卵泡颗粒细胞凋亡相关蛋白的研究进展

哺乳动物的卵巢中存在大量卵泡。大多数卵泡在发育过程中发生闭锁而消失,只有少数可以发育到成熟而排卵。卵泡是由卵母细胞与其周围的颗粒细胞构成的。卵泡颗粒细胞的凋亡是卵泡闭锁的主要原因。颗粒细胞凋亡相关蛋白通过参与凋亡通路及凋亡信号转导调节凋亡。本文就哺乳动物卵泡颗粒细胞凋亡相关蛋白的研究进展进行综述。     

颗粒细胞EGF类因子信号通路在调控卵母细胞成熟和发育中的作用

动物体内卵泡排卵前促黄体素(luteinizing hormone, LH)诱导了卵丘颗粒细胞扩散,并启动卵母细胞恢复减数分裂。普遍认为,卵泡壁层颗粒细胞表达LH受体,卵母细胞及其周围卵丘细胞不表达LH受体,LH通过作用于卵泡壁层颗粒细胞产生信号分子,这些信号分子作用于卵丘颗粒细胞介导了LH生物作用。然而,一直以来,关于排卵前介导LH作用而诱导卵母细胞成熟的机制一直存在争议。目前研究认为,LH作用于卵泡壁层颗粒细胞后产生了EGF类因子,并与颗粒细胞的受体结合,促进了卵母细胞的成熟和发育。由于体外成熟的卵丘卵母细胞复合体来源于生长卵泡,其卵丘颗粒细胞EGF类因子信号系统不完善,目前的体外成熟培养体系难以模拟卵泡内的生理环境,导致卵母细胞体外发育能力较差,限制了这些卵母细胞的利用效率。本文综述了颗粒细胞EGF类因子信号系统、EGF类因子在调控卵母细胞成熟中的作用及对卵母细胞发育能力的影响,为优化卵母细胞体外成熟培养体系,完善卵丘颗粒细胞的EGF类因子的信号系统,进而提高卵母细胞体外成熟效率提供理论依据。     

卵巢颗粒细胞凋亡的调控因素

卵泡闭锁是哺乳动物卵巢中一种普遍现象,其实质是由卵巢颗粒细胞凋亡造成的。颗粒细胞的状态已经成为衡量卵母细胞质量乃至胚胎发育能力的一个重要参考指标,因此对颗粒细胞的凋亡开展研究显得十分必要。调控颗粒细胞凋亡的因素有多种,本文从与颗粒细胞凋亡相关的激素、与颗粒细胞凋亡相关细胞因子和与颗粒细胞凋亡相关的基因三方面对卵巢颗粒细胞凋亡的调控因素进行综述。     

干扰素α应答基因的克隆及在兔早期胚胎发育中功能分析

干扰素(interferon,IFN)在哺乳动物早期胚胎发育过程中具有重要的生理功能,但是其作用机制尚不清楚.通过筛选卵巢cDNA文库和5′-RACE方法,克隆了兔卵巢干扰素α应答基因(interferonresponsivegene,IFRG)的全长cDNA(登录号:AJ584672).利用RT-PCR证明IFRG在兔卵母细胞和植入前胚胎中均有表达,这将为深入研究IFN在早期胚胎中的作用机制提供理论参考,卵巢原位杂交表明IFRG在成熟卵泡(类型5)的颗粒细胞中有表达,在初级和次级卵泡的膜鞘细胞和粒层细胞中有很高的表达,鉴于这些细胞与卵泡的发育密切相关,推测IFRG在卵泡的发育、成熟和排卵中发挥重要作用.     

