Expression of chemerin and its receptors in the ovaries of prepubertal and mature gilts

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated that chemerin participates in the regulation of female reproductive function at the level of the ovaries. Due to the lack of data concerning the presence of the chemerin system (chemerin and its receptors: CMKLR1, GPR1, CCRL2) in the ovaries of pigs, one of the most economically important livestock species, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression and localization of chemerin and its receptors in the ovaries of prepubertal and mature gilts. We also aimed to examine the concentrations of chemerin in the follicular fluid of prepubertal and mature animals. In the present study, we have demonstrated the expression patterns of chemerin system components in the porcine follicles of different sizes of prepubertal and mature animals, as well as in corpora lutea of mature gilts during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. The obtained results suggest that the expression of chemerin system components is influenced by the reproductive stage, cell type, and the hormonal status of gilts (the estrous cycle/pregnancy). We have also presented the localization of the chemerin system components in various ovarian structures, and also showed changes in the concentration of chemerin in the follicular fluid of pigs. The presented findings not only confirm that chemerin is produced locally in the porcine ovary but they also demonstrate that chemerin directly affects ovarian cells, as confirmed by the presence of chemerin receptors in all ovarian structures. Therefore, chemerin appears to be an important intra‐ovarian factor that could regulate ovary function in pigs.

The role of vaspin in porcine corpus luteum

“…Large luteal cells form from granulosa cells after ovulation, while small luteal cells form from theca; our previous paper documented vaspin abundance in the granulosa and theca cells (Kurowska et al 2019a). Studies have demonstrated the luteal-phase-dependent expression of other adipokines like apelin (Różycka et al 2018), adiponectin (Maleszka et al 2014) or chemerin (Rytelewska et al 2020) in CL.…”

“…Sows were sacrificed during slaughter according to European Legislation (EFSA, AHAW/04-027). Ovaries were transported to the laboratory in PBS with an antibiotic-antimycotic solution within 30 min of collection, then CLs were isolated from the ovaries after morphological examination at the early (2-3 days after ovulation, the presence of corpora hemorrhagica), middle (10-12 days after ovulation, the phase when CL activity is the highest in the cycle), and late (14-16 days after ovulation, the phase of luteolysis) stages of the luteal phase (Rytelewska et al 2020). To determine vaspin/ GRP78 mRNA expression, CLs (n = 10 animal per stage, 1 CL from 1 animal, so the total number of animals was 30) were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at −70°C.…”

Transcription Analysis of the Chemerin Impact on Gene Expression Profile in the Luteal Cells of Gilts

“…Our recent studies have shown the presence of all three CHEM-associated receptors in selected structures of the pig hypothalamus [16] and ovary [17] during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy, which allowed us to conclude that CHEM has a direct effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal regulatory axis (HPG) by modifying the functioning of its upstream structures. We hypothesized that CHEM may have endocrine effects on downstream structures of the HPG axis, in particular on CL producing steroid hormones, significantly modifying reproductive processes in mammals.…”

The In Vitro Effect of Prostaglandin E2 and F2α on the Chemerin System in the Porcine Endometrium during Gestation

“…The expression of chemerin and its receptors in the porcine hypothalamic structures responsible for gonadoliberin (GnRH) production, as well as in the pituitary gonadotrophs suggests the potential involvement of the adipokine in the regulation of the reproductive functions [ 14 , 15 ]. Chemerin system expression was observed in the human uterus [ 18 , 19 ], in human and rat placenta [ 1 , 20 ], in the ovaries of women and rodents [ 1 , 21 , 22 ], and in porcine ovaries, uteri, trophoblasts, and conceptuses [ 23 , 24 ]. The expression of the chemerin system components in the endometrium, trophoblasts, placentas, and conceptuses suggests that the adipokine may play an important role in the foeto–maternal crosstalk during early pregnancy, as well as, through the placenta, across the whole gestation period.…”

“…Our previous research revealed changes in the expression of the chemerin system in porcine uterine and ovarian tissues and demonstrated changes in serum chemerin concentrations during the estrous cycle and early gestation. These findings suggest that chemerin system expression may be dependent on the hormonal milieu [ 14 , 23 , 24 ]. Similar observations were made by Yang et al, [ 26 ] who reported that chemerin and GPR1 expression in the ovaries of mice varied during the estrous cycle.…”