title: Specific disruption of Tsc1 in ovarian granulosa cells promotes ovulation and causes progressive accumulation of corpora lutea.
abstract: Tuberous sclerosis complex 1 (Tsc1) is a tumor suppressor negatively regulating mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). It is reported that mice lacking Tsc1 gene in oocytes show depletion of primordial follicles, resulting in premature ovarian failure and subsequent infertility. A recent study indicated that deletion of Tsc1 in somatic cells of the reproductive tract caused infertility of female mice. However, it is not known whether specific disruption of Tsc1 in granulosa cells influences the reproductive activity of female mice. To clarify this problem, we mated Tsc1(flox/flox) mice with transgenic mice strain expressing cyp19-cre which exclusively expresses in granulosa cells of the ovary. Our results demonstrated that Tsc1(flox/flox); cyp19-cre mutant mice were fertile, ovulating more oocytes and giving birth to more pups than control Tsc1(flox/flox) mice. Progressive accumulation of corpora lutea occurred in the Tsc1(flox/flox); cyp19-cre mutant mice with advanced age. These phenotypes could be explained by the elevated activity of mTORC1, as indicated by increased phosphorylation of rpS6, a substrate of S6 in the Tsc1(flox/flox); cyp19-cre mutant granulosa cells. In addition, rapamycin, a specific mTORC1 inhibitor, effectively rescued the phenotype caused by increased mTORC1 activity in the Tsc1(cko) ovaries. Our data suggest that conditional knockout of Tsc1 in granulosa cells promotes reproductive activity in mice.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors: Lin
authors: L
authors: Huang
authors: Zhen-Bo
authors: ZB
authors: Wang
authors: Zong-Zhe
authors: ZZ
authors: Jiang
authors: Meng-Wen
authors: MW
authors: Hu
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Lin
authors: Qing-Hua
authors: QH
authors: Zhang
authors: Yi-Bo
authors: YB
authors: Luo
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Hou
authors: Yong
authors: Y
authors: Zhao
authors: Heng-Yu
authors: HY
authors: Fan
authors: Heide
authors: H
authors: Schatten
authors: Qing-Yuan
authors: QY
authors: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D023061:Gene Order; D018390:Gene Targeting; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000494:pharmacology; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000077004:Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1 Protein; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C000624651:Tsc1 protein, mouse; D000077004:Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1 Protein; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus