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Stability of housekeeping genes and expression of locally produced growth factors and hormone receptors in goat preantral follicles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 June 2010

Isana M. A. Frota ,
Cintia C. F. Leitão ,
José J. N. Costa ,
Ivina R. Brito ,
Robert van den Hurk  and
José R. V. Silva
Isana M. A. Frota
Affiliation:
Biotechnology Nucleus of Sobral – NUBIS, Federal University of Ceara, Av. Geraldo Rangel 100, CEP 62041-040, Sobral, CE, Brazil.
Cintia C. F. Leitão
Affiliation:
Biotechnology Nucleus of Sobral – NUBIS, Federal University of Ceara, Av. Geraldo Rangel 100, CEP 62041-040, Sobral, CE, Brazil.
José J. N. Costa
Affiliation:
Biotechnology Nucleus of Sobral – NUBIS, Federal University of Ceara, Av. Geraldo Rangel 100, CEP 62041-040, Sobral, CE, Brazil.
Ivina R. Brito
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Ceara, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
Robert van den Hurk
Affiliation:
Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
José R. V. Silva*
Affiliation:
Biotechnology Nucleus of Sobral – NUBIS, Federal University of Ceara, Av. Geraldo Rangel 100, CEP 62041-040, Sobral, CE, Brazil.
*
All correspondence to J.R.V. Silva. Biotechnology Nucleus of Sobral – NUBIS, Federal University of Ceara, Av. Geraldo Rangel 100, CEP 62041-040, Sobral, CE, Brazil. Tel:/Fax: +55 88 36132603. e-mail: jrvsilva@ufc.br
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Summary

The aim of the present study was to investigate the stability of six housekeeping genes, and the relative expression of growth factors (EGF, GDF-9, BMP-15, VEGF, FGF-2, BMP-6, IGF-1 and KL) and hormone receptors (FSH, LH and GH) in goat preantral follicles. To evaluate to stability of housekeeping genes micro-dissected fresh follicles (150–200 μm) as well as follicles that have been in vitro cultured for 12 days were used. In addition, isolated fresh follicles were used to compare expression of various growth factors and hormone receptors before culture. Both fresh and cultured follicles were subjected to total RNA extraction and synthesis of cDNA. After amplification of cDNA by real-time PCR, the geNorm software program was used to evaluate the stability of glyceraldehyde-2-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), β-tubulin, β-actin, phosphoglycerokinase (PGK), 18S rRNA, ubiquitin (UBQ) and ribosomal protein 19 (RPL-19). In addition, follicular steady-state levels of mRNA from the various growth factors under study were compared. Results demonstrated that, in goat preantral follicles, UBQ and β-actin were the most suitable reference genes and thus could be used as parameters to normalize data from future in vitro studies. In contrast, 18S RNA appeared the least stable gene among the tested housekeeping genes. Analysis of mRNA for several hypophyseal hormone receptors in fresh preantral follicles showed significantly higher FSH-R mRNA levels than those of LH-R and GH-R, and no difference between GH-R and LH-R mRNA levels. In regard growth factor mRNA expression in goat preantral follicles, EGF mRNA levels appeared significantly lower than those of the other studied growth factors. Increasingly higher relative mRNA levels were observed for GDF-9, BMP-15, BMP-6, FGF-2, VEGF, Kl and IGF-1, successively. In conclusion, UBQ and β-actin are the most stable housekeeping genes in fresh and 12-days cultured caprine preantral follicles. Furthermore, in fresh follicles, high levels of FSH-R mRNA are detected while among eight growth factors, IGF-1 is the most highly expressed and EGF the weakest expressed compound.

Keywords

GoatGrowth factorsHousekeeping genesHypophyseal hormone receptorsmRNAOvarian follicles
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 71 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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