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Kobayashi H, Shigetomi H, Matsubara S, Yoshimoto C, Imanaka S. Role of the mitophagy-apoptosis axis in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovarian syndrome. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2024; 50:775-792. [PMID: 38417972 DOI: 10.1111/jog.15916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
AIM Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder characterized by menstrual irregularities, androgen excess, and polycystic ovarian morphology, but its pathogenesis remains largely unknown. This review focuses on how androgen excess influences the molecular basis of energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, and mitophagy in granulosa cells and oocytes, summarizes our current understanding of the pathogenesis of PCOS, and discuss perspectives on future research directions. METHODS A search of PubMed and Google Scholar databases were used to identify relevant studies for this narrative literature review. RESULTS Female offspring born of pregnant animals exposed to androgens recapitulates the PCOS phenotype. Abnormal mitochondrial morphology, altered expression of genes related to glycolysis, mitochondrial biogenesis, fission/fusion dynamics, and mitophagy have been identified in PCOS patients and androgenic animal models. Androgen excess causes uncoupling of the electron transport chain and depletion of the cellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate pool, indicating further impairment of mitochondrial function. A shift toward mitochondrial fission restores mitochondrial quality control mechanisms. However, prolonged mitochondrial fission disrupts autophagy/mitophagy induction due to loss of compensatory reserve for mitochondrial biogenesis. Disruption of compensatory mechanisms that mediate the quality control switch from mitophagy to apoptosis may cause a disease phenotype. Furthermore, genetic predisposition, altered expression of genes related to glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, or a combination of these factors may also contribute to the development of PCOS. CONCLUSION In conclusion, fetuses exposed to a hyperandrogenemic intrauterine environment may cause the PCOS phenotype possibly through disruption of the compensatory regulation of the mitophagy-apoptosis axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kobayashi
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Ms.Clinic MayOne, Kashihara, Japan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Shigetomi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Aska Ladies Clinic, Nara, Japan
| | - Sho Matsubara
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan
- Department of Medicine, Kei Oushin Clinic, Nishinomiya, Japan
| | - Chiharu Yoshimoto
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Prefecture General Medical Center, Nara, Japan
| | - Shogo Imanaka
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Ms.Clinic MayOne, Kashihara, Japan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan
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Thangaraj SV, Zeng L, Pennathur S, Lea R, Sinclair KD, Bellingham M, Evans NP, Auchus R, Padmanabhan V. Developmental programming: Impact of preconceptional and gestational exposure to a real-life environmental chemical mixture on maternal steroid, cytokine and oxidative stress milieus in sheep. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 900:165674. [PMID: 37495149 PMCID: PMC10568064 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gestational exposure to environmental chemicals (ECs) is associated with adverse, sex-specific offspring health effects of global concern. As the maternal steroid, cytokine and oxidative stress milieus can have critical effects on pregnancy outcomes and the programming of diseases in offspring, it is important to study the impact of real-life EC exposure, i.e., chronic low levels of mixtures of ECs on these milieus. Sheep exposed to biosolids, derived from human waste, is an impactful model representing the ECs humans are exposed to in real-life. Offspring of sheep grazed on biosolids-treated pasture are characterized by reproductive and metabolic disruptions. OBJECTIVE To determine if biosolids exposure disrupts the maternal steroid, cytokine and oxidative stress milieus, in a fetal sex-specific manner. METHODS Ewes were maintained before mating and through gestation on pastures fertilized with biosolids (BTP), or inorganic fertilizer (Control). From maternal plasma collected mid-gestation, 19 steroids, 14 cytokines, 6 oxidative stress markers were quantified. Unpaired t-test and ANOVA were used to test for differences between control and BTP groups (n = 15/group) and between groups based on fetal sex, respectively. Correlation between the different markers was assessed by Spearman correlation. RESULTS Concentrations of the mineralocorticoids - deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, the glucocorticoids - deoxycortisol, cortisol, cortisone, the sex steroids - androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, 16-OH-progesterone and reactive oxygen metabolites were higher in the BTP ewes compared to Controls, while the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-17A and anti-inflammatory IL-36RA were decreased in the BTP group. BTP ewes with a female fetus had lower levels of IP-10. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that pre-conceptional and gestational exposure to ECs in biosolids increases steroids, reactive oxygen metabolites and disrupts cytokines in maternal circulation, likely contributors to the aberrant phenotypic outcomes seen in offspring of BTP sheep - a translationally relevant precocial model.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Thangaraj
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - L Zeng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - S Pennathur
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - R Lea
- Schools of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - K D Sinclair
- Schools of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - M Bellingham
- School of Biodiversity One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - N P Evans
- School of Biodiversity One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - R Auchus
- Departments of Pharmacology & Internal medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, & Diabetes, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - V Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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de Freitas DS, Lopes GADG, Nascimento BR, Madureira AP, Campos-Junior PHA. C is-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid gastric administration during the pregestational and gestational periods does not influence the follicular endowment of the progeny. Anim Reprod 2023; 20:e20220124. [PMID: 37795199 PMCID: PMC10546913 DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-ar2022-0124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Fetal programming suggests that maternal stimulation and nutrition during the period of fetal development can program the progeny. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an isomer of linoleic acid, has been characterized in several aspects, but few studies have been performed on its involvement in reproduction and fetal programming. The aim of this study was to evaluate the F1, F2 and F3 progeny of female mice supplemented with CLA during the pregestational and gestational periods with respect to biometric and reproductive parameters, as well as ovarian morphophysiology. The F1 progeny of mothers supplemented with CLA exhibited stable weight gain, while the F2 progeny showed no effects (P=0.0187 and P=0.0245, respectively). A reduction in Lee's Index was observed in both generations at the second post-weaning evaluation week in the animals treated with CLA (P=0.0100 and P=0.0078, respectively). The F2 generation showed an increase in the anogenital index in both sexes of the animals treated with CLA (P= 0.0114 and P<0.0001, female and male respectively). CLA administration to mothers did not affect any of the following in their progeny: ovarian follicle mobilization (P>0.05), follicle number (P>0.05) and the integrated density of the lipid content of oocytes included in antral follicles (P>0.05). This study evaluated the use of CLA in mothers and found that it did not affect the progeny regarding murine reproductive performance, suggesting that this supplement can be used safely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Storino de Freitas
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Reprodução e Desenvolvimento, Universidade Federal de São João del Rei, São João del-Rei, MG, Brasil
| | | | - Barbara Rodrigues Nascimento
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Reprodução e Desenvolvimento, Universidade Federal de São João del Rei, São João del-Rei, MG, Brasil
| | - Ana Paula Madureira
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Reprodução e Desenvolvimento, Universidade Federal de São João del Rei, São João del-Rei, MG, Brasil
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Ramamoorthi Elangovan V, Saadat N, Ghnenis A, Padmanabhan V, Vyas AK. Developmental programming: adverse sexually dimorphic transcriptional programming of gestational testosterone excess in cardiac left ventricle of fetal sheep. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2682. [PMID: 36792653 PMCID: PMC9932081 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29212-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Adverse in-utero insults during fetal life alters offspring's developmental trajectory, including that of the cardiovascular system. Gestational hyperandrogenism is once such adverse in-utero insult. Gestational testosterone (T)-treatment, an environment of gestational hyperandrogenism, manifests as hypertension and pathological left ventricular (LV) remodeling in adult ovine offspring. Furthermore, sexual dimorphism is noted in cardiomyocyte number and morphology in fetal life and at birth. This study investigated transcriptional changes and potential biomarkers of prenatal T excess-induced adverse cardiac programming. Genome-wide coding and non-coding (nc) RNA expression were compared between prenatal T-treated (T propionate 100 mg intramuscular twice weekly from days 30 to 90 of gestation; Term: 147 days) and control ovine LV at day 90 fetus in both sexes. Prenatal T induced differential expression of mRNAs in the LV of female (2 down, 5 up) and male (3 down, 1 up) (FDR < 0.05, absolute log2 fold change > 0.5); pathways analysis demonstrated 205 pathways unique to the female, 382 unique to the male and 23 common pathways. In the male, analysis of ncRNA showed differential regulation of 15 lncRNAs (14 down, 1 up) and 27 snoRNAs (26 down and 1 up). These findings suggest sexual dimorphic modulation of cardiac coding and ncRNA with gestational T excess.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadia Saadat
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Adel Ghnenis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Arpita K Vyas
- College of Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, CA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, School of Medicine, Washington University, St Louis, MO, USA.
