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Lombardi LA, Mattos LS, Espindula AP, Simões RS, Sasso GRDS, Simões MDJ, Soares-Jr JM, Florencio-Silva R. Effects of melatonin and metformin on the ovaries of rats with polycystic ovary syndrome. F&S SCIENCE 2024; 5:204-211. [PMID: 38484797 DOI: 10.1016/j.xfss.2024.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To study the combined and isolated effects of melatonin and metformin in the ovarian tissue of rats with PCOS. DESIGN Experimental study using a rat model of PCOS induced by continuous light exposure. INTERVENTION(S) Forty adult female rats were divided into 5 groups: physiological estrus phase (Sham); permanente estrus with PCOS induced by continuous lighting exposure for 60 consecutive days (control); with PCOS treated with melatonin; with PCOS treated with metformin; with PCOS treated with melatonin + metformin. After 60 days of treatments, all rats were killed, and ovaries were collected and processed for paraffin-embedding. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin or subjected to immunohistochemistry for proliferation (Ki-67) and apoptosis (cleaved caspase 3) detection markers. SETTING Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. ANIMALS Forty adult female Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Number of corpus luteum and ovarian cysts, number of ovarian follicles (primary and antral follicles), number of interstitial cells, percentage of ovarian follicles (primary and antral follicles), and of interstitial cells immunostained to cleaved caspase-3 and Ki-67. RESULTS Absence of corpus luteum, a higher number of cysts, and increased nuclear volume and area of interstitial cells, along with a decrease in primary and antral follicle numbers, were noticed in the control group compared with the Sham group. Melatonin and metformin treatments attenuated these effects, although the combined treatment did not mitigate the increased number of cysts and ovaries induced by PCOS. An increase in theca interna cell apoptosis was observed in the control group, whereas melatonina and metformin treatments reduced it significantly. A higher percentage of caspase-3-immunostained granulosa cells was noted in the Sham and all treated groups compared with the control group; no aditive effects on ovarian cell apoptosis were observed in the combined treatment. The percentage of Ki-67- immunostained granulosa cells was significantly higher in the control group compared with the Sham group. However, the combined treatment, not melatonin and metformin alone, mitigated this effect. A higher percentage of Ki-67-immunostained interstitial cells was observed in all treated groups compared with the Sham and control groups, whereas no additive effects in that immunoreactivity were observed in the combined treatment. CONCLUSIONS Melatonin and metformin may improve ovarian function in rats with PCOS. The combined melatonin and metformin treatment is more effective in attenuating excessive granulosa cell proliferation, but it is not more effective in improving ovarian function than these drugs applied alone in rats with PCOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Augusto Lombardi
- Disciplina de Anatomia Humana, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | | | - Ana Paula Espindula
- Disciplina de Anatomia Humana, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Ricardo Santos Simões
- Disciplina de Ginecologia, Departamento de Obstetrícia e Ginecologia, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Gisela Rodrigues da Silva Sasso
- Disciplina de Histologia e Biologia Estrutural, Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Manuel de Jesus Simões
- Disciplina de Ginecologia, Departamento de Obstetrícia e Ginecologia, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil; Disciplina de Histologia e Biologia Estrutural, Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - José Maria Soares-Jr
- Disciplina de Ginecologia, Departamento de Obstetrícia e Ginecologia, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Rinaldo Florencio-Silva
- Disciplina de Histologia e Biologia Estrutural, Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, São Paulo, Brasil.
