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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Oct 28.
Published in final edited form as: Semin Reprod Med. 2009 Feb 5;27(1):52–61. doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1108010

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like growth factors in the human follicular fluid. Luteinizing (LH) induces the expression of Areg in the preovulatory follicle, and AREG (amphiregulin) acts in an autocrine and paracrine manner to mediate LH effects throughout the follicle, including the promotion of oocyte meiotic resumption and cumulus expansion. Areg expression is also upregulated in granulosa cells by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2);79,81 at a time preceding ovulation, AREG can also induce the expression of its mRNA in cumulus cells by the PGE2-PGE2 receptor subtype (PTGER2) pathway.81 AREG protein is present in abundant levels in the human follicular fluid85(A.M. Zamah et al, unpublished data). EGF and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) protein levels are very low or undetectable in the fluid and higher in serum, indicating that the presence of these factors in the follicular fluid is likely serum derived. Whether epiregulin (EREG) and betacellulin (BTC) are also present in the fluid remains to be determined.