2. Academic Validation
  3. Granulosa Cell-Layer Stiffening Prevents Escape of Mural Granulosa Cells from the Post-Ovulatory Follicle

Granulosa Cell-Layer Stiffening Prevents Escape of Mural Granulosa Cells from the Post-Ovulatory Follicle

  • Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 Jul 1:e2403640. doi: 10.1002/advs.202403640.
Xiaodong Wang 1,  Jianning Liao 1,  Hongru Shi 1,  Yongheng Zhao 1,  Wenkai Ke 1,  Hao Wu 2,  Guoshi Liu 2,  Xiang Li 1,  Changjiu He 1 3 4 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 National Center for International Research on Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction / Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, P. R. China.
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, P. R. China.
  • 3 National Engineering and Technology Research Center for Livestock, Wuhan, 832003, P. R. China.
  • 4 Hubei Provincial Center of Technolgy Innovation for Domestic Animal Breeding, Wuhan, 100193, P. R. China.
  • 5 College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, P. R. China.
PMID: 38946588 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202403640
Abstract

Ovulation is vital for successful reproduction. Following ovulation, cumulus cells and oocyte are released, while mural granulosa cells (mGCs) remain sequestered within the post-ovulatory follicle to form the corpus luteum. However, the mechanism underlying the confinement of mGCs has been a longstanding mystery. Here, in vitro and in vivo evidence is provided demonstrating that the stiffening of mGC-layer serves as an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that prevents mGCs from escaping the post-ovulatory follicles. The results from spatial transcriptome analysis and experiments reveal that focal adhesion assembly, triggered by the LH (hCG)-cAMP-PKA-CREB signaling cascade, is necessary for mGC-layer stiffening. Disrupting focal adhesion assembly through RNA interference results in stiffening failure, mGC escape, and the subsequent development of an abnormal corpus luteum characterized by decreased cell density or cavities. These findings introduce a novel concept of "mGC-layer stiffening", shedding LIGHT on the mechanism that prevents mGC escape from the post-ovulatory follicle.

Keywords

focal adhesion; follicle; granulosa cell; luteinization; ovulation.

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