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Lall SP, Alsafwani ZW, Batra SK, Seshacharyulu P. ASPORIN: A root of the matter in tumors and their host environment. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189029. [PMID: 38008263 PMCID: PMC10872503 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.189029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Asporin (ASPN) has been identified as one of the members of the class I small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) family in the extracellular matrix (ECM). It is involved in classic ensigns of cancers such as self-dependent growth, resistance to growth inhibitors, restricting apoptosis, cancer metastasis, and bone-related disorders. ASPN is different from other members of SLRPs, such as decorin (DCN) and biglycan (BGN), in a way that it contains a distinctive length of aspartate (D) residues in the amino (N) -terminal region. These D-repeats residues possess germline polymorphisms and are identified to be linked with cancer progression and osteoarthritis (OA). The polyaspartate stretch in the N-terminal region of the protein and its resemblance to DCN are the reasons it is called asporin. In this review, we comprehensively summarized and updated the dual role of ASPN in various malignancies, its structure in mice and humans, variants, mutations, cancer-associated signalings and functions, the relationship between ASPN and cancer-epithelial, stromal fibroblast crosstalk, immune cells and immunosuppression in cancer and other diseases. In cancer and other bone-related diseases, ASPN is identified to be regulating various signaling pathways such as TGFβ, Wnt/β-catenin, notch, hedgehog, EGFR, HER2, and CD44-mediated Rac1. These pathways promote cancer cell invasion, proliferation, and migration by mediating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Finally, we discussed mouse models mimicking ASPN in vivo function in cancers and the probability of therapeutic targeting of ASPN in cancer cells, fibrosis, and other bone-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shobhit P Lall
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA
| | - Zahraa W Alsafwani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA
| | - Surinder K Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA; Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, USA; Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA.
| | - Parthasarathy Seshacharyulu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA; Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5870, USA.
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3
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Özay Y, Özay AC, Özay ÖE, Edebal O. Does asporin have a role in polycystic ovary syndrome? A pilot study. REVISTA DA ASSOCIAÇÃO MÉDICA BRASILEIRA 2022; 68:653-657. [DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.20220005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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4
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Wang R, Liu X, Li L, Yang M, Yong J, Zhai F, Wen L, Yan L, Qiao J, Tang F. Dissecting Human Gonadal Cell Lineage Specification and Sex Determination Using A Single-cell RNA-seq Approach. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2022; 20:223-245. [PMID: 35513251 PMCID: PMC9684167 DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2022.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Gonadal somatic cells are the main players in gonad development and are important for sex determination and germ cell development. Here, using a time-series single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) strategy, we analyzed fetal germ cells (FGCs) and gonadal somatic cells in human embryos and fetuses. Clustering analysis of testes and ovaries revealed several novel cell subsets, including POU5F1+SPARC+ FGCs and KRT19+ somatic cells. Furthermore, our data indicated that the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway plays cell type-specific and developmental stage-specific roles in testis development and promotes the gonocyte-to-spermatogonium transition (GST) in late-stage testicular mitotic arrest FGCs. Intriguingly, testosterone synthesis function transitioned from fetal Sertoli cells to adult Leydig cells in a stepwise manner. In our study, potential interactions between gonadal somatic cells were systematically explored and we identified cell type-specific developmental defects in both FGCs and gonadal somatic cells in a Turner syndrome embryo (45, XO). Our work provides a blueprint of the complex yet highly ordered development of and the interactions among human FGCs and gonadal somatic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Wang
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics and Center for Reproductive Medicine, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China,Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xixi Liu
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics and Center for Reproductive Medicine, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Li Li
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics and Center for Reproductive Medicine, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China,Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ming Yang
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction and Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100191, China,Beijing Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Beijing 100191, China,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jun Yong
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Fan Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction and Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100191, China,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Lu Wen
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics and Center for Reproductive Medicine, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Liying Yan
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction and Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100191, China,Beijing Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jie Qiao
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics and Center for Reproductive Medicine, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China,Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction and Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100191, China,Beijing Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Beijing 100191, China,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Corresponding authors.
| | - Fuchou Tang
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics and Center for Reproductive Medicine, Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China,Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China,Corresponding authors.
