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Comment |
Expression and functional analysis of the Follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) gene in the sheep ovary during the estrous cycle. He J et al. (2020) Follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) is a regulator of cellular apoptosis and was previously identified via RNA-Seq to be associated with follicular development in mammalian ovaries. However, the mechanism underlying the FSTL3 regulation of estrus in sheep remained poorly understood. In this study, the estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) concentrations in blood were detected, and the expression level and functional analysis of FSTL3 in the ovary were studied during the different reproductive stage in Aohan fine wool sheep (seasonal breeding breed in China). The concentrations of E2 and P4 at the anestrus were significantly lower compared to diestrus, proestrus and estrus stages. Higher expression levels of FSTL3 were observed in the sheep ovary, hypothalamus, and thyroid. During different reproductive stages, higher expression levels were found during the stages of diestrus and proestrus, while lower levels were found during the estrus and anestrus stages. Functional analysis of FSTL3 was performed in primary granulosa cells (GCs) of sheep. The concentration of E2 increased significantly after RNAi interference of FSTL3, while the P4 level decreased. FSTL3 can decrease P4 levels, which might be involved in mediating estrous cycle in sheep.//////////////////
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