绵羊卵泡成分对卵母细胞体外减数分裂调控的研究

哺乳动物卵巢中的卵母细胞一直处于减数分裂的停滞状态,卵泡内各成分被认为是产生抑制因子的主要来源。本研究以绵羊卵泡各成分为研究对象,用共培养的方法对卵丘细胞、颗粒细胞、膜细胞在卵母细胞体外减数分裂过程中的作用加以探讨。结果表明：1．卵泡整体及卵泡分泌物在体外可以有效地维持减数分裂停滞,经过24h培养,这两个处理组中,处于GV期的卵母细胞分别为69．6％和49．1％。经抑制处理后的卵母细胞脱离抑制环境后可以继发成熟,MⅡ比率可达88．9％。去掉卵丘细胞的裸卵其减数分裂过程不能被卵泡分泌物有效抑制,24h培养后其GV期比例为17．8％。以上结果说明卵泡中的抑制因子主要是通过卵丘细胞束发挥其调控作用的。2．用颗粒细胞与卵母细胞共培养,结果发现具有颗粒细胞卵丘细胞缝隙连接的卵母细胞(COCGs)在培养24小时后47．4％达到MⅡ,与在不具有细胞连接的总浮颗粒细胞中共培养的卵母细胞之间存在无显差异,无论是紧密连接的颗粒细胞层还是悬浮在培养液中的颗粒细胞都不能有效抑制生发泡破裂(GVBD)的发生,只能将卵母细胞抑制在MⅡ以前的各个时期。以上结果说明颗粒细胞在体外分泌抑制图子的活力大大下降。3．卵泡膜细胞具有分泌抑制成熟分裂因子的能力,与膜细胞层共培养的卵母细胞在8h和24h时,其GV期的比例为34．4％和32．7％,显高于没有膜细胞层的对照组(4．5％和1.1％)。综上所述,绵羊卵泡中的抑制因子不仅来自于颗粒细胞,而且膜细胞也参与了成熟分裂的抑制,这些细胞在体外仍具有分泌抑制因子的能力,只是与体内分泌能力有所不同。     

卵泡发生过程中GDF-9和BMP-15(GDF-9B)的作用

近年来,对卵巢内卵泡发育,即从原始卵泡募集、优势选择、卵泡生长、排卵到黄体形成的调控研究取得了很大的进展.研究表明TGF-β超家族的许多成员在各阶段卵泡发生中起重要的调节作用.TGF-β超家族的两个成员-生长分化因子-9(GDF-9)和骨形态因子-15(BMP-15,或GDF-9B)主要在哺乳动物卵母细胞中表达,对卵泡生长发育起关键作用.本文对GDF-9和BMP-15在卵泡发育过程中的作用进行了综述.     

MAPK和p90rsk在大鼠卵泡发育中的表达与活性

利用免疫组织化学方法研究丝裂原激活蛋白激酶(mitogen-activated protein kinases, MAPK)及其底物之一p90rsk在大鼠卵泡发育过程中的表达与活性.结果表明,非活性形式的MAPK存在于大鼠各生长期卵泡的卵母细胞和颗粒细胞中,但磷酸化活性形式的MAPK只存在于部分具有分裂增殖活性的颗粒细胞中.MAPK的作用底物p90rsk只在各期卵泡的卵母细胞中表达,在颗粒细胞中无着色,说明MAPK信号级联在卵母细胞和颗粒细胞中具有不同的作用方式.另外,胎鼠卵巢的免疫组化染色结果显示,MAPK在卵原细胞增殖过程中具有活性,表明MAPK信号级联在这一过程中起作用.     

MAPK和p90 rsk 在大鼠卵泡发育中的表达与活性

利用免疫组织化学方法研究丝裂原激活蛋白激酶（mitogen-activated protein kinases,MAPK)及其底物之一p90^rsk在大鼠卵泡发育过程中的表达与活性。结果表明,非活性形式的MAPK存在于大鼠各生长期卵泡的卵母细胞和颗粒细胞中,但磷酸化活性形式的MAPK只存在于部分具有分裂增殖活性的颗粒细胞中。MAPK的作用底物p90^rsk只在各期卵泡的卵母细胞中表达,在颗粒细胞中无着色,说明MAPK信号级联在卵母细胞和颗粒细胞中具有不同的作用方式。另外,胎鼠卵巢的免疫组化染色结果显示,MAPK在卵原细胞增殖过程中具有活性,表明MAPK信号级联在这一过程中起作用。     

