Pelosi Emanuele, Forabosco Antonino, Schlessinger David
Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health , Baltimore, MD, USA.
Genomic Research Centre, Cante di Montevecchio Association , Fano, Italy.
Front Genet. 2015 Oct 15;6:308. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00308. eCollection 2015.
Primordial follicles or non-growing follicles (NGFs) are the functional unit of reproduction, each comprising a single germ cell surrounded by supporting somatic cells. NGFs constitute the ovarian reserve (OR), prerequisite for germ cell ovulation and the continuation of the species. The dynamics of the reserve is determined by the number of NGFs formed and their complex subsequent fates. During the reproductive lifespan, the OR progressively diminishes due to follicle atresia as well as recruitment, maturation, and ovulation. The depletion of the OR is the major determining driver of menopause, which ensues when the number of primordial follicles falls below a threshold of ∼1,000. Therefore, genes and processes involved in follicle dynamics are particularly important to understand the process of menopause, both in the typical reproductive lifespan and in conditions like primary ovarian insufficiency, defined as menopause before age 40. Genes and their variants that affect the timing of menopause thereby provide candidates for diagnosis of and intervention in problems of reproductive lifespan. We review the current knowledge of processes and genes involved in the development of the OR and in the dynamics of ovarian follicles.
原始卵泡或静止卵泡（NGFs）是生殖的功能单位，每个原始卵泡都包含一个被支持性体细胞包围的单个生殖细胞。静止卵泡构成了卵巢储备（OR），这是生殖细胞排卵和物种延续的先决条件。卵巢储备的动态变化由形成的静止卵泡数量及其随后复杂的命运所决定。在生殖寿命期间，由于卵泡闭锁以及募集、成熟和排卵，卵巢储备会逐渐减少。卵巢储备的耗尽是绝经的主要决定性因素，当原始卵泡数量降至约1000个的阈值以下时就会发生绝经。因此，无论是在典型的生殖寿命期间，还是在原发性卵巢功能不全（定义为40岁之前绝经）等情况下，了解参与卵泡动态变化的基因和过程对于理解绝经过程尤为重要。影响绝经时间的基因及其变体为诊断和干预生殖寿命问题提供了候选对象。我们综述了目前关于参与卵巢储备发育和卵泡动态变化的过程及基因的知识。
