Investigating the Role of Ephrins and Their Receptors in Mouse Folliculogenesis and Ovulation
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-23-2015 12:00 AM Investigating the role of ephrins and their receptors in mouse folliculogenesis and ovulation Adrian Buensuceso The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Bonnie Deroo The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Biochemistry A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Adrian Buensuceso 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Endocrinology Commons Recommended Citation Buensuceso, Adrian, "Investigating the role of ephrins and their receptors in mouse folliculogenesis and ovulation" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2780. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2780 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF EPHRINS AND THEIR RECEPTORS IN MOUSE FOLLICULOGENESIS AND OVULATION (Thesis format: Integrated-Article) by Adrian Vincent Carlos Buensuceso Graduate Program in Biochemistry A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Adrian Buensuceso 2015 Abstract Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) promotes granulosa cell (GC) proliferation, differentiation, and steroidogenesis. This series of events is critical for female fertility, and culminates in the formation of mature follicles responsive to the surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) that triggers ovulation. Ephrins ( Efn genes) and Eph receptors ( Eph genes) are membrane-associated signaling molecules that mediate communication at sites of cell-cell contact, and have been extensively studied in the context of embryonic development. The published literature contains several reports of ovarian Eph and Efn expression, although their precise roles in the ovary are unknown. Dysregulation of Efna5 in GCs of the subfertile Esr2 -/- mouse suggests a role for Eph-ephrin signaling in ovarian function. We sought to investigate Eph receptors and ephrins in the mouse ovary using gonadotropin-stimulated animal models and cultured GCs. We identified several Efn and Eph genes for which expression is enhanced in GCs of the gonadotropin-stimulated mouse. Furthermore, we determined that cultured GCs stimulated with recombinant ephrin-A5 or EphA5 exhibit reduced cell spreading or adhesion, respectively, indicating a cell-autonomous response to Eph-ephrin stimulation. In order to ascertain the importance of ephrin-A5 in female fertility, we performed a reproductive assessment of females lacking Efna5 , the sole ephrin-encoding gene upregulated by FSH in GCs. Efna5 -/- females are subfertile and exhibit an impaired response to LH, displaying attenuated ovulatory potential, reduced ovarian expression of Pgr , Ptgs2 , and Adamts4 , as well as abnormal follicle rupture. We also found an increased incidence of multi-oocyte follicles in adult, but not juvenile, Efna5 -/- females, indicating follicle merging. Finally, we determined that the mouse genomic region upstream of Epha5 is transcriptionally activated by cAMP in a protein kinase A-dependent manner. Transcriptional activation of Efna5 , Epha3 , Epha5 , Epha8 , and Ephb2 is reduced in GCs of eCG-treated Esr2 -/- females, which exhibit impaired cAMP production. These results suggest that cAMP is a novel transcriptional regulator for several Eph and Efn genes. Our findings establish a place for ephrins and their receptors within the current model of gonadotropin-dependent follicle growth and ovulation, and identify cAMP as a novel transcriptional regulator of Epha5 and possibly other Efn and Eph genes. ii Keywords Eph receptor, ephrin, mouse, granulosa cell, follicle, ovary, folliculogenesis, ovulation, follicle rupture, gonadotropin iii Co-authorship statement Chapter 2: Buensuceso AV, Deroo BJ. The ephrin signaling pathway regulates morphology and adhesion of mouse granulosa cells in vitro. Biol Reprod . 2013;88(1):25. Dr. Bonnie Deroo conceived the project and co-wrote the manuscript. Chapter 3: Dr. Alexander Son and Dr. Renping Zhou (Rutgers University, NJ, USA) provided Efna5 +/+ and Efna5 -/- ovaries used for multi-oocyte follicle counts as well as founder mice for our mouse colony. Marilène Paquet performed histological examination of Efna5 +/+ and Efna5 -/- ovaries. Benjamin M. Withers performed counts of follicles containing expanded COCs and corpora lutea, and performed histological archiving. Dr. Bonnie Deroo conceived the project and co-wrote the manuscript which was submitted to Endocrinology , ID# EN-15-1216. Chapter 4: Erin Parker conducted genotyping for some Esr2 +/+ and Esr2 -/- mice. Dr. Bonnie Deroo conceived the project. iv Acknowledgements First, I would like to thank my supervisor and mentor, Dr. Bonnie Deroo, for her excellent mentorship. She has guided my development as a scientist, providing me with constructive criticism and encouragement all along the way. She has always made time for me, and has built a research environment where I could flourish. I enjoy science now more than ever, and I credit her with that. I would like to thank my supervisory committee members, Dr. Gabriel DiMattia and Dr. Eric Ball. Their guidance has played a major role in the development of my research. I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues in the Deroo Lab: Caitie O’Flynn, Ola Carrier, and Dr. Macarena Pampillo. I value their insight and advice, and have very much enjoyed working with them. Furthermore, Dr. Gabriel DiMattia, Dr. Trevor Shepherd, Dr. Tom Drysdale, and Dr. Chris Pin, as well as their trainees and technicians, have given me valuable advice during our big group lab meetings. Many thanks as well to Robert Gauthier and Penny Smithers-Fortnum for helping to care for our mice. Lastly, I would like to express my appreciation to my colleagues in the Victoria Research Labs and London Cancer Research Centre: Mateusz Rytelewski, Jessica Tong, Colin Way, Dr. Saman Maleki Vareki, Rene Figueredo, Dr. Julio Masabanda, and Dr. Pete Ferguson. These people have all helped me to grow as a scientist and as a person during my time as a graduate student. v Ethics Approval Experiments were performed in compliance with the guidelines set by the Canadian Council for Animal Care, and the policies and procedures approved by the University of Western Ontario Council on Animal Care (Protocol Number: 2008-042). vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Keywords ........................................................................................................................... iii Co-authorship statement .................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. v Ethics Approval ................................................................................................................. vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xiv List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xvi List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... xvii 1 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 1.1 Stages of Ovarian Follicle Growth ....................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Introduction to Folliculogenesis ....................................................................1 1.1.2 Formation of primordial follicles ...................................................................1 1.1.3 Follicle-stimulating hormone-independent follicle growth ...........................2 1.1.4 FSH-dependent follicle growth ......................................................................3 1.1.5 LH-dependent oocyte maturation, cumulus expansion, ovulation, and corpus luteum formation ......................................................................................................4 1.2 The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis........................................................... 10 1.3 Eph receptors and Ephrins.................................................................................. 12 1.3.1 Overview ......................................................................................................12 1.3.2 Ephrins .........................................................................................................14 1.3.3 Eph receptors ...............................................................................................15 1.3.4 Initiation of Eph-Ephrin Signaling...............................................................17 vii 1.3.5 Eph-ephrin Signal Transduction ..................................................................17