Ovarian Follicular Theca Cell Recruitment, Differentiation and Impact on Fertility: 2017 Update.

Ovarian Follicular Theca Cell Recruitment, Differentiation and Impact on Fertility: 2017 Update. Endocr Rev. 2017 Oct 05;: Authors: Richards JS, Ren YA, Candelaria N, Adams JE, Rajkovic A Abstract The major goal of this review is to summarize recent exciting findings that have been published within the past 10 years that, to our knowledge, have not been presented in detail in previous reviews and that may impact altered follicular development in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and premature ovarian failure (POF) in women. Specifically, we will cover 1) mouse models that have led to discovery of the derivation of two precursor populations of theca cells in the embryonic gonad, 2) the key roles of the oocyte-derived factor GDF9 on the hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway and theca cell functions and 3) the impact of the HH pathway on both the specification of theca endocrine cells and theca fibroblast and smooth muscle cells in developing follicles. We will also discuss 1) other signaling pathways that impact the differentiation of theca cells, not only LH but also INSL3, BMPs, the circadian clock genes, androgens and estrogens and 2) theca associated vascular, immune and fibroblast cells, as well as the cytokines and matrix factors that play key roles in follicle growth. Lastly, we will integrate what is known about theca cells from mouse models, human derived theca cell lines from PCOS and non-PCOS patients and microarray analyses of h...
Source: Endocrine Reviews - Category: Endocrinology Tags: Endocr Rev Source Type: research