Transcriptome Profiling of Granulosa and Theca Cells During Dominant Follicle Development in the Horse

Information
Authors: 
Donadeu, F. X., Fahiminiya, S., Esteves, C. L., Nadaf, J., Miedzinska, K., McNeilly, A. S., Waddington, D. & Gérard, N.
Journal: 
Biology of Reproduction
Journal publication date: 
2014
DOIs: 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.114.118943
Abstract

Several aspects of equine ovarian physiology are unique among domestic species. Moreover, follicular growth patterns are very similar between horses and humans. This study aimed to characterize, for the first time, global gene expression profiles associated with growth and pre-ovulatory maturation of equine dominant follicles. Granulosa and theca interna cells (GCs, TCs) were harvested from follicles (n = 5) at different stages of an ovulatory wave in mares corresponding to early dominance (ED; diameter ≥22 mm), late dominance (LD; ≥33 mm) and pre-ovulatory stage (PO; 34h after administration of crude equine gonadotropins at LD stage), and separately analyzed on a horse gene expression microarray, followed by validation using qPCR and immunoblotting/immunohistochemistry. Numbers of differentially expressed transcripts (DETs; ≥2-fold; P <0.05) during the ED-LD and LD-PO transitions were 546 and 2419 in GCs, and 5 and 582 in TCs. The most prominent change in GCs was the down-regulation of transcripts associated with cell division during both ED-LD and LD-PO. In addition, DET sets during LD-PO in GCs were enriched for genes involved in cell communication/adhesion, anti-oxidation/detoxification, immunity/inflammation and cholesterol biosynthesis. In contrast, the largest change in TCs during the LD-PO transition was an up-regulation of genes involved in immune activation, with other DET sets mapping to GPCR/cAMP signaling, lipid/aminoacid metabolism, and cell proliferation/survival and differentiation. In conclusion, distinct expression profiles were identified between growing and pre-ovulatory follicles and, particularly, between GCs and TCs within each stage. Several DETs were identified that have not been associated with follicle development in other species.