Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is induced by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) cytokines in human granulosa cells.

OBJECTIVES: Serum concentration of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is used as a biomarker in clinical practice. Therefore, it is important to elucidate the mechanism by which AMH is regulated in granulosa cells (GC). An important first step in understanding AMH regulation is to determine which factors up-regulate AMH expression.

STUDY DESIGN: Human GC, obtained from 28 women undergoing oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilization, were stimulated with various intraovarian cytokines including bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2, -6, -7 -15, activin-A and growth differentiation factor (GDF)-9 (100 ng/ml). The expression of AMH mRNA was evaluated with reverse transcription and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and AMH protein in cultured supernatant was measured with EIA kit.

RESULTS: BMP-2, -6, -7 and -15, but not activin-A and GDF-9, significantly induced AMH expression in GC at mRNA and protein level, while all stimuli increased FSH receptor mRNA and decreased steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) mRNA level.

CONCLUSIONS: Among the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily, BMP-2, -6, -7 and -15 significantly induced AMH expression in human GC.