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Casarini L, Paradiso E, Lazzaretti C, D'Alessandro S, Roy N, Mascolo E, Zaręba K, García-Gasca A, Simoni M. Regulation of antral follicular growth by an interplay between gonadotropins and their receptors. J Assist Reprod Genet 2022; 39:893-904. [PMID: 35292926 PMCID: PMC9050977 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-022-02456-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of the growth and maturation of human antral follicles is based mainly on concepts and deductions from clinical observations and animal models. To date, new experimental approaches and in vitro data contributed to a deep comprehension of gonadotropin receptors' functioning and may provide new insights into the mechanisms regulating still unclear physiological events. Among these, the production of androgen in the absence of proper LH levels, the programming of follicular atresia and dominance are some of the most intriguing. Starting from evolutionary issues at the basis of the gonadotropin receptor signal specificity, we draw a new hypothesis explaining the molecular mechanisms of the antral follicular growth, based on the modulation of endocrine signals by receptor-receptor interactions. The "heteromer hypothesis" explains how opposite death and life signals are delivered by gonadotropin receptors and other membrane partners, mediating steroidogenesis, apoptotic events, and the maturation of the dominant follicle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livio Casarini
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Ospedale di Baggiovara, via P. Giardini 1355, 41126, Modena, Italy.
- Center for Genomic Research, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
- SIERR, Rome, Italy.
| | - Elia Paradiso
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Ospedale di Baggiovara, via P. Giardini 1355, 41126, Modena, Italy
| | - Clara Lazzaretti
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Ospedale di Baggiovara, via P. Giardini 1355, 41126, Modena, Italy
| | - Sara D'Alessandro
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Ospedale di Baggiovara, via P. Giardini 1355, 41126, Modena, Italy
- International PhD School in Clinical and Experimental Medicine (CEM), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Neena Roy
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Ospedale di Baggiovara, via P. Giardini 1355, 41126, Modena, Italy
| | - Elisa Mascolo
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Ospedale di Baggiovara, via P. Giardini 1355, 41126, Modena, Italy
| | - Kornelia Zaręba
- First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Alejandra García-Gasca
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, 82112, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
| | - Manuela Simoni
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Ospedale di Baggiovara, via P. Giardini 1355, 41126, Modena, Italy
- Center for Genomic Research, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Medical Specialties, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, Modena, Italy
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Comparison of Ovarian Morphology and Follicular Disturbances between Two Inbred Strains of Cotton Rats ( Sigmodon hispidus). Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11061768. [PMID: 34204816 PMCID: PMC8231567 DOI: 10.3390/ani11061768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Multi-oocyte follicles have been reported in several mammals, especially in rabbits and hamsters, although their significance remains unclear. The present study compared ovarian histology, focusing on folliculogenesis, between two inbred cotton rat strains maintained at Hokkaido Institute of Public Health and the University of Miyazaki. Abundant multi-oocyte follicles and double-nucleated oocytes were observed in the Hokkaido strain, whereas Miyazaki had fewer multi-oocyte follicles and lacked double-nucleated oocytes. These findings indicate that early folliculogenesis events such as oocyte nest breakdown and oocyte vitality, rather than proliferation and cell death in each oocyte, affect the unique ovarian phenotypes found in cotton rats, including multi-oocyte follicles or double-nucleated oocytes, and their differences between strains. Therefore, these results can clarify mammalian folliculogenesis and its abnormal processes. Abstract Most mammalian ovarian follicles contain only a single oocyte having a single nucleus. However, two or more oocytes and nuclei are observed within one follicle and one oocyte, respectively, in several species, including cotton rat (CR, Sigmodon hispidus). The present study compared ovarian histology, focusing on folliculogenesis, between two inbred CR strains, HIS/Hiph and HIS/Mz. At 4 weeks of age, ovarian sections from both the strains were analyzed histologically. Multi-oocyte follicles (MOFs) and double-nucleated oocytes (DNOs) were observed in all stages of developing follicles in HIS/Hiph, whereas HIS/Mz had MOFs up to secondary stages and lacked DNOs. The estimated total follicles in HIS/Mz were almost half that of HIS/Hiph, but interstitial cells were well developed in HIS/Mz. Furthermore, immunostaining revealed no clear strain differences in the appearance of oocytes positive for Ki67, PCNA, and p63 in MOF or DNOs; no cell death was observed in these oocytes. Ultrastructural analysis revealed more abundant mitochondrial clouds in oocytes of HIS/Hiph than HIS/Mz. Thus, we clarified the strain differences in the CR ovary. These findings indicate that early events during folliculogenesis affect the unique ovarian phenotypes found in CRs, including MOFs or DNOs, and their strain differences.
