New insights into molecular pathways associated with flatfish ovarian development and atresia revealed by transcriptional analysis
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Author
Lozano, Juanjo
Agulleiro, María J
Asensio, Esther
Publication date
2009-09-15ISSN
1471-2164
Abstract
Background: The Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a marine flatfish of increasing commercial interest. However,
the reproduction of this species in captivity is not yet controlled mainly because of the poor knowledge on its
reproductive physiology, as it occurs for other non-salmonid marine teleosts that exhibit group-synchronous ovarian
follicle development. In order to investigate intra-ovarian molecular mechanisms in Senegalese sole, the aim of the
present study was to identify differentially expressed genes in the ovary during oocyte growth (vitellogenesis), maturation
and ovarian follicle atresia using a recently developed oligonucleotide microarray.
Results: Microarray analysis led to the identification of 118 differentially expressed transcripts, of which 20 and 8 were
monitored by real-time PCR and in situ hybridization, respectively. During vitellogenesis, many up-regulated ovarian
transcripts had putative mitochondrial function/location suggesting high energy production (NADH dehydrogenase
subunits, cytochromes) and increased antioxidant protection (selenoprotein W2a), whereas other regulated transcripts
were related to cytoskeleton and zona radiata organization (zona glycoprotein 3, alpha and beta actin, keratin 8),
intracellular signalling pathways (heat shock protein 90, Ras homolog member G), cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix
interactions (beta 1 integrin, thrombospondin 4b), and the maternal RNA pool (transducer of ERBB2 1a, neurexin 1a).
Transcripts up-regulated in the ovary during oocyte maturation included ion transporters (Na+-K+-ATPase subunits),
probably required for oocyte hydration, as well as a proteinase inhibitor (alpha-2-macroglobulin) and a vesicle calcium
sensor protein (extended synaptotagmin-2-A). During follicular atresia, few transcripts were found to be up-regulated,
but remarkably most of them were localized in follicular cells of atretic follicles, and they had inferred roles in lipid
transport (apolipoprotein C-I), chemotaxis (leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2,), angiogenesis (thrombospondin), and
prevention of apoptosis (S100a10 calcium binding protein).
Conclusion: This study has identified a number of differentially expressed genes in the ovary that were not previously
found to be regulated during ovarian development in marine fish. Specifically, we found evidence, for the first time in
teleosts, of the activation of chemoattractant, angiogenic and antiapoptotic pathways in hypertrophied follicular cells at
the onset of ovarian atresia.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
637 - Produce of domestic (farmyard) animals and game
Pages
25
Publisher
BMC
Is part of
BMC Genomics
Citation
Tingaud-Sequeira, Angèle, François Chauvigné, Juanjo Lozano, María J Agulleiro, Esther Asensio, and Joan J. Cerdà. 2009. “New Insights Into Molecular Pathways Associated With Flatfish Ovarian Development and Atresia Revealed by Transcriptional Analysis.” BMC Genomics 10 (1): 434. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-434
Program
Aqüicultura
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- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2694]
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