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Reproduction, Fertility, and Development Feb 2021Overexposure to glucocorticoids during fetal development alters fetal organ growth and maturation patterns, which can result in adverse programming outcomes in...
Overexposure to glucocorticoids during fetal development alters fetal organ growth and maturation patterns, which can result in adverse programming outcomes in adulthood. The aim of this study was to determine whether exposure to dexamethasone (Dx) during the fetal period programmed ovary development and function in infant (16-day-old) and peripubertal (38-day-old) female offspring. Pregnant Wistar rats were separated into control and Dx-treated (0.5mg kg-1) groups and were injected with Dx or an equivalent volume of vehicle on Days 16, 17 and 18 of gestation. Ovaries from 16- and 38-day-old female offspring were prepared for histological and stereological examination. The volume of the ovary and the number of primordial and primary follicles were significantly reduced in prenatally Dx-exposed infant and peripubertal female offspring compared with control offspring. The number of multilaminar follicles was decreased in infant female offspring. In peripubertal females, prenatal exposure to Dx increased the number of multilaminar and large follicles of all classes. Because vaginal opening did not occur up to Day 38 postpartum in the Dx-exposed offspring, the absence of ovulation and corpora lutea is confirmation that the onset of puberty had been delayed. We can conclude that overexposure to glucocorticoids early in life programs ovary development, which may affect fertility in adulthood.
Topics: Age Factors; Animals; Corpus Luteum; Dexamethasone; Female; Fertility; Fetal Development; Gestational Age; Glucocorticoids; Ovarian Follicle; Ovary; Ovulation; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Rats, Wistar; Sexual Development; Rats
PubMed: 33529570
DOI: 10.1071/RD20164 -
Science Advances Apr 2024The reproductive and endocrine functions of the ovary involve spatially defined interactions among specialized cell populations. Despite the ovary's importance in...
The reproductive and endocrine functions of the ovary involve spatially defined interactions among specialized cell populations. Despite the ovary's importance in fertility and endocrine health, functional attributes of ovarian cells are largely uncharacterized. Here, we profiled >18,000 genes in 257 regions from the ovaries of two premenopausal donors to examine the functional units in the ovary. We also generated single-cell RNA sequencing data for 21,198 cells from three additional donors and identified four major cell types and four immune cell subtypes. Custom selection of sampling areas revealed distinct gene activities for oocytes, theca, and granulosa cells. These data contributed panels of oocyte-, theca-, and granulosa-specific genes, thus expanding the knowledge of molecular programs driving follicle development. Serial samples around oocytes and across the cortex and medulla uncovered previously unappreciated variation of hormone and extracellular matrix remodeling activities. This combined spatial and single-cell atlas serves as a resource for future studies of rare cells and pathological states in the ovary.
Topics: Female; Humans; Ovary; Ovarian Follicle; Oocytes; Granulosa Cells; Gene Expression Profiling
PubMed: 38578993
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm7506 -
Epigenomics Feb 2024People with ovaries experience reproductive aging as their reproductive function and system declines. This has significant implications for both fertility and long-term... (Review)
Review
People with ovaries experience reproductive aging as their reproductive function and system declines. This has significant implications for both fertility and long-term health, with people experiencing an increased risk of cardiometabolic disorders after menopause. Reproductive aging can be assessed through markers of ovarian reserve, response to fertility treatment or molecular biomarkers, including DNA methylation. Changes in DNA methylation with age associate with poorer reproductive outcomes, and epigenome-wide studies can provide insight into genes and pathways involved. DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks can quantify biological age in reproductive tissues and systemically. This review provides an overview of hallmarks and theories of aging in the context of the reproductive system, and then focuses on studies of DNA methylation in reproductive tissues.
Topics: Female; Humans; DNA Methylation; Aging; Reproduction; Menopause; Ovary; Epigenesis, Genetic
PubMed: 38131149
DOI: 10.2217/epi-2023-0298 -
Journal of Anatomy Sep 2022The ovary structure and the organization of its symbiotic system of the ground mealybug, Rhizoecus albidus (Rhizoecidae), were examined by means of microscopic and...