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Sadeghian Bakhi E, Hayati Roodbari N, Anvari M, Ramezani Tehrani F. Prenatal kisspeptin antagonist exposure prevents polycystic ovary syndrome development in prenatally-androgenized rats in adulthood: An experimental study. Int J Reprod Biomed 2023; 21:99-110. [PMID: 37034298 PMCID: PMC10073872 DOI: 10.18502/ijrm.v21i2.12801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Increased levels of kisspeptin are associated with hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis dysfunction. It may lead to the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Objective We aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal kisspeptin antagonist exposure on the development of PCOS in prenatally androgenized rats in adulthood. Materials and Methods In this experimental study, pregnant rats were injected with free testosterone (T, 5 mg/day) or T+P271 (kisspeptin antagonist) on the 20 th day of the pregnancy period (n = 5 in each group), while rats in the control group received solvent. Female offspring were examined in terms of anogenital distance (AGD), anovaginal distance (AVD), vaginal opening, serum total testosterone (TT) levels, ovarian follicles, and the regularity of estrous cycles in adulthood. AGD and AVD were measured using a vernier caliper. TT levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Ovaries were fixed in 10% formalin, tissue processing was done by a standard protocol, and then ovaries embedded in paraffin. 5 μm-thickness ovarian sections mounted on a glass slide, deparaffinized, and stained using Harris's Hematoxylin and Eosin Y. Results AGD, AVD (p < 0.001), TT levels (p = 0.02), and the numbers of preantral and antral follicles (p < 0.001) in the ovaries were significantly decreased in prenatally T-P271-exposed rats compared to prenatally T-exposed rats. The age of vaginal opening was early in T-P271-exposed rats compared to prenatally T-exposed rats (p < 0.001). The number of corpora lutea was significantly increased in T-P271-exposed rats (p < 0.001). No cystic follicles were observed in the ovaries of prenatally T-P271-exposed rats. Prenatally T-P271-exposed rats had regular estrous cycles compared to prenatally T-exposed rats. Conclusion Prenatal exposure to kisspeptin antagonist can prevent PCOS development in prenatally androgenized rats in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elahe Sadeghian Bakhi
- Department of Biology, School of Basic Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasim Hayati Roodbari
- Department of Biology, School of Basic Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Morteza Anvari
- Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani
- Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Gurule S, Sustaita-Monroe J, Padmanabhan V, Cardoso R. Developmental programming of the neuroendocrine axis by steroid hormones: Insights from the sheep model of PCOS. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1096187. [PMID: 36755919 PMCID: PMC9899912 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1096187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The reproductive neuroendocrine system is a key target for the developmental programming effects of steroid hormones during early life. While gonadal steroids play an important role in controlling the physiological development of the neuroendocrine axis, human fetuses are susceptible to adverse programming due to exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals with steroidal activity, inadvertent use of contraceptive pills during pregnancy, as well as from disease states that result in abnormal steroid production. Animal models provide an unparalleled resource to understand the effects of steroid hormones on the development of the neuroendocrine axis and their role on the developmental origins of health and disease. In female sheep, exposure to testosterone (T) excess during fetal development results in an array of reproductive disorders that recapitulate those seen in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), including disrupted neuroendocrine feedback mechanisms, increased pituitary responsiveness to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH) hypersecretion, functional hyperandrogenism, multifollicular ovarian morphology, and premature reproductive failure. Similar to a large proportion of women with PCOS, these prenatally T-treated sheep also manifest insulin resistance and cardiovascular alterations, including hypertension. This review article focuses on the effects of prenatal androgens on the developmental programming of hypothalamic and pituitary alterations in the sheep model of PCOS phenotype, centering specifically on key neurons, neuropeptides, and regulatory pathways controlling GnRH and LH secretion. Insights obtained from the sheep model as well as other animal models of perinatal androgen excess can have important translational relevance to treat and prevent neuroendocrine dysfunction in women with PCOS and other fertility disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Gurule
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | | | | | - Rodolfo Cardoso
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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Sánchez-Garrido MA, García-Galiano D, Tena-Sempere M. Early programming of reproductive health and fertility: novel neuroendocrine mechanisms and implications in reproductive medicine. Hum Reprod Update 2022; 28:346-375. [PMID: 35187579 PMCID: PMC9071071 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmac005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND According to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, environmental changes taking place during early maturational periods may alter normal development and predispose to the occurrence of diverse pathologies later in life. Indeed, adverse conditions during these critical developmental windows of high plasticity have been reported to alter the offspring developmental trajectory, causing permanent functional and structural perturbations that in the long term may enhance disease susceptibility. However, while solid evidence has documented that fluctuations in environmental factors, ranging from nutrient availability to chemicals, in early developmental stages (including the peri-conceptional period) have discernible programming effects that increase vulnerability to develop metabolic perturbations, the impact and eventual mechanisms involved, of such developmental alterations on the reproductive phenotype of offspring have received less attention. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE This review will summarize recent advances in basic and clinical research that support the concept of DOHaD in the context of the impact of nutritional and hormonal perturbations, occurring during the periconceptional, fetal and early postnatal stages, on different aspects of reproductive function in both sexes. Special emphasis will be given to the effects of early nutritional stress on the timing of puberty and adult gonadotropic function, and to address the underlying neuroendocrine pathways, with particular attention to involvement of the Kiss1 system in these reproductive perturbations. The implications of such phenomena in terms of reproductive medicine will also be considered. SEARCH METHODS A comprehensive MEDLINE search, using PubMed as main interface, of research articles and reviews, published mainly between 2006 and 2021, has been carried out. Search was implemented using multiple terms, focusing on clinical and preclinical data from DOHaD studies, addressing periconceptional, gestational and perinatal programming of reproduction. Selected studies addressing early programming of metabolic function have also been considered, when relevant. OUTCOMES A solid body of evidence, from clinical and preclinical studies, has documented the impact of nutritional and hormonal fluctuations during the periconceptional, prenatal and early postnatal periods on pubertal maturation, as well as adult gonadotropic function and fertility. Furthermore, exposure to environmental chemicals, such as bisphenol A, and maternal stress has been shown to negatively influence pubertal development and gonadotropic function in adulthood. The underlying neuroendocrine pathways and mechanisms involved have been also addressed, mainly by preclinical studies, which have identified an, as yet incomplete, array of molecular and neurohormonal effectors. These include, prominently, epigenetic regulatory mechanisms and the hypothalamic Kiss1 system, which likely contribute to the generation of reproductive alterations in conditions of early nutritional and/or metabolic stress. In addition to the Kiss1 system, other major hypothalamic regulators of GnRH neurosecretion, such as γ-aminobutyric acid and glutamate, may be targets of developmental programming. WIDER IMPLICATIONS This review addresses an underdeveloped area of reproductive biology and medicine that may help to improve our understanding of human reproductive disorders and stresses the importance, and eventual pathogenic impact, of early determinants of puberty, adult reproductive function and fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Angel Sánchez-Garrido
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), Cordoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
- Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, Cordoba, Spain
| | - David García-Galiano
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), Cordoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
- Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Manuel Tena-Sempere
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), Cordoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
- Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, Cordoba, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cordoba, Spain
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Ghnenis A, Padmanabhan V, Vyas A. Sexual dimorphism in testosterone programming of cardiomyocyte development in sheep. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2022; 322:H607-H621. [PMID: 35119334 PMCID: PMC8957338 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00691.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Perturbed in utero hormone milieu leads to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), a known risk factor for left ventricular (LV) dysfunction later in life. Gestational testosterone (T) excess predisposes offspring to IUGR and leads to LV myocardial disarray and hypertension in adult females. However, the early impact of T excess on LV programming and if it is female specific is unknown. LV tissues were obtained at day 90 gestation from days 30-90 T-treated or control fetuses (n = 6/group/sex) and morphometric and molecular analyses were conducted. Gestational T treatment increased cardiomyocyte number only in female fetuses. T excess upregulated receptor expression of insulin and insulin-like growth factor. Furthermore, in a sex-specific manner, T increased expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) while downregulating phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (pmTOR)-to-mTOR ratio suggestive of compensatory response. T excess 1) upregulated atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), markers of stress and cardiac hypertrophy and 2) upregulated estrogen receptors1 (ESR1) and 2 (ESR2), but not in androgen receptor (AR). Thus, gestational T excess upregulated markers of cardiac stress and hypertrophy in both sexes while inducing cardiomyocyte hyperplasia only in females, likely mediated via insulin and estrogenic programming.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The present study demonstrates sex-specific effects of gestational T excess between days 30 and 90 of gestation on the cardiac phenotype. Furthermore, the sex-specific programming is likely secondary to perturbation in both estrogen and insulin signaling pathways collectively. These findings are supportive of the role of androgen excess to serve as early biomarkers of CVD and could be critical in identifying therapeutic targets for LV hypertrophy and predict long-term CVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Ghnenis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | | | - Arpita Vyas
- College of Human Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, California
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Andrisse S, Feng M, Wang Z, Awe O, Yu L, Zhang H, Bi S, Wang H, Li L, Joseph S, Heller N, Mauvais-Jarvis F, Wong GW, Segars J, Wolfe A, Divall S, Ahima R, Wu S. Androgen-induced insulin resistance is ameliorated by deletion of hepatic androgen receptor in females. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21921. [PMID: 34547140 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100961r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Androgen excess is one of the most common endocrine disorders of reproductive-aged women, affecting up to 20% of this population. Women with elevated androgens often exhibit hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. The mechanisms of how elevated androgens affect metabolic function are not clear. Hyperandrogenemia in a dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated female mouse model induces whole body insulin resistance possibly through activation of the hepatic androgen receptor (AR). We investigated the role of hepatocyte AR in hyperandrogenemia-induced metabolic dysfunction by using several approaches to delete hepatic AR via animal-, cell-, and clinical-based methodologies. We conditionally disrupted hepatocyte AR in female mice developmentally (LivARKO) or acutely by tail vein injection of an adeno-associated virus with a liver-specific promoter for Cre expression in ARfl/fl mice (adLivARKO). We observed normal metabolic function in littermate female Control (ARfl/fl ) and LivARKO (ARfl/fl ; Cre+/- ) mice. Following chronic DHT treatment, female Control mice treated with DHT (Con-DHT) developed impaired glucose tolerance, pyruvate tolerance, and insulin tolerance, not observed in LivARKO mice treated with DHT (LivARKO-DHT). Furthermore, during an euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, the glucose infusion rate was improved in LivARKO-DHT mice compared to Con-DHT mice. Liver from LivARKO, and primary hepatocytes derived from LivARKO, and adLivARKO mice were protected from DHT-induced insulin resistance and increased gluconeogenesis. These data support a paradigm in which elevated androgens in females disrupt metabolic function via hepatic AR and insulin sensitivity was restored by deletion of hepatic AR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley Andrisse
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Mingxiao Feng
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Olubusayo Awe
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lexiang Yu
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Haiying Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sheng Bi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hongbing Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Linhao Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Serene Joseph
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences/Center for Metabolic Disease Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nicola Heller
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Franck Mauvais-Jarvis
- Department of Medicine, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.,Tulane Center of Excellence in Sex-Based Biology & Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.,VA Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Guang William Wong
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - James Segars
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Andrew Wolfe
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sara Divall
- Department of Pediatrics, Seattle's Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Rexford Ahima
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sheng Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Cardiovascular Sciences/Center for Metabolic Disease Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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10
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Sinha N, Roy S, Huang B, Wang J, Padmanabhan V, Sen A. Developmental programming: prenatal testosterone-induced epigenetic modulation and its effect on gene expression in sheep ovary†. Biol Reprod 2021; 102:1045-1054. [PMID: 31930385 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioaa007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal perturbations or sub-optimal conditions during fetal development can predispose the offspring to diseases in adult life. Animal and human studies show that prenatal androgen excess may be an underlying cause of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) later in life. In women, PCOS is a common fertility disorder with comorbid metabolic dysfunction. Here, using a sheep model of PCOS phenotype, we elucidate the epigenetic changes induced by prenatal (30-90 day) testosterone (T) treatment and its effect on gene expression in fetal day 90 (D90) and adult year 2 (Y2) ovaries. RNA-seq study shows 65 and 99 differentially regulated genes in prenatal T-treated fetal and adult ovaries, respectively. Interestingly, there were no differences in gene inducing histone marks H3K27ac, H3K9ac, and H3K4me3 or in gene silencing marks, H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 in the fetal D90 ovaries of control and excess T-exposed fetuses. In contrast, except for H3K4me3 and H3K27me3, all the other histone marks were upregulated in the prenatal T-treated adult Y2 ovary. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies in adult Y2 ovaries established a direct relationship between the epigenetic modifications with the upregulated and downregulated genes obtained from RNA-seq. Results show increased gene inducing marks, H3K27ac and H3K9ac, on the promoter region of upregulated genes while gene silencing mark, H3K9me3, was also significantly increased on the downregulated genes. This study provides a mechanistic insight into prenatal T-induced developmental programming and its effect on ovarian gene expression that may contribute to reproductive dysfunction and development of PCOS in adult life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niharika Sinha
- Department of Animal Sciences, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Sambit Roy
- Department of Animal Sciences, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Binbin Huang
- Department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Jianrong Wang
- Department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | | | - Aritro Sen
- Department of Animal Sciences, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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11
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Li X, Milosavljevic A, Elsea SH, Wang CC, Scaglia F, Syngelaki A, Nicolaides KH, Poon LC. Effective Aspirin Treatment of Women at Risk for Preeclampsia Delays the Metabolic Clock of Gestation. Hypertension 2021; 78:1398-1410. [PMID: 34225470 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.121.17448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Preeclampsia, characterized by the onset of hypertension with significant proteinuria after 20 weeks' gestation, is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Prophylactic low-dose aspirin treatment reduces the rate of preterm preeclampsia in high-risk women, but a significant proportion still develops preeclampsia. The mechanism of the prophylactic response is unknown. Here, the untargeted metabolomics analysis of 144 plasma samples from high-risk pregnant women before (11-13 weeks) and after (20-23 weeks) aspirin/placebo treatment elucidated metabolic effects of aspirin and metabolic differences potentially associated with the variation of the treatment response. We demonstrated that aspirin treatment resulted in a strong drug-associated metabolomics signature and that the preeclamptic or nonpreeclamptic outcome in response to treatment was significantly associated with the level of internal aspirin exposure ascertained from metabolomics data (t test, P=0.0083). Comparing women with and without preeclampsia after aspirin treatment, differences in 73 metabolites were detected, some of which involve pathways whose regulation is of importance in pregnancy and placental functions, such as glycerophospholipids metabolism, polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. To further examine the hypothesis that aspirin delays gestational age advancement and thus the onset of preeclampsia, we constructed a metabolic clock on pretreatment and placebo-treated samples that estimated gestational age with high accuracy and found that aspirin significantly decelerated metabolic gestational age by 1.27 weeks (95% CI, 0.66-1.88 weeks), and partially reversed one-fourth of the metabolites changed over gestational age advancement, suggesting that aspirin treatment slowed down the metabolic clock of gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiqi Li
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (X.L., A.M., S.H.E., F.S.)
| | - Aleksandar Milosavljevic
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (X.L., A.M., S.H.E., F.S.)
| | - Sarah H Elsea
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (X.L., A.M., S.H.E., F.S.)
| | - Chi Chiu Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. (C.C.W., L.C.P.).,Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong-Sichuan University Joint Laboratory in Reproductive Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. (C.C.W., K.H.N.)
| | - Fernando Scaglia
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (X.L., A.M., S.H.E., F.S.).,Texas Children's Hospital, Houston (F.S.).,Joint BCM-CUHK Center of Medical Genetics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong (F.S.)
| | - Argyro Syngelaki
- Fetal Medicine Research Institute, Harris Birthright Centre, King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom (A.S.)
| | - Kypros H Nicolaides
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong-Sichuan University Joint Laboratory in Reproductive Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. (C.C.W., K.H.N.)
| | - Liona C Poon
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. (C.C.W., L.C.P.)
