Modulation of Cathepsin S (CTSS) Regulates the Secretion of Progesterone and Estradiol, Proliferation, and Apoptosis of Ovarian Granulosa Cells in Rabbits

Abstract

Cathepsin S (CTSS) is a member of cysteine protease family. Although many studies have demonstrated the vital role of CTSS in many physiological and pathological processes including tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis, the function of CTSS in the development of rabbit granulosa cells (GCS) remains unknown. To address this question, we isolated rabbit GCS and explored the regulatory function of the CTSS gene in cell proliferation and apoptosis. CTSS overexpression significantly promoted the secretion of progesterone (P4) and estrogen (E2) by increasing the expression of STAR and CYP19A1 (p < 0.05). We also found that overexpression of CTSS increased GCS proliferation by up-regulating the expression of proliferation related gene (PCNA) and anti-apoptotic gene (BCL2). Cell apoptosis was markedly decreased by CTSS activation (p < 0.05). In contrast, CTSS knockdown significantly decreased the secretion of P4 and E2 and the proliferation of rabbit GCS, while increasing the apoptosis of rabbit GCS. Taken together, our results highlight the important role of CTSS in regulating hormone secretion, cell proliferation, and apoptosis in rabbit GCS. These results might provide a basis for better understanding the molecular mechanism of rabbit reproduction.

Impact of coprophagy prevention on the growth performance, serum biochemistry, and intestinal microbiome of rabbits

“…In the present study, New Zealand white rabbits were used to investigate the effects of coprophagy on growth performance and cecum microecology. Our previous studies reported that coprophagy prevention reduces the growth and reproduction performance of rabbits [ 32 , 33 ]. The present study further demonstrated that CP treatment could reduce rabbits’ TC, TG, and other serum biochemical indicators; caused damage to the cecum villi; and reduced isobutyric and butyric acid levels in the cecum contents.…”

Integrated analysis reveals the regulatory mechanism of the neddylation inhibitor MLN4924 on the metabolic dysregulation in rabbit granulosa cells

“…Subsequently, the ovaries were placed in a basal medium supplemented with DMEM / F12 medium (Price, China), 15% fetal bovine serum (Price, China), and 1% penicillin/streptomycin (Price, China). Follicles on the ovaries were punctured with a 1 mL syringe needle to allow the follicular fluid to flow out [ 68 ]. The collected follicular fluid was then centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 5 min, and the supernatant was discarded.…”

Coprophagy Prevention Decreases the Reproductive Performance and Granulosa Cell Apoptosis via Regulation of CTSB Gene in Rabbits

“…The rabbits’ granulosa cells (GCS) were isolated and cultured as previously described ( Song et al, 2021 ) from the ovaries of three rabbits purchased from the Laboratory Animal Center (Zhengzhou, Henan, China). Briefly, ovaries from 6 months female rabbits were collected and washed in PBS (with 1% penicillin/streptomycin, 37°C).…”

“…The production of recombinant adenovirus was previously described ( Song et al, 2021 ). Briefly, CTSB gene was amplified and subcloned into the shuttle vector pAdTrack-CMV.…”