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The role of circular RNAs in porcine antral follicular degeneration

ABSTRACT: Goal:Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are thought to play important roles in multiple biological processes including apoptosis. In the ovary granulosa cell apoptosis plays an essential role in the follicular phase of the estrous cycle as it determines if the selected follicles will degenerate or escape this fate and ovulate. Whether circRNAs play a role in granulosa cell apoptosis is at present unknown. By investigating the potential role of circRNAs in the granulosa cell apoptotic cascade we hope to gain novel information regarding the regulation of antral follicular apoptosis using the porcine ovary as a model. Method: Ribosomal-depleted RNA-sequencing was performed to generate circRNA expression profiles from isolated mural porcine granulosa cells of healthy antral (HA) and atretic antral (AA) follicles, respectively. Results:In total, more than 9,632 circRNAs were identified, of which 62 circRNAs were differentially expressed (DE-circRNAs). GO and KEGG analysis of DE-circRNAs showed that apoptosis, cellular responses to stress and cell cycle pathways, were significantly enriched. Next the characteristics of DE-circRNAs, including back-splicing, RNase R resistance and stability were validated, and miRNA binding sites of DE-circRNAs were predicted. Conclusion: Based on these observations, we conclude that aberrantly expressed circRNAs and their targeted genes seem to be associated with granulosa cell apoptosis and thus antral follicular atresia.

ORGANISM(S): Sus scrofa

PROVIDER: GSE136589 | GEO | 2020/08/31

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:In mammals, ovarian folliculogenesis leading to the ovulation of completely mature oocytes is a long and complex process that is regulated at different levels. The mechanisms that underlie the selection of one or several dominant follicles as well as the regulation of the number of ovulating follicles are largely unknown. In this project, we proposed to study the genetic determinism that underlies the difference of ovulation rate between species (cattle and pigs), by studying two processes that exist in ovary: follicular development and follicular atresia. Towards this purpose, we made a comparative transcriptomics study on granulosa cells. Pig and cattle comparison was achieved by a transcriptome analysis with a 9K nylon pig microarray (GPL3729) on granulosa cells from either small healthy antral follicles (SHF), small atretic follicles (SAF) or large healthy antral follicles (LHF). The images were quantified using AGscan software and the data were managed with BASE software. Statistical analysis was performed using R software. Transcriptomic analysis on pig and cattle evidenced 997 differentially expressed genes (FDR1%) between the three follicle classes and/or the two species. This research project which implicated three laboratories from INRA: "Laboratoire de Genetique Cellulaire" (UMR444-LGC) , "Station d'Amelioration Genetique des Animaux" (UR 631-SAGA) and "Physiologie des Comportements et de la reproduction" (UMR 85-PRC) benefited from both European funding through SABRE project and French ANR funding through GenOvul project. Keywords: transcriptome analysis, pig, cattle, ovary, folliculogenesis, gene expression, cDNA microarray The data were obtained from 34 RNA samples: 10 small healthy follicles samples (6 for sows and 4 for cows), 13 small atretic follicles samples (7 for sows and 6 for cows) and 11 samples for large healthy follicles (6 for sows and 5 for cows). They were hybridized on a 9K pig nylon microarray (GPL3729).

Project description:Antral follicle size might be a valuable additive predictive marker for IVF outcome. However, while some studies show positive relations between follicle size and reproductive outcome, others have not been successful in establishing this relation. To better understand consequences of antral follicle size for reproductive outcome, we aimed to obtain insight in follicle size-related granulosa cell processes, as granulosa cells play an essential role in follicular development via the production of growth factors, steroids and metabolic intermediates, needed for follicular growth and oocyte development. Using pigs as a model, we compared gene and protein expression in granulosa cells of smaller and larger follicles in the healthy antral follicle pool at the start of the follicular phase of the estrous cycle. In sows, the early antral follicle pool is very heterogeneous when e.g. size and steroid content of the follicular fluid are considered. To which extent this variety contributes to the developmental competence of the follicles is not clear. Therefore, sows with high variation in antral follicle size (HighVAR) as well as sows with low variation in antral follicle size (LowVAR) were used. Granulosa cells of smaller antral follicles in the healthy antral follicle pool show increased cell proliferation, which was accompanied by a metabolic shift towards aerobic glycolysis (i.e. the Warburg effect), similar to other highly proliferating cells. High granulosa cell proliferation rates in smaller follicles might be regulated via increased granulosa cell expression of AR and EGFR which are activated in response to locally produced mitogens. While granulosa cells of smaller follicles in the pool were more proliferative, indicative of higher follicular growth, granulosa cells of larger follicles in the pool showed less proliferation and were more differentiated, as they showed a higher expression of follicular maturation marker IGF1 and ANGPT1. Our results imply that the inclusion of strict criteria of antral follicle size in IVF protocols might improve reproductive outcome. In addition, we have granulosa cell gene expression of healthy follicles to unravel underlying mechanisms of differences in COC morphology. We compared gene expression in sows with low vs. high-COC-health and found a decreased expression of genes involved in ovarian steroidogenesis (e.g. CYP19A1, ADM, SPP1) and higher expression of genes involved in follicular atresia (e.g. GADD45A, INHBB) in sows with low-COC-health. Thereby we have identified several genes which may serve as markers for follicle developmental competence.

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The role of circular RNAs in porcine antral follicular degeneration

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