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12
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Puttabyatappa M, Ciarelli JN, Chatoff AG, Padmanabhan V. Developmental programming: Metabolic tissue-specific changes in endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial oxidative and telomere length status induced by prenatal testosterone excess in the female sheep. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2021; 526:111207. [PMID: 33607270 PMCID: PMC8005473 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T) excess-induced metabolic dysfunctions involve tissue specific changes in insulin sensitivity with insulin resistant, oxidative and lipotoxic state in liver/muscle and insulin sensitive but inflammatory and oxidative state in visceral adipose tissues (VAT). We hypothesized that mitochondrial dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and premature cellular senescence are contributors to the tissue-specific changes in insulin sensitivity. Markers of mitochondrial number, function, and oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos), ER stress and cellular senescence (telomere length) were assessed in liver, muscle and 4 adipose (VAT, subcutaneous [SAT], epicardiac [ECAT] and perirenal [PRAT]) depots collected from control and prenatal T-treated female sheep at 21 months of age. Prenatal T treatment led to: (a) reduction in mitochondrial number and OxPhos complexes and increase in ER stress markers in muscle; (b) increase in fibrosis with trend towards increase in short telomere fragments in liver (c) depot-specific mitochondrial changes with OxPhos complexes namely increase in SAT and reduction in PRAT and increase in mitochondrial number in ECAT; (d) depot-specific ER stress marker changes with increase in VAT, reduction in SAT, contrasting changes in ECAT and no changes in PRAT; and (d) reduced shorter telomere fragments in SAT, ECAT and PRAT. These changes indicate insulin resistance may be driven by mitochondrial and ER dysfunction in muscle, fibrosis and premature senescence in liver, and depot-specific changes in mitochondrial function and ER stress without involving cellular senescence in adipose tissue. These findings provide mechanistic insights into pathophysiology of metabolic dysfunction among female offspring from hyperandrogenic pregnancies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joseph N Ciarelli
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Adam G Chatoff
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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13
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Alonso S, Cáceres S, Vélez D, Sanz L, Silvan G, Illera MJ, Illera JC. Accurate prediction of birth implementing a statistical model through the determination of steroid hormones in saliva. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5617. [PMID: 33692437 PMCID: PMC7970941 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84924-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroidal hormone interaction in pregnancy is crucial for adequate fetal evolution and preparation for childbirth and extrauterine life. Estrone sulphate, estriol, progesterone and cortisol play important roles in the initiation of labour mechanism at the start of contractions and cervical effacement. However, their interaction remains uncertain. Although several studies regarding the hormonal mechanism of labour have been reported, the prediction of date of birth remains a challenge. In this study, we present for the first time machine learning algorithms for the prediction of whether spontaneous labour will occur from week 37 onwards. Estrone sulphate, estriol, progesterone and cortisol were analysed in saliva samples collected from 106 pregnant women since week 34 by enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) techniques. We compared a random forest model with a traditional logistic regression over a dataset constructed with the values observed of these measures. We observed that the results, evaluated in terms of accuracy and area under the curve (AUC) metrics, are sensibly better in the random forest model. For this reason, we consider that machine learning methods contribute in an important way to the obstetric practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Alonso
- Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Cáceres
- Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Daniel Vélez
- Department of Statistics and Operational Research, Faculty of Mathematics, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Sanz
- Department of Statistics and Operational Research, Faculty of Mathematics, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gema Silvan
- Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Jose Illera
- Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Illera
- Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
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14
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Banker M, Puttabyatappa M, O’Day P, Goodrich JM, Kelley AS, Domino SE, Smith YR, Dolinoy DC, Song PXK, Auchus RJ, Padmanabhan V. Association of Maternal-Neonatal Steroids With Early Pregnancy Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Pregnancy Outcomes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021; 106:665-687. [PMID: 33280001 PMCID: PMC7947779 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Steroids play an important role in fetal development and parturition. Gestational exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) affect steroidal milieu and pregnancy outcomes, raising the possibility of steroids serving as biomarkers. Most studies have not addressed the impact of EDC mixtures, which are reflective of real life scenarios. OBJECTIVE Assess the association of maternal and neonatal steroids with pregnancy outcomes and early pregnancy EDC levels. DESIGN Prospective analysis of mother-infant dyads. SETTING University hospital. PARTICIPANTS 121 mother-infant dyads. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The associations of maternal and neonatal steroidal hormones from 121 dyads with pregnancy outcomes, the associations of first trimester EDCs individually and as mixtures with maternal and neonatal steroids in a subset of 56 dyads and the influence of body mass index (BMI), age, and offspring sex in modulating the EDC associations with steroids were determined. RESULTS Steroid-specific positive or negative associations with pregnancy measures were evident; many maternal first trimester EDCs were negatively associated with estrogens and positively with androgen/estrogen ratios; EDC-steroid associations were influenced by maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, and fetal sex; and EDCs individually and as mixtures showed direct and inverse fetal sex-dependent associations with maternal and neonatal steroids. CONCLUSIONS This proof-of-concept study indicates association of steroids with pregnancy outcomes depending on maternal age, prepregnancy BMI, and fetal sex, with the effects of EDCs differing when considered individually or as mixtures. These findings suggest that steroidal hormonal measures have potential to serve as biomarkers of impact of EDC exposures and pregnancy outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Banker
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Patrick O’Day
- Departments of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, & Diabetes, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jaclyn M Goodrich
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Angela S Kelley
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Steven E Domino
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yolanda R Smith
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Dana C Dolinoy
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peter X K Song
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Richard J Auchus
- Departments of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, & Diabetes, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Vasantha Padmanabhan, MS, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, 7510 MSRB 1, 1500 W. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. E-mail:
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15
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Jackson IJ, Puttabyatappa M, Anderson M, Muralidharan M, Veiga-Lopez A, Gregg B, Limesand S, Padmanabhan V. Developmental programming: Prenatal testosterone excess disrupts pancreatic islet developmental trajectory in female sheep. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 518:110950. [PMID: 32726642 PMCID: PMC7609617 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Revised: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T)- treated female sheep manifest juvenile insulin resistance, post-pubertal increase in insulin sensitivity and return to insulin resistance during adulthood. Since compensatory hyperinsulinemia is associated with insulin resistance, altered pancreatic islet ontogeny may contribute towards metabolic defects. To test this, pregnant sheep were treated with or without T propionate from days 30-90 of gestation and pancreas collected from female fetuses at gestational day 90 and female offspring at 21 months-of-age. Uterine (maternal) and umbilical (fetal) arterial blood insulin/glucose ratios were determined at gestational day 90. The morphological and functional changes in pancreatic islet were assessed through detection of 1) islet hormones (insulin, glucagon) and apoptotic beta cells at fetal day 90 and 2) islet hormones (insulin, glucagon and somatostatin), and pancreatic lipid and collagen accumulation in adults. At gestational day 90, T-treatment led to maternal but not fetal hyperinsulinemia, decrease in pancreatic/fetal weight ratio and alpha cells, and a trend for increase in beta cell apoptosis in fetal pancreas. Adult prenatal T-treated female sheep manifested 1) significant increase in beta cell size and a tendency for increase in insulin and somatostatin stained area and proportion of beta cells in the islet; and 2) significant increase in pancreatic islet collagen and a tendency towards increased lipid accumulation. Gestational T-treatment induced changes in pancreatic islet endocrine cells during both fetal and adult ages track the trajectory of hyperinsulinemic status with the increase in adult pancreatic collagen accumulation indicative of impending beta cell failure with chronic insulin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Jackson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA; School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
| | | | - Miranda Anderson
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
| | - Meha Muralidharan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | | | - Brigid Gregg
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Sean Limesand
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
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16
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Landers RSM, Padmanabhan V, Cardoso RC. Developmental programming: gestational testosterone excess disrupts LH secretion in the female sheep fetus. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2020; 18:106. [PMID: 33158439 PMCID: PMC7648305 DOI: 10.1186/s12958-020-00667-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal testosterone (T) excess results in reproductive and metabolic perturbations in female sheep that closely recapitulate those seen in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). At the neuroendocrine level, prenatal T-treated sheep manifest increased pituitary sensitivity to GnRH and subsequent LH hypersecretion. In this study, we investigated the early effects of gestational T-treatment on LH secretion and pituitary function in the female sheep fetus. Additionally, because prenatal T effects can be mediated via the androgen receptor or due to changes in insulin homeostasis, prenatal co-treatment with an androgen antagonist (flutamide) or an insulin sensitizer (rosiglitazone) were tested. METHODS Pregnant sheep were treated from gestational day (GD) 30 to 90 with either: 1) vehicle (control); 2) T-propionate (~ 1.2 mg/kg); 3) T-propionate and flutamide (15 mg/kg/day); and 4) T-propionate and rosiglitazone (8 mg/day). At GD 90, LH concentrations were determined in the uterine artery (maternal) and umbilical artery (fetal), and female fetuses were euthanized. Pituitary glands were collected, weighed, and protein level of several key regulators of LH secretion was determined. RESULTS Fetal pituitary weight was significantly reduced by prenatal T-treatment. Flutamide completely prevented the reduction in pituitary weight, while rosiglitazone only partially prevented this reduction. Prenatal T markedly reduced fetal LH concentrations and flutamide co-treatment partially restored LH to control levels. Prenatal T resulted in a marked reduction in LH-β protein level, which was associated with a reduction in GnRH receptor and estrogen receptor-α levels and an increase in androgen receptor. With the exception of androgen receptor, flutamide co-treatment completely prevented these alterations in the fetal pituitary, while rosiglitazone largely failed to prevent these changes. Prenatal T-treatment did not alter the protein levels of insulin receptor-β and activation (phosphorylation) of the insulin signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that prenatal T-treatment results in reduced fetal LH secretion, reduced fetal pituitary weight, and altered protein levels of several regulators of gonadotropin secretion. The observations that flutamide co-treatment prevented these changes suggest that programming during fetal development likely occurs via direct androgen actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata S M Landers
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, 2471 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| | | | - Rodolfo C Cardoso
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, 2471 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA.
