Human Müllerian Inhibitory Factor Messenger Ribonucleic Acid is Hormonally Regulated inthe Fetal Testis and in Adult Granulosa Cells

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Abstract
The regression of the Mullerian ducts (the embryologic precursor of uterus, vagina, and Fallopian tubes) in the male fetus is caused by Mullerian inhibitory factor (MIF), a glycoprotein produced by fetal Sertoli cells. Although this Mullerian duct involution is complete before midgestation, the amount of MIF mRNA did not vary among 25 human fetal testis samples from 13 to 25.8 weeks of gestation. In cultured 20-week human testis cells, cAMP increased MIF mRNA 8.3-fold, but the human gonadotropins FSH and CG had no effect. In cultured adult human granulosa cells, CG and cAMP increased MIF mRNA accumulation to 430% and 890%, respectively, but FSH had no effect. The expression and hormonal regulation of MIF mRNA in midgestation testes and in adult granulosa cells indicate that MIF has physiological roles in the human gonad other than Mullerian duct regression.

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