Li Da, You Yue, Bi Fang-Fang, Zhang Tie-Ning, Jiao Jiao, Wang Tian-Ren, Zhou Yi-Ming, Shen Zi-Qi, Wang Xiu-Xia, Yang Qing |
Center of Reproductive MedicineShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.| Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.| Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.| Department of PediatricsShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.| Center of Reproductive MedicineShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.| Center of Reproductive MedicineShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.| Department of ObstetricsGynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.| Department of MedicineBrigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.| Center of Reproductive MedicineShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.| Center of Reproductive MedicineShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China yangq@sj-hospital.org wangxxsj@sina.cn.| Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyShengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China yangq@sj-hospital.org wangxxsj@sina.cn. |
Reproduction. 2018 Jan;155(1):85-92. doi: 10.1530/REP-17-0499. Epub 2017 Oct 13. |
Abstract
The importance of autophagy in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-related metabolic disorders is increasingly being recognized, but few studies have investigated the role of autophagy in PCOS. Here, transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that autophagy was enhanced in the ovarian tissue from both humans and rats with PCOS. Consistent with this, ovarian granulosa cells from PCOS rats showed increases in the autophagy marker protein light chain 3B (LC3B), whereas levels of the autophagy substrate SQSTM1/p62 were decreased. In addition, the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I was markedly elevated in human PCOS ovarian tissue compared with normal ovarian tissue. Real-time PCR arrays indicated that 7 and 34 autophagy-related genes were down- and up-regulated in human PCOS , Signal-Net, and regression analysis suggested that there are a wide range of interactions among these 41 genes, and a potential network based on EGFR, ERBB2, FOXO1, MAPK1, NFKB1, IGF1,TP53 and MAPK9 may be responsible for autophagy activation in PCOS. Systematic functional analysis of 41 differential autophagy-related genes indicated that these genes are highly involved in specific cellular processes such as response to stress and stimulus, and are linked to four significant pathways, including the insulin, ERBB, mTOR signaling pathways and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum. This study provides evidence for a potential role of autophagy disorders in PCOS in which autophagy may be an important molecular event in the pathogenesis of PCOS. |
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