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17
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Puttabyatappa M, Guo X, Dou J, Dumesic D, Bakulski KM, Padmanabhan V. Developmental Programming: Sheep Granulosa and Theca Cell-Specific Transcriptional Regulation by Prenatal Testosterone. Endocrinology 2020; 161:bqaa094. [PMID: 32516392 PMCID: PMC7417881 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated sheep, similar to polycystic ovarian syndrome women, manifest reduced cyclicity, functional hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovary (PCO) morphology. The PCO morphology results from increased follicular recruitment and persistence of antral follicles, a consequence of reduced follicular growth and atresia, and is driven by cell-specific gene expression changes that are poorly understood. Therefore, using RNA sequencing, cell-specific transcriptional changes were assessed in laser capture microdissection isolated antral follicular granulosa and theca cells from age 21 months control and prenatal T-treated (100 mg intramuscular twice weekly from gestational day 30 to 90; term: 147 days) sheep. In controls, 3494 genes were differentially expressed between cell types with cell signaling, proliferation, extracellular matrix, immune, and tissue development genes enriched in theca; and mitochondrial, chromosomal, RNA, fatty acid, and cell cycle process genes enriched in granulosa cells. Prenatal T treatment 1) increased gene expression of transforming growth factor β receptor 1 and exosome component 9, and decreased BCL6 corepressor like 1, BCL9 like, and MAPK interacting serine/threonine kinase 2 in both cells, 2) induced differential expression of 92 genes that included increased mitochondrial, ribosome biogenesis, ribonucleoprotein, and ubiquitin, and decreased cell development and extracellular matrix-related pathways in granulosa cells, and 3) induced differential expression of 56 genes that included increased noncoding RNA processing, ribosome biogenesis, and mitochondrial matrix, and decreased transcription factor pathways in theca cells. These data indicate that follicular function is affected by genes involved in transforming growth factor signaling, extracellular matrix, mitochondria, epigenetics, and apoptosis both in a common as well as a cell-specific manner and suggest possible mechanistic pathways for prenatal T treatment-induced PCO morphology in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xingzi Guo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - John Dou
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Daniel Dumesic
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Kelly M Bakulski
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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18
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Circulating levels of Meteorin-like protein in polycystic ovary syndrome: A case-control study. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231943. [PMID: 32330176 PMCID: PMC7182262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at high risk of developing a myriad of endocrinologic and metabolic derailments. Moreover, PCOS is a leading cause of habitual abortion, also known as recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Meteorin-like protein (Metrnl) is a newly discovered adipokine with the potential to counteract the metaflammation. This study aimed at determining the associations of serum Metrnl levels with homocysteine, hs-CRP, and some components of metabolic syndrome in PCOS-RPL and infertile PCOS patients.This case-control study was conducted in 120 PCOS patients (60 PCOS-RPL and 60 infertile) and 60 control. Serum hs-CRP and homocysteine were assessed using commercial kits, while adiponectin, Metrnl, FSH, LH, free testosterone and insulin levels were analyzed using ELISA technique. Serum Metrnl levels were found to be lower in PCOS patients when compared to controls (67.98 ± 26.66 vs. 96.47 ± 28.72 pg/mL, P <0.001)). Furthermore, serum adiponectin levels were lower, while free testosterone, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, homocysteine, and hs-CRP were significantly higher in PCOS group compared to controls. Moreover, serum Metrnl correlated with BMI, adiponectin, and homocysteine in controls, and inversely correlated with FBG, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR in PCOS group and subgroups. Besides, it inversely correlated with hs-CRP in control, and PCOS group and subgroups. These findings revealed a possible role of Metrnl in the pathogenesis of PCOS and RPL. Nevertheless, there is a necessity for future studies to prove this concept.
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19
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Puttabyatappa M, Ciarelli JN, Chatoff AG, Singer K, Padmanabhan V. Developmental programming: Adipose depot-specific changes and thermogenic adipocyte distribution in the female sheep. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 503:110691. [PMID: 31863810 PMCID: PMC7012762 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated female sheep exhibit an enhanced inflammatory and oxidative stress state in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) but not in the subcutaneous (SAT), while surprisingly maintaining insulin sensitivity in both depots. In adult sheep, adipose tissue is predominantly composed of white adipocytes which favor lipid storage. Brown/beige adipocytes that make up the brown adipose tissue (BAT) favor lipid utilization due to thermogenic uncoupled protein 1 expression and are interspersed amidst white adipocytes, more so in epicardiac (ECAT) and perirenal (PRAT) depots. The impact of prenatal T-treatment on ECAT and PRAT depots are unknown. As BAT imparts a metabolically healthy phenotype, the depot-specific impact of prenatal T-treatment on inflammation, oxidative stress, differentiation and insulin sensitivity could be dictated by the distribution of brown adipocytes. This hypothesis was tested by assessing markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, adipocyte differentiation, fibrosis and thermogenesis in adipose depots from control and prenatal T (100 mg T propionate twice a week from days 30-90 of gestation) -treated female sheep at 21 months of age. Our results show prenatal T-treatment induces depot-specific changes in inflammation, oxidative stress state, collagen accumulation, and differentiation with changes being more pronounced in the VAT. Prenatal T-treatment also increased thermogenic gene expression in all depots indicative of increased browning with effects being more prominent in VAT and SAT. Considering that inflammatory and oxidative stress are also elevated, the increased brown adipocyte distribution is likely a compensatory response to maintain insulin sensitivity and function of organs in the proximity of respective depots.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joseph N Ciarelli
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Adam G Chatoff
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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20
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Monniaux D, Genêt C, Maillard V, Jarrier P, Adriaensen H, Hennequet-Antier C, Lainé AL, Laclie C, Papillier P, Plisson-Petit F, Estienne A, Cognié J, di Clemente N, Dalbies-Tran R, Fabre S. Prenatal programming by testosterone of follicular theca cell functions in ovary. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:1177-1196. [PMID: 31327046 PMCID: PMC11105072 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03230-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In mammalian ovaries, the theca layers of growing follicles are critical for maintaining their structural integrity and supporting androgen synthesis. Through combining the postnatal monitoring of ovaries by abdominal magnetic resonance imaging, endocrine profiling, hormonal analysis of the follicular fluid of growing follicles, and transcriptomic analysis of follicular theca cells, we provide evidence that the exposure of ovine fetuses to testosterone excess activates postnatal follicular growth and strongly affects the functions of follicular theca in adulthood. Prenatal exposure to testosterone impaired androgen synthesis in the small antral follicles of adults and affected the expression in their theca cells of a wide array of genes encoding extracellular matrix components, their membrane receptors, and signaling pathways. Most expression changes were uncorrelated with the concentrations of gonadotropins, steroids, and anti-Müllerian hormone in the recent hormonal environment of theca cells, suggesting that these changes rather result from the long-term developmental effects of testosterone on theca cell precursors in fetal ovaries. Disruptions of the extracellular matrix structure and signaling in the follicular theca and ovarian cortex can explain the acceleration of follicle growth through altering the stiffness of ovarian tissue. We propose that these mechanisms participate in the etiology of the polycystic ovarian syndrome, a major reproductive pathology in woman.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Monniaux
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
| | - Carine Genêt
- GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRA, INPT, ENVT, 31320, Castanet Tolosan, France
| | - Virginie Maillard
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Peggy Jarrier
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Hans Adriaensen
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | | | - Anne-Lyse Lainé
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Corinne Laclie
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Pascal Papillier
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | | | - Anthony Estienne
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Juliette Cognié
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - Nathalie di Clemente
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine (CRSA), 75012, Paris, France
| | - Rozenn Dalbies-Tran
- UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
| | - Stéphane Fabre
- GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRA, INPT, ENVT, 31320, Castanet Tolosan, France
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21
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Puttabyatappa M, Matiller V, Stassi AF, Salvetti NR, Ortega HH, Padmanabhan V. Developmental Programming: Prenatal Testosterone Excess on Ovarian SF1/DAX1/FOXO3. Reprod Sci 2020; 27:342-354. [PMID: 32046386 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-019-00029-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T) excess, partly via androgenic programming, enhances follicular recruitment/persistence in sheep as in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Decreased anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in early growing and increased AMH in antral follicles may underlie enhanced recruitment and persistence, respectively. Changes in AMH may be mediated by steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1), an enhancer of AMH, and dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia critical region, on chromosome X, gene 1 (DAX1), that antagonizes SF1. Another mediator could be forkhead box 03 (FOXO3) which regulates follicular recruitment/atresia. To test if androgen-programmed changes in SF1, DAX1, and FOXO3 proteins contribute to follicular defects in prenatal T-treated sheep, ovaries from control, prenatal T-, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated (days 30-90 of gestation) animals at fetal day (FD) 90, FD140, and 1 and 2 years-of-age were studied. Prenatal T increased DAX1 in granulosa cells of primordial through large preantral and theca cells of large preantral follicles at FD140 and increased SF1 in the granulosa cells of preantral and antral and theca cells of large preantral follicle at 2 years-of-age. Prenatal T increased FOXO3 only in theca cells of preantral (FD140) and antral (2 years-of-age) follicles. Prenatal DHT increased DAX1 in granulosa cells from small preantral follicles at FD140 while increasing SF1 in granulosa cells from antral follicles at 1 year-of-age. These age-dependent changes in DAX1/SF1 partly via androgen-programming are consistent with changes in AMH and may contribute to the enhanced follicular recruitment/persistence, and multifollicular phenotype of prenatal T-treated females and may be of translational relevance to PCOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muraly Puttabyatappa
- Department of Pediatrics and the Reproductive Sciences Program, University of Michigan, Room 7510 MSRB I, 1150 Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5718, USA
| | - Valentina Matiller
- Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICiVet-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Antonela F Stassi
- Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICiVet-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Natalia R Salvetti
- Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICiVet-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Hugo H Ortega
- Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICiVet-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics and the Reproductive Sciences Program, University of Michigan, Room 7510 MSRB I, 1150 Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5718, USA.
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22
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Ferreira SR, Goyeneche AA, Heber MF, Abruzzese GA, Telleria CM, Motta AB. Prenatally androgenized female rats develop uterine hyperplasia when adult. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 499:110610. [PMID: 31589912 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal hyperandrogenization (PH) is hypothesized as one of the main factors contributing to the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of prenatal exposure to androgen excess on the uterus when animals reach their adulthood. We found that PH altered the morphology of the uteri that show a hyperplastic morphology with increased total uterine thickness as well as luminal epithelium thickness, with both enhanced and altered distribution of glands as compared with controls. Morphological alterations were associated with an unbalanced homeostasis as assessed by the expression of regulators of cell cycle progression and cell death dynamics. PH also causes disturbances in the cell cycle of the uterine tissue and dysregulates cell death and survival pathways leading to the development of uterine hyperplasia. These findings suggest that PH may have a deleterious effect on the uterus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Rocío Ferreira
- Laboratorio de Fisio-Patología Ovárica, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina.
| | - Alicia Alejandra Goyeneche
- Experimental Pathology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - María Florencia Heber
- Laboratorio de Fisio-Patología Ovárica, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina
| | - Giselle Adriana Abruzzese
- Laboratorio de Fisio-Patología Ovárica, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina
| | - Carlos Marcelo Telleria
- Experimental Pathology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Alicia Beatriz Motta
- Laboratorio de Fisio-Patología Ovárica, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina
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23
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Synergistic Effects of Hyperandrogenemia and Obesogenic Western-style Diet on Transcription and DNA Methylation in Visceral Adipose Tissue of Nonhuman Primates. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19232. [PMID: 31848372 PMCID: PMC6917716 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55291-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a major reproductive disorder that is responsible for 80% of anovulatory infertility and that is associated with hyperandrogenemia, increased risk of obesity, and white adipose tissue (WAT) dysfunction. We have previously demonstrated that the combination of chronic testosterone (T) treatment and an obesogenic Western-style diet (WSD) exerts synergistic functional effects on WAT, leading to increased lipid accumulation in visceral adipocytes by an unknown mechanism. In this study, we examined the whole-genome transcriptional response in visceral WAT to T and WSD, alone and in combination. We observed a synergistic effect of T and WSD on gene expression, resulting in upregulation of lipid storage genes concomitant with adipocyte hypertrophy. Because DNA methylation is known to be associated with body fat distribution and the etiology of PCOS, we conducted whole-genome DNA methylation analysis of visceral WAT. While only a fraction of differentially expressed genes also exhibited differential DNA methylation, in silico analysis showed that differentially methylated regions were enriched in transcription factor binding motifs, suggesting a potential gene regulatory role for these regions. In summary, this study demonstrates that hyperandrogenemia alone does not induce global transcriptional and epigenetic response in young female macaques unless combined with an obesogenic diet.
