Impact of extracellular matrix remodeling on ovulation and the folliculo-luteal transition

Follicular rupture and the transformation of an estrogenic preovulatory follicle into a highly vascularized corpus luteum capable of producing large quantities of progesterone are required for the establishment of pregnancy. These processes are dependent upon the precise remodeling of the ovarian extracellular matrix (ECM). Such remodeling occurs both at the level of synthesis and/or proteolytic degradation of ECM proteins. Enzymes known to have important roles in ovarian ECM remodeling include matrix metalloproteinases, plasminogen activators/plasmin, and ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin-like motifs). Each of the preceding proteases has corresponding inhibitors capable of regulating proteolytic activity temporally and spatially. This review focuses on recent contributions to our understanding of ovarian ECM remodeling that have furthered our appreciation of the role of proteinases in ovulation and the differentiation of follicular cells into the luteal phenotype.