[The expression of proto-oncogene c-erbB₂ and its role in the initiation of primordial follicle growth in rat ovary].
Little is known about the factors that control the initiation of growth of primordial follicles. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of c-erbB₂ on the onset of primordial follicle development, and whether c-erbB₂ mediates the effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in this process. We synthesized three pairs of siRNAs targeting the c-erbB₂ mRNA and transferred them into the newborn rat ovary cultured in vitro with Metafectene. After siRNAs transfection, the efficiency of siRNAs was tested by examining c-erbB₂ mRNA and protein levels. The level of c-erbB₂ mRNA was reduced by 49.6%, 46.7% and 82.6% respectively after transfecting siRNA1, siRNA2 and siRNA3, and the level of ErbB₂ protein also reduced remarkably after siRNA3 transfection. c-erbB₂ siRNA3 significantly inhibited the primordial follicle initiation and development; EGF augmented primordial follicles formation, but the effect was abolished by c-erbB₂ siRNA3. All of these results suggest that c-erbB₂ plays an important role in primordial follicle development and folliculogenesis initiation, and mediates the effect of EGF on primordial follicle development.
Department of Physiology Reproduction, Nanchang University Medical College, China.
Liang-Quan
LQ
Xu
Ai-Xia
AX
Xu
Jian
J
Huang
Wei-Yun
WY
Chen
Yue-Hui
YH
Zheng
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D005260:Female; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000254:growth & development*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D051381:Rats; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*
D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C483804:Erbb2 protein, rat