近30年中国卵巢生理学研究进展（英文）

卵泡的形成和分化是在激素、卵巢内调节因素以及细胞间相互作用的精密调控下发生的序贯过程。细胞增殖与凋亡的平衡在优势卵泡的筛选中发挥着重要作用。原始生殖细胞在生殖嵴内的迁移和归巢需要诸多因素的协同调控,包括卵母细胞源性多肽生长因子、生长分化因子9、骨形态发生蛋白、干细胞因子(stem cell factor,SCF)、碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(basic fibroblast growth factor,bFGF)、转录因子肾母细胞瘤蛋白1(Wilms’tumour 1,Wt1)等,同时这一过程还需要原始生殖细胞在逐渐成熟的性腺刺激下与细胞外基质蛋白、细胞基质进行相互作用。卵丘-卵母细胞复合体的形成以及排卵的发生直接受黄体生成素(luteinizing hormone,LH)的调控,同时需要卵巢颗粒细胞中丝裂原活化蛋白激酶的活化参与其中。本文将对卵泡发育和分化以及排卵过程中涉及的细胞间作用以及信号转导的关键分子做一综述,重点关注卵母细胞以及体细胞产生的信号因子。     

哺乳动物卵泡卵母细胞发生的分子调控

哺乳动物卵泡卵母细胞发生的研究一直是发育生物学研究的重点之一。简要叙述了哺乳动物卵泡卵母细胞发生的一般过程,重点分析了原始生殖细胞向卵母细胞分化过程中gdf9、c-kti、BMP4及TGF家族关键基因的表达调控对卵母细胞发生的影响,以及卵母细胞与颗粒细胞间的相互调节作用,介绍了卵母细胞体外发生的最新研究进展及面临的难题等,为进一步研究原始生殖细胞向卵母细胞分化以及卵泡生长发育的机制提供了理论基础。     

Notch pathway genes are expressed in mammalian ovarian follicles.

Folliculogenesis is the process of development of ovarian follicles that ultimately results in the release of fertilizable oocytes at ovulation. This is a complex program that involves the proliferation and differentiation of granulosa cells. Granulosa cells are necessary for follicle growth and support the oocyte during folliculogenesis. Genes that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of granulosa cells are beginning to be elucidated. In this study, the expression patterns of Notch receptor genes and their ligands, which have been shown to regulate cell-fate decisions in many systems during development, were examined in the mammalian ovary. In situ hybridization data showed that Notch2, Notch3, and Jagged2 were expressed in an overlapping pattern in the granulosa cells of developing follicles. Jagged1 was expressed in oocytes exclusively. Downstream target genes of Notch also were expressed in granulosa cells. These data implicate the Notch signaling pathway in the regulation of mammalian folliculogenesis.     

The involvement of calcium in the activation of mammalian oocytes

Mouse oocytes with cumulus cells intact were parthenogenetically activated following release from the oviduct into calcium-free medium. The proportion of activated oocytes increased with post ovulatory age both for oocytes initially exposed to calcium-free and calcium-containing medium (control). Apart from oocytes released shortly after ovulation (approximately 1 h) when less than 1% of the oocytes from treated and control were activated, activation was always higher in oocytes incubated in calcium-free medium (p less than 0.001). The omission of magnesium from the medium had no effect on the activation response of oocytes obtained approximately 3 h after ovulation but its absence did increase the activation rate of oocytes of later post ovulatory age (approximately 9 h after ovulation) although it was still lower than that obtained with media devoid of calcium. When the extracellular calcium was replaced by other divalent cations (strontium, barium and manganese) high rates of activation were obtained even at post ovulatory times which produced relatively low rates of activation in calcium-free medium alone. Similar results were obtained when hamster oocytes were exposed to all the aforementioned treatments. It is concluded that calcium plays an essential role in the activation of the mammalian oocyte but the mechanism of its action remains obscure. Further development of oocytes activated by calcium-free treatment was limited and was similar to that of oocytes activated in other ways.     

