Candidate Gene Expression inBos indicusOvarian Tissues: Prepubertal and Postpubertal Heifers in Diestrus.
Growth factors such as bone morphogenetic proteins 6, 7, 15, and two isoforms of transforming growth factor-beta (BMP6, BMP7, BMP15, TGFB1, and TGFB2), and insulin-like growth factor system act as local regulators of ovarian follicular development. To elucidate if these factors as well as others candidate genes, such as estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR), bone morphogenetic protein receptor, type 2 (BMPR2), type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR1), and key steroidogenic enzymes cytochrome P450 aromatase and 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (CYP19A1andHSD3B1) could modulate or influence diestrus on the onset of puberty in Brahman heifers, their ovarian mRNA expression was measured before and after puberty (luteal phase). Six postpubertal (POST) heifers were euthanized on the luteal phase of their second cycle, confirmed by corpus luteum observation, and six prepubertal (PRE) heifers were euthanized in the same day. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression ofFSHR, BMP7, CYP19A1, IGF1, andIGFR1mRNA was greater in PRE heifers, when contrasted to POST heifers. The expression ofLHRandHSD3B1was lower in PRE heifers. Differential expression of ovarian genes could be associated with changes in follicular dynamics and different cell populations that have emerged as consequence of puberty and the luteal phase. The emerging hypothesis is thatBMP7andIGF1are co-expressed and may modulate the expression ofFSHR, LHRandIGFR1, andCYP19A1.BMP7could influence the downregulation ofLHRand upregulation ofFSHRandCYP19A1, which mediates the follicular dynamics in heifer ovaries. Upregulation ofIGF1expression prepuberty, compared to postpuberty diestrus, correlates with increased levelsFSHRandCYP19A1. Thus,BMP7andIGF1may play synergic roles and were predicted to interact, from the expression data (P= 0.07,r= 0.84). The role of these co-expressed genes in puberty and heifers luteal phase merits further research.
Animal Science Department, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Mayara Morena Del Cambre Amaral
MM
Weller
School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland , Brisbane, QLD , Australia.
Marina Rufino S
MR
Fortes
CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland Bioscience Precinct , Brisbane, QLD , Australia.
Laercio R
LR
Porto-Neto
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland , Brisbane, QLD , Australia.
Matthew
M
Kelly
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland , Brisbane, QLD , Australia.
Bronwyn
B
Venus
School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Queensland , Gatton, QLD , Australia.
Lisa
L
Kidd
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Ceará , Fortaleza, Ceará , Brazil.
João Paulo Arcelino
JP
do Rego
School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Queensland , Gatton, QLD , Australia.
Sophia
S
Edwards
School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Queensland , Gatton, QLD , Australia.
Gry B
GB
Boe-Hansen
School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Queensland , Gatton, QLD , Australia.
Emily
E
Piper
CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland Bioscience Precinct , Brisbane, QLD , Australia.
Sigrid A
SA
Lehnert
Animal Science Department, Universidade Federal de Viçosa , Viçosa, Minas Gerais , Brazil.
Simone Eliza Facioni
SE
Guimarães
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland , Brisbane, QLD , Australia.
Stephen Stewart
SS
Moore
bovine species; corpus luteum; folliculogenesis; intraovarian factors; quantitative real-time PCR