Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) follicular signalling is conserved in the mare ovary.
Abstract: The mare ovary is unique in its anatomical structure; however, the signalling pathways responsible for physiological processes, such as follicular activation, remain uncharacterised. This provided us with the impetus to explore whether signalling molecules from important folliculogenesis pathways, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), are conserved in the mare ovary. Messenger RNA expression of six genes important in follicle development was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and protein localisation of key pathway members (PI3K, AKT1, phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN), JAK1, STAT3 and suppressor of cytokine signalling 4 (SOCS4)) was compared in tissue from fetal and adult mare ovaries. Tissue from adult ovaries exhibited significantly increased levels of mRNA expression of PI3K, AKT1, PTEN, JAK1, STAT3 and SOCS4 compared with tissue from fetal ovaries. PI3K, AKT1, JAK1 and STAT3 demonstrated redistributed localisation, from pregranulosa cells in fetal development, to both the oocyte and granulosa cells of follicles in the adult ovary, whilst negative feedback molecules PTEN and SOCS4 were only localised to the granulosa cells in the adult ovary. These findings suggest that the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT signalling pathways are utilised during folliculogenesis in the mare, similarly to previously studied mammalian species, and may serve as useful biomarkers for assessment of ovary development in the horse.
Publication Date: 2017-09-26 PubMed ID: 28945982DOI: 10.1071/RD17024Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research explores the conserved signaling pathways in mare ovary that are responsible for processes like follicular activation, focusing on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathways.
Objectives and Methodology
- The article aimed at determining if the signaling molecules of the folliculogenesis pathways, PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT, are conserved in mare ovary.
- The researchers also sought to measure the messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of six genes crucial for follicle development, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
- They compared the protein localizations of key pathway members including PI3K, AKT1, PTEN, JAK1, STAT3, and SOCS4 in tissues from fetal and adult mare ovaries.
Results and Findings
- Results indicate that the adult ovary tissue displayed significantly higher mRNA expressions of PI3K, AKT1, PTEN, JAK1, STAT3, and SOCS4 than fetal ovary tissue.
- The key pathway proteins showed a shift in localization, from pregranulosa cells during fetal development to both the oocyte and granulosa cells of follicles in adult ovary.
- Giving a proof of the presence of negative feedback, PTEN and SOCS4 were found only in the granulosa cells of the adult ovary.
Implications and Conclusions
- The experimental findings indicate the utilization of PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT signaling pathways during folliculogenesis in the mare, which is in line with previously researched mammalian species.
- The study thus opens up a possibility of these pathways serving as important biomarkers for assessing ovarian development in horses.
- This could be a significant breakthrough in equine reproductive research and can potentially enable better control and manipulation of equine reproduction processes.
Cite This Article
APA
Hall SE, Upton RMO, McLaughlin EA, Sutherland JM.
(2017).
Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) follicular signalling is conserved in the mare ovary.
Reprod Fertil Dev, 30(4), 624-633.
https://doi.org/10.1071/RD17024 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Horses
- Janus Kinases / metabolism
- Ovarian Follicle / metabolism
- Ovary / metabolism
- Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
- Phosphorylation
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
- STAT Transcription Factors / metabolism
- Signal Transduction / physiology
Citations
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