Identification of cells migrating from the thecal layer of ovarian follicles

In the mammalian ovary, oocytes are contained within ovarian follicles. These consist in an oocyte surrounded by supporting cells: an inner layer of granulosa cells and an outer layer of thecal cells separated by a basal lamina. At any one time, a developing cohort of follicles exists, from which only a small species-specific number are selected for continued development towards ovulation, with the remainder dying by follicular atresia. Here, we use in vitro methods to study interactions between two follicles in culture (follicle co-cultures). We show that, when two individual follicles are grown together in culture, cells and cellular processes migrate from the outer thecal layer of one follicle to the thecal layer of the other co-cultured follicle. These cells are identified as a mixed population containing primarily endothelial but also neuronal cells. Both are able to migrate through the ovarian interstitum, making contact with the basal lamina of other follicles and with similar cells from these other follicles. Networks of such cells might be involved in interfollicular communication and in the coordination of follicle selection for ovulation.     

Paracrine actions of oocytes in the mouse pre-ovulatory follicle

In mammals, ovulation requires a tight control of extracellular matrix modifications, within both the follicle wall and the inner mass of granulosa cells surrounding the oocyte, namely the cumulus cells. During the pre-ovulatory period, mural granulosa cells promote selective degradation of perifollicular matrix, resulting in the formation of a follicle rupture site. Conversely, cumulus cells synthesize a large amount of a muco-elastic matrix that plays an essential role in the extrusion of the oocyte from the follicle and in the subsequent fertilization process. Formation of such matrix by cumulus cells in the pre-ovulatory follicle appears to be controlled by a paracrine influence by the oocyte. We have shown that mouse oocytes modulate the response of cumulus cells to an ovulatory gonadotropin stimulus by promoting the synthesis and preventing the degradation of cumulus matrix. Therefore, although gonadotropins are essential for triggering the complex events involved in ovulation, the oocyte appears to have an active role in this process. In the present review current data and hypotheses concerning molecular mechanisms involved in the organization and synthesis of cumulus matrix are discussed.     

Culture and Co-Culture of Mouse Ovaries and Ovarian Follicles

The mammalian ovary is composed of ovarian follicles, each follicle consisting of a single oocyte surrounded by somatic granulosa cells, enclosed together within a basement membrane. A finite pool of follicles is laid down during embryonic development, when oocytes in meiotic arrest form a close association with flattened granulosa cells, forming primordial follicles. By or shortly after birth, mammalian ovaries contain their lifetime’s supply of primordial follicles, from which point onwards there is a steady release of follicles into the growing follicular pool.The ovary is particularly amenable to development in vitro, with follicles growing in a highly physiological manner in culture. This work describes the culture of whole neonatal ovaries containing primordial follicles, and the culture of individual ovarian follicles, a method which can support the development of follicles from an immature through to the preovulatory stage, after which their oocytes are able to undergo fertilization in vitro. The work outlined here uses culture systems to determine how the ovary is affected by exposure to external compounds. We also describe a co-culture system, which allows investigation of the interactions that occur between growing follicles and the non-growing pool of primordial follicles.     

Role of the epidermal growth factor network in ovarian follicles

The LH surge causes major remodeling of the ovarian follicle in preparation for the ovulatory process. These changes include reprogramming of granulosa cells to differentiate into luteal cells, changes in cumulus cell secretory properties, and oocyte maturation. This review summarizes published data in support of the concept that LH stimulation of ovarian follicles involves activation of a local epidermal growth factor (EGF) network. A model describing this property of LH signaling and its branching to other signaling modules is discussed. According to this model, LH activation of mural granulosa cells stimulates cAMP signaling, which, in turn, induces the expression of the EGF-like growth factors epiregulin, amphiregulin, and betacellulin. These growth factors function by activating EGF receptors in either an autocrine/juxtacrine fashion within the mural layer, or they diffuse to act on cumulus cells. Activation of EGF receptor signaling in cumulus cells, together with cAMP priming, triggers oocyte nuclear maturation and acquisition of developmental competence as well as cumulus expansion. This model has important implications for ovarian physiology and for the development of new strategies for the pharmacological control of ovulation and for gamete maturation in vitro.     

