title: Meta-analysis of gene expression profiles in granulosa cells during folliculogenesis.
abstract: Folliculogenesis involves coordinated profound changes in different follicular compartments and significant modifications of their gene expression patterns, particularly in granulosa cells. Huge datasets have accumulated from the analyses of granulosa cell transcriptomic signatures in predefined physiological contexts using different technological platforms. However, no comprehensive overview of folliculogenesis is available. This would require integration of datasets from numerous individual studies. A prerequisite for such integration would be the use of comparable platforms and experimental conditions. The EmbryoGENE program was created to study bovine granulosa cell transcriptomics under different physiological conditions using the same platform. Based on the data thus generated so far, we present here an interactive web interface called GranulosaIMAGE (Integrative Meta-Analysis of Gene Expression), which provides dynamic expression profiles of any gene of interest and all isoforms thereof in granulosa cells at different stages of folliculogenesis. GranulosaIMAGE features two kinds of expression profiles: gene expression kinetics during bovine folliculogenesis from small (6 mm) to pre-ovulatory follicles under different hormonal and physiological conditions and expression profiles of granulosa cells of dominant follicles from post-partum cows in different metabolic states. This article provides selected examples of expression patterns along with suggestions for users to access and generate their own patterns using GranulosaIMAGE. The possibility of analysing gene expression dynamics during the late stages of folliculogenesis in a mono-ovulatory species such as bovine should provide a new and enriched perspective on ovarian physiology.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Biologie de la ReproductionDépartement des Sciences Animales, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Daulat Raheem
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Biologie de la ReproductionDépartement des Sciences Animales, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Éric
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Biologie de la ReproductionDépartement des Sciences Animales, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dufort
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Biologie de la ReproductionDépartement des Sciences Animales, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: François J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Biomedical SciencesWestern College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
authors.forename: Jaswant
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Biologie de la ReproductionDépartement des Sciences Animales, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Québec, Canada marc-andre.sirard@fsaa.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Marc-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sirard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D059467:Transcriptome