title: Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins and ovarian dysfunction in galactosemic rats.
abstract: Galactosemia is a genetic disease with deficiency of galactose-1-uridyltransferase, resulting in the accumulation of galactose or galactose-1-phosphate in the blood and tissues. Rats were fed with normal rat chow and with a high-galactose diet for 4 weeks to give control and galactosemic groups, and their ovarian function was studied. The two groups of rats were injected with pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and were killed at different time points after human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) injection. The number of oocytes ovulated in the controls was significantly higher than in the galactosemic group. Morphometric studies of the ovaries also showed a higher number of corpora lutea in the controls. Western blot analysis of granulosa cells showed that the overall expressions of Fas and FasL were lower in the control group and their expressions of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) were higher than in the galactosemic group, especially at 8 h post hCG injection. TDT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) and immunohistochemical staining of ovarian sections with Ki-67 and IAPs showed more apoptotic granulosa cells in the galactosemic group and the expressions of IAPs in granulosa cells also confirmed the result of the Western blot. These findings support our hypothesis that ovarian dysfunction in galactosemic rats is due to increased apoptosis in granulosa cells of maturing follicles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, P.R. China.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: L Y L
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: A L M
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: O
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D000075747:Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing 3 Protein; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated / Q000009:adverse effects; D005690:Galactose / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005693:Galactosemias / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010049:Ovarian Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; C505661:FASLG protein, human; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; C505662:Faslg protein, rat; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011506:Proteins; D019014:fas Receptor; D000075747:Baculoviral IAP Repeat-Containing 3 Protein; C494836:Birc3 protein, rat; D005690:Galactose