背景:卵泡发育在决定禽蛋产量方面起着重要作用。不同发育阶段的卵泡具有各自独特的分子遗传特征,在鸡卵巢发育和功能中具有不同的生物学作用。在每个阶段,卵泡特异性表达和生物学途径的几个基因参与不同大小的卵泡发育和生理事件。确定控制卵泡发育的关键基因和信号通路有助于了解蛋鸡产卵性状的确切调控功能和分子机制。
结果:在三个关键发育阶段,包括缓慢生长的白色卵泡(GWF)的卵巢卵泡的比较mRNA转录组学分析,招募到层次结构中的小黄色卵泡(SYF),和分化的大黄色卵泡(LYF),在产蛋量较低和较高的蛋层中完成。完全正确,137、447和229的上调差异表达基因(DEGs),以及GWF中99、97和157个下调的DEG,SYF和LYF卵泡,包括VIPR1、VIPR2、ADRB2和HSD17B1,分别。此外,NDUFAB1和GABRA1基因,从GWF中的13个共表达的DEGs中筛选出两个与产卵性能相关的最有希望的候选者,SYF和LYF样品。我们进一步研究了NDUFAB1和GABRA1对卵巢卵泡发育的生物学效应,发现NDUFAB1通过刺激颗粒细胞(GC)增殖和减少细胞凋亡促进卵泡发育,增加CCND1和BCL-2的表达,但减弱caspase-3的表达,并通过增强STAR和CYP11A1的表达促进类固醇生成。相比之下,GABRA1抑制GC增殖并刺激细胞凋亡,降低CCND1、BCL-2、STAR、和CYP11A1,但升高了caspase-3的表达。此外,三个关键的信号通路,如PPAR信号通路,cAMP信号通路和神经活性配体-受体相互作用显著富集,这可能在卵泡生长中起着重要作用,分化,卵泡选择,和成熟。
结论:当前的研究提供了新的分子数据,以深入了解与鸡产卵相关的卵泡发育的调节机制。
BACKGROUND: Ovarian follicle development plays an important role in determination of poultry egg production. The follicles at the various developmental stages possess their own distinct molecular genetic characteristics and have different biological roles in chicken ovary development and function. In the each stage, several genes of follicle-specific expression and biological pathways are involved in the vary-sized follicular development and physiological events. Identification of the pivotal genes and signaling pathways that control the follicular development is helpful for understanding their exact regulatory functions and molecular mechanisms underlying egg-laying traits of laying hens.
RESULTS: The comparative mRNA transcriptomic analysis of ovarian follicles at three key developmental stages including slow growing white follicles (GWF), small yellow follicles (SYF) of recruitment into the hierarchy, and differentiated large yellow follicles (LYF), was accomplished in the layers with lower and higher egg production. Totally, 137, 447, and 229 of up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and 99, 97, and 157 of down-regulated DEGs in the GWF, SYF and LYF follicles, including VIPR1, VIPR2, ADRB2, and HSD17B1 were identified, respectively. Moreover, NDUFAB1 and
GABRA1 genes, two most promising candidates potentially associated with egg-laying performance were screened out from the 13 co-expressed DEGs in the GWF, SYF and LYF samples. We further investigated the biological effects of NDUFAB1 and
GABRA1 on ovarian follicular development and found that NDUFAB1 promotes follicle development by stimulating granulosa cell (GC) proliferation and decreasing cell apoptosis, increases the expression of CCND1 and BCL-2 but attenuates the expression of caspase-3, and facilitates steroidogenesis by enhancing the expression of STAR and CYP11A1. In contrast,
GABRA1 inhibits GC proliferation and stimulates cell apoptosis, decreases the expression of CCND1, BCL-2, STAR, and CYP11A1 but elevates the expression of caspase-3. Furthermore, the three crucial signaling pathways such as PPAR signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction were significantly enriched, which may play essential roles in ovarian follicle growth, differentiation, follicle selection, and maturation.
CONCLUSIONS: The current study provided new molecular data for insight into the regulatory mechanism underlying ovarian follicle development associated with egg production in chicken.