NCBI Summary:
The protein encoded by this gene is a receptor for interleukine 7 (IL7). The function of this receptor requires the interleukin 2 receptor, gamma chain (IL2RG), which is a common gamma chain shared by the receptors of various cytokines, including interleukine 2, 4, 7, 9, and 15. This protein has been shown to play a critical role in the V(D)J recombination during lymphocyte development. This protein is also found to control the accessibility of the TCR gamma locus by STAT5 and histone acetylation. Knockout studies in mice suggested that blocking apoptosis is an essential function of this protein during differentiation and activation of T lymphocytes. The functional defects in this protein may be associated with the pathogenesis of the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). [provided by RefSeq]
Oocyte-Expressed Interleukin 7 Suppresses Granulosa Cell Apoptosis and Promotes Oocyte Maturation in Rats. Cheng Y et al. Development of ovarian follicles is regulated by pituitary-derived gonadotropins together with local ovarian paracrine factors. Based on DNA microarray data, we performed reverse transcription-PCR and immunostaining to demonstrate the expression of interleukin 7 transcripts in oocytes of preantral, antral and preovulatory follicles in rats. We also found the expression of interleukin 7 receptor (IL7R) and the co-receptor interleukin 2 receptor gamma (IL2RG) in granulosa cells, cumulus cells, and preovulatory oocytes. In cultured rat granulosa cells obtained from early antral and preovulatory follicles, treatment with interleukin 7 stimulated the phosphorylation of AKT, GSK3B, and STAT5 proteins in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, measurement of mitochondrial reductase activity indicated that treatment with interleukin 7, similar to gonadotropins, increased the number of viable granulosa cells during a 24h culture period. Furthermore, monitoring of the activities of apoptotic enzymes caspase-3/7 indicated that treatment with interleukin 7 suppressed apoptosis of cultured granulosa cells from both antral and preovulatory follicles following serum withdrawal. The apoptosis-suppressing actions of interleukin 7 were blocked by an inhibitor of the phosphoinositol-3-kinase (PIK3)/AKT pathway. Furthermore, treatment of cultured preovulatory follicles with interleukin 7, like hCG, induced germinal vesicle breakdown of oocytes. The stimulatory effect of interleukin 7 was also blocked by inhibitors of the PIK3/AKT pathway. The present findings suggest that oocyte-derived interleukin 7 could act on neighboring granulosa cells as a survival factor and also promote the nuclear maturation of preovulatory oocytes through activation of the PIK3/AKT pathway.
Follicle stages
Antral, Preovulatory
Comment
Phenotypes
Mutations
1 mutations
Species: mouse
Mutation name: None
type: null mutation fertility: fertile Comment: Early lymphocyte expansion is severely impaired in interleukin 7 receptor-deficient mice. Peschon JJ et al. Interleukin 7 (IL-7) stimulates the proliferation of B cell progenitors, thymocytes, and mature T cells through an interaction with a high affinity receptor (IL-7R) belonging to the hematopoietin receptor superfamily. We have further addressed the role of IL-7 and its receptor during B and T cell development by generating mice genetically deficient in IL-7R. Mutant mice display a profound reduction in thymic and peripheral lymphoid cellularity. Analyses of lymphoid progenitor populations in IL-7R-deficient mice define precisely those developmental stages affected by the mutation and reveal a critical role for IL-7R during early lymphoid development. Significantly, these studies indicate that the phase of thymocyte expansion occurring before the onset of T cell receptor gene rearrangement is critically dependent upon, and mediated by the high affinity receptor for IL-7.