The ovary structure and the organization of its symbiotic system of the ground mealybug, Rhizoecus albidus (Rhizoecidae), were examined by means of microscopic and molecular methods. Each of the paired elongated ovaries of R. albidus is composed of circa one hundred short telotrophic-meroistic ovarioles, which are radially arranged along the distal part of the lateral oviduct. Analysis of serial sections revealed that each ovariole contains four germ cells: three trophocytes (nurse cells) occupying the tropharium and a single oocyte in the vitellarium. The ovaries are accompanied by giant cells termed bacteriocytes which are tightly packed with large pleomorphic bacteria. Their identity as Brownia rhizoecola (Bacteroidetes) was confirmed by means of amplicon sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the first report on the morphology and ultrastructure of the Brownia rhizoecola bacterium. In the bacteriocyte cytoplasm bacteria Brownia co-reside with sporadic rod-shaped smaller bacteria, namely Wolbachia (Proteobacteria: Alphaproteobacteria). Both symbionts are transmitted to the next generation vertically (maternally), that is, via female germline cells. We documented that, at the time when ovarioles contain oocytes at the vitellogenic stage, these symbionts leave the bacteriocytes and move toward the neck region of ovarioles (i.e. the region between tropharium and vitellarium). Next, the bacteria enter the cytoplasm of follicular cells surrounding the basal part of the tropharium, leave them and enter the space between the follicular epithelium and surface of the nutritive cord connecting the tropharium and vitellarium. Finally, they gather in the deep depression of the oolemma at the anterior pole of the oocyte in the form of a 'symbiont ball'. Our results provide further arguments strongly supporting the validity of the recent changes in the classification of mealybugs, which involved excluding ground mealybugs from the Pseudococcidae family and raising them to the rank of their own family Rhizoecidae.
Topics: Animals; Female; Hemiptera; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Ovary; Phylogeny; Symbiosis
PubMed: 35686658
DOI: 10.1111/joa.13712 -
Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons... Oct 2021Ectopic ovary is a rare gynaecological condition that results in problems with menstruation and pregnancy and may develop into a malignant tumour. However, as the...
Ectopic ovary is a rare gynaecological condition that results in problems with menstruation and pregnancy and may develop into a malignant tumour. However, as the condition is often asymptomatic, diagnosis is difficult and frequently delayed. We report a case of a 42-year-old female who presented with a 10-day history of abdominal pain. The patient underwent surgery that confirmed the diagnosis of an ectopic ovary with an internal abscess. The findings of our study indicate that ectopic ovaries can present with an abscess. Ectopic ovaries should be included in the differential diagnosis of masses with internal abscesses.
Topics: Abscess; Adult; Female; Humans; Mesentery; Ovary; Peritoneal Diseases
PubMed: 34414779
DOI: 10.1308/rcsann.2021.0032 -
Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism:... Nov 2020Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a glycoprotein consisting of 299 amino acids, highly produced in the mammalian ovaries. The main function of the ApoE is to transport... (Review)
Review
Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a glycoprotein consisting of 299 amino acids, highly produced in the mammalian ovaries. The main function of the ApoE is to transport cholesterol from the peripheral tissues to be metabolized in the liver. In humans, the ApoE gene is polymorphic, with three alleles in a single chromosome-19 locus: APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4. ApoE has also been implicated in cholesterol transport within ovarian follicles to regulate steroidogenesis. Ovarian thecal and granulosa cell cholesterol uptake requires ApoE either by participating in the lipoprotein-receptor complex or lipid endocytosis. In this review, we summarize ApoE role on mammalian ovarian steroidogenesis and on human fertility and discuss recent findings of ApoE4 as an antagonistic pleiotropy gene under adverse environments.
Topics: Animals; Apolipoprotein E2; Apolipoprotein E3; Apolipoprotein E4; Apolipoproteins E; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19; Female; Humans; Ovary
PubMed: 32684408
DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2020.06.003 -
Genes Nov 2022The poor egg-laying performance and short peak egg-laying period restrict the economic benefits of enterprises relating to the Taihe black-bone silky fowl. Ovaries are...
