Abstract
GLIAL DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (GDNF) AND NEUROTROPHIN-3 (NT-3) PROMOTE EARLY FOLLICLE DEVELOPMENT AND NT-3 IS NECESSARY FOR OOCYTE SURVIVAL
Biology of reproduction, Vol.77(Suppl_1), pp.221-221
07/01/2007
Abstract
Mammalian female fertility is regulated by the number of ovarian follicles that are formed during the neonatal period. The rate at which these follicles leave an arrested state and initiate development determines how many follicles are available for ovulation later in life. When this process proceeds abnormally, conditions such as premature ovarian failure may result. Neurotrophins have been previously characterized as active in the differentiation and survival of neurons. Some neurotrophins are also expressed in developing ovaries, and neurotrophin knockout mice show defects in follicle development. The current study characterizes the actions of the neurotrophins glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in the neonatal developing ovary. Whole organ culture studies showed that neonatal rat ovaries treated with either GDNF or NT-3 have a significantly (p<0.01) higher percentage of developing follicles than untreated control ovaries. Ovaries treated with Ag-879, an inhibitor of the NT-3 receptor Trk-C, contained very few follicles and many oocytes had undergone apoptosis. Untreated control ovaries contained approximately 100–150 follicles with healthy oocytes per cross-section, whereas ovaries treated with Ag-879 contained 10 or less. Immunohistochemical localization of GDNF indicates that it is present in the oocytes of primordial and developing follicles. In contrast, immunohistochemical localization of NT-3 indicates that it is present in the granulosa cells of primordial and developing follicles, and in ovarian surface epithelial cells. Collectively, these data indicate that ovarian follicle development is promoted by both GDNF and NT-3, and that NT-3 signaling is necessary for oocyte survival. Further study and manipulation of neurotrophins may be useful for regulating abnormal reproductive conditions.
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- Title
- GLIAL DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (GDNF) AND NEUROTROPHIN-3 (NT-3) PROMOTE EARLY FOLLICLE DEVELOPMENT AND NT-3 IS NECESSARY FOR OOCYTE SURVIVAL
- Creators
- Gretchen DoleEric NilssonMichael Skinner
- Publication Details
- Biology of reproduction, Vol.77(Suppl_1), pp.221-221
- Academic Unit
- Biological Sciences, School of
- Identifiers
- 99901080819501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Abstract