Expression profiling of cumulus cells reveals functional changes during ovulation and central roles of prostaglandin EP2 receptor in cAMP signaling

To understand the role of prostaglandin (PG) receptor EP2 (Ptger2) signaling in ovulation and fertilization, we investigated time-dependent expression profiles in wild-type (WT) and Ptger2−/− cumuli before and after ovulation by using microarrays. We prepared cumulus cells from mice just before and 3, 9 and 14 h after human chorionic gonadotropin injection. Key genes including cAMP-related and epidermal growth factor (EGF) genes, as well as extracellular matrix- (ECM-) related and chemokine genes were up-regulated in WT cumuli at 3 h and 14 h, respectively. Ptger2 deficiency differently affected the expression of many of the key genes at 3 h and 14 h. These results indicate that the gene expression profile of cumulus cells greatly differs before and after ovulation, and in each situation, PGE2-EP2 signaling plays a critical role in cAMP-regulated gene expression in the cumulus cells under physiological conditions.