Cathepsin D knockdown regulates biological behaviors of granulosa cells and affects litter size traits in goats

This study used immunohistochemistry to analyze CTSD localization in goat ovarian tissues. Moreover, western blotting was applied to examine the differential expression of CTSD in the ovarian tissues of monotocous and polytocous goats. Subsequently, the effects of CTSD knockdown on cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and the expression of candidate genes of the prolific traits, including bone morphogenetic protein receptor IB (BMPR-IB), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSHR), and inhibin α (INHA), were determined in granulosa cells. Results showed that CTSD was expressed in corpus luteum, follicle, and granulosa cells. Notably, CTSD expression in the monotocous group was significantly higher than that in the polytocous group. In addition, CTSD knockdown could improve granulosa cell proliferation, inhibit cell apoptosis, and significantly elevate the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), but it lowered the expression of Bcl-2-associated X (Bax) andcaspase-3. Furthermore, CTSD knockdown significantly reduced the ratios of cells in the G0/G1 and G2/M phases but substantially increased the ratio of cells in the S phase. The expression levels ofcyclin D2 andcyclin E were elevated followed by the obvious decline ofcyclin A1 expression. However, the expression levels of BMPR-IB, FSHR, and INHA clearly increased as a result of CTSD knockdown. Hence, our findings demonstrate that CTSD is an important factor affecting the litter siz...
Source: Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B. - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: research