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Brieño-Enriquez MA, Duncan FE, Ghazi A, Klutstein M, Sebastiano V, Tyler J. Editorial: Germ cell development and reproductive aging. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1051539. [PMID: 36313559 PMCID: PMC9597615 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1051539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Angel Brieño-Enriquez
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, School of Medicine, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Miguel Angel Brieño-Enriquez, ,
| | - Francesca E. Duncan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Arjumand Ghazi
- Departments of Pediatrics, Developmental Biology and Cell Biology, and Physiology, John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Michael Klutstein
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Vittorio Sebastiano
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Jessica Tyler
- Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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Place NJ, Prado AM, Faykoo-Martinez M, Brieño-Enriquez MA, Albertini DF, Holmes MM. Germ cell nests in adult ovaries and an unusually large ovarian reserve in the naked mole-rat. Reproduction 2021; 161:89-98. [PMID: 33151901 DOI: 10.1530/rep-20-0304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The naked mole-rat (NMR, Heterocephalus glaber) is renowned for its eusociality and exceptionally long lifespan (> 30 y) relative to its small body size (35-40 g). A NMR phenomenon that has received far less attention is that females show no decline in fertility or fecundity into their third decade of life. The age of onset of reproductive decline in many mammalian species is closely associated with the number of germ cells remaining at the age of sexual maturity. We quantified ovarian reserve size in NMRs at the youngest age (6 months) when subordinate females can begin to ovulate after removal from the queen's suppression. We then compared the NMR ovarian reserve size to values for 19 other mammalian species that were previously reported. The NMR ovarian reserve at 6 months of age is exceptionally large at 108,588 ± 69,890 primordial follicles, which is more than 10-fold larger than in mammals of a comparable size. We also observed germ cell nests in ovaries from 6-month-old NMRs, which is highly unusual since breakdown of germ cell nests and the formation of primordial follicles is generally complete by early postnatal life in other mammals. Additionally, we found germ cell nests in young adult NMRs between 1.25 and 3.75 years of age, in both reproductively activated and suppressed females. The unusually large NMR ovarian reserve provides one mechanism to account for this species' protracted fertility. Whether germ cell nests in adult ovaries contribute to the NMR's long reproductive lifespan remains to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ned J Place
- Department of Population Medicine & Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Alexandra M Prado
- Department of Population Medicine & Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | | | - Miguel Angel Brieño-Enriquez
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Medicine, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David F Albertini
- Department of Reproductive Biology, Bedford Research Foundation, Bedford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Melissa M Holmes
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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Brown JL, Xie J, Brieño-Enriquez MA, Sones J, Angulo CN, Boehm U, Miller A, Toufaily C, Wang Y, Bernard DJ, Roberson MS. Sex- and Age-Specific Impact of ERK Loss Within the Pituitary Gonadotrope in Mice. Endocrinology 2018; 159:1264-1276. [PMID: 29300908 PMCID: PMC5802804 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-00653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling regulates hormone action in the reproductive axis, but specific mechanisms have yet to be completely elucidated. In the current study, ERK1 null and ERK2 floxed mice were combined with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR)-internal ribosomal entry site-Cre (GRIC) driver. Female ERK double-knockout (ERKdko) animals were hypogonadotropic, resulting in anovulation and complete infertility. Transcript levels of four gonadotrope-specific genes (GnRHR and the three gonadotropin subunits) were reduced in pituitaries at estrus in ERKdko females, and the postcastration response to endogenous GnRH hyperstimulation was blunted. As females aged, they exhibited abnormal ovarian histology, as well as increased body weight. ERKdko males were initially less affected, showing moderate subfertility, up to 6 months of age. Male ERKdko mice also displayed a blunted response to endogenous GnRH following castration. By 12 months of age, ERKdko males had reduced testicular weights and sperm production. By 18 months of age, the ERKdko males displayed reduced testis and seminal vesicle weights, marked seminiferous tubule degeneration, and a 77% reduction in sperm production relative to controls. As the GRIC is also active in the male germ line, we examined the specific role of ERK loss in the testes using the stimulated by retinoic acid 8 (Stra8)-Cre driver. Whereas ERK loss in GRIC and Stra8 males resulted in comparable losses in sperm production, seminiferous tubule histological degeneration was only observed in the GRIC-ERKdko animals. Our data suggest that loss of ERK signaling and hypogonadotropism within the reproductive axis impacts fertility and gonadal aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Brown
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Jianjun Xie
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | | | - Jennifer Sones
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
| | - Cynthia N Angulo
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Ulrich Boehm
- Experimental Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Signaling, Saarland University School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany
| | - Andrew Miller
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Chirine Toufaily
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Québec, Canada
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Québec, Canada
| | - Daniel J Bernard
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Québec, Canada
| | - Mark S Roberson
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Correspondence: Mark S. Roberson, PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences, T4-018 Veterinary Research Tower, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853. E-mail:
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