Effects of Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Pathway on the Secretion of Estradiol and Progesterone in Yak (Bos grunniens) Follicular Granulosa Cells
YU Zhi-Peng1, DU Pei-Yan1, ZHANG He-Cheng1, QIAN Wen-Jie1, YAO Ying1, LI Liu-Yang1, YE Guo-Rong1, LA Ping1, CUI Yan1, YU Si-Jiu1,2, FAN Jiang-Feng1,2,*
1 College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; 2 Gansu LiveStock Embryo Engineering Technology Innovation Center, Lanzhou 730070, China
Abstract：The classical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is highly conserved and widely present in a variety of organisms and cells, and is involved in regulating the growth and development of follicular granulosa cells. To investigate the effects of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway on the secretion of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in yak (Bos grunniens) follicular granulocyte cells. Cultured yak follicle granulocytes were treated with exogenous Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway agonist SKL2001. The cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), and the contents of estradiol and progesterone in granulocyte supernatant were detected by ELISA kit. qRT-PCR and Western Blot were used to detect the expression levels of genes related to cell proliferation, Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and steroid hormone synthesis. The results showed that exogenous SKL2001 could up-regulate the expression of beta-catenin (beta-catenin, β-catenin) and axin-related protein 2 (Axin2), the key factors of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, but had no effect on the expression of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β ) in yak follicular granulocyte in the range of 2.5~10.0 µmol/mL. SKL2001 significantly decreased the expression of proliferation-related genes proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclin D2 (CCND2), cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) in granulosa cells and decreased the proliferative activity of granulosa cells. The addition of SKL2001 could decrease the content of estradiol and increase the content of progesterone in culture medium. It inhibited the expression of key genes of estradiol synthesis cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A member 1 (CYP19A1) and cytochrome P450 17A1 (CYP17A1) in granulosus cells, and promoted the expression of key genes of progesterone synthesis cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily A member 1 (CYP11A1), hydroxy-Δ5-steroid dehydrogenase-3β-androsten-Δ5-diol dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD3B1) and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). These results suggested that SKL2001, after activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, inhibited the proliferation of follicular granulosa cells and promoted the transformation of follicular granulosa cells from estrogen-secreting type to progesterone secreting type by regulating the content of key enzymes of steroid hormone synthesis, which might be a potential mechanism of follicular atresia and luteinization in yaks. This study accumulates basic data for further understanding the function of follicular granulosa cells and the regulation mechanism of follicular development in yaks.
余志鹏, 杜培岩, 张贺程, 钱文洁, 姚颖, 李柳杨, 叶国荣, 喇萍, 崔燕, 余四九, 樊江峰. 牦牛卵泡颗粒细胞中Wnt/β-catenin信号通路对雌二醇和孕酮分泌的影响[J]. 农业生物技术学报, 2025, 33(9): 1973-1983.
YU Zhi-Peng, DU Pei-Yan, ZHANG He-Cheng, QIAN Wen-Jie, YAO Ying, LI Liu-Yang, YE Guo-Rong, LA Ping, CUI Yan, YU Si-Jiu, FAN Jiang-Feng. Effects of Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Pathway on the Secretion of Estradiol and Progesterone in Yak (Bos grunniens) Follicular Granulosa Cells. 农业生物技术学报, 2025, 33(9): 1973-1983.
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