The poor egg-laying performance and short peak egg-laying period restrict the economic benefits of enterprises relating to the Taihe black-bone silky fowl. Ovaries are the main organ for egg production in poultry. Unlike that of mammals, the spawning mechanism of poultry has rarely been reported. As a prominent local breed in China, the reproductive performance of Taihe black-bone silky fowls is in urgent need of development and exploitation. To further explore the egg-laying regulation mechanism in the different periods of Taihe black-bone silky fowls, the ovarian tissues from 12 chickens were randomly selected for transcriptome analysis, and 4 chickens in each of the three periods (i.e., the pre-laying period (102 days old, Pre), peak laying period (203 days old, Peak), and late laying period (394 days old, Late)). A total of 12 gene libraries were constructed, and a total of 9897 differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified from three comparisons; the late vs. peak stage had 509 DEGs, the pre vs. late stage had 5467 DEGs, and the pre vs. peak stage had 3921 DEGs (pre-stage: pre-egg-laying period (102 days old), peak-stage: peak egg-laying period (203 days old), and late-stage: late egg-laying period (394 days old)). In each of the two comparisons, 174, 84, and 2752 differentially co-expressed genes were obtained, respectively, and 43 differentially co-expressed genes were obtained in the three comparisons. Through the analysis of the differential genes, we identified some important genes and pathways that would affect reproductive performance and ovarian development. The differential genes were , , , , , , , and , and the important signaling pathways included proteolysis, extracellular matrices, vascular smooth muscle contraction, the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway and the phagosome. Through the analysis of the FPKM (Fragments Per Kilobase of exon model per Million mapped fragments) values of the genes, we screened three peak egg-laying period-specific expressed genes: IHH, INHA, and CYP19A1. The twelve genes and five signaling pathways mentioned above have rarely been reported in poultry ovary studies, and our study provides a scientific basis for the improvement of the reproductive performance in Taihe black-bone silky fowls.
Topics: Female; Animals; Ovary; Silk; Chickens; Gene Expression Profiling; Meat; Mammals
PubMed: 36360303
DOI: 10.3390/genes13112066 -
Zoology (Jena, Germany) Jun 2023There is a gap in our knowledge of microorganization and the functioning of ovaries in earthworms (Crassiclitellata) and allied taxa. Recent analyses of ovaries in...
There is a gap in our knowledge of microorganization and the functioning of ovaries in earthworms (Crassiclitellata) and allied taxa. Recent analyses of ovaries in microdriles and leech-like taxa revealed that they are composed of syncytial germline cysts accompanied by somatic cells. Although the pattern of cyst organization is conserved across Clitellata - each cell is connected via one intercellular bridge (ring canal) to the central and anuclear cytoplasmic mass termed the cytophore - this system shows high evolutionary plasticity. In Crassiclitellata, only the gross morphology of ovaries and their segmental localization is well known, whereas ultrastructural data are limited to lumbricids like Dendrobaena veneta. Here we present the first report about ovarian histology and ultrastructure in Hormogastridae, a small family of earthworms inhabiting the western parts of the Mediterranean sea basin. We analyzed three species from three different genera and showed that the pattern of ovary organization is the same within this taxon. Ovaries are cone-like, with a broad part connected to the septum and a narrow distal end forming an egg string. Ovaries are composed of numerous cysts uniting a small number of cells, eight in Carpetania matritensis. There is a gradient of cysts development along the long ovary axis, and three zones can be distinguished. In zone I, cysts develop in complete synchrony and unite oogonia and early meiotic cells (till diplotene). Then (zone II), the synchrony is lost, and one cell (prospective oocyte) grows faster than the rest (prospective nurse cells). In zone III, oocytes pass the growth phase and gather nutrients; at this time, their contact with the cytophore is lost. Nurse cells grow slightly, eventually die via apoptosis, and are removed by coelomocytes. The most characteristic feature of hormogastrid germ cysts is the inconspicuous cytophore in the form of thread-like thin cytoplasmic strands (reticular cytophore). We found that the ovary organization in studied hormogastrids is very similar to that described for D. veneta and propose the term "Dendrobaena" type of ovaries. We expect the same microorganization of ovaries will be found in other hormogastrids and lumbricids.