Regulation of tissue-type plasminogen activator activity and messenger RNA levels by gonadotropin-releasing hormone in cultured rat granulosa cells and cumulus-oocyte complexes

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) acts directly on the ovary to induce ovulation in hypophysectomized proestrous rats. Because plasminogen activators (PAs) are implicated in gonadotropin-induced ovulation, we have studied the effect of GnRH on ovarian PA synthesis. GnRH induced tissue-type PA (tPA) secretion by cultured rat granulosa cells, but inhibited the secretion of urokinase-type PA. These effects were blocked by co-treatment with a GnRH antagonist, suggesting that stereospecific GnRH receptors are involved. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) also induced tPA in granulosa cells but with a different time course than GnRH; the combined effect of FSH and GnRH was additive. The GnRH effect was mimicked by the calcium- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C activator, phorbol myristate acetate. In isolated cumulus-oocyte complexes and cumulus cells, GnRH treatment also increased tPA activity. In contrast, treatment of denuded oocytes with GnRH did not increase enzyme activity. After GnRH stimulation of the cumulus-oocyte complexes, tPA content in the denuded oocyte was elevated, suggesting that the cumulus cells mediate the action of GnRH to increase the oocyte enzyme levels. Hybridization experiments using a labeled rat tPA-specific DNA probe showed that both FSH and GnRH increased the level of tPA mRNA in cultured granulosa cells; the stimulatory effect of GnRH was blocked by the GnRH antagonist. Our results indicate that GnRH treatment increases tPA secretion by cultured granulosa cells and cumulus-oocyte complexes. The stimulation of enzyme activity in the granulosa cells is accompanied by increases in tPA mRNA levels.     

The Hormonal Control of the Amphibian Ovary

The ultimate control of amphibian gonadal function rests withenvironmen tal factors mediated through the hypothalamus. Itappears that control of ovarian growth resides in the infundibularregion and ovulation in the preoptic area. For normal temporalrelationships between oocyte growth and ovulation to occur,an intact hypothalamo-pituitary complex is necessary. It isuncertain whether the several types of pituitary basophils considered,histologically as gonadotropin producing cells are in fact producingseparate LH and FSH like hormones. Perhaps the concensus indicatesa single hormone has both vitellogenic and ovulatory functions.This hormone stimulates estrogen synthesis and secretion bythe ovarian follicle cells, and this steroid causes oviductgrowth and the hepatic biosynthesis of vitellogenin, the majoryolk platelet precursor. Uptake of this lipoprotein from thecirculation and its conversion to the components of the plateletis mediated by the gonadotropin, the presence of which resultsin the establishment of a rapid micropinocytotic process atthe level of the oocyte surface and of a mechanism for crystallizationof the yolk. A sudden surge of pituitary hormone, when presentedto fully grown oocytes leads to their maturation and ovulation,and to oviducal jelly release in some species. The active hormoneis progestin in nature, again produced by the follicle cells. In this review the known factors involved in the hypothalamohypophysio ovarian axis are discussed together with some considerationof outstanding problemsand the possible relevance ot ovipantvand ovovivipanty in amphibians to the ovarian control foundin viviparous species.     

Granulosa cell apoptosis: conservation of cell signaling in an avian ovarian model system

Ovarian follicle atresia in all vertebrates studied to date is mediated via apoptosis, a process that is often initiated within the granulosa cell layer. While follicle atresia is considered a normal physiological process to insure the greatest chance for ovulation of fertilizable oocytes, abnormally high rates of atresia result in chronic infertility and/or premature termination of fertility (e.g., menopause). Although the vast majority of research to elucidate the molecular ordering of cell signaling during the process of granulosa cell apoptosis has been conducted in mammalian model systems, there is ample evidence to demonstrate that many of the proteins, enzymes and cell-signaling pathways are common to ovarian follicles from avian species. The following review will discuss evidence for the conservation of cellular processes that regulate the fate of granulosa cells from the avian, versus mammalian, ovary during follicle development.