Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 21;15(1):6989. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51185-0.
The ovarian cortical reserve of follicles is vital for fertility. Some medical treatments are toxic to follicles, leading to premature ovarian insufficiency. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is an established method to preserve fertility in adults and even applied in prepuberty despite unproven efficacy. Here, we analyze transcriptomes of 120 cortical follicles from children and adults for detailed comparison. We discover heterogeneity with two main types of follicles in both age groups: one with expected oocyte-granulosa profiles and another with predicted role in signaling. Transcriptional changes during growth to the secondary stage are similar overall in children and adults, but variations related to extracellular matrix, theca cells, and miRNA profiles are found. Notably, cyclophosphamide dose correlates with interferon signaling in child follicles. Additionally, morphology alone is insufficient for follicle categorization suggesting a need for additional markers. Marker genes for early follicle activation are determined. These findings will help refine follicular classification and fertility preservation techniques across critical ages.
卵泡的卵巢皮质储备对生育能力至关重要。一些医学治疗方法对卵泡有毒性，导致卵巢早衰。卵巢组织冷冻保存是一种成熟的方法，可以在成人中保留生育能力，甚至在青春期前应用，尽管疗效未经证实。在这里，我们分析了来自儿童和成人的 120 个皮质卵泡的转录组，以进行详细比较。我们发现，两个年龄组中的两种主要卵泡类型存在异质性：一种具有预期的卵母细胞-颗粒细胞特征，另一种具有预测的信号作用。儿童和成人的次级阶段生长过程中的转录变化总体上相似，但与细胞外基质、膜细胞和 miRNA 谱相关的变化不同。值得注意的是，环磷酰胺剂量与儿童卵泡中的干扰素信号相关。此外，仅形态不足以对卵泡进行分类，这表明需要其他标记物。确定了早期卵泡激活的标记基因。这些发现将有助于在关键年龄段完善卵泡分类和生育力保存技术。