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24
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Porter DT, Moore AM, Cobern JA, Padmanabhan V, Goodman RL, Coolen LM, Lehman MN. Prenatal Testosterone Exposure Alters GABAergic Synaptic Inputs to GnRH and KNDy Neurons in a Sheep Model of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Endocrinology 2019; 160:2529-2542. [PMID: 31415088 PMCID: PMC6779074 DOI: 10.1210/en.2019-00137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated female sheep display reproductive deficits similar to women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), including an increase in LH pulse frequency due to actions of the central GnRH pulse generator. In this study, we used multiple-label immunocytochemistry to investigate the possibility of changes in the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system at two key components of the GnRH pulse generator in prenatal T-treated sheep: kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin (KNDy) neurons of the arcuate nucleus, and GnRH neurons in the preoptic area (POA) and mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH). We observed a significant decrease and increase, respectively, in the number of GABAergic synapses onto POA and MBH GnRH neurons in prenatal T-treated ewes; additionally, there was a significant increase in the number of GABAergic inputs onto KNDy neurons. To determine the actions of GABA on GnRH and KNDy neurons, we examined colocalization with the chloride transporters NKCC1 and KCC2, which indicate stimulatory or inhibitory activation of neurons by GABA, respectively. Most GnRH neurons in both POA and MBH colocalized NKCC1 cotransporter whereas none contained the KCC2 cotransporter. Most KNDy neurons colocalized either NKCC1 or KCC2, and 28% of the KNDy population contained NKCC1 alone. Therefore, we suggest that, as in the mouse, GABA in the sheep is stimulatory to GnRH neurons, as well as to a subset of KNDy neurons. Increased numbers of stimulatory GABAergic inputs to both MBH GnRH and KNDy neurons in prenatal T-treated animals may contribute to alterations in steroid feedback control and increased GnRH/LH pulse frequency seen in this animal model of PCOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle T Porter
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
| | - Aleisha M Moore
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
| | - Jade A Cobern
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
| | | | - Robert L Goodman
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
| | - Lique M Coolen
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
| | - Michael N Lehman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
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25
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Kelley AS, Smith YR, Padmanabhan V. A Narrative Review of Placental Contribution to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2019; 104:5299-5315. [PMID: 31393571 PMCID: PMC6767873 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2019-00383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy of reproductive-aged women. In pregnancy, women with PCOS experience increased risk of miscarriage, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and extremes of fetal birth weight, and their offspring are predisposed to reproductive and cardiometabolic dysfunction in adulthood. Pregnancy complications, adverse fetal outcomes, and developmental programming of long-term health risks are known to have placental origins. These findings highlight the plausibility of placental compromise in pregnancies of women with PCOS. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS A comprehensive PubMed search was performed using terms "polycystic ovary syndrome," "placenta," "developmental programming," "hyperandrogenism," "androgen excess," "insulin resistance," "hyperinsulinemia," "pregnancy," and "pregnancy complications" in both human and animal experimental models. CONCLUSIONS There is limited human placental research specific to pregnancy of women with PCOS. Gestational androgen excess and insulin resistance are two clinical hallmarks of PCOS that may contribute to placental dysfunction and underlie the higher rates of maternal-fetal complications observed in pregnancies of women with PCOS. Additional research is needed to prevent adverse maternal and developmental outcomes in women with PCOS and their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela S Kelley
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Yolanda R Smith
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Vasantha Padmanabhan, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, 7510 MSRB 1, 1500 West Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. E-mail:
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26
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Guo X, Puttabyatappa M, Thompson RC, Padmanabhan V. Developmental Programming: Contribution of Epigenetic Enzymes to Antral Follicular Defects in the Sheep Model of PCOS. Endocrinology 2019; 160:2471-2484. [PMID: 31398247 PMCID: PMC6760338 DOI: 10.1210/en.2019-00389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated sheep, similar to women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), manifest oligo-/anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and polyfollicular ovary. The polyfollicular ovarian morphology, a result of persistence of antral follicles, arises, in part, by transcriptional changes in key mediators of follicular development that, in turn, are driven by epigenetic mechanisms. We hypothesized that prenatal T excess induces, in a cell-specific manner, transcriptional changes in key mediators of follicular development associated with relevant changes in epigenetic machinery. Expression levels of key mediators of follicular development, DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), and histone de-/methylases and de-/acetylases were determined in laser-capture microdissection-isolated antral follicular granulosa and theca and ovarian stromal cells from 21 months of age control and prenatal T-treated sheep (100 mg IM twice weekly from gestational day 30 to 90; term: 147 days). Changes in histone methylation were determined by immunofluorescence. Prenatal T treatment induced the following: (i) cell-specific changes in gene expression of key mediators of follicular development and steroidogenesis; (ii) granulosa, theca, and stromal cell-specific changes in DNMTs and histone de-/methylases and deacetylases, and (iii) increases in histone 3 trimethylation at lysine 9 in granulosa and histone 3 dimethylation at lysine 4 in theca cells. The pattern of histone methylation was consistent with the expression profile of histone de-/methylases in the respective cells. These findings suggest that changes in expression of key genes involved in the development of the polyfollicular phenotype in prenatal T-treated sheep are mediated, at least in part, by cell-specific changes in epigenetic-modifying enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingzi Guo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Xiangya Third Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | | | - Robert C Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Correspondence: Vasantha Padmanabhan, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, 7510 MSRB 1, 1500 West Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. E-mail:
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27
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Wang Z, Feng M, Awe O, Ma Y, Shen M, Xue P, Ahima R, Wolfe A, Segars J, Wu S. Gonadotrope androgen receptor mediates pituitary responsiveness to hormones and androgen-induced subfertility. JCI Insight 2019; 5:127817. [PMID: 31393859 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.127817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many women with hyperandrogenemia suffer from irregular menses and infertility. However, it is unknown whether androgens directly affect reproduction. Since animal models of hyperandrogenemia-induced infertility are associated with obesity, which may impact reproductive function, we have created a lean mouse model of elevated androgen using implantation of low dose dihydrotestosterone (DHT) pellets to separate the effects of elevated androgen from obesity. The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis controls reproduction. While we have demonstrated that androgen impairs ovarian function, androgen could also disrupt neuroendocrine function at the level of brain and/or pituitary to cause infertility. To understand how elevated androgens might act on pituitary gonadotropes to influence reproductive function, female mice with disruption of the androgen receptor (Ar) gene specifically in pituitary gonadotropes (PitARKO) were produced. DHT treated control mice with intact pituitary Ar (Con-DHT) exhibit disrupted estrous cyclicity and fertility with reduced pituitary responsiveness to GnRH at the level of both calcium signaling and LH secretion. These effects were ameliorated in DHT treated PitARKO mice. Calcium signaling controls GnRH regulation of LH vesicle exotocysis. Our data implicated upregulation of GEM (a voltage-dependent calcium channel inhibitor) in the pituitary as a potential mechanism for androgen's pathological effects. These results demonstrate that gonadotrope AR, as an extra-ovarian regulator, plays an important role in reproductive pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mingxiao Feng
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Olubusayo Awe
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Yaping Ma
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Mingjie Shen
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Xue
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Andrew Wolfe
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and
| | - James Segars
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sheng Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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28
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D'Occhio MJ, Baruselli PS, Campanile G. Influence of nutrition, body condition, and metabolic status on reproduction in female beef cattle: A review. Theriogenology 2019; 125:277-284. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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29
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Puttabyatappa M, Padmanabhan V. Ovarian and Extra-Ovarian Mediators in the Development of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. J Mol Endocrinol 2018; 61:R161-R184. [PMID: 29941488 PMCID: PMC6192837 DOI: 10.1530/jme-18-0079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. The origin of PCOS is still not clear and appears to be a function of gene x environment interactions. This review addresses the current knowledge of the genetic and developmental contributions to the etiology of PCOS, the ovarian and extra-ovarian mediators of PCOS and the gaps and key challenges that need to be addressed in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of PCOS.
