Alam Jahagir, Ogawa Kazushige
Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-58 Rinku-Ourai-Kita, Izumisano, Osaka 598-8531, Japan.
Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-58 Rinku-Ourai-Kita, Izumisano, Osaka 598-8531, Japan.
Reprod Biol. 2021 Sep;21(3):100511. doi: 10.1016/j.repbio.2021.100511. Epub 2021 May 13.
Ephrin receptors and ligands are membrane-bound molecules that modulate diverse cellular functions such as cell adhesion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, motility, differentiation and proliferation. We recently reported the co-expression of ephrin-B1 and EphB4 in adult and foetal Leydig cells of the mouse testis, and thus speculated that their co-expression is a common property in gonadal steroidogenic cells. Therefore, in this study we examined the expression and localisation of ephrin-B1 and EphB4 in the naturally cycling mouse ovary, as their expression patterns in the ovary are virtually unknown. We found that ephrin-B1 and EphB4 were co-expressed in steroidogenic cells of all kinds, i.e. granulosa cells and CYP17A1-positive steroidogenic theca cells as well as in 3β-HSD-positive luteal cells and the interstitial glands; their co-expression potentially serves as a good marker to identify sex steroid-producing cells even in extra-gonadal organs/tissues. We also found that ephrin-B1 and EphB4 expression in granulosa cells was faint and strong, respectively; ephrin-B1 expression in luteal cells was weak in developing and temporally mature corpora lutea (those of the current cycle) and likely strong in regressing corpora lutea (those of the previous cycle) and EphB4 expression in luteal cells was weak in corpora lutea of the current cycle and likely faint/negative in the corpora lutea of the previous cycle. These findings suggest that a luteinising hormone surge triggers the upregulation of ephrin-B1 and downregulation of EphB4, as this expression fluctuation occurs after the surge. Overall, ephrin-B1 and EphB4 expression patterns may represent benchmarks for steroidogenic cells in the ovary.
Ephrin受体和配体是膜结合分子，可调节多种细胞功能，如细胞粘附、上皮-间质转化、运动、分化和增殖。我们最近报道了ephrin-B1和EphB4在小鼠睾丸的成年和胎儿睾丸间质细胞中的共表达，因此推测它们的共表达是性腺类固醇生成细胞的共同特性。因此，在本研究中，我们研究了ephrin-B1和EphB4在自然周期小鼠卵巢中的表达和定位，因为它们在卵巢中的表达模式几乎未知。我们发现ephrin-B1和EphB4在所有类型的类固醇生成细胞中共同表达，即颗粒细胞和CYP17A1阳性的类固醇生成膜细胞，以及3β-HSD阳性的黄体细胞和间质腺；它们的共同表达甚至可能作为识别性腺外器官/组织中产生性类固醇细胞的良好标志物。我们还发现，颗粒细胞中ephrin-B1和EphB4的表达分别较弱和较强；黄体细胞中ephrin-B1在发育中的和暂时成熟的黄体（当前周期的黄体）中表达较弱，而在退化的黄体（前一周期的黄体）中可能较强，EphB4在当前周期黄体中的表达较弱，而在前一周期黄体中可能较弱/阴性。这些发现表明，促黄体生成素激增会触发ephrin-B1的上调和EphB4的下调，因为这种表达波动发生在激增之后。总体而言，ephrin-B1和EphB4的表达模式可能代表卵巢中类固醇生成细胞的基准。
