Effects of Melatonin on the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Sheep Granulosa Cells under Thermal Stress

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Yao Fu¹  Chang-Jiu He¹  Peng-Yun Ji¹  Zhi-Yong Zhuo¹  Xiu-Zhi Tian¹  Feng Wang¹  Dun-Xian Tan²  Guo-Shi Liu¹ 

[1]Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

[2] E-Mails:

[3]Department of Cellular & Structural Biology, The UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA

[4] E-Mail:

关键词: melatonin;    sheep;    granulosa cell;    proliferation;    apoptosis;    thermal stress;    antioxidant;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms151121090

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The cross-talk between oocyte and somatic cells plays a crucial role in the regulation of follicular development and oocyte maturation. As a result, granulosa cell apoptosis causes follicular atresia. In this study, sheep granulosa cells were cultured under thermal stress to induce apoptosis, and melatonin (MT) was examined to evaluate its potential effects on heat-induced granulosa cell injury. The results demonstrated that the Colony Forming Efficiency (CFE) of granulosa cells was significantly decreased (heat 19.70% ± 1.29% vs. control 26.96% ± 1.81%, p < 0.05) and the apoptosis rate was significantly increased (heat 56.16% ± 13.95%vs. control 22.80% ± 12.16%, p < 0.05) in granulosa cells with thermal stress compared with the control group. Melatonin (10⁻⁷ M) remarkably reduced the negative effects caused by thermal stress in the granulosa cells. This reduction was indicated by the improved CFE and decreased apoptotic rate of these cells. The beneficial effects of melatonin on thermal stressed granulosa cells were not inhibited by its membrane receptor antagonist luzindole. A mechanistic exploration indicated that melatonin (10⁻⁷ M) down-regulated p53 and up-regulated Bcl-2 and LHR gene expression of granulosa cells under thermal stress. This study provides evidence for the molecular mechanisms of the protective effects of melatonin on granulosa cells during thermal stress.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.