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30
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Xue P, Wang Z, Fu X, Wang J, Punchhi G, Wolfe A, Wu S. A Hyperandrogenic Mouse Model to Study Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. J Vis Exp 2018. [PMID: 30346398 DOI: 10.3791/58379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperandrogenemia plays a critical role in reproductive and metabolic function in females and is the hallmark of polycystic ovary syndrome. Developing a lean PCOS-like mouse model that mimics women with PCOS is clinically meaningful. In this protocol, we describe such a model. By inserting a 4 mm length of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) crystal powder pellet (total length of pellet is 8 mm), and replacing it monthly, we are able to produce a PCOS-like mouse model with serum DHT levels 2 fold higher than mice not implanted with DHT (no-DHT). We observed reproductive and metabolic dysfunction without changing body weight and body composition. While exhibiting a high degree of infertility, a small subset of these PCOS-like female mice can get pregnant and their offspring show delayed puberty and increased testosterone as adults. This PCOS-like lean mouse model is a useful tool to study the pathophysiology of PCOS and the offspring from these PCOS-like dams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Xue
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Xiaomin Fu
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Department of Health, Beijing Military General Hospital
| | - Junjiang Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Southern Medical University
| | - Gopika Punchhi
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Andrew Wolfe
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Sheng Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine;
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31
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Chatuphonprasert W, Jarukamjorn K, Ellinger I. Physiology and Pathophysiology of Steroid Biosynthesis, Transport and Metabolism in the Human Placenta. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:1027. [PMID: 30258364 PMCID: PMC6144938 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The steroid hormones progestagens, estrogens, androgens, and glucocorticoids as well as their precursor cholesterol are required for successful establishment and maintenance of pregnancy and proper development of the fetus. The human placenta forms at the interface of maternal and fetal circulation. It participates in biosynthesis and metabolism of steroids as well as their regulated exchange between maternal and fetal compartment. This review outlines the mechanisms of human placental handling of steroid compounds. Cholesterol is transported from mother to offspring involving lipoprotein receptors such as low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and scavenger receptor class B type I (SRB1) as well as ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-transporters, ABCA1 and ABCG1. Additionally, cholesterol is also a precursor for placental progesterone and estrogen synthesis. Hormone synthesis is predominantly performed by members of the cytochrome P-450 (CYP) enzyme family including CYP11A1 or CYP19A1 and hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDs) such as 3β-HSD and 17β-HSD. Placental estrogen synthesis requires delivery of sulfate-conjugated precursor molecules from fetal and maternal serum. Placental uptake of these precursors is mediated by members of the solute carrier (SLC) family including sodium-dependent organic anion transporter (SOAT), organic anion transporter 4 (OAT4), and organic anion transporting polypeptide 2B1 (OATP2B1). Maternal-fetal glucocorticoid transport has to be tightly regulated in order to ensure healthy fetal growth and development. For that purpose, the placenta expresses the enzymes 11β-HSD 1 and 2 as well as the transporter ABCB1. This article also summarizes the impact of diverse compounds and diseases on the expression level and activity of the involved transporters, receptors, and metabolizing enzymes and concludes that the regulatory mechanisms changing the physiological to a pathophysiological state are barely explored. The structure and the cellular composition of the human placental barrier are introduced. While steroid production, metabolism and transport in the placental syncytiotrophoblast have been explored for decades, few information is available for the role of placental-fetal endothelial cells in these processes. With regard to placental structure and function, significant differences exist between species. To further decipher physiologic pathways and their pathologic alterations in placental steroid handling, proper model systems are mandatory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waranya Chatuphonprasert
- Pathophysiology of the Placenta, Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Faculty of Medicine, Mahasarakham University, Maha Sarakham, Thailand
| | - Kanokwan Jarukamjorn
- Research Group for Pharmaceutical Activities of Natural Products Using Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (PANPB), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Isabella Ellinger
- Pathophysiology of the Placenta, Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Abstract
Prenatal exposure to excess steroids or steroid mimics can disrupt the normal developmental trajectory of organ systems, culminating in adult disease. The metabolic system is particularly susceptible to the deleterious effects of prenatal steroid excess. Studies in sheep demonstrate that prenatal exposure to excess native steroids or endocrine-disrupting chemicals with steroidogenic activity, such as bisphenol A, results in postnatal development of numerous cardiometabolic perturbations, including insulin resistance, increased adiposity, altered adipocyte size and distribution, and hypertension. The similarities in the phenotypic outcomes programmed by these different prenatal insults suggest that common mechanisms may be involved, and these may include hormonal imbalances (e.g., hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia), oxidative stress, inflammation, lipotoxicity, and epigenetic alterations. Animal models, including the sheep, provide mechanistic insight into the metabolic repercussions associated with prenatal steroid exposure and represent valuable research tools in understanding human health and disease. Focusing on the sheep model, this review summarizes the cardiometabolic perturbations programmed by prenatal exposure to different native steroids and steroid mimics and discusses the potential mechanisms underlying the development of adverse outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo C Cardoso
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
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Neurobiological characteristics underlying metabolic differences between males and females. Prog Neurobiol 2018; 176:18-32. [PMID: 30194984 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamus is the main integrating center for metabolic control. Our understanding of how hypothalamic circuits function to control appetite and energy expenditure has increased dramatically in recent years, due to the rapid rise in the incidence of obesity and the search for effective treatments. Increasing evidence indicates that these treatments will most likely differ between males and females. Indeed, sex differences in metabolism have been demonstrated at various levels, including in two of the most studied neuronal populations involved in metabolic control: the anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin neurons and the orexigenic neuropeptide Y/Agouti-related protein neurons. Here we review what is known to date regarding the sex differences in these two neuronal populations, as well as other neuronal populations involved in metabolic control and glial cells.
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Morford JJ, Wu S, Mauvais-Jarvis F. The impact of androgen actions in neurons on metabolic health and disease. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2018; 465:92-102. [PMID: 28882554 PMCID: PMC5835167 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The male hormone testosterone exerts different effects on glucose and energy homeostasis in males and females. Testosterone deficiency predisposes males to visceral obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, testosterone excess predisposes females to similar metabolic dysfunction. Here, we review the effects of testosterone actions in the central nervous system on metabolic function in males and females. In particular, we highlight changes within the hypothalamus that control glucose and energy homeostasis. We distinguish the organizational effects of testosterone in the programming of neural circuitry during development from the activational effects of testosterone during adulthood. Finally, we explore potential sites where androgen might be acting to impact metabolism within the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie J Morford
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Sheng Wu
- Department of Pediatrics and Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Franck Mauvais-Jarvis
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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Warembourg C, Binter AC, Giton F, Fiet J, Labat L, Monfort C, Chevrier C, Multigner L, Cordier S, Garlantézec R. Prenatal exposure to glycol ethers and sex steroid hormones at birth. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2018; 113:66-73. [PMID: 29421409 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glycol ethers (GEs) are oxygenated solvents widely found in occupational and consumer water-based products. Some of them are well-known reproductive and developmental toxicants. OBJECTIVES To study the variations in circulating sex steroid hormones, measured in cord blood, according to biomarkers of prenatal GE exposure. METHODS The study population comes from the PELAGIE mother-child cohort, which enrolled pregnant women from Brittany (France, 2002-2006). Maternal urine samples were collected from a random subcohort (n = 338) before 19 weeks' gestation, from which we measured 8 alkoxycarboxylic metabolites of GEs. We subsequently measured 13 sex steroid hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in cord blood samples. Linear regressions adjusted for potential confounders were used, and nonlinear dose-response associations were investigated. RESULTS The detection rates of GE metabolites ranged from 4% to 98%; only the 5 most detected (>20%) metabolites were investigated further. Phenoxyacetic acid (detection rate > 95%) was associated with lower levels of SHBG and various steroids (17-alpha-hydroxy-Pregnenolone, delta-5-androstenediol, and dehydroepiandrosterone) among boys and higher SHBG and 16-alpha-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone levels among girls. The two other highly detected metabolites, methoxyetoxyacetic acid and butoxyacetic acid, were associated with variations in estradiol. Butoxyacetic acid was associated with higher delta-5-androstenediol levels while detectable levels of methoxyacetic acid were associated with lower levels of this hormone. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that prenatal exposure to GE may affect endocrine response patterns, estimated by determining blood levels of sex steroid hormones in newborns. These results raise questions about the potential role of these changes in the pathways between prenatal GE exposure and previously reported adverse developmental outcomes, including impaired neurocognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charline Warembourg
- Inserm UMR 1085 Irset, Exposure Assessment and Epidemiological Research on Environment, Reproduction and Development, F-35000 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes I, F-35043 Rennes, France..
| | - Anne-Claire Binter
- Inserm UMR 1085 Irset, Exposure Assessment and Epidemiological Research on Environment, Reproduction and Development, F-35000 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes I, F-35043 Rennes, France
| | - Frank Giton
- AP-HP, Pôle biologie-Pathologie Henri Mondor, Créteil 94000, France.; INSERM U955 eq07, Recherche Translationnelle en oncogenèse génitale, Créteil 94000, France
| | - Jean Fiet
- INSERM U955 eq07, Recherche Translationnelle en oncogenèse génitale, Créteil 94000, France
| | - Laurence Labat
- Assistance publique-hopitaux de Paris, Groupe Cochin, Laboratoire Pharmacologie Toxicologie, F-75004 Paris, France
| | - Christine Monfort
- Inserm UMR 1085 Irset, Exposure Assessment and Epidemiological Research on Environment, Reproduction and Development, F-35000 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes I, F-35043 Rennes, France
| | - Cécile Chevrier
- Inserm UMR 1085 Irset, Exposure Assessment and Epidemiological Research on Environment, Reproduction and Development, F-35000 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes I, F-35043 Rennes, France
| | - Luc Multigner
- Inserm UMR 1085 Irset, Exposure Assessment and Epidemiological Research on Environment, Reproduction and Development, F-35000 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes I, F-35043 Rennes, France
| | - Sylvaine Cordier
- Inserm UMR 1085 Irset, Exposure Assessment and Epidemiological Research on Environment, Reproduction and Development, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Ronan Garlantézec
- Inserm UMR 1085 Irset, Exposure Assessment and Epidemiological Research on Environment, Reproduction and Development, F-35000 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes I, F-35043 Rennes, France.; Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de Rennes, Service de Santé Publique et d'Epidémiologie, F-35033 Rennes, France
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Puttabyatappa M, Padmanabhan V. Developmental Programming of Ovarian Functions and Dysfunctions. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2018; 107:377-422. [PMID: 29544638 PMCID: PMC6119353 DOI: 10.1016/bs.vh.2018.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the origin of several ovarian pathologies remain unclear. In addition to the genetic basis, developmental insults are gaining attention as a basis for the origin of these pathologies. Such early insults include maternal over or under nutrition, stress, and exposure to environmental chemicals. This chapter reviews the development and physiological function of the ovary, the known ovarian pathologies, the developmental check points of ovarian differentiation impacted by developmental insults, the role played by steroidal and metabolic factors as mediaries, the epigenetic mechanisms via which these mediaries induce their effects, and the knowledge gaps for targeting future studies to ultimately aid in the development of improved treatments.
