FOXO3 Knockdown Accelerates Development of Bovine Primordial Follicles

• Published in: Journal of Reproduction and Development Vol. 57; no. 4; pp. 475 - 480
• Main Authors: BAO, Rong-Mei, HAYAKAWA, Kohei, MONIRUZZAMAN, Mohammad, TAKETSURU, Hiroaki, MIYANO, Takashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan THE SOCIETY FOR REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT 2011
• Subjects: Animals; Bovine; Cattle; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; Female; Forkhead Box Protein O3; Forkhead Transcription Factors - metabolism; FOXO3; Gene Expression Regulation; Immunohistochemistry - methods; Male; Mice; Mice, SCID; Oocytes - cytology; Ovarian Follicle - metabolism; Primordial follicle; RNA, Small Interfering - metabolism; Severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mouse; Transplantation, Heterologous; Xenografting
• ISSN: 0916-8818; 1348-4400
• DOI: 10.1262/jrd.11-013H

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the involvement of FOXO3 in the activation of bovine primordial follicles. In immunohistochemistry, FOXO3 was detected in all of the oocytes in primordial and primary follicles. The FOXO3 decreased after treatment with FOXO3 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Ovarian tissues containing dominantly primordial follicles were treated with FOXO3 siRNAs and then xenografted to severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice. Two months after xenografting, some primordial follicles developed to the secondary and tertiary stages, and the total percentage of these developing follicles (secondary and tertiary follicles: 18 ± 7%) was higher than in the control grafts treated with control siRNA (7 ± 1%). It is thought that bovine primordial follicle activation is regulated by the FOXO3-dependent mechanism and that knockdown of FOXO3 induces the release of primordial follicles from FOXO3 suppression, initiating their growth.