Members of the 'regulator of G protein signaling' (RGS) gene family encode proteins that stimulate the GTPase activities of G protein alpha-subunits.
General function
Comment
Cellular localization
Cytoplasmic
Comment
Ovarian function
Follicle development, Oocyte maturation
Comment
The influence of follicle size, FSH-enriched maturation medium, and early cleavage on bovine oocyte maternal mRNA levels. Mourot M et al. Transcription is arrested in the bovine oocyte within the first few hours of in vitro maturation, thus the stored maternal mRNAs accumulated in the oocyte are essential to sustain development until the Maternal-Zygotic Transition. In vivo matured oocytes have superior blastocyst formation rates than in vitro matured oocytes, suggesting that the mRNA content of these oocytes is of higher quality. To determine which transcripts may be associated with developmental competence, a Suppressive Subtractive Hybridization was performed between oocytes collected by ovariectomy at 6 hr post-LH surge and oocytes from slaughterhouse collected after 6 hr of maturation, resulting in a library enriched in these functionally important mRNAs. The clones were spotted onto a cDNA microarray and transcripts potentially associated with developmental competence were hybridized onto these slides. Hybridizations were performed with transcripts up-regulated in oocytes cultured for 6 hr in the presence or absence of rFSH in vitro, and secondly with transcripts up regulated in early-cleaving embryos versus those at the one-cell stage at 36 hr postfertilization. From these hybridizations, 13 candidates were selected. Their functional association with embryonic competence was validated by measuring their relative transcript levels by quantitative real-time PCR in eight different conditions: oocytes cultured with or without rFSH, early-versus late-cleaving embryos, and oocytes from different follicle sizes (1-3, 3-5, 5-8, and >8 mm of diameter). The gene candidates CCNB2, PTTG1, H2A, CKS1, PSMB2, SKIIP, CDC5L, RGS16, and PRDX1 showed a significant quantitative association with competence compared to BMP15, GDF9, CCNB1, and STK6. Mol. Reprod. Dev. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Expression regulated by
FSH
Comment
Ovarian localization
Oocyte, Granulosa
Comment
Sasson R, et al 2003 reported novel genes modulated by FSH in normal and immortalized FSH-responsive
cells and new insights into the mechanism of FSH action.
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) controls the development of follicle-enclosed oocytes in the
mammalian ovary by interacting with specific receptors located exclusively on granulosa cells. Its
biological activity involves stimulation of intercellular communication, intracellular signaling, and
up-regulation of steroidogenesis; the entire spectrum of genes regulated by FSH is not yet fully
characterized. The authors have established monoclonal rat FSH-responsive granulosa cell lines that
express FSH receptors at 20-fold higher rates than with primary cells, and thus increased the
probability of yielding a distinct spectrum of genes modulated by FSH. Using Affymetrix DNA
microarrays, they discovered 11 genes not reported earlier to be up-regulated by FSH and 9 genes
not reported earlier to be down-regulated by FSH. Modulation of signal transduction associated
with G-protein signaling, phosphorylation of proteins, and intracellular-extracellular ion balance
was suggested by up-regulation of decay accelerating factor GPI-form precursor (DAF), membrane
interacting protein RGS16, protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase), oxidative stress-inducible protein tyrosine phosphatase (OSIPTPase), and down-regulation of rat prostatic acid phosphatase
(rPAP), Na+, K+-ATPase, and protein phosphatase 1beta. Elevation in granzyme-like proteins 1
and 3, and natural killer (NK) cell protease 1 (NKP-1) along with reduction in carboxypeptidase E
indicates possible FSH-mediated preparation of the cells for apoptosis.