genomics, Kobe University, Japan;
1 e-mail: tokmak@phoenix.kobc-u.ac.jp
Rapid, independent of transcriptional effects of progesterone have been observed in various types of cells, tissues and species. In some biological systems,
these nongenomic actions and associated with them signal transduction pathways are characterized in detail at molecular level. This review summarizes findings
concerning the role of progestins in the regulation of such physiological functions and processes as meiotic maturation of fish and amphibian oocytes; growth and
proliferation of normal and transformed cells of mammary gland; contraction of myometrium; survival and functional activity of granulose cells; sperm capacitation,
acrosome reaction and hypermotility; immune fiinction of T lymphocytes; survival and function of brain cells. The participation of several types of receptor proteins
in the nongenomic progesterone signaling is discussed. They include the classic nuclear progesterone receptor, PR, the membrane progestin receptor, mPR, the
progesterone membrane receptor component, PGMRC, the oxytocin receptor, OTR, and the GABA receptor, GABAA.
Key words: progesterone, nongenomic effects, receptors, signal transduction pathways
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