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Cellular fate of intersex differentiation. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:388. [PMID: 33846307 PMCID: PMC8041806 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-03676-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Infertile ovotestis (mixture of ovary and testis) often occurs in intersex individuals under certain pathological and physiological conditions. However, how ovotestis is formed remains largely unknown. Here, we report the first comprehensive single-cell developmental atlas of the model ovotestis. We provide an overview of cell identities and a roadmap of germline, niche, and stem cell development in ovotestis by cell lineage reconstruction and a uniform manifold approximation and projection. We identify common progenitors of germline stem cells with two states, which reveal their bipotential nature to differentiate into both spermatogonial stem cells and female germline stem cells. Moreover, we found that ovotestis infertility was caused by degradation of female germline cells via liquid-liquid phase separation of the proteasomes in the nucleus, and impaired histone-to-protamine replacement in spermatid differentiation. Notably, signaling pathways in gonadal niche cells and their interaction with germlines synergistically determined distinct cell fate of both male and female germlines. Overall, we reveal a cellular fate map of germline and niche cell development that shapes cell differentiation direction of ovotestis, and provide novel insights into ovotestis development.
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Tahir MS, Nguyen LT, Schulz BL, Boe-Hansen GA, Thomas MG, Moore SS, Lau LY, Fortes MRS. Proteomics Recapitulates Ovarian Proteins Relevant to Puberty and Fertility in Brahman Heifers ( Bos indicus L.). Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:E923. [PMID: 31726744 PMCID: PMC6895798 DOI: 10.3390/genes10110923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
High fertility and early puberty in Bos indicus heifers are desirable and genetically correlated traits in beef production. The hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis synthesizes steroid hormones, which contribute to the shift from the pre-pubertal state into the post-pubertal state and influence subsequent fertility. Understanding variations in abundance of proteins that govern steroid synthesis and ovarian signaling pathways remains crucial to understanding puberty and fertility. We used whole ovaries of six pre-pubertal and six post-pubertal Brahman heifers to conduct differential abundance analyses of protein profiles between the two physiological states. Extracted proteins were digested into peptides followed by identification and quantification with massspectrometry (MS) by sequential window acquisition of all instances of theoretical fragment ion mass spectrometry (SWATH-MS). MS and statistical analysis identified 566 significantly differentially abundant (DA) proteins (adjusted p < 0.05), which were then analyzed for gene ontology and pathway enrichment. Our data indicated an up-regulation of steroidogenic proteins contributing to progesterone synthesis at luteal phase post-puberty. Proteins related to progesterone signaling, TGF-β, retinoic acid, extracellular matrix, cytoskeleton, and pleiotrophin signaling were DA in this study. The DA proteins probably relate to the formation and function of the corpus luteum, which is only present after ovulation, post-puberty. Some DA proteins might also be related to granulosa cells signaling, which regulates oocyte maturation or arrest in ovaries prior to ovulation. Ten DA proteins were coded by genes previously associated with reproductive traits according to the animal quantitative trait loci (QTL) database. In conclusion, the DA proteins and their pathways were related to ovarian activity in Bos indicus cattle. The genes that code for these proteins may explain some known QTLs and could be targeted in future genetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad S. Tahir
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (M.S.T.); (B.L.S.); (L.Y.L.)
| | - Loan T. Nguyen
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (L.T.N.); (S.S.M.)
| | - Benjamin L. Schulz
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (M.S.T.); (B.L.S.); (L.Y.L.)
| | - Gry A. Boe-Hansen
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4343, Queensland, Australia;
| | - Milton G. Thomas
- Department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;
| | - Stephen S. Moore
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (L.T.N.); (S.S.M.)
| | - Li Yieng Lau
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (M.S.T.); (B.L.S.); (L.Y.L.)
| | - Marina R. S. Fortes
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (M.S.T.); (B.L.S.); (L.Y.L.)
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