Abstract：Progesterone receptor membrane component 1(PGRMC1), one member of membrane-associated progesterone receptor (MAPR) protein family, is involved in anti-apoptotic processes of progesterone within mammalian granule cells and luteal cells, and plays important roles in promoting oocyte maturation and maintaining ovary function. But the effects of PGRMC1 on reproduction traits in sheep (Ovis aries) have not been reported. In this study, sheep PGRMC1 cDNA was cloned and its expression pattern in tissues was analyzed by semi-quntitative PCR. On this basis, taking 'Duolang' sheep (non-seasonal breeding) and Chinese 'Merino' sheep (seasonal breeding) as the research object, the expression of PGRMC1 mRNA levels in hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary (HPO) axis in estrus and anestrus were analyzed and compared by. Results showed that the partial cDNA of sheep PGRMC1 was 1459 bp (GenBank: KM114208) and included a whole open reading frame of 585 bp encoding 194 amino acids. The encoding protein contained a Cyt-b5 conserved domain. PGRMC1 mRNA were widely expressed in the tested tissues, in which the expression level of ovary, uterus, liver, kidney and hypothalamus was much higher than that of the others. The real-time PCR results showed that the expression level of PGRMC1 in uterus, ovary and pineal gland in estrus than that in anestrus in the same breed. The expression level of PGRMC1 existed some differences in gonadal axis tissues between different breeds. Whether in estrue or in anestrue, the expression level of PGRMC1 in uterus, ovary and pineal gland in 'Duolang' sheep were all higher than that in Chinese Merino sheep. The results suggested that PGRMC1 might play important roles in maintaining uterus and ovarian function, regulating hormone secretion and estrus behavior and so on. To provide a certain theoretical basis for further understanding the biological function of PGRMC1.