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Puttabyatappa M, Lu C, Martin JD, Chazenbalk G, Dumesic D, Padmanabhan V. Developmental Programming: Impact of Prenatal Testosterone Excess on Steroidal Machinery and Cell Differentiation Markers in Visceral Adipocytes of Female Sheep. Reprod Sci 2017; 25:1010-1023. [PMID: 29237348 DOI: 10.1177/1933719117746767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated female sheep manifest reduced adipocyte size and peripheral insulin resistance. The small adipocyte phenotype may reflect defects in adipogenesis and its steroidal machinery. To test whether prenatal T treatment from gestational days 30 to 90 alters the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) steroidal machinery and reduces adipocyte differentiation, we examined expression of the steroidogenic enzymes, steroid receptors, and adipocyte differentiation markers at fetal day 90 and postnatal ages 10 and 21 months. Because gestational T treatment increases fetal T and maternal insulin, the contributions of these were assessed by androgen receptor antagonist or insulin sensitizer cotreatment, either separately (at fetal day 90 and 21 months of age time points) or together (10 months of age). The effects on adipogenesis were assessed in the VAT-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) from pre- and postpubertal time points to evaluate the effects of pubertal steroidal changes on adipogenesis. Our results show that VAT manifests potentially a predominant estrogenic intracrine milieu (increased aromatase and estrogen receptor α) and reduced differentiation markers at fetal day 90 and postnatal 21 months of age. These changes appear to involve both androgenic and metabolic pathways. Preliminary findings suggest that prenatal T treatment reduces adipogenesis, decreases expression of differentiation, and increases expression of commitment markers at both pre- and postpubertal time points. Together, these findings suggest that (1) increased commitment of AT-MSCs to adipocyte lineage and decreased differentiation to adipocytes may underlie the small adipocyte phenotype of prenatal T-treated females and (2) excess T-induced changes in steroidal machinery in the VAT likely participate in the programming/maintenance of this defect.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chunxia Lu
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jacob D Martin
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Gregorio Chazenbalk
- 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Dumesic
- 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Abbott DH, Rayome BH, Dumesic DA, Lewis KC, Edwards AK, Wallen K, Wilson ME, Appt SE, Levine JE. Clustering of PCOS-like traits in naturally hyperandrogenic female rhesus monkeys. Hum Reprod 2017; 32:923-936. [PMID: 28333238 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dex036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Study question Do naturally occurring, hyperandrogenic (≥1 SD of population mean testosterone, T) female rhesus monkeys exhibit traits typical of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? Summary answer Hyperandrogenic female monkeys exhibited significantly increased serum levels of androstenedione (A4), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), estradiol (E2), LH, antimullerian hormone (AMH), cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol and corticosterone, as well as increased uterine endometrial thickness and evidence of reduced fertility, all traits associated with PCOS. What is known already Progress in treating women with PCOS is limited by incomplete knowledge of its pathogenesis and the absence of naturally occurring PCOS in animal models. A female macaque monkey, however, with naturally occurring hyperandrogenism, anovulation and polyfollicular ovaries, accompanied by insulin resistance, increased adiposity and endometrial hyperplasia, suggests naturally occurring origins for PCOS in nonhuman primates. Study design, size, duration As part of a larger study, circulating serum concentrations of selected pituitary, ovarian and adrenal hormones, together with fasted insulin and glucose levels, were determined in a single, morning blood sample obtained from 120 apparently healthy, ovary-intact, adult female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) while not pregnant or nursing. The monkeys were then sedated for somatometric and ultrasonographic measurements. Participants/materials, setting, methods Female monkeys were of prime reproductive age (7.2 ± 0.1 years, mean ± SEM) and represented a typical spectrum of adult body weight (7.4 ± 0.2 kg; maximum 12.5, minimum 4.6 kg). Females were defined as having normal (n = 99) or high T levels (n = 21; ≥1 SD above the overall mean, 0.31 ng/ml). Electronic health records provided menstrual and fecundity histories. Steroid hormones were determined by tandem LC-MS-MS; AMH was measured by enzymeimmunoassay; LH, FSH and insulin were determined by radioimmunoassay; and glucose was read by glucose meter. Most analyses were limited to 80 females (60 normal T, 20 high T) in the follicular phase of a menstrual cycle or anovulatory period (serum progesterone <1 ng/ml). Main results and the role of chance Of 80 monkeys, 15% (n = 12) exhibited classifiable PCOS-like phenotypes. High T females demonstrated elevations in serum levels of LH (P < 0.036), AMH (P < 0.021), A4 (P < 0.0001), 17-OHP (P < 0.008), E2 (P < 0.023), glucocorticoids (P < 0.02-0.0001), the serum T/E2 ratio (P < 0.03) and uterine endometrial thickness (P < 0.014) compared to normal T females. Within the high T group alone, anogenital distance, a biomarker for fetal T exposure, positively correlated (P < 0.015) with serum A4 levels, while clitoral volume, a biomarker for prior T exposure, positively correlated (P < 0.002) with postnatal age. Only high T females demonstrated positive correlations between serum LH, and both T and A4. Five of six (83%) high T females with serum T ≥2 SD above T mean (0.41 ng/ml) did not produce live offspring. Large scale data N/A. Limitations, reasons for caution This is an initial study of a single laboratory population in a single nonhuman primate species. While two biomarkers suggest lifelong hyperandrogenism, phenotypic expression during gestation, prepuberty, adolescence, mid-to-late reproductive years and postmenopause has yet to be determined. Wider implications of the findings Characterizing adult female monkeys with naturally occurring hyperandrogenism has identified individuals with high LH and AMH combined with infertility, suggesting developmental linkage among traits with endemic origins beyond humans. PCOS may thus be an ancient phenotype, as previously proposed, with a definable pathogenic mechanism(s). Study funding/competing interest(s) Funded by competitive supplement to P51 OD011106 (PI: Mallick), by P50 HD028934 (PI: Marshall) and by P50 HD044405 (PI: Dunaif). The authors have no potential conflicts of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- D H Abbott
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - B H Rayome
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - D A Dumesic
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - A K Edwards
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - K Wallen
- Division of Developmental & Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, USA.,Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - M E Wilson
- Division of Developmental & Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, USA
| | - S E Appt
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA
| | - J E Levine
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
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Puttabyatappa M, Andriessen V, Mesquitta M, Zeng L, Pennathur S, Padmanabhan V. Developmental Programming: Impact of Gestational Steroid and Metabolic Milieus on Mediators of Insulin Sensitivity in Prenatal Testosterone-Treated Female Sheep. Endocrinology 2017; 158:2783-2798. [PMID: 28911168 PMCID: PMC5659659 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-00460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T) excess in sheep leads to peripheral insulin resistance (IR), reduced adipocyte size, and tissue-specific changes, with liver and muscle but not adipose tissue being insulin resistant. To determine the basis for the tissue-specific differences in insulin sensitivity, we assessed changes in negative (inflammation, oxidative stress, and lipotoxicity) and positive mediators (adiponectin and antioxidants) of insulin sensitivity in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissues of control and prenatal T-treated sheep. Because T excess leads to maternal hyperinsulinemia, fetal hyperandrogenism, and functional hyperandrogenism and IR in their female offspring, prenatal and postnatal interventions with antiandrogen, flutamide, and the insulin sensitizer rosiglitazone were used to parse out the contribution of androgenic and metabolic pathways in programming and maintaining these defects. Results showed that (1) peripheral IR in prenatal T-treated female sheep is related to increases in triglycerides and 3-nitrotyrosine, which appear to override the increase in high-molecular-weight adiponectin; (2) liver IR is a function of the increase in oxidative stress (3-nitrotyrosine) and lipotoxicity; (3) muscle IR is related to lipotoxicity; and (4) the insulin-sensitive status of visceral adipose tissue appears to be a function of the increase in antioxidants that likely overrides the increase in proinflammatory cytokines, macrophages, and oxidative stress. Prenatal and postnatal intervention with either antiandrogen or insulin sensitizer had partial effects in preventing or ameliorating the prenatal T-induced changes in mediators of insulin sensitivity, suggesting that both pathways are critical for the programming and maintenance of the prenatal T-induced changes and point to potential involvement of estrogenic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Makeda Mesquitta
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Lixia Zeng
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Subramaniam Pennathur
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
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40
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Le Tissier P, Campos P, Lafont C, Romanò N, Hodson DJ, Mollard P. An updated view of hypothalamic-vascular-pituitary unit function and plasticity. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2017; 13:257-267. [PMID: 27934864 DOI: 10.1038/nrendo.2016.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The discoveries of novel functional adaptations of the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland for physiological regulation have transformed our understanding of their interaction. The activity of a small proportion of hypothalamic neurons can control complex hormonal signalling, which is disconnected from a simple stimulus and the subsequent hormone secretion relationship and is dependent on physiological status. The interrelationship of the terminals of hypothalamic neurons and pituitary cells with the vasculature has an important role in determining the pattern of neurohormone exposure. Cells in the pituitary gland form networks with distinct organizational motifs that are related to the duration and pattern of output, and modifications of these networks occur in different physiological states, can persist after cessation of demand and result in enhanced function. Consequently, the hypothalamus and pituitary can no longer be considered as having a simple stratified relationship: with the vasculature they form a tripartite system, which must function in concert for appropriate hypothalamic regulation of physiological processes, such as reproduction. An improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying these regulatory features has implications for current and future therapies that correct defects in hypothalamic-pituitary axes. In addition, recapitulating proper network organization will be an important challenge for regenerative stem cell treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Le Tissier
- Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Pauline Campos
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR-5203, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, rue de la Cardonille, F-34000 Montpellier, France
- INSERM, U661, rue de la Cardonille, F-34000 Montpellier, France
- Université de Montpellier, rue de la Cardonille, UMR-5203, F-34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Chrystel Lafont
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR-5203, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, rue de la Cardonille, F-34000 Montpellier, France
- INSERM, U661, rue de la Cardonille, F-34000 Montpellier, France
- Université de Montpellier, rue de la Cardonille, UMR-5203, F-34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Nicola Romanò
- Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - David J Hodson
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research and Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, B15 2TH, UK
| | - Patrice Mollard
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR-5203, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, rue de la Cardonille, F-34000 Montpellier, France
- INSERM, U661, rue de la Cardonille, F-34000 Montpellier, France
- Université de Montpellier, rue de la Cardonille, UMR-5203, F-34000 Montpellier, France
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Puttabyatappa M, Irwin A, Martin JD, Mesquitta M, Veiga-Lopez A, Padmanabhan V. Developmental Programming: Gestational Exposure to Excess Testosterone Alters Expression of Ovarian Matrix Metalloproteases and Their Target Proteins. Reprod Sci 2017; 25:882-892. [PMID: 28299992 DOI: 10.1177/1933719117697127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated sheep, similar to women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), manifests reproductive defects that include multifollicular ovarian phenotype. Women with PCOS manifest increased ovarian matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity. We tested the hypothesis that gestational T excess in sheep would alter ovarian expression of MMPs, tissue inhibitors of MMP (TIMP) and their target proteins laminin B (LAMB), collagen, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF), and connexin 43 (GJA1) consistent with increased MMP activity and that these changes are developmentally regulated. The ovarian content of these proteins was quantified by immunohistochemistry in fetal day 90, 140, and adult (21 months of age) ovaries. Prenatal T excess lowered GJA1 protein content in stroma and granulosa cells of primary follicles from fetal day 90 ovaries and decreased stromal MMP9, TIMP1, and LAMB in fetal day 140 ovaries. In the adult, prenatal T-treatment (1) increased MMP9 in theca cells of large preantral follicles and stroma, TNF in granulosa cells of small and large preantral follicles and theca cells of large preantral and antral follicles, and GJA1 in stroma, theca cells of large preantral follicles, and granulosa cells of antral follicles and (2) reduced TIMP1 in stroma, theca cells of large preantral and antral follicles, LAMB in stroma and small prenatral follicles, and collagen content in stroma and around antral follicles. These findings suggest a net increase in MMP activity and its target proteins TNF and GJA1 in prenatal T-treated adult but not in fetal ovaries and their potential involvement in the development of multifollicular morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashleigh Irwin
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jacob D Martin
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Makeda Mesquitta
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Almudena Veiga-Lopez
- 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,2 Department of Animal Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Hakim C, Padmanabhan V, Vyas AK. Gestational Hyperandrogenism in Developmental Programming. Endocrinology 2017; 158:199-212. [PMID: 27967205 PMCID: PMC5413081 DOI: 10.1210/en.2016-1801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Androgen excess (hyperandrogenism) is a common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. The potential causes of androgen excess in women include polycystic ovary syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), adrenal tumors, and racial disparity among many others. During pregnancy, luteoma, placental aromatase deficiency, and fetal CAH are additional causes of gestational hyperandrogenism. The present report reviews the various phenotypes of hyperandrogenism during pregnancy and its origin, pathophysiology, and the effect of hyperandrogenism on the fetal developmental trajectory and offspring consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Hakim
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; and
| | - Arpita K. Vyas
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Permian Basin Campus, Odessa, Texas 79763
