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Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Activates Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase by Protein Kinase A and Aromatase-Dependent Pathways in Mouse Primary Sertoli Cells

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies (G.R., R.P., S.C.), University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; Department of Biomedical Sciences (V.G., D.B., M.M.), University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; and European Center for Brain Research (CERC)/IRCCS S. Lucia Foundation (V.G., M.M.), 00143 Rome, Italy

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Professor Mauro Maccarrone, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Teramo, Piazza A. Moro 45, 64100 Teramo, Italy. E-mail: mmaccarrone{at}unite.it.

Among the biological activities of the endocannabinoid anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine) (AEA), growing interest has been attracted by the regulation of mammalian fertility. Recently we have shown that treatment of mouse primary Sertoli cells with FSH enhances the activity of the AEA hydrolase [fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)], though the molecular details were not elucidated. Here, we investigated whether FSH was also able to affect the enzymes that synthesize AEA (N-acyltransferase and N-acyl-phosphatidyl-ethanolamine-phospholipase D), the endogenous content of this endocannabinoid, and the level of the AEA-binding vanilloid receptor 1 (transient receptor potential channel vanilloid receptor subunit 1). We show that FSH enhanced FAAH activity (up to 500% of the controls) and expression (up to 300%), leading to a marked reduction (down to 15%) of AEA content. However N-acyltransferase and N-acyl-phosphatidyl-ethanolamine-phospholipase D activity, and transient receptor potential channel vanilloid receptor subunit 1 binding were not affected. We also show that diacylglycerol lipase and monoacylglycerol lipase, which respectively synthesize and degrade 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol, were not regulated by FSH, neither was the membrane transport of this endocannabinoid. In addition, we show that FAAH stimulation by FSH was abrogated by inhibitors of protein kinase A (PKA) and cytochrome-P₄₅₀ aromatase, and was conversely mimicked by N,O’-dibutyryl cAMP and estrogen. Finally, we demonstrate that FSH protects Sertoli cells against the pro-apoptotic activity of AEA, through PKA and aromatase-dependent activation of FAAH. Altogether these data suggest that FAAH is the only target of FSH among the elements of the endocannabinoid system, and that its regulation by PKA and aromatase-dependent pathways impacts Sertoli cell proliferation.

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