Topics: Female; Animals; Ovary; Oligochaeta; Oogenesis; Oocytes; Germ Cells
PubMed: 36871333
DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2023.126081 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2021The ovaries or female gonads are situated in the ovarian fossa of the abdominal cavity. These are paired, almond-shaped organs measuring about 3.5 cm long and 1.5 cm...
The ovaries or female gonads are situated in the ovarian fossa of the abdominal cavity. These are paired, almond-shaped organs measuring about 3.5 cm long and 1.5 cm thick and exist out of a central medullary zone and a peripheral cortex that are enclosed in a fibrous capsule called the tunica albuginea. The ovaries serve 2 main functions, the first one being the production of female gametes called oocytes (oogenesis). Interestingly, the number of primary oocytes that reside in the ovary is determined at birth. About 400 oocyte-containing follicles successfully go through all the developmental stages from this limited pool during folliculogenesis throughout the female reproductive life. In this process, primordial follicles grow and advance until forming a mature or Graafian follicle; during ovulation, secondary oocytes are released and the remaining follicular wall collapses and forms the highly vascularized corpus luteum or luteal gland. This ovarian cycle is regulated by several hormones secreted from the adenohypophysis and lasts about 28 days. During this cycle, the ovaries also serve as endocrine glands and produce female sex hormones such as estrogens and progesterone (steroidogenesis), influencing the growth and development of tissues sensitive to these hormones such as the endometrium. Hence, the endometrial cycle goes synchronized with the ovarian cycle.
Topics: Estrogens; Female; Humans; Oocytes; Ovarian Follicle; Ovary; Tissue Engineering
PubMed: 34582019
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82735-9_11 -
Theriogenology Jul 2022The preservation of ovaries beyond 7 h dramatically decreases the developmental potential of oocytes to reach the blastocyst stage during in vitro embryo production....
The preservation of ovaries beyond 7 h dramatically decreases the developmental potential of oocytes to reach the blastocyst stage during in vitro embryo production. Here we investigated the protective effects of melatonin in the ovarian preservation solution after prolonged storage (7 h) in ovine as an animal model. Slaughterhouse adult sheep ovaries were preserved in saline solution for 2 h (Control) and 7 h (Control stress), and with melatonin for 7 h and at different concentrations (Melatonin 10, 10, 10, 10, and 10 M). First, the fertilizing ability, embryo development rates, and blastocyst quality were investigated. Notably, a concentration of 10 M melatonin showed the greatest number (p < 0.05) of blastocysts produced after 7 h of ovary storage (24.75 ± 1.57%) and was comparable (p > 0.05) to that obtained after just 2 h of storage in the untreated Control (30.77 ± 1.57%). Then, oocyte quality parameters showed that, compared to Control stress, Melatonin actively reduced intracellular ROS content, caspase-3 activity, DNA fragmentation, and the abundance of pro-apoptotic transcripts BAX and CASP3, while increasing that of GDF9 and GPX1. In cumulus cells, flow cytometry results showed that melatonin decreased apoptosis and increased mitochondrial activity (p < 0.05). In addition, there was a greater (p < 0.05) abundance of HAS2, STAR, and PTGS mRNA transcripts in Melatonin compared to Control stress. These findings reveal a melatonin-mediated developmental rescue of oocytes against ischemic damage during ovary preservation which represents a promising strategy for successfully producing embryos when prolonged ovarian transport times are required.
Topics: Animals; Blastocyst; Cumulus Cells; Embryonic Development; Female; In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques; Melatonin; Oocytes; Ovary; Sheep
PubMed: 35421773
DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2022.04.001