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Koneva LA, Vyas AK, McEachin RC, Puttabyatappa M, H-S W, Sartor MA, Padmanabhan V. Developmental programming: Interaction between prenatal BPA and postnatal overfeeding on cardiac tissue gene expression in female sheep. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2017; 58:4-18. [PMID: 28079927 PMCID: PMC5730970 DOI: 10.1002/em.22071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiologic studies and studies in rodents point to potential risks from developmental exposure to BPA on cardiometabolic diseases. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly evident that the manifestation and severity of adverse outcomes is the result of interaction between developmental insults and the prevailing environment. Consistent with this premise, recent studies in sheep found prenatal BPA treatment prevented the adverse effects of postnatal obesity in inducing hypertension. The gene networks underlying these complex interactions are not known. mRNA-seq of myocardium was performed on four groups of four female sheep to assess the effects of prenatal BPA exposure, postnatal overfeeding and their interaction on gene transcription, pathway perturbations and functional effects. The effects of prenatal exposure to BPA, postnatal overfeeding, and prenatal BPA with postnatal overfeeding all resulted in transcriptional changes (85-141 significant differentially expressed genes). Although the effects of prenatal BPA and postnatal overfeeding did not involve dysregulation of many of the same genes, they affected a remarkably similar set of biological pathways. Furthermore, an additive or synergistic effect was not found in the combined treatment group, but rather prenatal BPA treatment led to a partial reversal of the effects of overfeeding alone. Many genes previously known to be affected by BPA and involved in obesity, hypertension, or heart disease were altered following these treatments, and AP-1, EGR1, and EGFR were key hubs affected by BPA and/or overfeeding. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:4-18, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- LA Koneva
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
| | - AK Vyas
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech Health Sciences Permian Basin, Odessa, TX
| | - RC McEachin
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
| | - M Puttabyatappa
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
| | - Wang H-S
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
- Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
| | - MA Sartor
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
| | - V Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
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Ma Y, Andrisse S, Chen Y, Childress S, Xue P, Wang Z, Jones D, Ko C, Divall S, Wu S. Androgen Receptor in the Ovary Theca Cells Plays a Critical Role in Androgen-Induced Reproductive Dysfunction. Endocrinology 2017; 158:98-108. [PMID: 27841936 PMCID: PMC5412974 DOI: 10.1210/en.2016-1608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Androgen and its receptor (AR) play a critical role in reproductive function under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Female AR global knockout mice are subfertile due to both neuroendocrine and ovarian defects. Female offspring from prenatally androgenized heterozygous AR pregnant mice showed rescued estrous cyclicity and fertility. Ar is expressed in granulosa cells, theca interstitial cells, and oocytes in the ovary. We created mice with theca-specific deletion of Ar (ThARKO) by crossing Cyp17-iCre mice that express Cre recombinase under cytochrome P450 17A1 (Cyp17) promoter with Arfl/fl mice. ThARKO mice exhibited no significant differences in pubertal onset or fertility compared with control littermates, and neither estrogen or testosterone levels were different between these groups. Therefore, Ar expression in theca cells likely does not influence fertility nor androgen levels in female mice. We then tested the role of AR in theca cells under hyperandrogenemic condition. After treatment with a pathophysiological level of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), control mice (control-DHT) showed acyclicity and infertility. However, estrous cycles and fertility were altered to a significantly less degree in ThARKO-DHT mice than in control-DHT mice. Messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of Lhcgr (luteinizing hormone receptor) and Timp1 (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, and inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase) were significantly lower in control-DHT ovary compared with control-no DHT ovaries, whereas mRNA levels of Fshr (follicle-stimulating hormone receptor) were significantly higher. Timp1 gene expression was comparable in the ThARKO-DHT and the control-no DHT ovary. We speculate that the preserved level of Timp1 in ThARKO-DHT mice contributes to retained reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaping Ma
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Stanley Andrisse
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Yi Chen
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Shameka Childress
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Ping Xue
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Dustin Jones
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287
| | - CheMyong Ko
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802; and
| | - Sara Divall
- Seattle Children’s Hospital, Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Seattle, Washington 98105
| | - Sheng Wu
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, and
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287
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Koneva LA, Vyas AK, McEachin RC, Puttabyatappa M, Wang HS, Sartor MA, Padmanabhan V. Developmental programming: Interaction between prenatal BPA and postnatal overfeeding on cardiac tissue gene expression in female sheep. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2017; 58:4-18. [PMID: 28079927 DOI: 10.1002/em] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiologic studies and studies in rodents point to potential risks from developmental exposure to BPA on cardiometabolic diseases. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly evident that the manifestation and severity of adverse outcomes is the result of interaction between developmental insults and the prevailing environment. Consistent with this premise, recent studies in sheep found prenatal BPA treatment prevented the adverse effects of postnatal obesity in inducing hypertension. The gene networks underlying these complex interactions are not known. mRNA-seq of myocardium was performed on four groups of four female sheep to assess the effects of prenatal BPA exposure, postnatal overfeeding and their interaction on gene transcription, pathway perturbations and functional effects. The effects of prenatal exposure to BPA, postnatal overfeeding, and prenatal BPA with postnatal overfeeding all resulted in transcriptional changes (85-141 significant differentially expressed genes). Although the effects of prenatal BPA and postnatal overfeeding did not involve dysregulation of many of the same genes, they affected a remarkably similar set of biological pathways. Furthermore, an additive or synergistic effect was not found in the combined treatment group, but rather prenatal BPA treatment led to a partial reversal of the effects of overfeeding alone. Many genes previously known to be affected by BPA and involved in obesity, hypertension, or heart disease were altered following these treatments, and AP-1, EGR1, and EGFR were key hubs affected by BPA and/or overfeeding. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:4-18, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- L A Koneva
- Departments of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - A K Vyas
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech Health Sciences Permian Basin, Odessa, Texas
| | - R C McEachin
- Departments of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - M Puttabyatappa
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - H-S Wang
- Departments of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Departments of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - M A Sartor
- Departments of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - V Padmanabhan
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Puttabyatappa M, Padmanabhan V. Prenatal Testosterone Programming of Insulin Resistance in the Female Sheep. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 1043:575-596. [PMID: 29224111 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-70178-3_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Insulin resistance, a common feature of metabolic disorders such as obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome, is a risk factor for development of diabetes. Because sex hormones orchestrate the establishment of sex-specific behavioral, reproductive, and metabolic differences, a role for them in the developmental origin of insulin resistance is also to be expected. Female sheep exposed to male levels of testosterone during fetal life serve as an excellent translational model for delineating programming of insulin resistance. This chapter summarizes the ontogeny of insulin resistance, the tissue-specific changes in insulin sensitivity, and the various factors that are involved in the programming and maintenance of the insulin resistance in adult female sheep that were developmentally exposed to fetal male levels of testosterone during the sexual-differentiation window.
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Cardoso RC, Burns A, Moeller J, Skinner DC, Padmanabhan V. Developmental Programming: Insulin Sensitizer Prevents the GnRH-Stimulated LH Hypersecretion in a Sheep Model of PCOS. Endocrinology 2016; 157:4641-4653. [PMID: 27792406 PMCID: PMC5133353 DOI: 10.1210/en.2016-1613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T) treatment recapitulates the reproductive and metabolic phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome in female sheep. At the neuroendocrine level, prenatal T treatment results in disrupted steroid feedback on gonadotropin release, increased pituitary sensitivity to GnRH, and subsequent LH hypersecretion. Because prenatal T-treated sheep manifest functional hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia, gonadal steroids and/or insulin may play a role in programming and/or maintaining these neuroendocrine defects. Here, we investigated the effects of prenatal and postnatal treatments with an androgen antagonist (flutamide [F]) or an insulin sensitizer (rosiglitazone [R]) on GnRH-stimulated LH secretion in prenatal T-treated sheep. As expected, prenatal T treatment increased the pituitary responsiveness to GnRH leading to LH hypersecretion. Neither prenatal interventions nor postnatal F treatment normalized the GnRH-stimulated LH secretion. Conversely, postnatal R treatment completely normalized the GnRH-stimulated LH secretion. At the tissue level, gestational T increased pituitary LHβ, androgen receptor, and insulin receptor-β, whereas it reduced estrogen receptor (ER)α protein levels. Although postnatal F normalized pituitary androgen receptor and insulin receptor-β, it failed to prevent an increase in LHβ expression. Contrarily, postnatal R treatment restored ERα and partially normalized LHβ pituitary levels. Immunohistochemical findings confirmed changes in pituitary ERα expression to be specific to gonadotropes. In conclusion, these findings indicate that increased pituitary responsiveness to GnRH in prenatal T-treated sheep is likely a function of reduced peripheral insulin sensitivity. Moreover, results suggest that restoration of ERα levels in the pituitary may be one mechanism by which R prevents GnRH-stimulated LH hypersecretion in this sheep model of polycystic ovary syndrome-like phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo C Cardoso
- Department of Pediatrics (R.C.C., A.B., J.M., V.P.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; and Department of Zoology and Physiology (D.C.S.), University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071
| | - Ashleigh Burns
- Department of Pediatrics (R.C.C., A.B., J.M., V.P.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; and Department of Zoology and Physiology (D.C.S.), University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071
| | - Jacob Moeller
- Department of Pediatrics (R.C.C., A.B., J.M., V.P.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; and Department of Zoology and Physiology (D.C.S.), University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071
| | - Donal C Skinner
- Department of Pediatrics (R.C.C., A.B., J.M., V.P.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; and Department of Zoology and Physiology (D.C.S.), University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics (R.C.C., A.B., J.M., V.P.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; and Department of Zoology and Physiology (D.C.S.), University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071
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Puttabyatappa M, Cardoso RC, Padmanabhan V. Effect of maternal PCOS and PCOS-like phenotype on the offspring's health. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2016; 435:29-39. [PMID: 26639019 PMCID: PMC4884168 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2015.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder with both reproductive and metabolic abnormalities affecting women of reproductive age. While the exact origin of PCOS is unknown, observations from clinical and animal studies suggest that maternal hyperandrogenism may be a contributing factor. Because women with PCOS manifest hyperandrogenism during pregnancy, changes in the gestational endocrine milieu may play a role in the vertical transmission of this syndrome. This review discusses the potential developmental origins of PCOS, the impact of maternal PCOS on the offspring's health and contributions of the postnatal environment, capitalizing on findings from animal models that exhibit a PCOS-like phenotype. In addition, this review highlights the scarcity of data at early gestational stages in humans and the importance of animal experimentation to better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the programming of adult diseases, therefore, helping identify therapeutic targets for preventive and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rodolfo C Cardoso
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Padmanabhan V, Cardoso RC, Puttabyatappa M. Developmental Programming, a Pathway to Disease. Endocrinology 2016; 157:1328-40. [PMID: 26859334 PMCID: PMC4816734 DOI: 10.1210/en.2016-1003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that insults occurring during the perinatal period alter the developmental trajectory of the fetus/offspring leading to long-term detrimental outcomes that often culminate in adult pathologies. These perinatal insults include maternal/fetal disease states, nutritional deficits/excess, stress, lifestyle choices, exposure to environmental chemicals, and medical interventions. In addition to reviewing the various insults that contribute to developmental programming and the benefits of animal models in addressing underlying mechanisms, this review focuses on the commonalities in disease outcomes stemming from various insults, the convergence of mechanistic pathways via which various insults can lead to common outcomes, and identifies the knowledge gaps in the field and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5718
| | - Rodolfo C Cardoso
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5718
| | - Muraly Puttabyatappa
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5718
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Sominsky L, Fuller EA, Hodgson DM. Factors in Early-Life Programming of Reproductive Fitness. Neuroendocrinology 2015; 102:216-25. [PMID: 26043876 DOI: 10.1159/000431378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Fertility rates have been declining worldwide, with a growing number of young women suffering from infertility. Infectious and inflammatory diseases are important causes of infertility, and recent evidence points to the critical role of the early-life microbial environment in developmental programming of adult reproductive fitness. Our laboratory and others have demonstrated that acute exposure to an immunological challenge early in life has a profound and prolonged impact on male and female reproductive development. This review presents evidence that perinatal exposure to immunological challenge by a bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide, acts at all levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, resulting in long-lasting changes in reproductive function, suggesting that disposition to infertility may begin early in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luba Sominsky
- Laboratory of Neuroimmunology, School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and IT, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, N.S.W., Australia
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